Monthly Archives: December 2010

CGI Advantages for “The Flash” Animated Series

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Today’s guest post is by Dave Huang.

In 2011, Green Lantern is getting an animated series because of the feature film. The executive producer is Bruce Timm of DCAU fame, along with Giancarlo Volpe (director: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jim Krieg (writer: X-Men Graduation Day, Spider-Man, Ben 10) as producers. With a history of hand drawn animated DC shows, Green Lantern stands out as the first DC show done in CGI. This article considers the advantages of making The Flash the next.

The main reason to consider CGI is GL’s production. Overcome the learning curve for producing a quality superhero CGI show with GL with make the production team veterans for a polished Flash series and keep their experience from going to waste. Although Batman: The Animated Series was the first DCAU show, the universe wasn’t born until Superman: The Animated Series brought us “World’s Finest”. Until then, B:TAS was closed-off, much like GL is currently being developed to be (taking place 98% in space with no anticipated overlap with non-GL DCU at large). S:TAS established the crossovers and serial storytelling that expanded into the production of a full blown, lasting, and lucrative universe. A CGI Flash series following a CGI GL series can play the same role- bridging two worlds- as Flashes and Green Lanterns go together like PB and J… and CGI and The Flash may be a surprising fit.

While The Flash Family is no stranger to animation, their appearances tend to come in brief bursts, in part because of the challenges with bringing a speedster to the small screen in an animated format. On commentary tracks, Timm has remarked how difficult it is to keep Flash in frame and to convey a sense of speed cost-effectively, perhaps accounting for why he said in 2007 that he will probably not do a Flash series. However, some of the strengths — indeed the requirements — of CGI production might change his mind:

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Halloween Flash

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Today’s guest post comes from Dave Sun

I’m not much of a comic guy, i know the basics and that’s about it. For this halloween I wanted to make a costume that shows off a little bit of my muscles (much like how girls use halloween to be half naked). So I skipped the overplayed Superman, and the somewhat complicated Batman and landed on the Flash (Barry Allen).

With that said I like to share with you the pictures of my costume. it was made from scratch: shirt: adidas techfit; pants: eastbay athletic tights; gloves: eastbay athletic tights’ pant legs (left out the fingers for convenience); mask: combination of eastbay athletic tights’ thigh area and a masquerade mask and mighty putty; trim: foam sheets from michael’s; muscles: gym.

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Quick Review: Velocity #3 — “Decoys” Continued

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One of the things I’ve liked about the Ron Marz/Kenneth Rocafort Velocity miniseries is the tone: despite dealing with serious issues like viruses, murder, and human experimentation, there’s a sense of playfulness to it all. This holds through issue #3, in which Velocity goes up against hordes of robots as she tries to rescue her deathly ill Cyberforce teammates in the minutes left before the techno-virus kills them.

While the first issue was mostly setup, and the second issue dealt with a lot of problem-solving, this one is basically two long battle sequences with the speedster battling robots first in the wilderness, then in the crowded streets of Venice. It finishes up with a particularly nasty cliffhanger for the final issue…but as a long-term comic book reader (and sci-fi watcher) I came up with several ways to resolve it in the first few minutes after I finished reading.

I’m developing mixed feelings about the art, though. On one hand, I love the style, the detail, the expressions, and the creative panel designs. The pages often have a fragmented look that makes the story feel more hurried. On the other, some panels are sexualized enough that they distract from the story. Yeah, it’s Top Cow…but sexiness should serve the story, not detract from it, right?

(On a side note, I found it interesting that the issue shipping this week should have a text feature called “5 Things You Never Knew About Velocity.”)

Overall, the book maintains the energy of the first two installments. If you’re out for super-speed action, this is the place to be.

Velocity #3
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Preview
Velocity #1 (full issue)

Review: Velocity #1
Review: Velocity #2
Review: Velocity #4

A digital review copy was provided by the publisher.

This Week: Zoom in Time Masters, Flash in Green Lantern, Velocity

This week sees the release of two Flash guest spots and a new installment of Velocity. Time Masters: Vanishing Point #5, guest-stars the Reverse Flash and leads into Flashpoint, while Green Lantern #60 guest-stars Barry Allen in a follow-up to last month’s cliffhanger.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #5 (of 6)

Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by DAN JURGENS & NORM RAPMUND

None of the Time Masters’ problems in the time continuum compares with what’s in store for them when they cross paths with the Reverse Flash! In fact, nothing will be the same for the entire universe after this fateful meeting!

Don’t miss this companion series to the best-selling “Return of Bruce Wayne” storyline!

Green Lantern #60

Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art and cover by DOUG MAHNKE & CHRISTIAN ALAMY; 1:10 “DC 75th Anniversary” Variant cover by FRANK QUITELY

BRIGHTEST DAY continues as the truth about the Indigo Tribe members is revealed along with their Entity: the enigmatic Proselyte.

Plus, don’t miss a special Green Lantern movie image!

Velocity #3 (of 4)

Story: Ron Marz
Art & Cover: Kenneth Rocafort

The Pilot Season Winner is Back!

The clock is literally ticking on the life of Carin Taylor, the hero known as Velocity. The fastest girl in the world must race around the globe in an attempt to save her Cyberforce teammates. If Carin can’t beat the clock, she and her friends will succumb to a techno-virus and give Cyberforce’s greatest foe his greatest victory. The issue continues the creative collaboration of writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer).

4-page preview at Newsarama.

Quick Review: THUNDER Agents #2 Runs a Speedster Ragged

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I haven’t read the first issue of the new T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series, but when I read that issue #2 was going to feature the origin of their speedster, Lightning, I decided to take a look. The concept: An international team of covert operatives use suits that give them super-powers…knowing that the powers will kill them.

Despite being the middle of a bigger story, the issue reads quite well. It’s structured with a framing sequence in which the team is on its first mission. It’s not entirely clear what they’re doing, except they need Lightning to get inside the perimeter. To do so, he’ll need to run faster than he has ever run in training…and he’ll learn the true cost of super-speed.

This is wrapped around the story of Kenyan athlete Henry Cosgei, two-time Olympic winner and three-time world champion, a man who loves life, but most of all loves running…and the brutal way in which T.H.U.N.D.E.R. manipulates him into joining the team. By the end of the issue, he sees all too well what he’s given up in order to regain what he’d previously lost.

There’s good character work, not only with Lightning himself, but with the two handlers. There’s some depth here beyond the mindless slugfests, continuity strip-mining, and roster shuffling (though there is a bit of the latter here, since it’s an origin story) that seems to make up so much of the super-hero landscape these days.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2: “Live Fast, Die Young”
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciller (main sequence): Cafu
Inker (main sequence): Bit
Artist (Lightning sequence): ChrisCross