Speed Force

DC’s website has some more scheduling changes for upcoming Flash issues:

• The Flash #5 is now September 22 (previously September 15).
• The Flash #6 is now October 27 (previously September 29).
• The Flash #7 is now November 10 (previously October 13).
• The Flash #8 is still November 24.

Meanwhile, over at Top Cow, Velocity #2 is still in its most recent spot on September 15.

Update September 2:

• The Flash #7 is now November 17.
• The Flash #8 is now December 8.
• Velocity #2 is now September 22. That means Velocity and The Flash are synced up again.

DC’s website now shows Flash #5 coming out on September 15, and Flash #6 coming out on September 29.

Flash #5 was originally scheduled for August 18 and has been pushed back several times. #6 was originally September 22; this is its first (and if we’re lucky, only) slip.

Interestingly enough, Velocity #2 has also been rescheduled for September 15. Velocity #1 hit the same week as Flash #3. Flash #5 and Velocity #2 were both scheduled for August 25 at one point, were both later scheduled for September 8, and are now both scheduled for September 15. It’s as if the two speedster series have somehow become synchronized, with two issues of Flash for each issue of Velocity — despite being published by different companies!

It’s been three weeks since Comic-Con International, but costume photos are always in season. Here are some of the people who came to the con dressed as the Flash. I’ve posted a few of these before, but not all of them. Some of the photos are mine, but most of them are from other photographers on Flickr. In each case, clicking on the photo will open the original page with larger images.

Authentic Custom Costumes

These are the costumes that were clearly home– or professionally-made, but that stuck to the standard designs.

First up is Mike Rollerson’s photo of a really impressive female Flash. I’ve seen her in a number of other costumes at various conventions, including Catwoman and Psylocke. Keep reading – there’s another picture of her later on.

The Superman/Wonder Woman/Flash trio on the right made a huge impression, judging by the number of photographers who snapped pictures of them at the con. The Flash is a very exact copy of the costume from the game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, down to the boots and the armbands, though he’s thrown back the hood and put on sunglasses instead. I’ve seen at least one picture of the group where he’s tossed on a red sweatshirt over the costume that looks like Bart’s from Smallville.

This group includes a more traditional Flash. As with many large groups, I’m not sure how many knew each other and how many were just invited to join in for having a costume with the same theme.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Flash wasn’t the only speedster super-hero at Comic-Con this year. Meagan VanBurkleo dressed up as Velocity from Top Cow’s Cyberforce.

Check out her site for more photos and a write-up of the costume. If you have time, read her article at Game Informer on SDCC: A Cosplayer’s Perspective.

» Full index of Comic-Con coverage

I usually wait for ICv2 to post their sales figures so that I can be sure the month-to-month numbers are comparable, but I don’t see them yet, and I believe these CBR estimates for June are based on the same numbers.

So: The Flash #3 climbed from #12 to #11 in sales rank, while the number of comics sold dropped 10.1% to 68,799 copies.

Let’s compare that to the other recent Flash relaunches again:

It’s still selling less than Flash: The Fastest Man Alive and dropping as quickly as “The Wild Wests.” That’s kind of disappointing. Though the real test is still going to be looking at orders for #4, because that’s where retailers will have had a chance to react to the way #1 actually sold, and how their customers actually liked it.

On the plus side, it did a lot better than Velocity, which clocked in at 8,171 copies sold. But then, Velocity was Top Cow’s #2 title, just behind The Magdalena at 8,326.

The size difference between the Marvel/DC superhero audience and the indie superhero audience is just astonishing. Numbers that would signal immediate cancellation (like, say, cutting off Magog in the middle of a storyline before part 1 goes on sale) from DC can be respectable successes for smaller publishers. If you want an eye opener, check out The Beat’s indie sales analysis series sometime.

Top Cow has released its list of Comic-Con Exclusives, including a variant edition of Velocity #1.

I’m not sure, but I think this might be the first cover for the series that features her new costume (which I have to assume is glued on). The standard covers for #1 and #2 were originally going to be pin-up variants for the series that was scrapped, and had her previous costume. The ChrisCross variant was originally going to be a standard cover for that series, and featured a new costume that ChrisCross designed.

