Speed Force

After last issue’s events, New York’s Times Square is in shambles.  Two dozen people trying to secure the area after the battle died with just a simple thought (“drop dead”) from Psimon.  What more can go wrong?  And, will Raven choose to fight alongside the Teen Titans or side with her father Trigon?  That’s the starting point for issue #20 of Teen Titans, which does a good job of pushing forward the New 52 version of the battle between the Titans and perhaps their most infamous opponent.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE MOVING FURTHER! Read the rest of this entry »

Hey Speed Readers,

Yet another awesome nugget of DC Comics Video Game news as Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Adventure has been announced for the Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PC.

Described as a “DC Comics Encyclopedia” by the developers, 5th Cell, the game boasts over 2000 unique DC Comics superheroes and supervillains! In addition to the usual Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman offerings we’ve already seen a glimpse of members of the Flash Family (with cool props like the Cosmic Treadmill), Captain Cold and reportedly we will be able to play as 130 different Green Lanterns!

While I’m not that familiar with Scribblenauts and it’s style of play, the concept is pretty simple; If you can spell it, you can use it. I’m sure some of the more colorful executions of this playstyle have obviously been omitted seeing as the game is rated “E10″.

In this side-scrolling puzzle-actioner you play as Maxwell who is tasked with collecting objects known as “Starites” of which a certain number are required to advance to the next level. In the vein of old school graphic adventure point and click games (like Monkey Island) just about every object in the game can be interacted with by clicking on it which opens up a myriad of options depending on what you are actively doing in the game. The key part of the gameplay however is the ability to utilize Maxwell’s magic notebook to summon items (or other characters) into the game to help you solve puzzles by writing the name of the object or character on the screen. Usually you are limited to 3 to 4 summons in order to solve a puzzle and the games “emergent” play style really requires you to exercise and hone your mental agility and think outside of the box.

Honestly it sounds like one of those games that sounds more fun than it seems, but the reviews don’t lie; this is the fifth in a series of an extremely well-received and award-winning franchise.  I remember being intrigued by the studios first effort in this genre, Drawn to Life, but never really following up on it due to a lack of a Nintendo Wii or DS. Unfortunately I still have yet to pick up either of those systems (or their next-gen counterparts) so it will really depend on just how cool this game ends up being (and how much in price these consoles drop) before I decide to take the plunge.

While I’ve noticed a fair bit of New 52 pandering, from the looks of it I think we can also expect some traditional DCU love as well. Just in the Flash-themed picture from above we have the traditional Golden Age Flash, Kid Flash, Professor Zoom and Black Flash! With 2000 or so characters I think we can expect a lot more variety to come.

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure is due out sometime this Fall and needless to say, Speed Force will be keeping a close eye on the development of this title. In the meantime you can check out the official trailer, HERE.

So who is already a big fan of Scribblenauts and can testify to it’s greatness? Anyone plan on picking up the games for the first time due to the presence of the DC Universe? Please let us know in the comments below.

Pictures courtesy of CBR.

Thanks for reading,

-Devin

DC Comics’ August 2013 solicitations are up, including…

THE FLASH #23
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The Flash makes a desperate play to save Iris from Reverse-Flash—and you can’t be sure who will be left standing by this issue’s end!

TEEN TITANS #23
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Kid Flash finds himself on the run from his past as a growing rift between Red Robin and Superboy boils over and could tear the Teen Titans apart, just as their speedster teammate needs them most.

Plus there’s Earth 2 starring Jay Garrick, and the second half of Trinity War running through the Justice League titles.

The storyline is heating up quickly in Teen Titans #19, as Trigon is here – and is devastating New York City!  Kid Flash is beginning to show signs of leadership within the team as the Titans face their biggest danger yet in the New52.  This issue is action packed, and truly one of the best issues of this title I’ve read in quite some time!

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Please read the issue before continuing here!

This issue picks up with some significant dissension in the ranks of the Titans in the aftermath of last issue’s battle with the Suicide Squad.  Cassie expresses her displeasure rather, uh, forcefully…with a hand around Tim Drake’s throat!  The rest of the team tries to talk her down, but it is Bart Allen who plays peacemaker here.  It is good to see Bart stepping up, and I look forward to more from Kid Flash in this title.  And, it is important that he is stepping up a bit, as Tim Drake still seems caught in his jerk-of-the-month mode.  We don’t linger here much longer, though, because…Trigon appears in Times Square with devastating results!  The Titans go into battle, to find that Trigon has more than just a few physical tricks up his sleeve.  This is a most impressive battle, but one that doesn’t go well at all for the Titans.  Raven appears to be ready to help to an extent…but is she really ready to directly defy Trigon?  We’ll have to wait for that answer…

Kid Flash does feature more prominently here than in some recent issues, and there is foreshadowing of future storylines that may finally explain Bart’s future/history in the New52.  Scott Lobdell’s script (with dialog by Lobdell and Tony Bedard) was very well done and action packed throughout.  It is easily the best issue of Teen Titans I’ve read in some time.  Eddy Barrows does a great job on pencils, with inks by Eber Ferreira and colors by Alex Sinclair.  This is an excellent issue – and I can’t wait for TT #20!

This week has already seen two three new interviews with the Flash creative team.  In pieces with Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, and now Comic Vine, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato pull back a small corner of the curtain on their new iteration of the Reverse-Flash!

The duo eliminates at least one suspect, while providing some insight into the motivations and look of Flash’s new opposite-number. The Newsarama (and Comic Vine) interviews also feature a first look at preliminary pages from Flash #20!  Check out all of the chilling, UPDATED details after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

This issue of Justice League of America’s Vibe (wow, what a long name!) marks the start of Sterling Gates’ run as writer for the title.  If this issue is any indication, Vibe is in very good hands…and I can only wish to see Sterling Gates write more stories that include Kid Flash as well.  Gates truly gets his characters – the transition for Cisco is smooth as glass from Johns to Gates, and this issue has just about the best characterization of Bart Allen that we’ve seen in the New52.  Vibe is well worth the read, and this series is quickly becoming one of the very best the New52 has to offer.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – DO NOT READ FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ISSUE! Read the rest of this entry »

CBR has revealed the Vibe #3 fold-out cover…and it features Vibe vs. Kid Flash!

“What is the one super power that is more than a match for Vibe and how can it tear the universe apart?” Now we know…though considering that Vibe was apparently picked for the JLA to counterbalance the Flash’s powers, it should have been clear already.

Vibe #3 is written by Sterling Gates (Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost) with a cover by Brett Booth.

Hello Speed Readers,

As many of you are aware the last episode of Young Justice aired this past Saturday. I finally got a chance to watch it this morning and wow, what a heart breaking episode for Flash Family Fans.

Spoilers for Young Justice Season 2 Episode 20 “Endgame”

****SPOILERS*****

Read the rest of this entry »

THE FLASH #21
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale JUNE 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
While on his path to finding the Speed Force Killer, Barry must contend with The Teen Titans! Plus, The Flash meets Kid Flash for the first time!

DC has been rolling out their June 2013 solicitations. Here’s the Justice League group at Newsarama.

Speed Force Killer? Is that someone who kills using the speed force, or someone who kills people linked to the speed force…?

Also: it looks like Flash and Kid Flash don’t get along too well at that first meeting.

This issue of Teen Titans picks up after the events of “Death of the Family”, as the team gets back together after fighting alongside the Ravagers against the Joker.  A lot of story threads are started in this issue, which features Tim Drake in some behavior that will have fans scratching their heads…just what DID happen to Tim at the hands of the Joker?

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