Monthly Archives: February 2010

Strange Searches

The top search terms lately have been variations on the following:

  • Flash Rebirth 6
  • Blue Lantern Flash
  • Wally West new costume
  • Speed Force

But then there are the search terms at the bottom of the list…the weird ones that make you wonder either, “What was this person thinking?” or “How the heck did that term bring someone here?”

is final crisis canon or not? – Why wouldn’t it be?

is there a way to smoke speed – Umm… I don’t know. In fact, I don’t want to know.

can you name that dc character – You know, the who suffered a severe childhood trauma involving the loss of a parent, and everything in their past seems to be related to the costume gimmick or powers? Yeah, that one!

full episodes of Bones – I think you reached the wrong site.

kill the beatniks – I can blame Tom Peyer for this one.

batman/wally west romance fanfic – I’m sure it’s out there (and probably more than there used to be, now that Dick Grayson is Batman), but I have no idea how they landed here.

irredeemable comic reading order – Seriously, there’s, what, 10 issues out, and they’re numbered sequentially. Why is there a question here?

colour of ww1 brodie helmets in green – Umm…I’m going to go with green.

wally west’s hair – Umm… it’s red.

what’s the last bus to leave golden lantern and hidden hills – I don’t know, but you’d better not miss it.

where to buy batman ice cream – Is there such a thing? I’ve heard of Superman ice cream, but Batman?

flash gordon super speed – *sigh* – He doesn’t have it. I hope you learned something today.

Answering Searchers: Convention Questions

Here are some more questions (and implied questions) pulled from search terms that have shown up in the site stats, all about conventions.

Why are some tickets for the comic con more expensive than others?

That depends on the convention. Some of the price variations I’ve seen include:

  • More popular days cost more. (Simple supply and demand to help balance the crowds.)
  • Days with longer hours cost more. (Friday starts later, or Sunday ends earlier, or both.)
  • More expensive tickets include access to special events or exclusive merchandise.

How can i get tickets to Comic Con?

In most cases, you can go to the convention’s website and order a ticket online, or find a phone number to call. Regional cons will often sell tickets through nearby comic stores.

I’m guessing that this person meant Comic-Con International (San Diego), which has sold out of full-weekend, Saturday, and Friday passes for this year. You can still buy a Thursday or Sunday ticket. If you want to get a 4-day pass, or a pass for a day that’s sold out, don’t give up hope just yet.

But first: you can’t just buy a ticket second-hand because they’re linked to names, and you have to show ID when you pick up your badge. Maybe if your identical twin bought the ticket and is willing to lend you his or her driver’s license.

You can keep your eye open for promotions. Last year, as the con approached, there were companies that held contests or raffles where the prize was a ticket to the convention.

You can also wait until June. Last year, after the cancellation deadline, the con organizers counted up the number of tickets returned and started selling them online. To keep them from selling out all at once, they put them up in small lots in fixed-price sales on eBay. They’ve said that they plan to do something similar this year.

Wizard World Anaheim Review

I’ve seen a lot of variations on this one, which is interesting because there hasn’t been a Wizard World Anaheim yet to review! The convention coming up in April is the first one.

It will probably be similar to the last few Wizard World Los Angeles cons, though the change in venue will almost certainly have an effect. WWLA itself changed drastically (I’m told) when it moved from the Long Beach Convention Center to the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the new con is going to be literally across the street from Disneyland. More importantly, Wizard World itself seems to be broadening its focus to general pop culture and celebrities even as it’s adding “Comic Con” to its name.

If you’re interested, here are my write-ups of some recent LA-area cons:

On a related note, I also saw this:

Comic-Con Anaheim Geoff Johns 2010

Sorry to break it to you, but he’s not going to be there. The same weekend, he’ll be at C2E2 in Chicago.

Update: I forgot to mention another weird one related to Anaheim: “WonderCon Anaheim.” I don’t know whether someone got the names mixed up (it does start with a W) or was looking for information on both conventions.

