Flash: Rebirth #1
Flash: Rebirth #1 (2016) served as the direct on-ramp from Geoff Johns's universe-shaking DC Universe: Rebirth #1 into Joshua Williamson's long-form Flash run, making it the narrative bridge between the end of the New 52 era and DC's new publishing direction. The issue delivers the first foreshadowing appearance of Godspeed — a villain whose morally complicated, Speed Force-draining vigilantism gave the Flash a genuinely fresh antagonist concept after decades of Reverse-Flash iterations. It also dramatizes Barry Allen's reunion with Wally West following Wally's return from the Speed Force, restoring a mentor-protégé dynamic that had been erased by the New 52, and firmly established the emotional and thematic DNA — legacy, hope, and the responsibilities of speed — that would carry Williamson's run for over 100 issues.
In "Flash: Rebirth #1," Barry Allen confronts a haunting echo of his mother’s murder, triggering eerie visions of long-lost speedsters and a growing sense that the Speed Force is trying to send him a warning. When the original Wally West—long thought lost to time—reappears, Barry’s memories flood back, and he must act fast to pull Wally into the present before the timeline collapses. With Wally gone to join the Titans and Barry heading to Gotham to consult Batman, the mystery of a hidden force reshaping reality deepens. Written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Carmine Di Giandomenico, with colors by Ivan Plascencia and letters by Steve Wands, the issue features a striking cover by Karl Kerschl.
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Joshua Williamson first pitched his desire to write The Flash to DC co-publisher Dan DiDio in the summer of 2015, framing it as a story he felt compelled to tell, and was formally announced as the series writer in March 2016 as part of DC's line-wide Rebirth announcement at WonderCon. The one-shot was published on June 8, 2016 — two weeks before the ongoing Flash vol. 5 #1 debuted — with interior art by Italian artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, a cover by Karl Kerschl, and a variant cover by Jason Pearson; letterer Steve Wands completed the core creative team. Williamson deliberately designed Godspeed to be more psychologically nuanced than earlier evil speedsters like Eobard Thawne, and DC editorial explicitly declined to align the new comic with the then-running CW television series, shutting down an early suggestion to include a Harrison Wells-style character.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Written by Joshua Williamson; interior art by Carmine Di Giandomenico; main cover by Karl Kerschl; variant cover by Jason Pearson; lettered by Steve Wands.
- First foreshadowing appearance of Godspeed: the character is glimpsed in a single panel, but August Heart does not yet receive Speed Force powers in this issue — that occurs in Flash vol. 5 #1.
- August Heart (later Godspeed), co-created by Williamson and Di Giandomenico, is established here as Barry Allen's closest friend and fellow detective at the CCPD — a deliberate narrative setup for his eventual villainous turn.
- The issue takes place concurrently with the events of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 and depicts Barry Allen's perspective on the return of Wally West from the Speed Force — a scene that reinforces the emotional core of the entire Rebirth initiative.
- Features a key scene pairing Barry Allen with Batman, in which Bruce Wayne reveals the Comedian's button embedded in the Batcave wall — seeding the Watchmen-connected mystery that would eventually run through 'The Button' crossover and into Doomsday Clock.
- The issue was reprinted in the collected edition The Flash: Full Stop, and is also included in the Flash: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1 (July 2017) alongside Flash vol. 5 #1–12.
- A second printing was issued in September 2016; Williamson's full run launched from this one-shot would become the longest uninterrupted writer tenure on any single title to emerge from the DC Rebirth initiative, concluding with issue #762 in September 2020.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Flash: Renacimiento #1 (2016), The Flash #9 (2017), DC Rebirth Omnibus #1 (2017), The Flash #1 (2017), Justice League Rebirth #1 (2017), Flash #1 (2017), The Flash #9 (2017), The Flash Rebirth Deluxe Edition #1 (2017), DC Rebirth Omnibus Expanded Edition #[nn] (2017)
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