Speed Force

As you all should be aware of by now, I’m a die hard Flash collector and I’ve been collecting Flash memorabilia for some time now. This includes action figures, statues, plush toys, hats, t-shirts, shoes etc etc. A few months ago I moved, and as a result a lot of my collection isn’t on display anymore. Furthermore I’d fallen behind on collecting due to various reasons and I had a lot of catching up to do.

In the last couple months I’ve been focused on filling in a lot of the holes that I hadn’t had a chance to fill until now. And with The Flash getting renewed focus in the DC Universe I didn’t want to fall too far behind and miss my chance to acquire a lot of stuff that are being made in very limited quantities.

To that end I present to you part 1 of my Recent Acquisitions. These were all picked up in the last month or so from various sources (including retail, surprisingly) and I’ve made great progress on getting back on track as far as my collection goes. There are quite a few things that are present in my collection that have yet to be showcased online, but it’s called “Recent Acquisitions” for a reason and I’m only trying to show what I’ve gotten in the last month or so. So without further ado, my Recent Acquisitions:

Click for Larger View

From left to right we have:

Batman: Brave and the Bold Action League feat. Batman vs. The Top

Batman: Brave and the Bold Action League feat. Batman vs. Gorilla Grodd

Batman: Brave and the Bold “Gotham City Battle” feat. Batman vs. Gorilla Grodd

Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang I (Since Justice League Unlimited is exclusively sold through Target, I had a huge headache tracking these down. Partly due to that and partly due to my own carelessness. But I will get into that soon.)

C3 Minimates Flash Variant (based on the Timmverse design)

DC Direct’s 1:6 SCALE Golden Age Flash

Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection The Streak (A Mattycollector.com exclusive, now SOLD OUT)

DC Universe’s 3¾ Scale Infinite Heroes Barry Allen (I got the Mattycollector.com exclusive variant a few months back as well. Also SOLD OUT)

DC SuperFriends Stuffed Flash Plush

Not bad at all if I do say so myself. Especially since acquiring these guys took a little more leg work than usual. After my Local Comic Book Shop closed up shop around ’07 or so, I’ve had to use the internet to acquire most of my collectibles. Every once in a while I would run into something at retail but very rarely have I not used an online source to obtain most of my stuff. This time around however was a nice mixed bag.

I picked up the two Brave and the Bold Action League sets along with the Infinite Heroes Barry Allen at Target.

I got the larger Brave and the Bold set at Toysrus.com. This was the very last place I expected to find this. Paid a lot less than people have it for on eBay.

The Streak as mentioned previously was a Mattycollector.com exclusive that was sold along with the majority of the Justice Guild (which I may sell off at a later date).

The Golden Age Flash 1:6 Scale Figure was purchased from Superherotoys.com.

And Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, the C3 Flash minimate variant, and the SuperFriends Plushy were all procured through eBay.

Captain Cold was without a doubt the figure that gave me the most trouble tracking down. When I first heard about the Target Exclusive Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang set being released and available I scoured Targets everywhere to no avail. I finally had to resort to the secondary market (eBay) to pick it up. I lucked out and found a great deal on both overall. They were loose and out of package (I don’t keep my stuff MOC so that isn’t an issue for me) and the prices on both were reasonable. They were both from the same seller so I even saved on shipping. Mission Accomplished right? Not quite. In my efforts to clean and organize my room and collection I had Cold and Boomerang sitting on a shelf, with a large trash bag underneath that I was using to throw out useless clutter. Captain Cold must have fallen into the trash bag or something, because when I went to find it later for my recent acquisitions picture a week ago I could not find it anywhere.

So back to eBay we go. Now it had been several weeks since my initial purchase and prices on Captain Cold had skyrocketed. That is if you could find one (at the time) anyway. Being a Target Exclusive made the action figure set virtually impossible to find at retail so people were jacking up the prices online accordingly. I’m not going to say exactly how much I paid for the second Captain Cold but I will say I was not happy. But thinking about how awesome he is going to look with the rest of the Justice League Unlimited Rogues that I have puts a smile on my face.