Greg Berlanti to Direct the Flash Movie?

IESB is reporting that Greg Berlanti, co-writer of the Green Lantern film with Marc Guggenheim and creator/executive producer of such TV series as Eli Stone, Brothers & Sisters, and Everwood, is the “leading contender” to direct The Flash. (via SpeedsterSite)

The Flash is being written by Dan Mazeau from a story by Geoff Johns, who is also attached as a producer.

Batman: Brave and The Bold Flash Action Figure

Somewhat related to Kelson’s Article about Batman: Brave and The Bold, it has been pretty much confirmed that Barry Allen will be getting an action figure of his own in the Brave and The Bold toy line.

Oddly enough instead of showing up at Toy Fair 2010, fans caught their first glimpse of the new Flash figure on Target.com. According to the Batman: Brave and The Bold Facebook Page, Mattel didn’t reveal it at Toy Fair on purpose. A sensible decision to try and save some of the new merchandise for the upcoming New York Comic Con. I hope they have a Jay Garrick ready to go as well, because to date he is the only Flash that we have seen guest star on the show. Not really fair for Barry to get a figure before Jay especially when Jay appeared on the show (and in the comics) first. Then again I don’t think Jay would mind that much once he saw this thing:

I don’t know about anyone else (or if anyone else can remember back as far as this) but does this toy remind anyone else of the Centurions from back in the day?

You know these guys:

As you can probably surmise I’m not too thrilled with the overall look of it. But looking at it from a kid’s point of view I could definitely see myself having fun with it. Not myself as a kid, because I was that kid who always questioned why Batman was wearing orange or neon green when he was supposed to be a creature of the night. I’m talking about your average kid who isn’t quite as nit-picky as I was.

I guess it can’t be much worst than this:

It took me a couple of years to finally break down and purchase that thing and it was only because I was in a collectors drought and hadn’t gotten anything new in months. Still every time I look at it I have to pretend that Flash somehow lost his powers and this is his way of making up for it or some nonsense like that. Yeah. Don’t ask.

I will still end up picking it up but if I can help it I will probably drag my feet a bit before doing so. Although with the Flash’s recent resurgence in popularity due to The Flash: Rebirth and the upcoming Brightest Day storyline coupled with the high demand of the Brave and The Bold toy line I might not have a chance to.

Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Review: Flash: Rebirth #6 — “Fastest Man Alive”

Well, it’s finished. And oddly enough, that’s the strongest thing I can say about the conclusion of the Geoff Johns/Ethan Van Sciver miniseries. The main story wraps up rather abruptly, taking up about half of the issue (13 pages out of 22), with the rest devoted to character bits and foreshadowing. There’s certainly nothing wrong with character bits — they’re actually some of my favorite parts of this issue — but instead of a tour de force, Flash: Rebirth #6 wraps up with a resounding…well…it wraps up.

I don’t know if I’d feel differently about this if I’d read it before Blackest Night: The Flash, or before DC canceled their plans for the Kid Flash comic book and the backup stories featuring Wally West. I’m sure it didn’t help.

The best thing about the issue is that I can actually recognize Barry Allen as Barry Allen, not as some guy who has the same name and haircut. That’s one of the problems I had with the series up to this point: why go to the effort to bring back Barry Allen if you’re going to give him a personality transplant?

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Flash Legacy on Brave and the Bold

There’s been talk for a while of a “Flash Legacy” episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold. The main Flash on the show is Jay Garrick, who has appeared in at least two episodes: “Trials of the Demon” and “The Golden Age of Justice.” Kid Flash was notably absent from the recent “Sidekicks” episode, but producer James Tucker told the Aquaman Shrine that they have plans for Kid Flash “in the near future.”

In a comment thread on the show’s Facebook page a few days ago, producers confirmed that “Jay, Barry, and Wally will be featured in a upcoming episode that focuses on the Flash legacy.”

New episodes of the cartoon return in March.