Speed Force

Johnny Wellens sent in these screen captures of the Rogues and other Flash Villains in the DCUO: Lightning Strikes game expansion.

He comments:

Here are The Rogues as they appear in DC Universe Online. I have only two issues. Why is Piper a villain again and why does Professor Zoom have Zoom’s costume? No answers from the developers on these decisions at this time. But I can tell you that it is so much fun to run around Central City, Metropolis, and Gotham looking for The Rogues.

I haven’t played the game myself, but it looks great — and like great fun!

Through Wednesday, Thwipster has the DC Universe Online Flash Statue on sale for only $52.

Thanks to Ken O of That F’ing Monkey for the tip!

CBR has some additional screenshots. Update: Newsarama has a liveblog of the panel.

Sony has released a set of screenshots from DC Universe Online featuring Gorilla Grodd battling the Flash and other heroes.

For those who haven’t been able to check out the SDCC 2010 DC Universe Online Trailer here are some captures of The Flash in an alternate reality sporting an armored look.

Now for those who haven’t seen the trailer and care to know why The Flash is wearing those armored duds, this takes place in an alternate future in which Braniac quietly abducted superhumans and then finally launched an all out invasion force that wiped out humanity leaving only that world’s alternate version of Lex Luthor intact. He traveled through time to warn the Justice League of the past of what may be coming to them in the future. The story reminds me a little of the recent DC animated release, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths or JLA: Earth 2, the book the movie was loosely based on. Right down to the alternate version of Luthor trying to change things and the involvement of Braniac in the main plot. It’s not too similar though, where I feel like we’ve already seen this before. I can’t wait to see how the story ends up unfolding.

I’m digging the armored look overall. I know it’s probably not going to be present in the main part of the game but it’s still cool to see heroes armored up for super threats or super battles. It also reminds me a little bit of the Kid Flash design for the upcoming Young Justice animated series. Would be kind of cool to see it as an action figure and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an action figure line released with this game.

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

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I caught this video on Sunday at the DC Comics booth. It’s an incredible battle between DC’s heroes and villains, really showing off some of their powers and skills (particularly Wonder Woman, Deathstroke, Superman and Lex Luthor). Spoilers for the DCUO storyline, so don’t play it if you want to be surprised.

The look, at least for the cut-scenes, is fantastic…though I’m not too big on the image of the Flash in armor.

Update: Devin has some pictures of the Flash in armor and further commentary.

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A couple of weeks ago, CBR previewed Icons, an upcoming book featuring Jim Lee’s WildStorm and DC Comics art. It got me thinking: Has Jim Lee ever drawn the Flash?

I posed the question on Twitter and Facebook. @Pogophile and Joe Dy came up with the cover of the “Joker’s Last Laugh” issue of The Flash:

I did some searching around the Grand Comics Database when I looked up the Flash v.2 #179 cover, and didn’t find anything obvious. Several people suggested that the Flash may have appeared in Superman: For Tomorrow.

Then of course there are his designs for DC Universe Online.

It’s entirely possible that this is the only published Jim Lee art focusing on the Flash!

Sony Online Entertainment has released a short video showing off super-speed in the upcoming DC Universe Online massively-multiplayer online game. Creative Director Jens Andersen introduces the clips, which feature both the Flash and player-created characters.

The video highlights not just running fast, but running up buildings, running upside-down on the ceiling, and special combat moves like whirlwinds.

If it doesn’t work here, or you want to watch it at a different size, you can watch it at YouTube. (Found via ComicBook Movie, though I couldn’t get the video to play there.)

Judging by the comments on yesterday’s Flash #3 variant cover, I should probably mention that this game has been in the works for quite a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flash shown above was designed at a time when Wally West was still the main version of the character.

Sony has just released character designs and a bio of the Flash in DC Universe Online, and Newsarama has the scoop. The Flash has previously appeared in demos and screenshots of the upcoming MMORPG, but I don’t recall seeing the design artwork before…or the character biography.

The surprise here is that Jim Lee’s design is still recognizably Wally West’s costume with the V-shaped belt, rather than Barry Allen’s. Considering that DC has been re-focusing the Flash franchise around Barry Allen, I would have expected them to use him for their next flagship game. And besides, Geoff Johns is writing both Flash: Rebirth and the storylines for DCUO. On the other hand Mortal Kombat vs. DCU used a costume that was closer to Wally’s than Barry’s, and called him Barry Allen. The biography is quite specific, though:

The Fastest Man Alive, Wally West easily runs at light speed, vibrates through objects, create explosions through friction – and, when at agonizing top capacity, can manipulate time and bridge dimensions.

The Flash is a time-honored member of the Justice League. The latest in a long line of Flashes, each with their own unique way of tapping into the primal “Speed Force,” Wally is determined to live up to the noble legacies of speedsters such as Barry Allen, Max Mercury, and Jay Garrick.

It’s hard to get more specific than that!

(Speaking of Jay Garrick, the design for his appearance in the game was released last summer.)

Newsarama has more images and details.

Update: jcbagee points to a gallery of more images at Kotaku. In addition to some slightly larger versions of the same images, there are a bunch of screenshots from the game itself, including this one with some (presumably) player-character speedsters:

Oddly enough, the Flash’s eyes seem blue in the renderings…

Update 2: CBR has the same set of images as Kotaku, and the bio.

Geoff Johns talks to MTV about DC Universe Online, saying that the massively-multiplayer game is likely to ship in early 2010 or late 2009. He also says he’d love to tackle a Flash or Superman movie.

And speaking of movies, Variety reports that the film industry is starting to take super-heroes seriously, and looks into which characters are likely candidates for the big screen.

Michael Doran, co-founder and senior editor of the comicbook news site Newsarama, sees the most movie potential for DC Comics’ the Flash.

“Superspeed just is so elemental,” he says. “The character, especially the Wally West version — the fast-talking, quick-witted type — his personality almost matches his superpowers.”

Back to the fan perspective, Comix 411 has a wishlist for the Flash movie, and Siskoid looks at “The Human Race”.