And there you have it. Part 1 of my Recent Acquisitions. Part 2 and 3 will be on the way shortly. I plan on writing some reviews on some of these guys in the near future as well. If there is a particular collectible you would like spotlighted please don’t hesitate to let me know. Also with this part out of the way I am now able to free them from their plastic prisons and add them to my display. Look for updated pictures of my collection in the near future. I also have some old collection pics on my facebook. The link to the gallery is HERE

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Somewhat related to Kelson’s Article about Batman: Brave and The Bold, it has been pretty much confirmed that Barry Allen will be getting an action figure of his own in the Brave and The Bold toy line.

Oddly enough instead of showing up at Toy Fair 2010, fans caught their first glimpse of the new Flash figure on Target.com. According to the Batman: Brave and The Bold Facebook Page, Mattel didn’t reveal it at Toy Fair on purpose. A sensible decision to try and save some of the new merchandise for the upcoming New York Comic Con. I hope they have a Jay Garrick ready to go as well, because to date he is the only Flash that we have seen guest star on the show. Not really fair for Barry to get a figure before Jay especially when Jay appeared on the show (and in the comics) first. Then again I don’t think Jay would mind that much once he saw this thing:

I don’t know about anyone else (or if anyone else can remember back as far as this) but does this toy remind anyone else of the Centurions from back in the day?

You know these guys:

As you can probably surmise I’m not too thrilled with the overall look of it. But looking at it from a kid’s point of view I could definitely see myself having fun with it. Not myself as a kid, because I was that kid who always questioned why Batman was wearing orange or neon green when he was supposed to be a creature of the night. I’m talking about your average kid who isn’t quite as nit-picky as I was.

I guess it can’t be much worst than this:

It took me a couple of years to finally break down and purchase that thing and it was only because I was in a collectors drought and hadn’t gotten anything new in months. Still every time I look at it I have to pretend that Flash somehow lost his powers and this is his way of making up for it or some nonsense like that. Yeah. Don’t ask.

I will still end up picking it up but if I can help it I will probably drag my feet a bit before doing so. Although with the Flash’s recent resurgence in popularity due to The Flash: Rebirth and the upcoming Brightest Day storyline coupled with the high demand of the Brave and The Bold toy line I might not have a chance to.

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

There’s been talk for a while of a “Flash Legacy” episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold. The main Flash on the show is Jay Garrick, who has appeared in at least two episodes: “Trials of the Demon” and “The Golden Age of Justice.” Kid Flash was notably absent from the recent “Sidekicks” episode, but producer James Tucker told the Aquaman Shrine that they have plans for Kid Flash “in the near future.”

In a comment thread on the show’s Facebook page a few days ago, producers confirmed that “Jay, Barry, and Wally will be featured in a upcoming episode that focuses on the Flash legacy.”

New episodes of the cartoon return in March.

Courtesy of Toynewsi.com (my favorite source for Action Figure news for the last few years) we have some more Flash news from Toy Fair 2010. New additions to the DC Infinite Superheroes 3.75 inch line include Rogue mainstays, Heatwave and The Trickster. The Flash in the middle looks to be Wally West upgraded with the new increased articulation. It definitely looks like the same head sculpt from the first Wally they released a few years back. Not to mention the belt converges in the middle.

And in case you missed them, Mattel also conveniently showcased previously released Brave and the Bold Action Figures, The Top and Gorilla Grodd. Both of which were included in two packs released with a different Batman figure.

Can’t wait until Heatwave, Trickster and the new Wally hit the shelves but I still need to try and track down The Top and Gorilla Grodd somehow. I just wish every version of Grodd wasn’t so darn expensive and “hard to find”. Just a little annoying.

—–UPDATE—–

Matty Collector posted a checklist for all the upcoming Justice League Unlimited action figures being released this year. I scrolled through it quickly and noticed a name that I hadn’t noticed in any of the pics from Toy Fair 2010 posted on the net so far: Weather Wizard! The figure is based on his appearance from the classic Superman: The Animated Series episode “Speed Demons”, which also featured the first appearance of The Flash in a race around the world with Superman.

Since I hadn’t noticed any pics I did a little searching online and came across an Ebay Auction that ended a month ago with a picture of him.

JLU Weather Wizard

I was never too pleased with the design they used for my favorite Rogue on the show but putting that aside it looks pretty solid. I will definitely be picking it up very soon. I just hope that they get cracking on making some more Flash Rogues for DC Universe Classics.

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Tonight’s episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, “The Golden Age of Justice,” features more guest stars than usual: not only the return of the Flash, but the entire Justice Society of America!

