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?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
Or - “With Each Blessing, There Must Come Some Form Of Payment…”
There’s a hidden message in that image right there… I don’t think that it will surprise much of anyone, either. Bart Allen’s run as The Flash has been a troubled one, damaged by “stunt-casting” the writer of the all-important first arc, and by having what could have been a fascinating book about a fourth-generation hero turn into standard-issue paint-by-number dullardry. We all know by now that Bart’s book is being cancelled, and if you’ve read the review of JLA #10, you probably figured out why. At this point, it’s just a question, honestly, of where the chips are going to fall…
You know, I really want to believe DiDio and company fooled all of us with those false Flash #14 and #15 solicitations, but something in the back of my head keeps saying “I don’t buy it, this was a last minute change to placate fanboys”.
For those of you concerned about the fate of Flash and the possibility of going months without another issue, DC has released information regarding The Flash #231 and All-Flash #1.
Scheduled to arrive in stores on July 18, ALL-FLASH #1 (MAY070162) is written by Mark Waid with art by Karl Kerschl, Ian Churchill, Manuel Garcia, Joe Bennett and Daniel Acuña. This issue features covers by Joshua Middleton and Bill Sienkiewicz, which will arrive in stores in a split of approximately 50/50. This issue spotlights the aftermath of THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #13.
In addition, the ordering incentive on THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #14 remains in effect on ALL-FLASH #1. Retailers who already placed orders on THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #14 equal to or greater than 200% of final orders on THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #10 (JAN070287) will be allowed to make full returns on this issue at a later date. Retailers still may increase orders on ALL-FLASH #1 through the Final Order Cutoff date of June 28 to qualify for this offer.
Scheduled to arrive in stores on August 15, THE FLASH #231 (JUN070188) is written by Mark Waid with art by Daniel Acuña and covers by Doug Braithwaite and Acuña which will arrive in stores in a split of approximately 50/50. This issue features the start of a new story arc that takes the Flash family in an unexpected new direction.
We’ve got a peek at the butt-ugly cover to All-Flash: Payback! after the jump.
Hot on the heals of our Flash poll, DC Comics has sent us a sneak peek of the first three pages of the issue that hits this week. Take the jump for the four color goodness and get your engines started as this troubled series reaches a close with a reveal that will help kick off this September’s return of the ongoing Flash series.
Our non-scientific poll has closed, and fans have responded: They want Wally West back in the pages of the Flash!
Of course the poll ends just in time for Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 to arrive, marking the end of the series. Will Bart die? Is Wally really coming back, or will it be pre-Crisis Barry Allen? Come back on Wednesday for our first day release review of Flash for all the answers.
And with the closing of the Flash poll, it’s time to turn our attention to Marvel and one Tony Stark. Is Tony a Skrull? Take the Major Spoilers Poll to the right!
Way back in the day, the one writer who made me a huge fan of everything Flash was Mark Waid. He had a super run (pun intended) on the series, and today DC announced Waid would be returning to Flash this fall.
But wait, that’s not all! Flash: The Fastest Man Alive will be ending with issue #13, and the new series will pick up with Flash #231 written by Waid, with penciler Daniel Acuna. This September we’ll also get a one shot called All Flash #1 with a slew of artists.
But what Flash will Waid be writing about? What will happen in next week’s Flash #13?
In an interview with Newsarama, Waid said, “Yeah. Those who pick up the last issue of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive next week will get a big part of it there, and those who pick up the end of the Justice League/Justice Society team-up the same day, when it ships, will get another gigantic part of the puzzle right there too. And then we just continue the momentum from there. We talked about a million ways to go with it, but this is going to be huge. It’s really, truly huge.”
Ooo! Ooo! If you read that in the right frame of mind with everything else we’ve been talking about on this little site of ours, it does look like we may be seeing the return of Barry Allen next week! Remember, as someone pointed out, Wally West technically isn’t dead.
Welcome back Mark! You were really missed on this series.
Wanting to maintain our embargo on the cover information (even though it has been posted on another site), I’ll just say this “Stay tuned for the complete DC rundown on Monday, which will feature the full cover image and the solicitation info as well.”
Many of you were probably wondering where your edition of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13, which was originally scheduled to arrive last week (June 6) disappeared to… um…you are reading the series, right?
DC Comics let us know the issue will ship next week (June 20), along with Justice League of America #10, and Countdown #45. JLA #10 concludes the lightning saga, and with Flash being the man that rides the lightning, along with the promo poster that shows a fallen “Flash” (presumably Bart Allen), could we be seeing the return of Barry Allen?
Don’t forget to take the poll! And let’s see what DC/JLA/Flash/LoSH has in store for us all. I’m still leaning toward Kal-L simply because of this page from JSA #1.
What do you think?
Barry Allen - 10:1
Wally West - 25:1
Kal-L - 50:1
Earth-2 Lois Lane - 100:1
Ferro Lad - 10000:1
Blue Beetle - 1000000:1
Blok - 100000000:1
DC Comics has slipped us a promo image for Flash #13 that could spell the end of Bart Allen, or the return of Barry Allen. As usual, when DC sends these things out, it generally means something big is ahead (see Emo Superman post from several months ago that teased Countdown), or it could mean you need to take the jump and do some sleuthing yourself.
Or - “The Secret of 52 Is… Gardner Fox Was A Frickin’ Genius.”
There are those who find the Silver Age of comics ridiculous, and the situations laughable. They cite simpler art, weird stories, and a general lack of realism as sticking points, whereas I cite them as the main selling points. In those days, the language of comics was still in it’s formative years (after all, the time difference between the debut of Superman and the debut of Barry Allen as the new Flash was a mere 15 years), and every story essentially came from whole cloth. And nowhere is this more true than this issue, one of the first comics to exercise what today we call “continuity,” attempting to stitch together two divergent stories into one, and as a side-effect, creating the multiverse. You’ve heard of the multiverse, haven’t you? Watch, my friends, and learn.
Just disregard the first eight issues
The Flash has been one of those characters that you either love or hate. When Barry Allen bit the bullet during Crisis on Infinite Earths, I’m sure readers had some trepidation when Wally West donned the scarlet jumpsuit and took on the identity of The Flash. Wally had a really good run for nearly 20 years before DC decided it was time for Wally to retire with his wife and kids and join the speed force - that is if you believe the hype, which I don’t. I would bet Wally and family are happily living out their days on one of the multiple Earths that have reappeared.
With Wally out of the picture, someone else had to step up to fill those running shoes. Since most of the rest of the speedsters have been killed off, had their powers stripped, or are just too old (Max Mercury, Johnny Quick, Jessie Quick, Jay Garrick, John Fox, Red Trinity, and so on to name a few), the only one left is Bart Allen.
Now I love Bart Allen since he first burst on the scene in Flash #95 and continued in his own Impulse series. Mark Waid was the perfect writer for both Flash and Impulse, but somewhere new writers came in and solid story telling started to drift. When DC relaunched The Flash as The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, starring Bart, I was pretty excited at first. Notice I said, “at first”, because it was clear from the very issue #1, this title suffered, and suffered big time. By the time the third issue arrived I was nearly ready to stop reading one of my favorite titles of all time (I have a complete run from Flash #300 (first series) all the way to the current incarnation, and keep looking for back issues to complete the set). I decided to stay on, and when I read Flash #9, complete with a new writer, I knew it was worth the wait.
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