May 17, 2013
MTV Geek has an extensive write-up of a Grant Morrison talk in which he discussed (among other things) his long-in-the-works Multiversity. Each issue will focus on a different reality in DC’s multiverse, surrounded by a pair of bookends tying the story together.
One issue focuses on…
“The Just”, taking place on Earth-11, showcasing the return of the Super-Sons and the children of other superheroes. Surprisingly citing The Hills as an inspiration, the disaffected super-kids will be introduced in ways similar to that program, and the utopian world brought on by their parents will be echoed by their dull, meaningless, “shallow” conversational patterns. We’ll also see the remnants of a bored Justice League, filled with nearly-forgotten 90s characters with nothing to do but superhero/supervillain battle re-enactments. When asked who would be appearing, Kyle Rayner will be the Green Lantern featured in the book, but Guy Gardner will be present. Other 90s characters set to appear include Bloodpack, Bloodwynd, Anima, Walker Gabriel and, yes, Wally West, amidst a host of other legacy characters introduced in the era, hinting at appearances by Azrael and the “replacement” Supermen. Knowing that it would always come back to the most iconic versions of the characters, such as Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, Morrison wanted to give these heroes “a world they did inherit, but they didn’t inherit anything” worthwhile.
February 21, 2013
Did you read Justice League of America’s Vibe #1 yesterday? There’s a collection of cameos near the end, one of which is a character who hasn’t been seen since the yearlong Grant Morrison/Mark Millar run on The Flash back in 1998.
In The Human Race, we meet Krakkl of Kwyzz, Wally West’s childhood imaginary friend from Radioland, who turns out not to be quite so imaginary after all. In the story, the Flash and Krakkl were chosen by a pair of cosmic-powered gamblers to race along a four-dimensional track twisting through the past, present and future of the whole universe. (Krypton’s explosion is one of the obstacles.) The loser’s homeworld would be destroyed, and the winner’s would be spared…long enough to begin the next race, against another world’s speedster champion. Wally managed to break the cycle with a new wager, and even though the world of Kwyzz was destroyed, its inhabitants were able to migrate to Earth, living alongside humans but outside our perception.
If you’re interested in reading more, I reviewed the collection as a guest writer at Collected Editions.
Anyway, near the end of Justice League of America’s Vibe #1, we see a collection of “dimensional anomalies,” including an energy being who looks a little less like Sonic the Hedgehog than he used to. Read the rest of this entry »
May 28, 2012
ComiXology is running a 99-cent sale on Grant Morrison comics, including the nine issues of The Flash he co-wrote with Mark Millar in the late 1990s.
I think all of these have been available for a while now (several months ago I bought Flash #134, the incredible Jay Garrick solo story, to check out the image quality at the normal $1.99 price), but if you’ve been waiting for a chance to read Wally West in “Emergency Stop” or “The Human Race” for cheap, now’s your chance.
Note: For some reason, the issues aren’t visible right now if you go to the series page. You have to go through the Grant Morrison sale.
November 29, 2010
Today’s guest post is by Brandan of Speedster Site.
What does it take to make a character memorable? Is that what it takes to make a character iconic?
When DC Comics announced that writers Geoff Johns and Joe Michael Straczynski would be writing 100+ pages each about Batman and Superman respectively, I couldn’t have been happier. I immediately thought that this “The Perfect Chance”. Johns and Straczynski are writing Batman: Earth One and Superman: Earth One. Two original graphic novels that have their own unique spin on DC’s icons. Why was this the perfect chance though? Simply because DC Comics has about 7 specific characters that could thrive under this type of release.
Of course the most important of those I’m speaking of is our favorite hero, The Flash! Let us look at the math of this perfect chance. One of the most recognized characters in comics, plus a symbol that’s known to many outside of comics, subtracting the monthly wait and occasional artist deadline rush, adding a highly capable artist, and to top it all off, its over 100 pages of new content. I was never good at math, but I am pretty sure that equals a sure fire success story.
But why The Flash? I know what you’re thinking. “Surely you must be happy with the relaunch of the series, and excited about the upcoming Flashpoint event. Why waste time on 100 pages of Flash?” Why? Because while that first issue of Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul’s The Flash may be new comic reader friendly, its not going to bring in more readers like The Flash: Earth One could. Still not convinced? Well how about the idea of a Barry Allen story that defines the character you have come to love and respect? Yeah, I thought that might change your mind.
Read the rest of this entry »
July 23, 2010
It took me a while to get into this panel, but I’m here now!
Featuring: Dan Didio, Jim Lee, Grant Morisson, Geoff Johns and J. Michael Straczynski with fans dressed as Darkseid, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.
4:32 Whew- made it in!