CBR has preview images from the episode, which airs at 7:30 tonight (which means it probably just finished on the east coast).

It’s been a busy week, and while I’ve got a couple of posts I’m working on, nothing’s quite close to ready. So what to do? Of course! Some mid-week linkblogging!

Interviews

Here are a couple of interviews with upcoming Flash artist Francis Manapul: one at Multiversity Comics, and one at Comic Book Resources. He talks about trying different ways to portray the hero’s speed, and adds:

…for me, the trickiest part is making sure my Barry Allen looks different from my Wally West. Having grown up with Wally, my natural portrayal of The Flash tends to look like him. As I get more familiar with Barry, I know I’ll get my footing and get it right.

Update: CBR has followed up by interviewing Scott Kolins, artist on Blackest Night: The Flash (starting in December) and the Wally West “second feature” stories in the upcoming monthly book.

Robot6 interviews Todd Dezago, former Impulse writer, on Perhapanauts and its recent Halloween Spooktacular. At the end he reveals what’s next for the series: another special in Spring, followed a few months later by the next major story: “Fourshadowing.” (After “First Blood,” “Second Chances,” and “Triangle.”)

Reviews

Weekly Crisis reviews a bunch of collections including Flash: Ignition.

Several sites have reviews last week’s Brave and the Bold starring Flash (Barry Allen) and the Blackhawks. The Savage Critics didn’t like it. 4thLetter really didn’t like it.

DoubleDCoverage reviews last week’s books including the DC Universe Halloween Special, which featured a Kid Flash story and a Flash vs. Superman race.

Commentary

Daily Scans finds it odd that, early in his career, Jay Garrick didn’t hide his identity very well.

Some linkblogging for the weekend…

Fortress of Baileytude starts JSA Week by declaring that Jay Garrick is the Man.

Once Upon a Geek looks back at a Justice League Monopoly board game from 1999.

For the ladies: A Comic Blog starts off their Top 10 Sexiest Comic Guys list with Wally West.

Joey Cavalieri talks about the Battle of the Bulge and Brave and the Bold #28, this week’s J. Michael Straczynski/Jesus Saiz team-up between the Flash and the Blackhawks. IGN reviews the issue.

Billy Tucci talks about his Flash/Superman race in this week’s DC Universe Halloween Special.

Dan Didio talks about legacies and characters growing up in his latest 10 Answers column.

Brave and the Bold #28, “Firing Line,” by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz occupies an unusual niche for the Flash. While Barry Allen has been back for a year and a half, this marks his first real solo adventure in an ordinary comic book format since his return. Flash: Rebirth is very much a transition, more setup than story, and while Barry certainly has the spotlight in that book, he shares the stage with a host of other speedsters. Wednesday Comics came close, but was very much caught up in exploring the alternate format.

Calling a team-up story a solo adventure might be pushing it, but this does read much more as a Flash story than a Blackhawk story. It’s told from the Flash’s point of view, the key dilemma is a decision the Flash has to make, most of the Blackhawks are indistinguishable from each other, and a group known for air combat spends the entire issue grounded.

Dilemma

At its heart, the story uses the clash between two classic comic book genres to ask the question: “When is it acceptable to kill?” The Flash — perhaps the example of the Silver Age superhero: slightly goofy, with crazy science adventures and a code against killing — is dropped into the middle of a war, unable to leave until an injury heals. And not just any war: World War II.

On that level, it works. The Flash’s idealism and the Blackhawks’ determination contrast well, until he finds a way to align them. Jesus Saiz’ artwork feels a bit stiff and static during the Silver Age-style framing sequence, but is well-suited to the war story that takes up the bulk of the issue. The coloring also highlights the contrast between the Flash’s bright red costume, the Blackhawks’ dark blue, and everything else in muted grays and browns.

It also manages to avoid the stilted dialog that occasionally crops up in JMS’ writing. Every once in a while I’ll be reading something and a line will leap out as either very awkward, or a quote from Babylon 5. That didn’t happen even once here.

So what doesn’t work?

Read the rest of this entry »

Anthony135 writes in with the news that the Flash — specifically Jay Garrick — will appear in the teaser segment of Friday’s episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold (March 20).

I haven’t been watching this series (actually, I’ve been rewatching Batman: The Animated Series from the early 1990s), but I’ll have to keep an eye out for this one.

Update: Comics Continuum has pictures from the episode.