In order to catch up to his grandfather, Bart Allen will have to race against the speed force itself. As he is bounced around through time collecting multi-dimensional speed force energy from various members of the Flash family, Bart needs to gain all of the necessary tools to reach Barry in time to deliver a message that could save the universe. But will he be able to reach the world’s last hope for restoration before the speed force catches up to him?

In FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST #3, Bart Allen finally realizes the personal sacrifice he must make in order to save his family and the people he loves. By Sterling Gates, Oliver Nome, Scott Kolins and Trevor Scott, the final issue in this miniseries races into stores on Wednesday.

Gates has said that this series, and issue #3 in particular, is his “love letter to the Flash family.” After seeing the pages, I’m…a little concerned about his definition of “love letter.”

Update: The writer replies on Twitter:

@SpeedForceOrg It’s the Flashpoint universe. Wait and see what happens.

August 19, 2011 6:06 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@sterlinggates

Sterling Gates

Indeed…you should never rely too much on a preview.

Preview up for Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3 is a post from Speed Force.

Whenever I first arrive on the exhibit hall at a new Comic-Con, I find myself at the DC Comics booth. Whether it’s to check out the signing schedule, or the demonstrations, or the displays, or even just see what this year’s decoration theme is. (It’s the New 52 first-issue covers, blown up to about 8 feet tall.)

They also always have a set of new and upcoming action figures and statues. They had a display case filled with the Jim Lee-inspired New 52 action figures that Devin covered yesterday, the Flashpoint action figures, and another set below that which I can’t quite remember because I didn’t take any pictures of that one. The New 52 Flash is, of course, up at the top of this page.

Here’s the Flashpoint Flash figure:

And here’s the convention-exclusive Flashpoint Reverse Flash:

They also had a collection of MAD Magazine-related figures, including a whole case full of customized Spy vs. Spy figures and a set of the Just-Us League featuring MAD mascot Alfred E. Neuman dressed as various DC heroes. (I believe these have been out for quite some time.)

And finally…Yes, the Black Flash Ame-Comi statue is real.

Flash Action Figure Photos from Comic-Con: Flashpoint, The New 52 and…Mad Magazine? is a post from Speed Force.

One of the stranger items on DC’s September solicitations is this statue of the Black Flash coming in February.

AME-COMI HEROINE SERIES: BLACK FLASH PVC FIGURE
DESIGNED BY JIM FLETCHER
SCULPTED BY JACK MATHEWS

Death strikes faster than lightning!

Black Flash mysteriously appears as an omen of impending doom for any of the Flash family of speedsters that tap into the Speed Force.

Packaged in a 4-color window box with J-hook, this non-articulated PVC statue stands approximately 9” high and includes a display base.

On sale February 1, 2012 * Statue * $70 US

Now, you may recall that in the comics, the Black Flash looks like this.

The reason for the difference: The Ame-Comi line is a series of statues that redesign DC’s characters as anime heroines, and since they released Jesse Quick as the Flash this year, the Black Flash is of course a reflection of her look.

Actually, I suspect it’s a repaint. I’ll have to leave that to Devin and others more familiar with collectibles, but at first glance, they look like they’re not just the same costume (again, except for the skull mask), but the same pose, and they’re credited to the same sculptor.

You can see another view of the Jesse Quick statue in my 2010 Comic-Con photos.

Black Flash Ame-Comi Statue is a post from Speed Force.

Hey Speed Readers, Devin here again with another edition of Recent Acquisitions. Now I mentioned last week that I was going to start showcasing older pieces from my collection in a new series of articles tentatively named “Off The Shelf”. Now while I may still do something with that idea down the line I’ve recently discovered a more attractive avenue for showcasing my collection: Tumblr! I plan on posting quite often, and since I don’t have to write up a whole article every time I post you can expect to see posts a lot more frequently. Yesterday I posted four different pictures, including a custom Flash Football Jersey. You can view my Tumblr at Fastestfanalive.tumblr.com and if you already follow my Twitter you can get updates on the fly without having to sign up. My Facebook friends can also receive updates through the news feed for the time being but I’m thinking of disabling that feature as it can probably get annoying getting 4 or 5 different posts a day. Twitter just seems more conducive to that kind of posting.  Now onto the toys!