4:32 Grant Morrison is talking about the Joel Schumaker Batman movies & liking the “obscene rubber costumes.” Alfred: “I took the liberty, sir….”
4:33 Onstage: Dan Didio, Jim Lee, Geoff JOhns, Grant Morrison, JMS, with Darkseid, a female Green Lantern, and…Gypsy? [edit: it's new-costume Wonder Woman]
4:34 Batman and the Kathy Kane Batwoman Costume…wait, Batman’s *wearing* the costume?
4:35 Grant’s talking about liking to create new characters for the Batman universe
Read the rest of this entry »
July 12, 2010
Some Monday morning linkblogging…
Flash…
Comics Should Be Good’s Year of Cool Comics spotlights “Flash of Two Worlds” — or more precisely, the Grant Morrison/Mike Parobeck retelling of the story from Secret Origins #50. The story was recently reprinted in Flash: The Human Race.
Speaking of CSBG, Brian Cronin reviews Flash #1-3 and settles on “delightful.”
Comic-Con…
Will Comic-Con International leave San Diego? Publisher’s Weekly has a good round-up of the situation.
Now that the full schedule for this year’s convention is online, I’ve updated my Flash at Comic-Con post. I’ve also added a couple of items to my Tips for Comic Con.
…and Beyond!
A group of webcomics artists have put together a Web-Comics Auction for the Gulf Coast benefitting the Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fund. (via The Nerdy Bird.)
With ComiXology making waves, Comics Worth Reading checks on the status of other digital comics platforms like Graphic.ly and Longbox.
In light of Death’s upcoming appearance in Action Comics, Comics Alliance rounds up the long history of Sandman and the DC Universe.
Update: Let me add two more here: Collected Editions has worked out the Blackest Night reading order for the trades/hardcovers, and Once Upon a Geek has also taken a stab at Death in the DCU.
June 23, 2010
Flash Week continues at Collected Editions with my guest review of Flash: The Human Race. The trade covers the second half of the year-long Grant Morrison/Mark Millar run: The Flash must run in a cosmic race or else the Earth will be destroyed, but even afterward, death comes for him in the form of the Black Flash. Finally, rounding out Grant Morrison’s Flash solo stories is a short from Secret Origins which retells the classic “Flash of Two Worlds” in modern Post-Crisis continuity.
June 22, 2010
Flash Week continues at Collected Editions with my guest review of Flash: Emergency Stop. The trade covers the first half of the year-long Grant Morrison/Mark Millar run with art by Paul Ryan and covers four stories:
- Emergency Stop (Flash vs. the Suit)
- Through the Looking Glass (Flash vs. Mirror Master)
- Still Life in the Fast Lane (a focus on Jay Garrick)
- Three of a Kind: Part Three (a courtroom drama dealing with the aftermath of a Flash/Green Lantern/Green Arrow team-up)
Read the review at Collected Editions, or order the book at Amazon.
May 19, 2010
I had an odd thought while reading The Flash #2* last week. Francis Manapul draws Barry and Iris in a way that makes them look fairly young, and I remembered someone’s remark that the cowl on Wally West’s new costume makes him look older than Barry, even though Wally used to be Barry’s younger sidekick.
Then it hit me: No, Wally isn’t older than Barry Allen (even with time travel) but when you factor in his earlier Kid Flash career, he actually has more experience than Barry at this point!
No, Really!
Wally West became Kid Flash very early in Barry Allen’s Flash career — only six issues into his solo series! Flash vol.1 started with #105, picking up from where the Golden Age Flash Comics left off, and Wally was struck by lightning in Flash #110, back in 1959. He didn’t retire as Kid Flash until very late in Barry’s career, in New Teen Titans #39 — just one year before Barry vanished in 1985.**
So Wally West has been running around for most of Barry’s career plus his own!
Team Player
During his JLA run, Grant Morrison is one of the few writers I can remember really building on the fact that the original Titans grew up as super-heroes. I don’t recall it being a plot point, but Morrison mentioned it in an interview, or possibly one of the Secret Files books, and it clearly factored into his characterization of Wally West. He might not have been as old as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but he’d been working with a team longer than they had, and he was a consummate professional.
Wally wasn’t the rookie on the team by any stretch. That honor went to Green Lantern Kyle Rayner.
Of course, neither Wally nor Barry can hold a candle to Jay Garrick, who has been speeding since 1940!
*Yes, I do still plan on reviewing it. It was just a busy week, and for some reason, it’s been hard to sit down and write it.
**These are of course the real-world publishing dates. The fictional DC Universe would use a vague “X years ago” timeline that always seems to change, but usually compresses everything from the dawn of the Silver Age onward into a 10-15–year period.
April 6, 2010
Where else would you need Morrison school supplies?
Edit: It gets better. There’s a comic store in the same shopping center.
