Johns chats up FLASH: REBIRTH at IGN, CBR

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A few points of interest to click on as you settle in for the last day of the work week:

Comic Book Resources and IGN both talk to writer Geoff Johns about FLASH: REBIRTH #1, which hit this week and features artwork from Ethan Van Sciver.

On taking on the huge task of reintegrating Barry Allen into the DCU, Johns tells CBR:

CBR: When it was revealed that Barry Allen was coming back from the dead, it almost broke the internet. Even mainstream media was running the story. Do you consider it an honor to be responsible for his return?

Yes, and it’s a challenge. A lot of readers come with pre-conceived notions and, obviously, this is the most controversial return since Bucky Barnes. But I love The Flash, I love his villains, I love every character behind the lightning so getting back to Flash and the Flash universe and diving back in, I did without hesitation when I finally found the story and the direction.

And over at IGN, he explains why Barry Allen matters:

IGN Comics: For those who never really went back and read all the comics of the Barry Allen Flash era, can you explain what you believe makes him so different than Jay, Wally and Bart?

Johns: Jay Garrick for me is kind of like the father figure. He's everybody's dad in JSA, and I've always played him as a father figure that you could talk to. He's the guy who is really supportive and would reach out and help you. Wally West is the sidekick made good. He's grown up and now has his own family. He's kind of come full circle from a kid to now raising kids himself – and kids that he can't necessarily relate to. With Bart it was one thing, because he was this kid who was a little bit unwieldy but still had super speed. So on one hand Wally could relate to Bart and could see this impulsive kid and what made him this way, and what super speed could do to you when you're young.

Tags: 
Ethan Van Sciver, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns

FLASH: REBIRTH #1 sells out

Well, that was fast. No pun intended.

After a day on the stands, the first issue of writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver's FLASH: REBIRTH mini-series has sold out. But no worries, you still will be able to find a copy if you've been lax in your LCS visits. There are probably a few copies still in stores, and the second printing -- which sports a new Van Sciver cover -- hits on 4/29. Check it:

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Tags: 
Ethan Van Sciver, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns

NEWSARAMA on FLASH: REBIRTH #1: "Johns knows what makes Barry Allen tick"

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FLASH: REBIRTH #1 has been out a little over a day and the reviews are beginning to pour in. David Pepose, over at NEWSARAMA, had this to say in his "Best Shots" review of the issue:

Johns' main strength in Flash is the same he had with Green Lantern: he knows what makes Barry Allen tick. While Hal is a study in recklessness and charismatic defiance, Barry is a little more down to earth. "This man refused to believe the line between good and evil blurred like the scarlet and gold he wore." Methinks this might be a theme, one that may even be as resonant as overcoming fear. Of course, it remains to be seen if Johns can make this more laid-back character into as engrossing a protagonist as Green Lantern: it is true that the scenes where Barry mopes are a little on the slow side... even for a man who is perpetually late.

The art in this is pretty fantastic. Ethan Van Sciver proves that you can't rush quality -- while some of his crowd scenes are a little too busy for my liking, he more than makes up for it with the simplistic beauty of a Flash in high speed. The scene of Barry and Hal walking through the Flash Museum, passing by a larger than life statue of them both that screams "The Brave and the Bold" while subtly showing Wally West's Rogues' Gallery is a stroke of genius on both creators' part. Also -- Van Sciver's cartoony statue of Impulse is a great Easter Egg for fans of the original run.

FLASH: REBIRTH #1 is on sale now. You can find a preview right here.

Tags: 
Ethan Van Sciver, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns, Newsarama, reviews

THE COLORADO SPRINGS-GAZETTE on FLASH: REBIRTH

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Bill Radford, over at THE COLORADO SPRINGS-GAZETTE talks to writer Geoff Johns about FLASH: REBIRTH and the return of Barry Allen. Here's a sampling:

For five years, Johns wrote the adventures of another scarlet speedster: Barry's nephew, Wally West, who became the Flash after Barry's death. Throughout those years, Johns said, "it was always about Wally filling the boots of his uncle. It wasn't about speed. I can make a Flash book now about speed, and I don't think that's been done in a long time."

The Flash is Johns' favorite character in comics - and that need for speed is why.

"There's something about being able to move that quickly," he said. "Especially today, I think this speaks to the theme of everyone wanting things to move faster, everyone wanting more time for things."

But "The Flash: Rebirth" isn't just about the power of speed. It's also about Barry wrestling with some basic questions after his return from the dead.

"He's very much in the moment of ‘why am I back?'" Johns said. "‘Why now? Why am I needed? Am I needed?'"

FLASH: REBIRTH #1 hits 4/1 from Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver.

Tags: 
colorado springs-gazette, Ethan Van Sciver, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns

Get a first look at FLASH: REBIRTH #1

In case you couldn't make the trip to New York Comic-Con and see a hard copy of the 2009 convention booklet, we've got a sneak peek at five pages from Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver's FLASH: REBIRTH #1, hitting stores in April.

Barry Allen, back in the land of the living after the events of FINAL CRISIS #2, is a man out of time. Why is he back? How can he fit into a world that's moved on without him? And, more importantly, who brought back the greatest Scarlet Speedster?

Check out these pages. FLASH: REBIRTH #1 goes on sale April 1.

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Tags: 
Ethan Van Sciver, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns, new york comic-con

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