Interviews

Q & A with Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato

Q: What stories or creators inspire you most when working on The Flash?

FRANCIS MANAPUL: Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo's run on the book solidified me as a Flash fan. That will always be at the back of my head. However I looked into the Flash classics for our inspiration. Reading the old Flash Showcase books, gave me that sense of wonder that we wanted to infuse into our book.

Q: So what do you consider to be The Flash's definitive stories?

FM: I really enjoyed the short stories in the old showcase books. They leaned more toward science fiction that happens to star a super hero.

Q: The Flash really pushes the boundaries of art and storytelling. Can you talk a little about how, or if you see yourselves doing so?

FM: The marriage of art and words is what comics is about. With such a small creative team, what you're seeing in The Flash is much more raw and unfiltered. Being a co-writer on the book allows me the opportunity to really push how we tell the story visually. Knowing what our intent is let's me do things in and outside of the panel that tell a story within a story. We definitely reward those who read our book more than once.

BB: I think this is a natural outcome because there are only two of us working on the book. Since we co-write it, Francis does the art, and I do the colors, we are able to fold all of the steps into our creative process. We are both visual storytellers, so it's not like there is even a decision to push any boundaries. The finished product is a COMPLETE visual representation of what the writers wanted because there is no loss of translation.

Q: Has social media and increased direct interaction with DC Comics' fans changed your writing/drawing approach at all in regards to The New 52?

FM: It's certainly a great way to have direct interactions with those reading our books. Brian and I definitely appreciate all the feedback, but at the end of the day we do need to tune out external voices in order to hear our own and stay true to our direction of the book.

Q: So many classic characters have had their looks changed. What has been your favorite character redesign, even if it isn't in your own book?

BRIAN BUCCELLATO: Supergirl. I really like the new take on her costume. To me, it's much less cheerleader costume and way more cool sci-fi.

FM: The new look of Animal Man is pretty amazing.

Q: The New 52 was a huge success for DC, but how to you think it affected the comic book industry as a whole?

FM: It was a very bold move on DC's part to make such a huge change. It was met with much criticism and hesitation, but it also created excitement. It created renewed interest in characters that have been around for a long time. By taking a very proactive approach in trying to bring in new readers, I think it's definitely benefited many retailers. I think it also made everybody step up and notice and try to up their game.

Q: With over 75 years of stories, is it difficult discovering new ideas and places for these characters to go that haven't already been done?

BB: It's a challenge, for sure … but I don't think it's difficult. We live in a modern world with a more sophisticated audience that has been influenced by countless novels, comics, films and television. And while that may SEEM like that makes our jobs more difficult, because people have seen and read so much, it allows us to craft stories that play off of the reader's expectations. It can be a great asset to look at what has come before and pose the Question… what's a different take on this? What's a new way to tell a classic story, or what's a new angle/perspective that we can explore? It's the best (and often most fun) kind of creative problem solving.