Speed Force

Hey Speed Readers,

DC Collectibles released their solicits for November 2013 and there is only one real item of interest for New 52 Flash fans:

DC COMICS—THE NEW 52 SUPER HEROES VS. SUPER-VILLAINS ACTION FIGURE 7-PACK

The battle between good and evil rages on with this special 7-pack action figure set that includes Aquaman, The Flash, Batman, Catwoman, The Joker, Captain Cold, and Black Manta!

FEATURES:

All-New Aquaman Head Sculpt and Sceptre

The Flash Metallic Redeco

Batman Metallic Redeco

All-New Catwoman Action Figure

The Joker and Captain Cold Redeco

*Action Figures* $99.95 US • On Sale November 2013

*Allocations May Occur

Nothing too exciting if you plan on just purchasing the Captain Cold figure separately in September, but since I’ve been trying to build and expand my own DC Universe in action figure form, Catwoman, The Joker, and Black Manta will come in quite handy. I have to decide which Batman and Aquaman I prefer to have in my display but I have a feeling they will both be joining that new Flash figure in my Justice League team. Batman looks especially boss with that darker color scheme.

The Flash collector in me will be thrilled to have a Flash with the lightning seams painted in and that excellent metallic sheen reminiscent of the Kotobukiya Flash statue. I’m not sure what exactly is different about the Captain Cold redeco (maybe that icey arm?) but I won’t mind having two; one to put with my Secret Society of Super Villains display and one to put with my Rogues display.

These figures usually retail for about $24.99 a piece so even at the regular price of $99.95 this set is a steal. Of course I’m going to keep an eye out for a deal similar to what I found on the We Can Be Heroes 7 pack set but they only come out to about 14 bucks at regular price which isn’t bad.

While I’m not too upset about the exclusive figures being packed in with figures I already have I can understand the frustrations of others. Catwoman, Katana, and Vibe are figures that can only acquired by purchasing figures that many of us have already procured. They feature some new additions like head sculpts and paint jobs but they are still the exact same character. I understand the logic that it could possibly help to move little known characters like Vibe and Katana by packing them in with more popular heroes and playing on their in-story connections (Vibe’s abilities can disrupt the Speed Force and Katana has been chosen to join the JLofA to counteract Wonder Woman)  but the target audience is pretty much going to be buying the very first (and probably only figures) of Vibe and Katana anyway. It seems more like them trying to artificially inflate the price by giving us something we already have. Yeah, Flash features a new head sculpt (or more accurately his original head sculpt) but is it enough to justify the $39.95 price point?

I’ve praised DC Collectibles in the past for their 7 pack releases and I will continue to do so with this one. Yeah there are 3 figures that most of us probably don’t need, but for the patient this is a chance to get 4 figures in one fell swoop and for a fraction of the cost. As long as you aren’t a super completist and need things like weapons and accessories you should be good.

So what do you all think of DC Collectibles’ latest offering? Who plans on picking up this 7 pack in addition to the single of Captain Cold? Let us know in the comments below.

-Devin

Warner Bros. has released box art and further details for the July 30 release of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the home video animated feature based on 2011′s Flashpoint miniseries. Casting was announced yesterday, with Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd as Flash (Barry Allen) and Batman (Thomas Wayne).

According to comicbook.com, the special features include:

• A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions? Can time travel get us there? And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time? Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction.
• My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains in this short film that gives viewers a glimpse into the Flash’s world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years!
• A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe animated movie: An in-depth look into the next DC Animated feature film, spotlighting the cast and crew.
• From the DC Comics Vault: Bonus cartoon episodes
• The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary

Update: World’s Finest has more details including a synopsis:

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline.

Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave and the Bold) adapted the script, with Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) directing and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) producing.

So, what episodes from the vault would you like/expect to see? I’m hoping for “Speed Demons” from Superman, “A Mirror Darkly” from The Batman, “Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and of course “Flash and Substance” from Justice League Unlimited. Though I can imagine they might go for alternate reality stories instead.

DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation released new details this week on their upcoming feature Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox exclusively to Newsarama.  In addition to the release formats and confirmation of some casting details, the news came with the official description and the first image from the film.  Check it out below!

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for The Flash and his family, the ripples of the event prove disastrous as a fractured, alternate reality now exists where a Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Teaming with a grittier, more violent Dark Knight and Cyborg, Flash races to restore the continuity of his original timeline while this new world is ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans. With breath taking action and an all-star voice cast, it’s a bold, emotional vision that will forever change the landscape of the DC Universe.