You may notice that the title of this edition is “In Blackest Night” and yes I know the crossover is long over but the toys keep coming. In fact I just received the latest offering from DC Direct in the mail today. First up though is going to be a guy that I received a week or so ago, DC Direct’s Blue Lantern Flash:

Blue Lantern Barry before his release from his plastic prison.

Barry comes with a Blue Lantern and a Blue Lantern display stand. The sculpt is nearly perfect. I would have to say this guy is tied with Justice League of America Series 1 Wally West also by DC Direct as one of my favorites.

Close up of the messenger of hope! Love the colors and the paint apps for the most part. There is a slight issue with the lightning on each of the forearms but it isn’t noticeable unless you are really looking for it. I really dig this figure and the Blue Lantern Flash uniform in general. Although I mentioned being burned out on Blue Lantern Barry I’m still anxious to see how the DC Universe Classics version is going to look.

Next we have Barry’s miniature counterpart the Blue Lantern Barry Heroclix:

Not bad. These pictures honestly don’t do this heroclix justice. The details are especially clean for such a small figure.

The clear blue plastic simulates the blue lighting effect and adds a little flavor to the piece.

And as promised via my Tumblr and Twitter earlier today, Black Lantern Black Flash:

Mint on card.

Eobard Thawne of Earth. Rise. Another great sculpt!

Great details on our reanimated friend here. Funny though with his teeth like that and his exaggerated features here and in the comic he kind of reminds me of Flash crossed with Venom. Flash and Spider-Man would be a fun crossover come to think of it.

All three together:

And that concludes another edition of Recent Acquisitions. I’m still holding out for a Black Lantern Bart Allen but it looks like the focus is going to be shifting to Flashpoint fairly soon. I can live with that. Flashpoint has lit a fire in me that I haven’t felt in a while. I’m really excited to see what the future holds for the Flash franchise.

Thanks for reading,

-Devin “Flash” Johnson

Recent Acquisitions Volume 5: In Blackest Night *Image Intensive* is a post from Speed Force.

BLACKEST NIGHT: SERIES 8: BLACK LANTERN BLACK FLASH Action Figure

The hugely successful BLACKEST NIGHT action figure line continues!

Included in this eighth installment of the series are: Black Lantern Black Flash, Professor Zoom’s reanimated corpse, holds curious sway over The Flash’s other undead rogues; Orange Lantern Lex Luthor, the new Orange Power Ring seeks out Lex Luthor for his avarice and lust for power; Indigo Tribe The Atom, with compassion and sense of duty stronger than ever, Ray Palmer serves as the binding force uniting the spectrum of power; Sinestro Corps Member Scarecrow, delights in instilling fear in others and is rewarded with the Yellow Ring of Power.

The Black Lantern Black Flash figure stands at 6.75″ high, features multiple points of articulation and includes a display base. Character-appropriate accessories are also included.

4-color clamshell blister card packaging.

BLAMMOIDS!: SERIES 4: FLASH Mini Figure

Real compact – with real impact!

BLAM! A funky, chunky collection of boldly designed toys that pack a lot of punch in a squatty body!

POW! A striking, hyper-stylized twist on the world’s greatest heroes and their biggest foes. Too tough to call small – you’ll want to collect them all!

Packaged on a blister card, each measures approximately 2.5″ to 4″ tall with three points of articulation.

On Sale December 1, 2010

and his Zoom counterpart:

BLAMMOIDS!: SERIES 4: ZOOM Mini Figure

Real compact – with real impact!

BLAM! A funky, chunky collection of boldly designed toys that pack a lot of punch in a squatty body!

POW! A striking, hyper-stylized twist on the world’s greatest heroes and their biggest foes. Too tough to call small – you’ll want to collect them all!

Packaged on a blister card, each measures approximately 2.5″ to 4″ tall with three points of articulation.

