Before Warner Bros. and DC Films' The Flash races into theaters, the Scarlet Speedster will team with Batman in a prequel comic book.
Written by Kenny Porter and illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz, Juan Ferreyra and Jason Howard, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive is a three-issue miniseries that launches in April and sees the DC Extended Universe's Barry Allen seeking help from Batman to hone his abilities in order to defeat Girder.
Created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, Tony Woodward/Girder debuted in 2001's Flash: Iron Heights and was originally a villain to the Wally West incarnation of The Flash. As the name implies, Girder is made from nigh-indestructible steel and possesses superhuman strength, endurance and durability. The character was previously brought to life by actor Greg Finley in The CW's Flash series, appearing in three episodes across Seasons 1 and 2.
While the cover art for The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 depicts the Ben Affleck version of Batman, he won't be the only Caped Crusader in the forthcoming DCEU film, as Michael Keaton is reprising his role from 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns.
"Frankly, in the back of my head, I always thought, 'I bet I could go back and nail that motherfucker,'" Keaton said in August 2021 about playing Batman again. "And so I thought, 'Well, now that they’re asking me, let me see if I can pull that off.' What’s really interesting is how much more I got [Batman] when I went back and did him. I get this on a whole other level now. I totally respect it. I respect what people are trying to make. I never looked at it like, 'Oh, this is just a silly thing.' It was not a silly thing when I did Batman. But it has become a giant thing, culturally. It’s iconic. So I have even more respect for it because what do I know? This is a big deal in the world to people. You’ve got to honor that and be respectful of that. Even I go, 'Jesus, this is huge.'"
Written by Kenny Porter and illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz, The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 goes on sale April 26 from DC. Issue #2, illustrated by Juan Ferreyra, goes on sale in May, and Issue #3, illustrated by Jason Howard, arrives in July. All three issues will be collected in trade paperback in October before The Flash arrives in theaters Nov. 4.
Source: DC