Photos from New York Comic-Con have been showing up online over the past few days, which reminds me: I never got around to making my mega-post rounding up photos from Dragon*Con! Fortunately, the Irredeemable Shag of Once Upon a Geek was kind enough to offer me permission to repost his photos ahead of time, and he took a lot of Flash photos: Flash, Golden Age Flash, Kid Flash, the Rogues, and even Blue Lantern Flash! Thanks, Shag!
First, we have the Flash vs. the Rogues meet-up:
Over at his blog, writer Mark Sable talks about Teen Titans: Cold Case, the one-shot “untold tale” that pits the Teen Titans against the Rogues. It’s a story he wrote for DC a few years ago, but that was shelved at the time. DC has opened up the vaults, possibly due to artist Sean Gordon Murphy’s current popularity, and is releasing it in December.
It’s actually the first meeting between the Titans and The Flash’s Rogues gallery, so Cold is just one of the MANY villains the Titans face. I don’t want to give too much away, but the story also ties into Brad Meltzer’s Identity Crisis, providing an answer to an unresolved mystery there.
If you’re worried that you won’t understand the book because it takes place in the Titans’ past (or because you didn’t read Identity Crisis, or follow the Titans or Flash etc.) – don’t. DC didn’t just dust this story off and publish it. I went back and did a major rewrite, with the primary aim being to make this book as accessible as any other I’ve written.
Head over to the blog entry for more about Cold Case and What if Spider-Man had Killed Kraven the Hunter?
(Thanks to @liabrown1 for the link!)
DC has posted a 5-page preview of today’s The Flash #5, along with both the standard and White Lantern variant covers.
If you have trouble viewing the images on DC’s site, you can also read the preview at CBR.
Another interesting item showed up on DC’s December solicitations (preview up now, full list available on Monday):
Written by MARK SABLE
Art by SEAN MURPHY
Cover by JAY FABOK
Don’t miss this untold tale from writer Mark Sable (Grounded, TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE) and red-hot artist Sean Murphy (JOE THE BARBARIAN) bringing the Teen Titans and The Flash’s Rogues Gallery into direct conflict! Two people already died over a mysterious object, and now both teams want it. How much more blood will be spilled to obtain it as this gets deadly personal for all involved?
ONE-SHOT * On sale DECEMBER 22 * 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US
Notes: I’m guessing that by “untold tale,” DC only means that it’s set in the past. Though I suppose they could be dusting off an old two-part story that’s been sitting on a shelf for a while.
With Cyborg, Ravager, Wonder Girl (Cassie) and Robin on the cover, I’d guess it’s probably early in the “One Year Later” period right after Infinite Crisis and 52, before the Rogues were dragged into Flash: The Fastest Man Alive and shipped off to Salvation Run.
In his post on re-using old characters, David Brothers mentions that in 6 years writing the Avengers, Brian Michael Bendis created only one new villain. That started me thinking about Geoff Johns’ original run on The Flash (2000–2005). Johns created a wealth of new enemies for the Flash during the first part of his run, particularly in Iron Heights, but I couldn’t think of any from later.
It turns out, that’s because there basically aren’t any.
This run can easily be divided into two main pieces: Flash #164–200, from Wonderland to Blitz, and then Flash #201–225, from Ignition through Rogue War. The dividing line: the moment when the Spectre erases everyone’s memory of Wally West’s and Barry Allen’s identities as the Flash.
Here’s a list of the new villains who were introduced before that moment:
Ten entirely new enemies, and two new versions of old villains. Not bad for a roughly 50-issue run!
Now, here’s a list of new villains introduced after that moment:
Just one legacy villain, in the very first story, and he died at the end. OK, maybe you can count the Rainbow Raiders, but they never made more than a single cameo appearance in the book.
As much as I love Geoff Johns’ writing on the classic Rogues, I’ve got to admit I miss seeing new villains. The Renegades sort of count, but I’m definitely looking forward to the new villain Francis Manapul mentioned will debut in the second story arc on the new series.
I’ve been really enjoying the ongoing Flash series despite the frustration and disappointment of Flash: Rebirth. It’s as if “The Dastardly Death of the Rogues” is being written by Geoff Johns, and Flash: Rebirth was written by the mirror Geoff. Or in a multiverse context, the Geoff Johns of Earth-3.
Also surprising: Johns seems to have remembered an old saying about writing comic books: Every issue is somebody’s first. A few deftly placed lines of dialogue spell out the key details of the story so far: Boomerang’s status and new abilities, who the Renegades are, what file is missing and why, etc. Considering this is part 4 of a 6-part story, I suspect most writers today wouldn’t have bothered.
Francis Manapul’s artwork continues to be the highlight of this book. The Flash stands or falls (runs or stumbles?) on pacing and the reader’s perception of speed, and Manapul delivers. This time around, the stand-out panels are splash pages in an effort to rescue pilots from a damaged helicopter. (One nice easter egg: in the background of that double-page spread, we see the bridge that Wally West rebuilt back in “Crossfire.”)
I’m neutral on the “Flash Facts” pages, though if they’re going to keep using them to spotlight the villains, I like the way they link the real tech with the comic-book tech. Last month it was “How Boomerangs Work” and “How Captain Boomerang’s Boomerangs Work.” This month it’s mirrors and Mirror Master’s mirrors.
Some of the luster is beginning to fade, though. The structure is starting to feel formulaic: Barry Allen keeps fighting the Renegades, and every battle gets cut short one way or another. Every issue has a major super-speed feat, which individually manages to be extremely cool, but gets repetitive four issues on.
I think the main thing that disappointed me about this issue was the revelation behind the murder mystery. Sure, it’s one of the few explanations that fits Barry Allen’s character, but it also violates the expectations set up in the first half of the story. To say any more, I’ll have to break into….
SPOILERS!