Given the outcome of the Geoff Johns/Andy Kubert series, could this mean future DC animated features will be set in the New 52 universe? What moments from Flashpoint are you most looking forward to seeing brought to (animated) life?

The movie is due to be released July 30, 2013.  Check out the full details, including early casting information, over at Newsarama!

Justice League #18 begins a story arc centering on Cyborg, with interesting parallels to some pre-Flashpoint tales.  But, rather than Batman having files on all the heroes in the DCU, it is now Cyborg who has been tracking and filing info on every hero operating in the New52.  While this is most useful in sending invitations to potential League members, there is always some danger in keeping those kinds of files…and that obviously will lead us into the next few issues of JL.  The moments of most interest to Flash fans, however, concern Wal…I mean Barry’s interactions with the other League members and with the potential members invited to the Watchtower.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spinoff Online reports that among the special features included in the upcoming Superman Unbound animated feature is a preview of the next film in the series, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

I’m still of mixed feelings on this. On one hand, we finally get a Flash-centric animated feature. On the other hand, it’s basically a Flash/Batman story (and personally I didn’t like Flashpoint itself much), and now the Flash has even been demoted from the title.

As far as adapting a reboot? Most of the story isn’t about rebooting, and I still think that the conversion to the New 52 was tacked on at the end. Back when this was first hinted at last April, I noted that if you take out that double-page spread with Pandora and change the costumes in the epilogue, Flashpoint is back to being a standalone story.

The latest digital-first chapter of Justice League Beyond continues the introduction of Danica, the new Flash of the Beyond-verse.  She finally fights alongside the Justice League…but can she succeed where the rest of the League has failed?  And, where does Wally West fit into this?

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE CONTINUING! Read the rest of this entry »

Salutations Speed Readers,

So now that DC Comic’s own in-house collectibles company, DC Collectibles and the owners of the master DC Comics toy license, Mattel have both released their own version of the New 52′s Scarlet Speedster we finally get a chance to look at both and compare and contrast:

Read the rest of this entry »

While DC Comic’s solicitations for April’s new issues isn’t due until Monday, Comic Book Resources (via Gotham Spoilers) has an early selection of covers.  This includes Francis Manapul’s cover art for Flash #19 (below) and Flash prominently featured on what appears to be that month’s Justice League the cover to DC Universe Presents #19.

Flash #19 will be the second of two issues written solo by Brian Buccellato, with art by Marcio Takara.  The solicit for issue #18 features both the Trickster and Dial H.

Check out the Justice League DC Universe Presents #19 cover after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

TV Guide reports on the voice cast of Justice League: Doom, an upcoming direct-to-home-video animated film inspired by Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel, in which Batman’s contingency plans to take down each of his colleagues if necessary are stolen and turned against them. Based on the cast list, it appears to have been adapted to better match the current “New 52″ lineup, with Hal Jordan replacing Kyle Rayner (as he replaced John Stewart in Crisis on Two Earths) and Cyborg replacing Aquaman (who is in the new comics lineup, confusing the issue a bit).

The feature will reunite Justice League/Justice League Unlimited cast members Kevin Conroy as Batman, Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Carl Lumbly as the Martian Manhunter…and Michael Rosenbaum as The Flash. Joining them will be Nathan Fillion, reprising his role as Green Lantern Hal Jordan from Emerald Knights, Tim Daly, voice of Superman from the 1990s animated series and the more recent Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and Apocalypse features, and Bumper Robinson as Cyborg.

The Green Lantern Corps forum has more information including a list of villains (via TRKA): The Royal Flush Gang, Vandal Savage, Cheetah, Bane, Metallo, Star Sapphire, and Mirror Master (Alexis Denisof).

Halfway through DC’s New 52 debut month, here’s what I think of the comics I’ve tried so far.

Justice League #1

Looked at on its own, this wasn’t a Justice League story so much as it was a Batman/Green Lantern team-up. That’s OK for a team-up book, or the first chapter of a graphic novel, but not exactly ideal for a high-profile launch that’s billed as an introduction to the League (not to mention an introduction to the new setting for the DCU).

I’m going to call it now: just like Final Crisis, this first Justice League arc should have been presented from the beginning as a graphic novel, not as a serialized story. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

Read the rest of this entry »