Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul are the masterminds behind the current run of The Flash, with both of them writing and Manapul drawing the art. And they’ve been having a blast, exploring everything from the workaday life of crooks to giant ape fights.

Issue #20 sees the arrival of Reverse Flash, and Buccellato and Manapul took a few moments to talk about their direction with the book. NOTE: This has a minor spoiler for Flash #18.

Gamma Squad: You guys have a fairly tight creative relationship in that you co-write and Manapul handles the art chores (with a few exceptions, of course). How do you decide who writes what?

Buccellato: There is no division of labor really. We talk the story out, just us coming up with the specific. And then based on our schedule, whoever has more time will do the typing.

Manapul: Brian and I have probably talked more to each other than in our past relationships in the last few years. We talk a lot (laughs). That’s how almost every story begins. A lot of times, he’ll work on some cue cards, I write on my whiteboard, and we more or less plan out the story that way. Even that script, we pass back and forth. It’s almost like we’re sculpting the same clay, and passing that back and forth.

I mean, it’s not like Ghost or anything… (laughs)

Buccellato: Yeah, that’s something neither one of us want a part of. There’s definitely a lot of collaboration, but we take our turns at the podium when we’re spinning that clay pot around.

Gamma Squad: The Flash slinging beers in a villain bar is a hilarious idea. How’d you come to it?

Buccellato: The original idea just came from an image that Manapul wanted to draw of Captain Cold and Barry in a bar.