As announced by Dan Didio and Bob Wayne in Philly and Heroes Con, respectively, next week's Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 will be the last issue of the young series, which was just launched last year. Although DC is keeping mum about what happens in that pivotal issue, its story will act as a precursor to the announced return of Mark Waid to The Flash beginning in the fall with penciler Daniel Acuna (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters).Okay, on one hand, this is Mark Waid. I started reading The Flash during Waid's run and I am firmly in the camp of people who loved that run and would be interested in seeing if he can recapture that. I never thought I'd drop that comic. (Until, of course, this series happened and I just had to. It was too painful.) To me this writer is not a guaranteed hit (I much preferred his 90s LSH reboot to the current one, for example) but definitely work a look.
On the other hand, its going to be drawn by Daniel Acuna, an artist who draws comics that I find only slightly more visually appealing than the slides accompanying the STD briefing at Keesler AFB.
Some days, I think DC editorial is personally out to get me.
I also enjoyed Waid's Flash run quite a bit. He ran a little cold toward the end, but the beginning and middle of it were a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have no expectations that he'll be able to recapture what he had on the first run - he won't be able to do it. This isn't a slam on Waid at all -- it's a prediction. And it's based on the fact that I can't think of a single creator who has gone back to something that they did well the first time around and had it be just as good or better the second time around.
I think it IS kind of interesting that Flash tanked so badly that they are giving it ANOTHER reboot so quickly. Wonder Woman isn't getting a new #1 when Gail Simone takes over, is it?
And Daniel Acuna? Meh. Will it have that CGI look that the Freedom Fighters book had?
Hmm. Acuna's recent GL issue was much, much, much better than his Freedom Fighters stuff. Some of it even reminded me of Kyle Baker, believe it or not.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, this is a weird thing. Writer I love, artist I don't like, character I may want to read about and probably won't.
Kyle Baker? Yeah, I can actually see that, come to think oof it.
ReplyDeleteBut with Waid coming back, I'm about the happiest guy on earth right now.
If he's smart, and I think he is, Waid won't make this Flash series about the same things the last one was. His last run was about the speedster family and about the Speed Force and expanding the powers of the speedster family. It was about giving Wally his due.
ReplyDeleteIf this new series is about Barry Allen's return as some believe it will, then the focus can be about something else. Returning to a world you don't recognize anymore, CSI shennanigans, and proving once again why you're an icon.
Keesler AFB?
ReplyDeleteThat came out of nowhere. God I hated that place. Worst year of my life. I don't remember any briefings on STD's though. At least none at Keesler.
Now I think that this is great news. I like Mark Waid, and I very much liked Acuna's art recently in Green Lantern. It is a very painterly look, which is a little different, but frankly, I found his Hal to be adorable. Usually I only find Kyle to be adorable.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love Wally, I must admit that I'd love to have Barry back. Heck, let's have them BOTH back. And Beetle, Max and Dmitri while we're at it.
I'd love to see Wally back -- but I'm warming up to the idea of Barry's return. (I've been scared for 20 years that people would bring him back and screw him up.)
ReplyDeleteBarry was my original favorite superhero -- and he still is. But I'd trust Waid with him more than anyone else writing comics today.
As for Wally, he's a favorite, too -- he really grew up with me, so in many ways (aside from childhood nostalgia) he's "my" Flash. But he's not dead, he's just gone -- and they can bring him back whenever they need to.
I'm figuring on Wally more than Barry myself. The character was popular, the series was doing much better, and they left a much easier open in Infinite Crisis to bring Wally back than Barry.
ReplyDeleteAnd not only that, Wally arguably can come back with teenaged twins who have the same powers for a family show.
(And they're playing up Barry too much. Its always a fakeout with Barry. He comes back for an issue and then disappears into time again.)
Rick -- I was there for Tech School. First few days you sit and listen to post-BMT briefings. One of them is the safe sex briefing. Its fun. There's lots of grown people in the audience making faces and saying "EWWW!"
Yeah.
ReplyDeleteI guess this will be the ultimate personal test of can one of my favorite writers overpower an artist I hate.
Still... between this and McDuffie writing JLA... I may have some mainstream non-CCA comics I can show to my kids at the library again. :)
Daniel Acuna? The same guy who gave Star Sapphire a glow-in-the-dark vajayjay? This does not look good...
ReplyDelete"Its always a fakeout with Barry."
ReplyDeleteEspecially when Mark Waid's writing.
You have no idea how relieved I am that I've FINALLY discovered other people who hate Daniel Acuna's artwork! First Uncle Sam, then the last Green Lantern arc, now Flash? Regardless of whatever direction it's going in I might just drop it just because of him. (And it would be the first DC book I drop since I started reading again in late 2005.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, am I the only one who distinctly remembers Dan DiDio saying not to "fall in love with the first Flash you see" sometime before The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive kicked off? They've been planning this for some time, and it's not a reaction to how well or poorly the current title has done.
well...I hate to nitpick...but technically the first flash we saw was Jay Garrick. Bart didn't become Flash until issue 2 of the current series IIRC. This IS DC backpedalling...they're just lucky enough to have their hype machine work for them for once.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I don't doubt this has been planned for many months...but probably not till the 2nd issue's sales came in.
Also, yay Waid!! And ugh Acuna! I don't get why people like him so much (I'm looking at Graeme here...I honestly had to look at the book again after his review of last month's GL...I thought maybe I got a faulty copy)