May 12, 2010
Speed Force has reached three milestones over the last few weeks:
Wow!
It seems like just a few months since I hit the 500th post, but it really was almost a year ago. For this post, I figured Ken Lashley’s cover to Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #5 would be appropriate, because documenting the Flash is what this site is all about. (Thanks, GCD!)
The 1,000th blog post was last week’s post on action figure updates by Devin “The Flash” Johnson. The 500th Twitter follower was @ImpulseDesigner, though I seem to have lost a few since then — it’s down to 498 now. I’m not sure who the 300th Facebook fan was, though.
Thanks to all the readers, and thanks especially to Devin for stepping in as Speed Force’s second major contributor!
Oh, and there are two more milestones coming up soon: We’re closing in on 4,000 comments sometime in the next few weeks…and two full years online in mid-June!
May 10, 2010
The Flash relaunch continues this week with…
The Flash #2
On sale MAY 12 · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:10 variant cover by RYAN SOOK
BRIGHTEST DAY shines its light on the continuing saga of Barry Allen — The Fastest Man Alive! The Flash continues his investigation into the “Dastardly Death of the Rogues” as the case takes a dramatic turn and Barry corners a suspect — and can’t believe who it is!
This morning, DC released a five-page preview of the book at The Source, and unveiled the issue’s variant cover by Ryan Sook (after the cut): Read the rest of this entry »
May 9, 2010
Usually I try to post these link round-ups a week or two after the issue hits, but I somehow missed finishing this one. Then I realized that the next issue is out in a few days. So, before the usefulness complete fades, here is a list of reviews I found of Flash #1.
And, of course, there’s also my review here at Speed Force!
Thanks to jlamember’s round-up at the DC boards, which caught a few that I’d missed.
May 7, 2010
Some linkblogging from the past couple of weeks:
Flashy Links
Newsarama interviews Francis Manapul on his work on The Flash.
Comics Bulletin presents the Top 10 Flash Deaths in order of how long they lasted.
A reader at Silver Age Comics discovers that Flash Comics #13 is different on Earth-One.
You’ve probably read about the thief who took Free Comic Book Day a bit too literally and tried to steal a $150 X-Men Omnibus…and was foiled by Spider-Man, two Jedi, and the Flash.
Speaking of FCBD, Chris Samnee has posted a FCBD sketch gallery featuring both Flash and Quicksilver.
Super Heroes
Comics Worth Reading’s Johanna Draper Carlson has some ideas for how to make super-hero comics interesting again
4thLetter’s David Brothers encourages you to focus on the stories, not the canon. Don’t buy something you don’t like just because it’s “important,” and don’t pass up other good stuff because it’s not.
Comics Alliance has a thought-provoking article on the racial implications of running legacies backward.
Grumpy Old Fan ponders the role of secret identities in DC comics from the Silver Age through the present.
Once Upon a Geek also reviews the DC Fandex guide (my review went up on Monday).
Comics in General
Westfield Comics’ KC Carlson explains how to meet artists without being talked about afterward, and offers suggestions for convention behavior.
LIFE has a photo gallery of people reading classic comic books from the Golden Age through the 1980s, including a boy reading Flash Comics in 1949. Nitpick: By 1949, the feature wasn’t about a “college student” with super-speed. Jay Garrick graduated during his origin story. (Link via Xian)
Collected Editions considers an increasingly common problem: the trade you want is out of print.
Multiversity Comics analyzes the impact of the shift from $2.99 comics to $3.99.
May 6, 2010
Diamond has posted their top 100 comics for April 2010, and the new Flash relaunch takes the #2 spot…right after Brightest Day #0 and before Green Lantern #53.
Just one year ago, Flash: Rebirth #1 also started in the #2 spot for April.
Meanwhile, Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010 is way down the list at rank #43 by units sold. Clearly, a lot fewer people were interested in the background material than in the relaunch itself. Of course, Flash Secret Files also didn’t have the words “Brightest Day” above the title.
Sales estimates will probably be out in another week or so. It’ll be interesting to compare the number of actual copies sold to Flash: Rebirth and Blackest Night: The Flash. For now, here are the sales and rankings for the past year.
May 5, 2010
Quick note: Flash and Flash: Rebirth writer Geoff Johns will be appearing at Skylight Books on Saturday, May 8 from 5:00-7:00 pm in Los Angeles. He’ll be discussing and signing the newly-released Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth
hardcover. (via The Source)
Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90027
May 4, 2010
Hey all. A couple of cool items are coming down the pipeline very soon.
