Can’t get enough of Geoff Johns’ run with Barry Allen? Well, now you’ve got 20% more!
The Source announced last night that the series — chronicling the return of the Silver Age Flash after about 23 years of martyrdom following the Crisis on Infinite Earths — will go from five issues to six. Currently, the series is dealing with the implications of Barry’s return, as well as the creation of a new Black Flash.
While there will certainly be fans who cry foul (or “poor planning”) on this, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Green Lantern: Rebirth lasted six issues, and I think an extra issue gives the series a chance to breathe a bit (as opposed to the compression of a series like, say, Legion of Three Worlds). It’s a matter of personal taste, I suppose. That said, because there are more pages involved, there is certainly a chance for slowdown. We’ll give you more updates as they arrive.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Heh, I wish more series would add (or subtract!) issues based on the needs of the plot, honestly. (LOL. The Legion of Three Worlds thing for instance, could’ve been 12 issues.)
As far as “poor planning”, I cry foul. I’ve seen posts on this very subject before the first issue even came out that hinted they were considering this. If that’s the case I’m sure Geoff already had the sixth issue’s plot in mind for a while now.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
I actually wish the series would hurry up, I would be fine if we were getting good character moments but beyond Barry moaning that he should be dead there is nothing there. The plot is murky as well. I wish we’d get more reaction from the people around him. We have one line from Kid Flash for example but he is yet to meet up with Barry at all. I always considered Flash one of the lighter books in the DCU, a great place to meld comedy and drama but this series has shown nothing of that.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I support everything from fellow Republican Ethan Van Sciver. You should read his posts at the Bendis Board, one of the only true voices of intelligence there.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Really? I feel like the series is going so slowly
May 13th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
“Poor planning” ? Maybe. Crappy, editorial management? Yes, definitely. Does anyone remember that this series was originally solicited as 6 issues way back? I was ticked when they scaled it down to 5 but thought that 5 40pg issues would do the same job only to find that the first issue was regular sized with that unneeded Power Girl preview in the back. So in my mind this is not a suprise and is a welcome revelation that DC might be getting better at fixing their mistakes.
As for the pace of the series, um 04nbod, did you read GL Rebirth? I can feel similarities and as for Flash being a “lighter book,” what the heck does that mean? I grew up with the TV show which was anything but light, so I’m loving this. Gimme more.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I’m not sure if this is the best move but we’ll see. I’m all for more of a good thing, as I’ve been enjoying the series so far but it might be that five issues is enough to tell the whole story. Well, at least it’s not Bendis or someone doing this.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Honestly, after buying the first issue and looking at the abhorrent artwork, I am not buy another four–of five–issues of this wreck. Seriously, Van Sciver is better than this. His Green Lantern mini was amazing. On Flash, he can’t find time to draw jars in perspective?
May 13th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Don’t let them fool you, folks. This series was planned as six issues from the very start. This isn’t poor management, it’s a lousy publicity stunt.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Da dut da da daa… I’m lovin’ it!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Ha ha, Super Mario think its a publicity stunt. Stop the presses! Bump that front page story to page three because we will need 2 pages to cover this story of the year. Its all anybody will be talking at work tomorrrow. Oh wait. This will likely get little to no publicity beyond this, I don’t think DC intended it to.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
JC, you’re incorrect about REBIRTH #1 being normal-sized. It was 30 pages of story *in addition* to the Power Girl preview. This 30-for-3.99 format is DC’s standard for all of the upcoming books with co-features as well. You normally pay 22-for-2.99, which is 7-1/3 pages per dollar. The larger books get you 8 more pages for that 4th dollar, a slightly better deal.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:05 am
This move makes it sound like an excuse to squeeze out more $$. The first two issues already moved at a snails pace with it’s retcons and nonsense, now we can look forward to some deliberate padding?
At least EVS doesn’t dissapoint.
May 14th, 2009 at 1:29 am
I hope Barry re-Dies. what an uptight square. They shouldve never taken the book away from Wally.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I can honestly say I thought this series (like GL REBIRTH before it) was 6 issues already….
May 14th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Foul. DC Knew how long the story was before they advertised it.
As for “breathing room”, most stories told these days are “spread for the trade”, drawing the story out to 6 issues when the story could be told in 4. Way too many full page and double page spreads which rarely move the story forward. Marvel and DC need to go back to the older style of more story in fewer pages. Single and 2 issues stories. Not every story needs to be a 6 month slog.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I question the mental health of anyone who would be upset at the prospect of MORE Geoff Johns.