The Flash Annual #1

Mar 2018 · DC · 4.99 USD

📊 ~44,206 copies sold its debut month

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“Prelude to Flash War”

★ 1st appearance — Connie Noleski

About this Issue

The Flash Annual #1 (2018) functions as the narrative ignition switch for 'Flash War,' the most consequential arc of Joshua Williamson's celebrated DC Rebirth run, framing the simmering tension between Barry Allen and the restored Wally West as something that could genuinely fracture the Flash Family rather than merely test it. Its final-page reveal — Hunter Zolomon, alias Zoom, re-powered and operating from the 25th century as the puppetmaster manipulating both Flashes into conflict — marked the villain's first meaningful return to continuity since he was stripped of his powers in Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge, reintroducing Wally West's archnemesis to an entire generation of post-New 52 readers who had only ever known a Zoom-free DC Universe. The issue also reintegrates Magenta (Frances Kane) into the Rebirth-era continuity and plants the emotional seed — Wally's grief over what the Speed Force cost him and his anxiety about whether to reveal himself to Iris West — that Williamson would harvest across months of storytelling. Because excerpts from this Annual appear in two separate collected editions (Flash Vol. 6: A Cold Day in Hell and Flash Vol. 8: Flash War), it occupies an unusual dual position in the trade-paperback reading order, underscoring just how much narrative weight DC placed on its 48 pages.

In "Prelude to Flash War," Barry Allen faces off against the Top, only to be drawn into a tense conversation with an older Wally West, still grappling with his return from the Speed Force and hesitant to reconnect with Iris. As Wally tentatively rekindles a past romance with Frances Kane, her sudden memory surge awakens her long-buried identity as the enigmatic Magenta, setting off a volatile confrontation. Meanwhile, in the 25th century, detectives investigate the murder of Eobard Thawne at the ruins of the Flash Museum. Written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Howard Porter and Christian Duce, with covers by Howard Porter, this 2018 Annual sets the stage for a major conflict with quiet moments of emotional weight and eerie foreboding.

writer Joshua Williamson · artist, inker Howard Porter · artist, inker Christian Duce · colorist Hi-Fi · letterer Carlos M. Mangual · letterer Travis Lanham · cover Howard Porter

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History

Written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Howard Porter and Christian Duce, with a cover by Howard Porter, the issue was published on January 31, 2018, with a March 2018 cover date, as part of the fifth volume of The Flash under the DC Rebirth banner. Williamson had been steering The Flash since Rebirth's 2016 launch and used the oversized annual format to give classic Wally West a solo spotlight — something the character had largely been denied since his rescue from the Speed Force in DC Universe Rebirth #1 — while simultaneously seeding the 'Flash War' event that would not formally begin until The Flash #46 in the spring. The issue's split-art assignment, with Porter handling the 25th-century framing sequences and Duce handling the present-day action, reflects the story's structural conceit of past trauma and future scheming converging on the present.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published January 31, 2018 (cover date March 2018); 48 pages, full color; rated T.
Written by Joshua Williamson; interior art by Howard Porter and Christian Duce; cover art by Howard Porter.
Serves as the official prelude to the 'Flash War' storyline, which continued in The Flash (vol. 5) #46–51.
Delivers the first significant return of Hunter Zolomon / Zoom to DC Rebirth-era continuity — revealed in a final-page twist as the architect manipulating the Renegades to send Iris West to the 25th century and provoke Barry Allen and Wally West into conflict.
Reintroduces Magenta (Frances Kane), Wally West's pre-Flashpoint love interest, back into active DC Rebirth continuity; her appearance signals that elements of Wally's pre-New 52 history are being restored.
The framing sequences set in the 25th-century Flash Museum explore the aftermath of Eobard Thawne's death and Zoom's scheme — establishing that Zolomon intends to forge a 'one true Flash' by forcing Barry and Wally to war.
The story continues directly in The Flash #47; the Annual's narrative is split across two collected editions — portions appear in Flash Vol. 6: A Cold Day in Hell, while the 'Flash War' prelude segments are reprinted in Flash Vol. 8: Flash War.
The DC Database explicitly confirms Williamson stated this is the pre-Flashpoint version of Hunter Zolomon, preserved from continuity resets because he was in the 25th century during the Flashpoint event.