On Sale December 1, 2010

The Black Lantern Reverse Flash is a must have for me. Especially since we have yet to get a proper Professor Zoom or Zoom in the DC Direct lines. Well except for that artist-specific, out of scale one coming up in the Classified Series. It’s a shame that I only own five Reverse Flashes. And none of them were made in the traditional sculpt. Two are from JLU(Justice Lords large and small figures), One is a Toyfare Exclusive from the 90s JLA Line, and the other two are from Infinite Heroes and DC Direct’s short lived Pocket Heroes line. I’m actually surprised we’ve yet to see a Zoom in the Minimates line either. I’m crossing my fingers that this Flash Relaunch leads to a DC Direct Flash Series similar to what they’ve been doing with Green Lantern. And then when the movie hits. Wow. I think we are in for a great next few years as far as collecting goes.

I really don’t know what these Blammoids are or what the point of them is but I will definitely be picking up both the Flash and Zoom. I have a feeling it’s going to be a slow month for Flash collectibles anyway. Unless DC Direct or Mattel kicks it up with a *crosses fingers* Flash line or Flash-heavy DCUC release.

I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the last three heroclix I need from the recent release. Expect a full write up when they get here.

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

DC Direct Solicits for December 2010 is a post from Speed Force.

I spent most of Saturday at Wizard World’s Anaheim Comic-Con. I’m still working on my write-up, but you can see my photos of the con on Flickr.

Anaheim Comic Con Photos Are Up is a post from Speed Force.

Interviews with Mark Waid and Marc Guggenheim at the time made it clear that it was in the works “nearly a year ago,” and definitely before Guggenheim took over as writer. Dan Didio has suggested it was their plan all along, though many fans find this idea suspect, and find it more likely that it was put in place after the first few issues of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive failed to catch on with readers.

While looking for something in Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1, I noticed something interesting in the Barry Allen dream/origin sequence:

It shows Barry’s death, along with the Black Flash, who figured prominently in the last few issues. And that last remark: “Will you ever outrun the shadow, Bart?”

It could simply be setting the dark mood that pervaded the beginning of Bart’s run. On the other hand, maybe they did have this planned all along.

Originally posted at K-Squared Ramblings.

Flash Foreshadowing is a post from Speed Force.

Of course, there’s also a history of Flashes (and supporting cast) appearing dead on the cover, but still making it through. More than 25 examples of dead Flash covers appear below.

I went through the galleries at the Grand Comic Database for the 1959 and 1987 series, and managed to find no less than 23 covers on which the Flash, or a member of his supporting cast was depicted as dead, but managed to survive the story. Sometimes the events took place, but the character survived, or it turned out the body was someone else’s. Sometimes they were what I call “CPR deaths,” in which the character is technically dead, but not beyond the help of modern (or in comics, slightly ahead of modern) medicine. Generally they’re resuscitated in the following issue. And some are just plain misleading.

Hover for a description. Click to open the issue’s page at GCD.

I later discovered that Comic Coverage did a similar feature on The Many Deaths of Barry Allen in 2006.

Originally published at K-Squared Ramblings. I’ve added a couple of items since then.

Update (June 2010): Added Flash v.3 #3

Update (July 2010): Added Secret Origins #41

Dead Flash Covers is a post from Speed Force.

Here’s a gallery of photos from Flickr.

Golden Age

I don’t think I’d ever seen a Golden Age Flash costume at a convention until I saw some photos from HeroesCon and Wizard World Philadelphia in June. There seemed to be one Jay Garrick at each. So I figured I’d probably be the only one at San Diego. Imagine my surprise when I ran into not one other, but two!

The photo on the left shows me and a cosplayer who was part of a Justice Society of America group I spotted in line for the DC Nation panel on Friday. I asked the person behind me to save my place in line, walked along the line to where they were, and we did the obligatory “Nice costume!” exchange, then ended up posing for a bunch of photos. We did at least two poss, this one and one just standing and crossing our arms like the Alex Ross poster. Someone got an interesting shot with a blur effect, also.

