Speed Force

More weekend linkblogging!

Grumpy Old Fan asks (and answers) the question: why reprint “bad” comics?

Wikipedia has a good breakdown of comic book super-powers.

Collected Editions takes a look at DC’s Spring 2011 trade paperbacks.

Fantastic image: Firefly crew as the Enterprise crew. Classic Star Trek, of course.

Sillof, the custom action figure builder who made the Steampunk Justice League and Legion of Doom, collaborated with Glorbes on a Star Wars in World War II series.

Empire Online has a set of Lucas Lee Movie Posters featuring one of Ramona’s Evil Ex-Boyfriends from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Humor! The Onion reports: Supervillain Lady Gaga Kidnaps Commissioner Gordon.

Science! Darryl Cunningham debunks the Moon Hoax in comic-book form.

Some Flashy linkblogging for the weekend…

Fanboy Scouts has launched a series of Merit Badges for Geeks including a Speedster badge, awarded for “the display of any of the following speed-related attributes: Super Speed, Speed Control, Kinetic Energy Manipulation, Infinite Mass Punch, Time Travel or Hyper-Vibration.”

Check out Mark Grambau’s super-hero/super-villain posters.

The Hooded Utilitarian continues reading the Silver Age Flash, this time moving on to the few solo issues.

Sideshow Collectibles has the Flash “As you’ve never seen him before” — as a plush toy! (OK, I have seen Flash plush toys before, but not quite like this one.)

The 1992 Elongated Man miniseries makes CSBG’s Year of Cool Comics.

In other speedster news, First Comics News is making August Sonic the Hedgehog Month.

We just received an email from Joey Forlini the winner of Speed Force and Arroba Silver’s Design and Win Your Own Flash Ring Contest that we cosponsored a few months back. He just received the final result of his custom Flash ring design and sent us some great pictures:

First, the original winning design:

Now the final product:

Wow. A great design turned into a fantastic piece of jewelry. We have not received word about when the ring will be available for ordering but we will definitely keep you all updated. In the meantime you can check out the Arroba Silver website HERE. Officially licensed by DC Comics to sell DC Comic-related jewelry, Arroba Silver has a wide variety of rings, earrings and even cufflinks inspired by the world’s greatest superheroes and most notorious supervillains (except for the Rogues who are horribly underrepresented and don’t like being called supervillains). They are still offering readers of Speed Force a 10% discount on any order. Go to Arrobasilver.com, pick your items, enter code: GA001 during checkout, and save 10%.

For all that entered, followed the contest, and check out this site, thank you again for all the support. You helped make this contest a huge success and we hope to get something like it going again sometime soon. (I know we keep saying that but I promise something awesome is coming up)

Oh and before I forget Joey also sent me an flashtastic picture of a smart car his local comic shop owner had customized to promote his store, The 4th Wall:

You can visit the store’s online website, HERE. Based in Canada, they aim to make comics as accessible as possible by bringing a friendly atmosphere for new and old readers to their store. Plus they price all of their books at U.S. prices. So if you are in Canada and looking to save a few bucks drop by. You might still be able to see that car too.

Pictured in the photo is our contest winner, Joey Forlini.

Thanks for reading.

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Reminder: You can find Speed Force on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

ICv2′s Top Super-Hero Graphic Novel Properties for Q2 2010 are based on “sales in all channels,” including comic shops, book stores, and online sales. Topping the list is Kick-Ass, which isn’t terribly surprising since the movie came out during this time. Edit: Here’s the full article on second-quarter comics & GN sales.

The Flash comes in at #11 overall, or #5 among DC Comics properties after Batman, Watchmen, Superman and Green Lantern, propelled onto the list by the hardcover release of Flash: Rebirth in April. No doubt the high-profile series launch during the same period helped spark interest in collections as well.

It’s also interesting that, at least in book form, the single volume of Watchmen continues to outsell DC characters who are not only cultural icons (Superman and the absent Wonder Woman), but are continuously getting new stories. This despite it being a quarter century since its first publication and a year after a movie that was widely considered a flop (debatable, but that seems to be the consensus). Is it any wonder that DC keeps it in print?

(via Robot 6)

DC has posted six new variant covers at The Source, including this Ivan Reis cover for Action Comics #892. Part of DC’s 75th Anniversary series, it homages the cover to the very first Superman/Flash race in Superman #199 by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.

As shown here, the cover has been referenced at least once before, for the first race between Superman and Wally West in The Adventures of Superman #463 (1990) by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.

It’s interesting to look at the three covers together and see just how comic book art styles have changed over the past four decades.

Captain Boomerang is sort of in a legal limbo right now: is he still culpable for crimes he committed before he died?

In one sense he’s like Ygor in Son of Frankenstein: Ygor was hanged for grave robbing and pronounced dead — but the coroner made a mistake. He was still alive, but legally speaking, no one could touch him. Not only had the sentence for his original crime been carried out, but they couldn’t arrest a “dead” man for new crimes.

In The Flash #3, the guards at Iron Heights prison talked about getting Boomerang’s murder convictions reinstated…but something’s missing: Until that happens, what is he being held for? What has he been charged with? (Admittedly, the prison is still run by Warden Wolfe, who has never been particularly concerned with following the law where criminals are concerned.)

Of course, now that he’s shattered a frozen guard (probably killing him), seriously injured several others, broken out of prison, and left a swath of destruction on his way to confront the Flash, it’s a moot point. There are plenty of new crimes to charge him with the next time he ends up in police custody.

But technically, what was he doing there to begin with?

The legal system in the DCU must have procedures, or at least precedent, for dealing with heroes and villains coming back from the dead. No one seems concerned about the Flash’s legal status, and Barry Allen’s official records say he was simply in Witness Protection, not dead, but it’s got to have come up in other cases.

Some recent interviews at Newsarama:

Francis Manapul talks to Newsarama about Beast Legends.

UPDATE: Francis Manapul also talks to CBR about drawing the Flash.

Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani talk about the upcoming Young Justice comic that will tie into the animated series.

Artist Nicola Scott talks about Teen Titans.

It’s not listed on DC’s website, but Diamond Comics reports that this week it will ship the The Flash #1 second printing announced last month. Curious readers who missed the start of the relaunch can pick it up, along with those who collect alternate covers — since it’s almost certain to have a different cover than the original printing, even if it’s a banner or frame like the What’s Next? series.

Also this week

The Hourman & Liberty Belle backup feature continues in JSA All-Stars #9.

Fans of the Bronze Age Flash may be interested in the first issue of Cary Bates’ alternate reality story, Superman: The Last Family of Krypton.

As for other speedsters, there’s a new Sonic the Hedgehog issue. At #215, it’s fast-approaching a tie with either Barry Allen’s or Wally West’s series for longevity.

The Flash wasn’t the only speedster super-hero at Comic-Con this year. Meagan VanBurkleo dressed up as Velocity from Top Cow’s Cyberforce.

Check out her site for more photos and a write-up of the costume. If you have time, read her article at Game Informer on SDCC: A Cosplayer’s Perspective.

» Full index of Comic-Con coverage

At Comic-Con International, Geoff Johns wouldn’t say anything more about the in-production Flash movie than “We’re making one.” It turns out that’s because there just isn’t much news to reveal. In an interview with Collider.com, Greg Berlanti mentioned that they’re “just starting the script.”

I guess that answers the question of whether any of Dan Mazeau’s script was still in play.

The bulk of the interview is about Berlanti’s super-hero family drama, No Ordinary Family, which launches on ABC next month, but he touches on the Green Lantern film as well.

Link spotted on the Comic Bloc forums.