There are very few event tie-ins that would be able to exist on their own. Not surprisingly, many are so heavily dependent upon the main event that you are left with only two options; read on in ignorance, or buy more and more tie-ins. However, you occasionally get a tie-in that is well written, apart from the main event, and carrying all the gravitas and import due.

Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins Rogues’ Revenge is one of those comics.

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Or - “I Think We Can Be Certain It’s Not Really Final…”

I started to try and write a big clever open, but y’know what? 

RACCOON WITH A HEAVY MACHINE GUN!!!!!

How am I s’pose to top that?

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Here’s another rapid-fire roundup of items from the DC Nation Panel, that includes interesting information about Kevin Smith.

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Maybe something that people have forgotten since Wally West returned as The Flash, is that part of what made the Flash such a great character and series is his Rogue’s gallery. Not as dire or maniacal as Batman’s, the Flash’s rogues started out campy, and got progressively darker, while keeping that campy edge that only a cold gun can bring.

So when I finished Rogues’ Revenge, I was struck by how similar this book was to the good Flash days, even though Jay, Barry, Wally nor Bart made an appearance.

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“Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” - Like by the end of the issue

Even though Mark Waid said returning to the Flash after his long run was a huge mistake, there is one thing you have to give him credit for; adding the children as a plot device that would have repercussions down the road - hey, just in time for a new crisis!

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There’s some wild speculation going around that the person under Libra’s hood, isn’t really Libra. It has something to do with this panel:

Did you get the clues? If not, we’ll discuss it on the Major Spoilers Podcast #14: The Wanted Podcast.

For those of you who are in the know, please join in on this week’s poll.

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It only took one day for the trailer-esque DC Universe 0 to sell out at Diamond Comics Distributors. With all the mainstream press DC received from such outlets as The New York Daily News, the Associated Press, and The New York Times, as well as our own coverage, it is understandable that comic readers young and old went out to pick up this “jumping on point” issue.

In order to meet demand, DC is already back to press with a second printing that features a variant version of the original cover.

I think the sell out took DC by surprise, as the second edition won’t be available until May 28.

via DC Comics

Well I may have spoken too soon in the latest installment of the Major Spoilers Podcast, when I said “if you kill of a character, that character needs to stay dead…just like Barry Allen.” Seems the Silver Age Flash is returning in DC’s Universe #0, arriving on stands today.

“That’s the point of comics - they don’t have to die, because they’re fictional creations,” said Grant Morrison, one of the writers behind the comeback.

“We can do anything with them, and we can make them come back and make them defy death,” Morrison said. “And that’s why people read comics, to get away from the way life works, which is quite cruel and unheroic and ends in death.”

I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I think Barry’s sacrifice and permanent death is one of the greatest things about comics. One the other hand, I haven’t picked up the issue, so this could just be a temporal Barry Allen that we’ve seen in Booster Gold, and the Flash title proper making a stop in the current time line as he bounces around space-time. His “golly-gee” clean cut image, certainly didn’t win him a lot of fans during his long run, but post death, Allen seems to have stirred something in fans around the world. Then again, Barry Allen just might die again and play a major role in the Green Lantern Darkest Night saga hitting next year.

via NY Daily News

Or, as Steve Miller says, “Go on, take the money and run…”

Previously, in The Flash #238, Wally West was finding out that the utility companies actually want to be paid for the use of their services! After his cable is turned off, Wally decides that he has to step up his job search (the issue before he missed one interview and was turned down for a security guard job.) But, before he can get his resumes out, he and Jay “Grandpa Flash” Garrick have to check out the site of a possible earthquake, one which was actually started by a new villain named Spin while robbing a charity benefit. Its then that Wally puts his super-fast foot into his mouth when he says the wrong thing to a live television reporter…

FLASH: You want to know why I’m tense? This job doesn’t pay a thing. THAT’S why I’m tense!

Despite super-fast back peddling, the comment gets out on the air. Jay proceeds to dress down Wally, and is told that he is over reacting. When television anchor Roy Raymond, Junior begins to cover the story, we see how bad it can get, as Raymond declares the Flash “The Most Awful Man In The Universe!” Did I mention that television station manager Mr. Auerbach is in reality the villain Spin, and he has Gollum’s twin plugged into a weird computer/monitor network like some sick, ball-gagged puppet? He forces the little Gollum wannabe to see what is agitating people on television and uses his psionic powers to focus that particular subject onto a particular person. Today, the people are angry at the Flash for his “greedy” remarks.

And that is how you make the Flash rob a baseball stadium full of people.

Spoilers ahead, so take this as your final warning!

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Way to tackle a tough subject Waid!

Any superhero comic is bound to showcase an alien invasion at some point, and Waid is more than willing to give service to that meme in his latest take on the Flash. Things looked pretty bleak for the Wests last issue, but with the JLA making an appearance, what better way for Waid to redefine the idea of the Flash Family?

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We announced a while back that the Flash movie had been shelved, but now that the JLA movie is moving forward, it looks as though the studios are reexamining their decision.

According to MTV, David Dobkin has been hired to direct a stand alone Flash movie that will be a spin-off from the Justice League flick.

Dobkin�s film won�t be the character�s first appearance in cinemas, of course, with the Flash a major part of the upcoming �Justice League of America� film. But while fans wait for �JLA� story and casting announcements with bated breath, Dobkin can�t help but hold his � confirming that his movie will exist in the same universe as the upcoming flick as a direct spin-off.

And which version of Flash will we see? Dobkin said Wally West, which further confirms the rumors reported last week that has the JLA movie featuring the death of Barry Allen, with Wally stepping up as the scarlet speedster.

The big question remains - Who will play Wally West?

It is interesting that Warner Bros. is starting with the team movie and then splitting into the single character flicks, while Marvel is releasing the individual characters before going with the full on Avengers team film.

via MTV Movie Blog

Spit on your wife and see what happens

I’m glad Wally and Linda are back. I’m sad DC had to kill Bart to do it. With the latest installment of the adventures of the 3rd Flash, Wally, Linda, Jai, and Iris are confronted with their first major conflict, but the family outing isn’t going so well. Does Flash #232 suffer the same fate?

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The Wild Wests: Growing Up Fast - Part 1
Or - “Welcome back, to that same place that you laughed about”

Here we go, the issue we’ve been salivating for ever since we found out Bart was a goner, Wally was coming back, and Mark Waid was coming with him. Not only do we get the return of the Flash title, but the issue numbering picks up right where it left off. In the year since he’s been absent from the DCU, things have changed for the scarlet speedster, and this issue attempts to explain where he’s been and what’s going on with those two kids of his. Fans of Waid and the Flash might think this issue is like getting a second scoop of ice cream for free, but as usually happens during the summer, that delightful goodness soon melts away.

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Waid returns, makes fans happy

I know it has been out for a week now, but since I won’t be attending the Comic-Con this year, I thought I’d get caught up on a few reviews I’ve been meaning to get to. Up first is All-Flash #1 that features the returns of Wally West and Mark Waid to the series. It’s also a sad moment as Bart Allen leaves us, but as Zoom would say, “That which hurts us, makes us stronger”. Is that the case with Wally and this issue?

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Here it is, the issue that is fast on the heels of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13. I’m excited about this issue for two reason; first it is the return of Wally West and his dealings with Bart’s death, second it is the return of Mark Waid as the series writer. Shame about the cover though…

DC Comics has made a preview of All-Flash #1 available for your prying eyes.

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