Every issue of Flash: Rebirth had a main cover by Ethan Van Sciver and an alternate cover by the same artist. The alternate was available at a 1:25 ratio. The first two issues also had reprints, with each reprint having a modified cover. The final three all were solicited with fake covers, altered to avoid revealing spoilers.
Flash: Rebirth #1
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
Third Printing Ethan Van Sciver |
Fourth Printing Ethan Van Sciver |
Fifth Printing Ethan Van Sciver |
Second Printing Ethan Van Sciver |
After several years of flailing about, DC put a major push behind the relaunch of the Flash franchise with The Flash: Rebirth. Ethan Van Sciver did a promotional poster showing the Flash putting on his boots, released when the project was announced at Comic-Con International. Van Sciver said that he wanted to do something different than just show the Flash running, and chose instead to show him preparing to run. This poster eventually became the standard cover for the first issue of the miniseries.
Among the other possible covers Van Sciver drew was one showing the same scene, shown from the front instead of the side. DC initially solicited the book with this cover, but decided to use the side view instead. Eventually, the front view was chosen for the second printing of the book.
The first printing also featured a 1:25 variant cover inspired by the cover for the first issue of Green Lantern: Rebirth, showing a close-up of Barry Allen’s face and his costume emerging from his ring.
For the third printing(!) DC returned to the original cover, this time reprinting it in grayscale except for the lightning bolt across the Flash’s chest and the logo.
The unprecedented fourth printing (July 29) returned to the original variant, with the close-up on Barry’s head and shoulders, and again changed the coloring. Barry himself appears in black and white with the costume in full color.
A year later (June 3, 2010), DC reprinted the issue once again, this time as part of their “What’s Next? Graphic Novels You Should Be Reading” series. They returned to the original side view, which had also been used for the hardcover release, wrapped with the “What’s Next?” border, though this time they moved the title logo from its diagonal placement.
(Thanks to Wikipedia for the variant cover, Momoney433 for the second printing, and Fastest for the third and fourth.)
Flash: Rebirth #2
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
Ethan Van Sciver
The standard cover is an homage to the classic Showcase #4 cover showing the Flash bursting out of a strip of film, only taking on a more dangerous cast — in yet a different manner than the cover for The Return of Barry Allen (see all three covers side-by-side). Other speedsters seem to be dying, one to a frame, while the reverse side shows a glowing skeletal figure running.
The first printing also featured a 1:25 variant cover showing a rather more dynamic image of Barry Allen releasing his costume from its ring.
DC later issued a second printing, using the original cover and recoloring everything but Barry himself and the lightning streaming from him in shades of red.
(First printing covers via The Source. Thanks to Fastest for the second printing.)
Flash: Rebirth #3
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
The standard cover is a generic Superman/Flash race, but the alternate cover (again shipped in a 1:25 ratio) features the Flashes — notably Jay, Wally and Bart, for reasons that will make sense if you’ve read issue #2 — in pitched battle with the Black Flash.
(Covers via The Source.)
Flash: Rebirth #4
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
Ethan Van Sciver
The standard cover is a symbolic image of the lab accident that transformed Barry Allen into the Flash. A lightning bolt zig-zags across the canvas, showing us a fractured view of Barry Allen as an ordinary scientist and as a hero. The Z shape of the bolt, combined with the circle in the background and the color scheme — red lightning, black circle, yellow background — suggest Professor Zoom, who is revealed in this issue to be the mastermind behind the story.
To prevent previews from spoiling Zoom’s involvement, DC simply reversed the yellow and red in the catalog image. The Z still suggested Zoom, but far less conclusively.
The alternate cover is much more explicit, showing Zoom himself center stage with the disintegrating corpse of Johnny Quick.
(Final covers via The Source. Preview image via DC’s solicitations.)
Flash: Rebirth #5
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
Ethan Van Sciver
The standard cover is a riff on the classic “Flash of Two Worlds” cover from Flash vol.1 #123, showing Barry Allen and Jay Garrick each running to save a construction worker from a falling beam. Only in this version, the Reverse-Flash has taken Jay out of action (you can see his silhouette in the distance) and is attacking Barry, leaving the construction worker to be crushed.
As with the cover for issue #4, DC published an altered cover in previews to avoid spoiling Zoom’s involvement. Since the Black Flash had appeared at the end of issue #2, Zoom was recolored and his face redrawn to appear as the Black Flash instead.
The alternate cover simply shows Kid Flash and Max Mercury.
(Final covers via The Source. Preview image via DC’s solicitations.)
Flash: Rebirth #6
Standard Ethan Van Sciver |
Variant Ethan Van Sciver |
Ethan Van Sciver
The standard cover is a group shot, with Barry Allen in the center, surrounded by close-ups of the other speedster heroes involved in the story. It doesn't say much about the story, but it does reveal a resurrection, two new identities, and three new costumes...which is probably why DC used another cover entirely when they solicited the issue: A plain image of Barry Allen taking his mask off on a generic, blurry background.
The variant is a simple close-up of the Flash running, with lots of lightning.
(Final covers via The Source. Preview image via DC’s solicitations.)
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