The Flash is many things - the fastest man alive, a colorful protector of Central City, a hopeful hero in a world of shadow. But re-imagined as part of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, The Flash is now also scientifically sound. Sure, there's a bit of comic book license taken, but co-writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccallato are making an effort to root his science-fiction adventures firmly in scientific fact – and they are more than happy to talk about it.

They caught up with YAHOO! ASSOCIATED CONTENT for a three-part series on the subject of Flash’s real-world science – also touching on the need for optimism in the comic book medium. “A lot of the science we've used has not only helped move the story forward but it's also helped inspire certain things,” said Manapul. “We're not going to shoehorn something in just to fit it in or have our story hindered by it at the end of the day. It has to be something that helps move our story forward and get us to where we need to be. We've been lucky enough that many of the things we needed to find exist. That's what is more amazing about it. Some of the things we've introduced, as out of this world as they seem, are real. These scientific terms aren't just made up words. They're real.” Check out the whole series: Part 1 (Francis Manapul), Part 2 (Brian Buccellato) and Part 3 (Manapul on optimism in THE FLASH).

And the duo spoke with MTV GEEK, as well, where they discussed the potential for comic books to serve their readers as a jumping off point to learn new things. “I know when I was a kid, if I saw a word I didn’t understand I would look it up, and now I would know something new,” said Buccellato. “So for a kid to see a straight science term, and then want to know what it means, he can Google it – which is why we call it a Googlable series – and

learn something new. It just adds to the reading experience.”

One of the very first ideas I had when we started building the new Captain Atom book was to have a team-up of sorts. I've said time and again that the genesis for the tone and theme of this book revolves around Captain Atom's sense of isolation. Given his powers and the very nature of his new form, Captain Atom is virtually an alien on the planet he used to call home. He's the stranger in the strange land. Ironic, since someone like Superman is an actual alien, yet manages to fit into the world. He's got family, friends, and even a normal job. All things that continue to elude Captain Atom.

It's hard for Captain Atom to really connect with anyone else, due to the way he sees the world. It's all broken down before him - a patchwork of molecules and atoms - It's like Neo seeing the Matrix. How can you focus on the physical image before you when you see all the layers underneath - all the bits and pieces making up the whole?

That's where the Flash comes in. Like Captain Atom, he's also detached from those around him due to the very nature of his powers - the speed at which he experiences the world. Sure, he can slow down, take pause and be part of the world - but his tendency is to go faster. Thus placing himself in a world all his own.

After talking with Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato about their vision of the Flash (a great book, by the way!), Freddie Williams and I set about to bring the Fastest Man Alive into Captain Atom's world. From a visual standpoint, it simply stunning. Freddie's Flash is almost an homage to what Francis is doing in his book, and the colors by Jose Villarrubia make both heroes stand out from the rest of the world around them. They are bright, shining stars; and the blues and purples of Captain Atom create a dichotomy of power and status against the reds and yellows of the Flash. They aren't fighting one another in a physical sense, but the effects of their presence and abilities seem to almost challenge one another. Which one will be the dominant force? This visual component actually highlights a thematic element of the book as the two heroes try to one-up each other while intervening during a violent struggle between rebels and military soldiers in the Middle East.

I'm extremely proud of the way Captain Atom is coming together, and thrilled by the contributions of the entire team. From Freddie and Jose, to Rob Leigh on letters. Our excellent editors - Rachel Gluckstern and Rickey Purdin. And not to mention the continuously killer covers by Stanley Lau.

-- J.T. Krul (CAPTAIN ATOM)

AIN’T IT COOL NEWS ran an exclusive preview of JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #3 and caught up with series writer Dan Jurgens. “Our JLI will enjoy both the curses and benefits of greater United Nations funding and involvement,” he explained. “When you combine the fact that much of the UN's reasoning is simply PR, rather than actually getting something done, it's a recipe for problems.”

GAWKER’s IO9 spoke with the creative team of THE FLASH, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. “When you read the first arc, it's about The Flash trying to evolve. You realize in the second arc, that that's what the Rogues have been doing this entire time,” Manapul revealed. “But obviously it went wrong and they're not together. We're going to see what that's all about and how they came across the powers that they now have.”

MTV GEEK chatted with BATMAN: NOEL writer/artist Lee Bermejo. “I wanted to make him as real as possible, so I started imagining his costume with Kevlar plating, and it would be a bit more useful, and reflect a little bit of real world clothing that you might find on motorcycle dudes, things like that,” Bermejo said of designing The Dark Knight for this original graphic novel. “I think this worked for the comparisons to Scrooge, too, because … his very demeanor is like a suit of armor.” Be sure to read the whole interview for an exclusive preview of BATMAN: NOEL, in comic book stores on Wednesday and available everywhere next week.