I like the detail of her holding up the Comic-Con badge, but…sometimes I wonder whether there are two Kenneth Rocaforts: the one who draws the incredible interior art, and the one who draws the covers that belong on something like Maxim. Yeah, I know it’s Top Cow, but I always feel like I need to explain that no, really, I read it for the articles.

As for the issue itself, I thought it was quite good.

Some links from the past week:

• Wired’s GeekDad has a Spotlight On The Flash: Born to Run
• Now Read This! reviews The Flash: Wonderland
• That F’ing Monkey: Flash: NFS 2
• Ron Marz talks about Velocity at CBR and at Newsarama.
• Francis Manapul has a Super Mega Update! featuring the Flash, Wonder Woman, JLA and his upcoming TV series, Beast Legends. The Source posts both the original and full-color versions of his Wonder Woman #600 pin-up.
• Histories of Things to Come presents Reflections on the Revolving Door of Death: Titanic Legacies for Generation X Superheroes
• Topless Robot presents: the 12 Most Gimmick-y Gimmick Comic Covers of the ’90s.
• Funnybook Babylon: Bannermania is running wild on DC covers
• The Beat considers What Wonder Woman covers tell us about ourselves.
• CBR looks at Wonder Woman’s costume through the years
• Howard Hallis has almost finished The Picture of Everything.

Update:

• Robot 6 has more on Beast Legends and Francis Manapul’s involvement with the show.

Appropriately for a book about a speedster, Velocity hits the ground running. While the miniseries’ main conflict doesn’t really begin until the end of the issue, there’s plenty going on in the opening chapter.

The setup for “Decoys” is simple: A mad scientist infects Velocity and her teammates with a virus that will kill them within an hour, and she’s the only one who might be able to stop it.

The comic is actually quite new-reader friendly. You get a good sense of Velocity’s personality (snarky, tends to get ahead of herself), powers (runs fast, jumps fast, dismantles killer cyborgs fast…but vibrating through walls and into other dimensions is right out), and the basics of her origin.

Read the rest of the review at First Comics News.

Velocity #1 (of 4) arrives in stores June 30.

(For those who are wondering, I do still plan on reviewing The Flash #2. At this rate, I’m not sure I’ll get to it until after issue 3 hits, though.)

See Also:
Review: Velocity #2
Review: Velocity #3
Review: Velocity #4

Newsarama has a 5-page preview of Velocity #1 by Ron Marz and Kenneth Rocafort.

Carin Taylor is the fastest woman in the world. At least, she’d better be if she wants to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates. When a former Cyberdata scientist — and test subject — seeks revenge against the members of Cyberforce, only Velocity can save her friends before the clock literally runs out.

Bringing together writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer) for the first time. Featuring two covers by Rocafort and Chriscross (Captain Marvel).

I quite liked the Pilot Season one-shot by Joe Casey and Kevin Maguire, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing more solo adventures, even though this is a completely new team, and a 4-issue miniseries rather than an ongoing. (The downside: as well-executed as Rocafort’s art is, the covers are cheesecake-y enough that I feel like I need to hide the comic on the bottom of my stack — and avoid reading it in public!)

Velocity #1 ships next Wednesday, June 30.

Update: I’ve had the opportunity to read an advance copy. Here’s my review of the comic.

What is it with speedsters and delays?

Top Cow has sent out a press release announcing the June 30 launch of Velocity #1. On a whim, I re-checked DC’s website, and found that Flash #3, previously scheduled for June 23, had been quietly rescheduled for the same day.

The delays on the second half of Flash: Rebirth are the stuff of legend. I know I’m not the only one who hoped that the new series might be able to stay on top of the schedule a bit better, and the first two issues did arrive right on time, but this is the second delay for issue #3. On the plus side, DC hasn’t rescheduled issues #4 and #5…at least not yet.

More on Velocity

Velocity has had a long, slow road to release, so a couple of extra weeks won’t make much difference. The short version: The 2007 Pilot Season issue won the fan vote for which comic should get picked up for an ongoing series, but delays and creative differences eventually scuttled the book.

The book is finally seeing print as a 4-issue miniseries by Ron Marz and Kenneth Rocafort. Carin Taylor, the fastest woman alive in the Top Cow universe, must beat the clock to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates from a deadly techno-virus.