The Fwoosh has an exclusive first look at the DC Universe Classics Toys ‘R Us Exclusive Flash Repaint. Previously released in Wave 7 as part of the “Atom Smasher” series, the new deco has Barry decked out in a red uniform with gold accents; a look I think we are more used to seeing on Wally or on the old Flash TV Show.
It’s a simple repaint but I think it makes the figure look much bolder. The gold is slick and it translates to reality so much better than the yellow. But of course it’s all a matter of preference. You can find more pictures of the repaint as well as the Hal Jordan Toys ‘R Us Exclusive via The Fwoosh, HERE.
The second Flash figure was actually discovered on eBay a week or so ago by the guys over at DCHallofJustice.com and is also a repaint. JLU Barry Allen anyone?
Like I said it’s pretty much a repaint as far as I can tell, with a Wally head popped on top. While I would have liked a Barry specific sculpt I can completely understand the reason behind not making one; it’s just way easier to throw a Wally head on there and call it a day. Plus with the line appearing to be winding down a bit (although Target will carry Justice League Unlimited Figures through at least the rest of 2010) it doesn’t make sense to be cranking out new sculpts needlessly. I personally might just paint pupils on it myself just so I have another way to differentiate who’s who besides the belt.
With this discovery I’m now even more anxiously awaiting the rumored Jay Garrick coming up later this year. If we can get a box set with the first five Teen Titans before JLU is done completely I will be a very, very happy Flash fan. I’ve been waiting for an animated Kid Flash figure since “Lightspeed” aired a few years ago and since Teen Titans didn’t give us one it’s up to JLU. That is unless the Young Justice Action figures are in scale with JLU. Which I’m taking a wild guess and saying they won’t be.
I’ll hold off on judging them any further until I see them in person but the red and gold Flash is a must buy. The JLU Barry I will have to take another look at, but I’m fairly confident it will end up in my possession sooner rather than later.
Question: Do you prefer yellow or gold as far as the accents on a Flash costume?
Thanks for reading.
-Devin “The Flash” Johnson
May 3, 2010
DC has just announced a couple of hardcovers at The Source, including the first collection from The Flash vol.3:
The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Francis Manapul*
In stores: February 2011
Collects THE FLASH #1-7 and material from The Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010
$19.99 US, 208 pages
What I find interesting is the length of the material collected. Six issues is a pretty typical story length these days, but it looks like the arc that just started may be seven issues — or it could be six followed by a one-shot, with the next big arc picking up with Flash #8.
*The blog post at the source actually lists two artists: Francis Manapul and Francis Manapul. I’m guessing they just exported the credits from a database through a template that expects a penciller and an inker.
Amazon: Flash Vol.1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues
Workman’s new DC Comics Super Heroes and Villains Fandex has incredibly detailed information on the DCU’s major characters, but in a format and size that presents a few difficulties.
If you’re not familiar with Fandexes, they’re a series of field guides in the form of cards attached at the base, so that you can swivel any card out and keep it available. You can also open them up as a fan. I first heard of them as nature guides, but they’ve expanded to geography, history, and pop culture.
Wide Coverage
The DC Fandex has surprisingly wide coverage. 75 profiles doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider that it’s comparable to three standard-sized comic books with every page profiling a new character, not unlike the JLA-Z guide that came out around the time of JLA/Avengers. And the text on each card, front and back, is about as long as the classic Who’s Who entries.
They’ve managed to fit in more characters by combining legacies onto a single card. For instance, there’s one card each for Robin, Batgirl, Wonder Girl and Blue Beetle, with the cards profiling the various incarnations of the character. The Flash is simplified to Barry Allen and Wally West, though Jay Garrick and Bart Allen get mentions. On these cards they tend to go for the current version of the character for the image, so Flash is Barry, Robin is Damian Wayne, and Batgirl is Stephanie Brown.
Sometimes it does lead to duplicates. They managed to avoid it with Dick Grayson by profiling him as Nightwing and then picking up the Robin card where it left off with Jason, Tim, etc. But Barbara Gordon gets spotlighted on both the Batgirl and Oracle cards.
One nice bonus: if you were confused about the Monitors’ role in Final Crisis and Superman: Beyond, their card sums it up quite nicely!
Priorities
The guide describes the DCU roughly between Final Crisis and Blackest Night, featuring new versions of heroes such as Batgirl and Robin, and glossing over temporary changes. The Martian Manhunter and Aquaman entries don’t mention their now-reversed deaths, for instance, and Batman’s card focuses entirely on Bruce Wayne, with Nightwing’s card mentioning that Dick has taken over while Bruce was “presumed dead.”
Read the rest of this entry »