And while it’s still Halloween, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES decided to send shivers up your spine with their horror-focused interview with I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov. “To me, a book is titled what it's titled on purpose,” Fialkov stated. “This book is titled I, VAMPIRE and that means that in every issue, you're going to get a chance to look inside what it's like to be a vampire or to be in the life of vampire or to be surrounded by vampires. And the question of why Andrew can control himself when none of the others can is a big, big part of the story. It's a big part of what we're working on in the next year in terms of the mythology.”

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s CREATIVE LOAFING profiled GRIFTER writer Nathan Edmondson, a Georgia local. Check out their piece to read about how Nathan got involved in the comic book industry and teases at what’s to come in the series.

To be continued …

You surf the web enough, you start seeing patterns.

The number 52, for instance, seems to be very popular right now. Drill down further and new trends start to emerge. Critics like ANIMAL MAN and THE FLASH. Websites likes a good holiday story, particularly a week out from Halloween. Ready?

FLASH FACT: critics really do like THE FLASH. Just check out POPMATTERS' advance 10 out 10 stars rave review of THE FLASH #2, which hits stores tomorrow. “Francis Manapul writer-artist behind the New 52 Flash and co-writer Brian Buccellato, simply streak ahead of any previous limitations in storytelling. What Manapul and Buccellato have produced with the Flash is a rich, textured drama that hinges on both the emotional core and hard scifi,” they wrote. “Manapul and Buccellato conduct readers to a wonderland of augmented cognition and rapid cell development. But the real joy is linking beyond the ideas the writers express, and finding science theories for ourselves like the neuroscience of prediction and quantum entanglement and bringing these to bear on our reading of the book … The Flash is simply comics at its finest.”

Want to hear more about THE FLASH? Head on over to NEWSARAMA, for Vaneta Rogers' interview with the creative team. "What's interesting about Barry Allen's perception among fans is that a lot of people think he's 'old-school.'"said series co-writer and artist Francis Manapul. "But in reality, the only thing old-school about him is his idealism. His optimism. Right? So he's this very black and white type of hero, and he's been thrust into this world that's gray." THE FLASH co-writer Buccellato suggests, "We went through a period where the anti-hero and tortured hero were prevalent, and it's because they were unique at the time that they captured the imagination of readers. But now, I think people see a noble hero as something special. We want somebody who will do the right things because they're the right things, and maybe we don't need to know that deep down he's tortured."

Meanwhile, with Halloween around the corner, GAWKER’s IO9 interviewed I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov to help get you in a horror state of mind. “I went back to Bram Stoker. I'm using Dracula but with a slightly more superhero twist,” Fialkov revealed when asked about what type of powers the vampires in his title possess. “They can turn into bats, wolves, and a hybrid monster (to give them that great visual punch). They have the Stoker set. They can walk in the sunlight, but they can't use their powers. To kill them, you must chop off their head and stake them in the heart. They can turn to mist. They're super-strong, but not Superman. The basic idea is that they're an upgraded version of us.”

AIN'T IT COOL NEWS interviewed DC Entertainment Co-Publisher and JUSTICE LEAGUE artist Jim Lee about DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. “Brian and Cliff have come up with ways of introducing centaurs into WONDER WOMAN that is very creepy, and it's exciting to see a realistic, modernist take on ancient Greek mythology, and used in a way to make it kind of...you know, the same way we've seen different updatings of classic mythology, like Frankenstein, vampires, werewolves, he's kind of doing that with Greek mythology, so it's exciting to see.”

Meanwhile, CBR spoke directly with the WONDER WOMAN creative team, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. “Greek mythology is something that is unique to the character of Wonder Woman. Let's play it up. Why shouldn't it be played up?” Azzarello said. “The other thing is, now, we've given her a family -- a big, horrible family -- and the story possibilities are endless. The gods act horribly to each other, they act horribly to humans. But at the same time, they're not entirely unsympathetic, either. They are all coming from a place you understand. That's kind of the universal quality of mythology, that it's all about human nature. The other thing is, Wonder Woman's never had a Gotham City. Now, her family is going to be her Gotham City.”

While you're at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, be sure to check out their exclusive first look at tomorrow’s TEEN TITANS #2.

Once Halloween is in the rear view mirror a week from today, we can all get ready for the winter holidays. Writer/artist Lee Bermejo helps sets the stage with an interview with NEWSARAMA about BATMAN: NOEL. “There are characters who fit in with the roles that those ghosts play in Dickens,” says Bermejo. “The ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ is a sequence with Catwoman. The ‘Ghost of Christmas Present ’ is a sequence with Superman, and the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’ is Joker. The roles these characters play at that moment in the story help serve the same purpose that the ghosts serve in A Christmas Carol.”

To be continued …