When I picked up the much anticipated return of long-time deceased speedster Barry Allen in Flash Rebirth #1, I winced at the $3.99 cover price.  It’s a hefty book, though.  Thinking I was at least going to get my money’s worth, I picked it up.

From cover to cover, there are 40 pages within the book.  While there are 30-pages of Flash story present  – 8 pages more than the standard funny book – the last 7 pages of this floppy are occupied by the Power Girl #1 preview.

So, you think you’re getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 37 pages of Barry Allen’s back and better than ever when instead, you get a crappy preview of a comic you’re not interested.  And thing is, this wouldn’t bug me if they’d just disclose that on the cover.  I’d have still picked up the book.  Disclosing the information simply avoids the disappointment.

DC did the same thing in this month’s Warlord #1.

I don’t know why DC is commiting so much to the Power Girl launch, but the effort seems misplaced.  I’d normally not care to judge a comic based on seven pages, but since DC saw fit to bait and switch me?  Why not?

The writing by Gray & Palmiotti is amateurish.  I didn’t read anything on the page that made me want to turn the page, much less buy the book when it comes out.  The art by Amanda Conner while bouncy and fun, is poorly matched to PG.  Power Girl is certainly “bouncy,” but she’s not a whole lot of fun.  At least that’s the way she has been portrayed in the Justice Society of America. Perhaps there’s a change in character concept in this new book?

Frankly, I don’t know why comic companies include these extended previews.  I can’t think of even once when I have picked up a comic after seeing several preview pages in another book I have purchased.  I’m really not inclined to pay for something twice.*

As far as marketing, I’d be much more interested in seeing excerpts from the artist’s sketchbook and an interview with the writer.  That kind of stuff really gets me jazzed.

(*) Unless it’s Star Trek.  I bought those movies in VHS and DVD.  I’m sure I’ll be buying them in Blu-Ray any time now. Stupid Paramount.