I ran into the guy on the right on Saturday, when I wasn’t in costume. He actually used an original World War I helmet, polished it up, and made wings for it…then the first day in town the wings broke, so he needed to come up with a substitute fast. He ended up gluing popsicle sticks together and spray painting them gold.

Update: Speaking of the helmet, here’s how my helmet was made. Update 2: and here’s how we made the boots and shirt.

Variations

I didn’t manage to see any of these three in person during the con. But they’re really cool variations.

The two things that usually impress me the most with character costumes are:

• Authenticity – costumes that match the source very well, especially if the person wearing it is a good fit for the character. (That especially helps with costumes from movies and TV shows. If you resemble an actor, seriously look at their roles for ideas!)
• Creative variation – costumes that take a concept and put a deliberate spin on them. The Steampunk Flash from the League of Justice-Minded Citizens, for instance. Or either of the female Flash costumes here.

The Flash is well-suited for variations, because there have been so many of them in canon. You’ve got the basics: Jay Garrick’s Golden Age costume, the Barry Allen/Wally West Flash costume, and the Kid Flash costume (each with its own variations). Then you’ve got Professor Zoom, Johnny Quick, a half-dozen Jesse Quick costumes, Impulse, Max Mercury, Walter West, Iris West II, John Fox’s three costumes…and that’s not counting all the possible future Flashes from “Chain Lightning.”

So it’s not a problem to take the basic red-and-yellow lightning motif and build on it. People will still know who you are, especially if you keep the white circle around the lightning bolt.

Well, except for the dimwits who mistake you for Flash Gordon.

Update August 28: The woman on the left appears to be wearing an off-the-rack costume rather than a custom variation.

Cold and the Kid

I almost missed Captain Cold here. It was late Saturday afternoon, and I was on the phone with my wife trying to work out dinner plans. I saw him through the window, said, “Hang on, I need to get a picture of Captain Cold” and ducked outside into Sails Pavilion.

Kid Flash was there on Sunday. Sterling Gates, who had been announced the day before as the writer of an upcoming Kid Flash series, posted, “I just met Kid Flash! He’s here!” I kept looking for him the rest of the day, but had no luck. Fortunately, Comic Con has a lot of people with cameras!

Bonus: Cheetara!

She may not be a Flash character, but here are two women dressed as Cheetara from Thundercats. Hey, she is a speedster, after all!

Who Else?

I saw at least one, possibly two guys in off-the-rack Flash Halloween costumes during the weekend, and one kid who was probably about 6 or 7.

So…did you see any of these people at the con? Did you see another Flash that I’ve missed?

Flash Costume Sightings at Comic-Con 2009 is a post from Speed Force.

The Flash: Rebirth #6

Written by Geoff Johns
Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver

In a battle along the outskirts of time, the secrets of the Speed Force have been revealed! The new archnemesis of those who ride the lightning is coming for Iris Allen. And the Barry Allen you knew is gone forever…or is he? What change does Wally West face? What destiny will Kid Flash choose? Prepare to meet a Flash Family that’s both familiar and different…and get to the starting line for the next epic adventures of the Speed Force!

Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

On sale September 30 • 6 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Wow… my website (Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning) has an arch-nemesis now!

Also: It seems pretty clear who’s going to be wearing the costume at the end of this miniseries. Not that it was ever really in doubt.

I do have to wonder what they mean by the “new” arch-nemesis. The cover for #5 gives me the sense that they’re combining the Black Flash and Professor Zoom (though that may have been misdirection on the pre-release cover to prevent spoilers). Someone on Comic Bloc (I’m too sleepy to look it up now) suggested that we may be seeing Malcolm Thawne take over the role of Professor Zoom.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if they’re combining all the opposite numbers into one? Eobard Thawne, Malcolm Thawne, Hunter Zolomon and the Black Flash, all in one entity?

Update: Geoff Johns confirms on Comic Bloc that this is not the final cover.

Flash: Rebirth #6 Solicited! is a post from Speed Force.