Monthly Archives: April 2009

Speed Reading: Strange Feelings, Amalgam, Animation and More

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Flash #133 (Turned into a puppet!)The Absorbascon presents Strange Feelings, with Barry Allen. If you thought it was odd to be turned into a puppet…

ComicBloc’s Creativeartist has put together a Flash: Rebirth animation — in Flash, of course!

Amalgam: Speed DemonThe AV Club gives Flash: Rebirth #1 a solid B, but the dissenting opinion “was reminded why I rarely read super-hero comics anymore.”

Panels on Pages asks, Remember Amalgam? Amalgam Comics was the special-event line tied to Marvel vs. DC, filled with mash-ups of Marvel and DC characters, like the Flash/Etrigan/Ghost Rider combination, Speed Demon.

Comics Should Be Good’s Greg Hatcher writes about the grail quest — or rather, the thrill of hunting for comics.

I know that searching online I could wrap up all of these in about an hour, especially if money was no object. But money is an object — part of the fun is trying to score these things for under five dollars — and more to the point, the search is part of the pleasure. Google-and-click just isn’t the same.

Mark Evanier has launched a project to Rebuild Len Wein’s Comic Book Collection, after the Swamp Thing and Wolvering co-creator lost his house in a fire earlier this month.

Quick Thoughts: Twitter Through 2009-04-19

Powered by Twitter Tools, tidied up a bit.

Flash: Rebirth #4 Solicitation

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Newsarama has a preview of DC’s July solicitations, including Flash: Rebirth #4:

The Flash: Rebirth #4

Flash: Rebirth #4Written by Geoff Johns
Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver

Barry Allen left a legacy that thrived after his death. Now his return threatens it all. What secrets does Barry hold inside him about the fate of the Flash Family? What destiny awaits Wally and his twins? What murderous force targets Bart Allen? And what does it truly mean to be a speedster?

Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

On sale July 22 • 4 of 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

My take: This sums up every concern held by fans of Wally West, Bart Allen, or the legacy aspect of the character. “Guess what! We might be throwing away what you like most about the Flash! Buy this issue and find out!”

Update: See the full list of Flash appearances in July.

Flash in Blackest Night

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Green Lantern #44It looks like the Flash will be more heavily involved in this summer’s epic gigantic crossover event Blackest Night than previously suspected. We knew that Barry Allen would co-star in Blackest Night #0, this year’s Free Comic Book Day (May 2) entry. We learned recently that there will be a 3-issue Blackest Night: The Flash miniseries during the second half of the event. Now IGN has the solicitations for the first month of Blackest Night comics, and it looks like he’ll be guest-starring in the Green Lantern issues that comprise the event as well.

Green Lantern #44 (July 22)

“Blackest Night” continues! As Hal Jordan and Barry Allen investigate a bizarre crime in Gotham City, they come face to face with one of their oldest allies – J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter! But their old friend is not there for reunions; he’s come for much more. Meanwhile, Sinestro seeks to rebuild his army and take his revenge on the being who would usurp it – Mongul!

Kerschl and Fletcher on Flash in Wednesday Comics

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Bart Allen as the Flash by Karl KerschlSuperpouvoir (it’s in French) has the full credits for DC’s upcoming weekly series, Wednesday Comics. This is the 12-week experiment to recapture the feel of the old-style Sunday comic section of the newspaper. Each issue will feature 16 comic strips, each strip a broadsheet-sized page. (Basically the size of a comic book unfolded and turned sideways.) To give you an idea of the format, you can look at the sample pages DC has posted at The Source.

The Flash feature will be co-written by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher, with art by Kerschl. Karl Kerschl is no stranger to the scarlet speedster, having done art for Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #3 (featuring Bart Allen as the Flash — see image at left) and Teen Titans: Year One (featuring Wally West as Kid Flash). Kerschl’s art on both series was well-received. Personally, I thought Kerschl’s work was a perfect fit for Bart Allen, and I’m looking forward to seeing him draw the Flash again.

(via SpeedsterSite)

Speed Reading: Podcasts, Movie, Rebirth, and More

A few Flash-related posts I’ve found on the web over the past week:

Director Shawn Levy tells MTV’s Splash Page why he left the Flash movie. It turns out to be rather mundane: they wanted someone to focus entirely on The Flash, but he didn’t want to abandon Night at the Museum 2.

Podcasts

The Flash-back Podcast has moved to a new site. (Older podcasts are still at the original location.)

Meanwhile, Tom vs. the Flash tackles Flash v.1 #175, the second Flash/Superman race.

The latest Collected Comics Library Podcast focuses on the 1997 graphic novel, The Life Story of the Flash.

Rebirth Reactions

Comics Nexus wants to see the Flash mantle explored, not just one of the heroes who bears it, and characterizes the previous dynamic as:

Jay (the past),

Wally (the present),

Bart (the future)

and Barry (the aspiration, inspiration and reward).

4thLetter!’s David Brothers, in considering the end of 100 Bullets, sees Flash: Rebirth as “a signal that the DC Universe is moving in a direction that is pointedly Not For Me.”

Looking Back

Comic Coverage lists the Reverse-Flash among the Top 10 Comic Book Villains.

You Should Read Comics, looking at early Silver-Age Kid Flash stories, concludes that in his younger days, “Wally West was a narc.” On more recent topics, the blog tries to figure out what Dan Didio is trying to say when he answers questions about Hal Jordan and Barry Allen.

Slightly off-topic

Velocity: Pilot Season (200px)Comics Should Be Good reviews Velocity: Pilot Season #1, the 2007 book that was supposed to lead into an ongoing series from Top Cow.

Christopher Irving of Four Color Reality finds inspiration in Geoff Johns’ career in comics.

And while not Flash-related, I rather like Robot 6’s Grumpy Old Fan’s description of Bruce Wayne:

I think of Bruce Wayne as a frustrated marketer, spreading appropriate amounts of fear and respect virally through Gotham City, with Bat-symbols big as searchlights and small as stationery. In terms of both the real world and the comics, Batman relies on his outsized reputation.