Google has finally opened up brand/group pages on Google+ yesterday. DC Comics was one of the first to sign up, and their second day of posting features a four-page preview of The Flash #3. Last week I got a sneak peek during a conversation with Brian Buccellato at Long Beach Comic Con, and let me tell you: this is only the beginning. The issue looks amazing.
You can also find Speed Force on Google+ now, so if that’s your preferred network, please drop by, say hi, and add us to your circles!
Diamond’s sales rankings for October are up, along with ICv2’s sales estimates*. Flash #2 was ranked the #5 comic book, selling an estimated 114,137 copies, and the Flashpoint hardcover was the top graphic novel selling 5,646 copies to comic stores.
That represents am 11.17% drop from issue #1, which sounds like a lot…but for a #2 issue, it’s phenomenal. You expect a lot of people to pick up a #1 out of curiosity, or speculation, or just because they collect #1s. Add in the line-wide relaunch and people who bought every single New 52 first issue (without intending to keep going), and you’d expect this to be a lot higher.
For comparison, Flash vol.3 dropped 24% from issue #1 to #2. Flash: TFMA dropped a staggering 35% between the first two issues.
Also: Look down that list a ways, and you’ll find the Flash #1 second printing at 18,558 copies. That’s more copies of a reprint than the latest new issue of the highest-selling Vertigo book.
| Issue | Rank | Month | Units Sold | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash v.4 #1 | 4 | September 2011 | 129,260 | |
| Flash v.4 #2 | 5 | October 2011 | 114,137 | -11.7% |
*What these numbers measure: US-only sales, wholesale from Diamond to comics retailers. They don’t count sales through bookstores, they don’t count international sales, and they don’t count how many copies were actually bought and read…but they do measure the same thing every month, which means they can be used to spot trends.
Busy weekend, so here’s the linkblogging on Monday.
My photos are up from Comikaze Expo, a show that just launched in Los Angeles this weekend. It was a bigger show than I expected, though more of a general geek pop culture con than a “comic con.” They kept talking about how it was a first for Los Angeles, but it reminded me a lot of a Wizard convention, just bigger.
For the record, I spotted only two speedster costumes all day: Sonic the Hedgehog and a woman in the off-the-shelf Flash Halloween costume.
Anyway, photos now, more detailed write-up soon. Also, the friend I went with took more photos than I did, if you’re interested in checking them out.
Update: My full write-up of the con is up at K-Squared Ramblings!
When I heard that Long Beach Comic Con was rebranding itself as Long Beach Comic and Horror Con this year, I was a little concerned. One of the things I liked most about it the first two years was the heavy emphasis on comics compared to San Diego (which has plenty of comics, but is so big that it’s easy to miss them) or the Wizard conventions (which seem to have refocused around celebrities). As it turns out, the horror didn’t drown out the comics at all. The front of the hall was still mainly comics publishers, with dealers (mostly comics and collectibles) behind them in a U shape, wrapped around the core: a gigantic Artist’s Alley.
Of course, Halloween and horror did make their presence known, starting with the signs for zombie parking, and continuing with programming, guests and costumes.
Continue reading at K-Squared Ramblings, or jump straight to the photos.
The New 52 Flash creative duo of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato maintained their recent level of visibility, already talking to both io9 and Comic Impact this week.
Both sites touch on the status of the Rogues Gallery, the much-lauded artwork and both feature a mention of Wally West. The two had this to say, regarding the revamped Rogues, to i09:
Will there be any new Rogues or have any been radically redesigned?
FM: I’m still basing it on past continuity, but we’re evolving them. When you read the first arc, it’s about The Flash trying to evolve. You realize in the second arc, that that’s what the Rogues have been doing this entire time.
BB: Trying to keep up with the Joneses.
FM: But obviously it went wrong and they’re not together. We’re going to see what that’s all about and how they came across the powers that they now have.
The Comic Impact interview, from the Long Beach Comic Con, can be seen below: