Speed Force

My full write-up of Long Beach Comic Con is done! I looked at lots of art, caught some panels, got stuff signed by both Mark Waid and Geoff Johns, bought some books and prints, saw people in costumes, and did some sightseeing.

Here’s the coverage breakdown:

• Convention Write-Up
• Photos
• Flash News From DC Nation

I had a great time at the con on Saturday, and will definitely go next year if they hold it again.

• First view of the Long Beach convention center. I haven’t been here in ages. #
  
• Last time I was here, I don’t think there was a mall across the street! #
  
• Realized I’ve walked by the gold Boba Fett 4 or 5 times w/o stopping to take a photo. I am so jaded. #
• Flash news from DC Nation panel (in other post)
• Mark Waid: if DC did an animated Flash feature, he would want Will Wheaton to voice Wally West. #
• Waid on appeal of superheroes: Nobody knows what it’s like to have super-speed, but everyone knows what it’s like to wish you were faster. #
• Waid on writing: find the method that works for you and embrace it. Don’t beat yourself up over what doesn’t. #
• Taking a break from the con to wander outside. Will head back for the Mark Waid signing at 2:30. #
  
• Primary goals achieved! Panels & signings by Mark Waid & Geoff Johns. Now an iced mocha, then back to the floor. #

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Update: Full write-up and photos are now online!

My photos from Long Beach Comic-Con are up! I’m still labeling them, but that shouldn’t take too long.

I’ll post my write-up sometime on Sunday.

I just got out of the DC nation panel at Long Beach Comic-Con. At the start, Geoff Johns announced that the new Barry Allen Flash series will be a 30-page book with a Wally West Flash co-feature (backup story) by Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins!

YES!!!

Other Flash news from the Question & Answer segment:

No current plans to reissue trades from Geoff Johns’ Wally run.

Both Captain Boomerangs will appear in Blackest Night. As will Rainbow Raider – or rather the “Black and White Raider.” And he’s “really upset about it.”

Wally will have his new costume in Blackest Night & the new backup stories.

The new speedster Geoff mentioned in San Diego will be female. I’m thinking maybe Iris’ link to the speed force kicks in?

Update: Newsarama’s and CBR’s articles are up, both of which include a bit I’d missed posting: One fan asked whether, with Flash and Kid Flash, Wally was going to be “medium Flash.” Geoff Johns pointed out that Jay Garrick is still called Flash…

Update 2: My full write-up and photos from the con are now online!

Thanks, everyone, for sticking around for reruns while I dealt with a busy month! I’m still busy, but things are a bit more under control, so I can get back to bringing you more new content!

I’ve got a few more flashback posts in reserve for the next time real life gets in the way of writing. Or I might start a “Flashback Fridays” or “Monday Memories” series.

Tomorrow I’m going to the first-ever Long Beach Comic Con. Among other things, I plan on attending the DC Nation panel, though I don’t expect there to be any big Flash news unless they’ve picked an artist for Kid Flash in the last week. Update: DC is planning to announce something big. I doubt it’ll be Flash-related, but who knows?

Keep an eye on this blog, on @SpeedForceOrg on Twitter, and my Flickr stream for reports and photos from the event!

Long Beach Comic-Con is only two weeks away! They’ve posted their programming schedule and floor map, and I’m happy to see that the panels I most want to see are (a) on the day I’m going and (b) not opposite each other!

Comic Con International has opened online registration for 2010. There’s a pretty steep price jump — the full week is $100 now. Admittedly, that comes out to $25 a day, so it’s not that bad when you think about it. But it’s still triple digits.

They’re trying to cut down on the Wednesday night crowds by selling two types of full-con tickets, one with Preview Night and one without. On one hand, that’s probably a good idea. “Preview” Night has gotten rather insane the last couple of years (since the last time Warren Ellis came out to San Diego, really). On the other hand…you need the Preview Night version to pick up your badge early. If you get the regular version, you have to wait until Thursday morning. Otherwise, I’d happily forgo Preview Night so that someone who really wants to go can have a slightly less crowded experience, since I rarely spend more than half an hour on Wednesday anyway.

WonderCon has announced the dates for next year’s convention: April 2-4, 2010. That’s later than it’s been the last few years, and puts it only 2 weeks before Wizard’s Anaheim Comic Con (April 16-18). It’s close enough to make me feel like there’s no point in going to both. WonderCon looks like a better idea for a lot of reasons…but Anaheim is so close that it feels like it would be a waste to not go.

Some weekend linkblogging.

Commentary

The Speedster Site Forum wants to know: Who do you consider the Flash’s archenemy?

The Weekly Crisis posts thoughts on comics for November. Regarding Superboy Prime’s upcoming appearance in Adventure Comics #4 (a Blackest Night tie-in), Ryan says, “The only way this won’t make me even more annoyed with the end of Legion of Three Worlds is if the Superboy Prime scenes are actually just him ranting on message boards.”

ICv2′s Confessions of a Comic-Book Guy discusses two events in Justice League: Cry For Justice #2: one now infamous among comics discussion circles, the other the less-commented-on off-panel killing of Jay Garrick’s three dimwitted sidekicks.

Update: IO9 talks to Mark Waid about The Unknown, science, and death, and has the first issue online for free. The Unknown has been an excellent miniseries, and I’m really looking forward to the conclusion on Wednesday.

Art

Photon Torpedoes looks at the use of ghost images to show the Flash’s speed in Blackest Night.

Adventure Comics artist Francis Manapul has posted photos of several convention sketches he’s done this year, including the Flash and Kid Flash! Elfgrove posts a scan of another Francics Manapul Kid Flash. Update: Manapul has posted a follow-up with more sketches after asking fans to send in their scans.

Update: Former Impulse artist Craig Rousseau shares a sketch of Bart Allen.

Television

Geoff Johns drops a hint about his upcoming Smallville episode, “Society:”

The Justice Society will be heroes that come out of ‘retirement’ to see how the current generation operates. Can’t say much more than that right now. Sorry!

Superhero Shows spotlights the Flash’s TV appearances in cartoons and live-action, from the early Filmation cartoons of the 1960s through to recent appearances on Smallville and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Conventions

Long Beach Comic-Con (October 2-4) is running a “Why Long Beach?” series on life outside the convention. So far they’ve posted nearby attractions and a restaurant guide.

Update: Please help identify these Unknown Cosplay Characters from various conventions! I’ve got a few of my own photos in there of people who had interesting costumes, but I still have no idea who they were dressed as!

Quick round-up of writer/artist links from the past week or so:

Karl Kerschl has been posting commentary on The Flash in Wednesday Comics at AudioBoo: The Page 9 Gauntlet, Wednesday Comics Questions. He’s also done an interview with Newsarama.

Francis Manapul was inspired to do some Flashy art while reading Flash: Rebirth

Ethan Van Sciver and Karl Kerschl will appear at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto at the end of August.

Mark Waid has been confirmed for Long Beach Comic-Con in October. (I finally bought my ticket a few days ago. Hooray for cons within driving distance!)

Many sites remembered Mike Wieringo this week on the anniversary of his passing. To follow up on the links posted on Wednesday: Panels on Pages lists their top six Mike Wieringo covers. Pop Matters has an artistic critique of his Flash work as perfecting “90s nostalgia comics.” Comics Alliance lists some favorite moments. And it’s worth linking again to Blog@Newsarama’s excellent Dial H for History retrospective.

Some linkblogging related to Flash writers and artists:

Long Beach Comic-Con announces the full guest list for their first convention, and Geoff Johns is on it.

Comic Book Resources has some video from the Earth-2 Comics grand opening a few weeks ago with Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, and others.

Ethan Van Sciver will be signing at Comic Book Etc. in Woodstock, Georgia on July 18.

Newsarama interviews Mark Waid on Irredeemable.

Speaking of Mark Waid, he and Gail Simone got into a “Twitter War” yesterday, slinging silly accusations at each other and insisting that others choose sides. It’s a funny read, and you can catch up at @GailSimone and @MarkWaid.

Update: And one more Mark Waid story that I somehow missed: in Wednesday’s Cup o’ Joe column, he tells the story of a time when he was invited out to a signing at a comic store in a Vermont town, only to arrive and discover that there was no store…just “two comics fans who had pooled their lawnmowing money to pay for a LaGuardia-to-Vermont plane ticket for their very-soon-not-to-be-favorite writer so they could meet him and own him for a day.” It’s a really surreal story, and worth the read.