Manapul & Buccelato Flashback on the First Year of "The Flash"

[CBR News]

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelato look back on the first 12 issues of "The Flash," sharing their thoughts on the success of the series and the importance of the pureness of Barry Allen.


Full article here.

[a fire in london]

This book has been perfect imo. These guys have put a crazy amount of work and thought into this character and it shows. I hope Francis' break (while well deserved) doesn't last to long. I was a Barry fan but really grew up with Wally. These guys made the loss of Wally a lot easier and I am happy reading about Barry again.

[Hypestyle]

...how complicated is the new history? is it just a lightning bolt/chemical bath or the speed force that gives him his powers? how many deaths/resurrections has barry had? was Wally ever the Flash? What about Impulse or John Fox?

how does Grodd's origin happen this time?

[Desean101101]

...how complicated is the new history? is it just a lightning bolt/chemical bath or the speed force that gives him his powers? how many deaths/resurrections has barry had? was Wally ever the Flash? What about Impulse or John Fox?

how does Grodd's origin happen this time?

go pick up the first trade, it is literally all answered in the first trade just about. Also there is no impulse, john fox, and wally and barry has never died.

[gcarbone]

I am going to check out the zero issue, and the Gorilla War, but I have not enjoyed this that much lately. I liked it up through the Flash visit to Gorilla City - everything since then less so.

I don't dislike Marcus To at all but for some reason the last few issues have felt off to me.

[Desaad]

The artwork is still a cut above, but the actual writing is still very rough around the edges for my tastes. Just a tad awkward at times, not very clever, and a bit shallow. I miss the conceptual density of the first few issues, where we were introduced to new abilities and new concepts a mile a minute, too.

[LeandroMD]

The artwork is still a cut above, but the actual writing is still very rough around the edges for my tastes. Just a tad awkward at times, not very clever, and a bit shallow. I miss the conceptual density of the first few issues, where we were introduced to new abilities and new concepts a mile a minute, too.

Yeah, I know what you mean. As much as I want to love this book, I can merely like it. Lot's of good stuff going on (v.g., Barry being such a good old-fashioned nice person, and a hero at heart; the beautiful artwork and visual storytelling, etc). But the book does suffer from being very thin. It is not bad writing, but there's a certain lack of drama, and not much story packed into each issue. The potential and skill are present, there is definitely room for improvement.

[D.C. Edmonds]

... and what a fantastic first year it was ...

[Volkditty]

I think in previous interviews Manapul has admitted that the first story arc was too long, and the reintroduction of the Rogues, in reaction, was a little rushed. I think that's part of the growing pains of being a relatively new writer that's getting more attention here because Flash is a high profile character in the DC world. Pacing and story construction play out a lot differently between the writer who scripts the whole arc in one sitting and the public who gets one chapter a month at a time. That said, I like the fact that the reintroduced each Rogue with essentially their own one-shot instead of focusing on just Captain Cold and letting the rest be henchmen. They've put a lot of pieces onto the board for this Gorilla Warfare arc and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it will be worth it. I figure I owe that much to two guys who have revitalized a character whom I could not have cared less about immediately prior to the relaunch.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

This is one of my favorite books on the stands, and far and away the best of the New 52. Keep 'em coming, guys.

[Rakzo]

As I have stated before, the premise, ideas and direction for this series is fantastic, unfortunately the execution can be underwhelming at times.

Still, it's a pretty enjoyable title and one of my favorites. Plus, I'm sure Manapul/Buccellato are trying to improve their flaws.

[Doctor Voodoo]

One of the most exciting/fun books on the market.

[DarkKnghtJared]

I think in previous interviews Manapul has admitted that the first story arc was too long, and the reintroduction of the Rogues, in reaction, was a little rushed. I think that's part of the growing pains of being a relatively new writer that's getting more attention here because Flash is a high profile character in the DC world. Pacing and story construction play out a lot differently between the writer who scripts the whole arc in one sitting and the public who gets one chapter a month at a time. That said, I like the fact that the reintroduced each Rogue with essentially their own one-shot instead of focusing on just Captain Cold and letting the rest be henchmen. They've put a lot of pieces onto the board for this Gorilla Warfare arc and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it will be worth it. I figure I owe that much to two guys who have revitalized a character whom I could not have cared less about immediately prior to the relaunch.

I can see that--the first arc could have been slimmed down and the arcs after that could have been extended, but I like that they're trying to tell short, concise stories that still work, and I think for amateur writers, these are pretty damn strong stories.