Monthly Archives: August 2012

Farewell, Joe Kubert

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Flash #190 cover by Joe Kubert

Legendary artist Joe Kubert passed away this morning at the age of 85. His long association with DC Comics goes back to the early 1940s, where he had an extended run as the artist on the Golden-Age Hawkman, including the Hawkman-themed Flash Comics covers. (Flash and Hawkman shared the spotlight for the series, and alternated covers.) During this time, he also drew several Flash stories and Flash-themed covers, notably featuring the Thorn.

Flash #190 cover by Joe Kubert

In 1969, he returned briefly to The Flash to draw a series of covers, shocking both in their themes and in their rugged contrast from the sleeker lines usually associated with the character.

Flash 50th Anniversary Special

In 1990, Kubert drew the cover to the Flash 50th Anniversary Special, and in 2006, he inked his son Andy Kubert’s cover for Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1. I believe this makes him the only artist to professionally draw all four Flashes during the time they were active as the main Flash.

Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 Variant Cover by Andy Kubert and Joe Kubert

While most associated with Sgt. Rock and war comics, Kubert’s career spanned many characters and genres. He was active to the end, through the Kubert School and his own art. His most recent work was just published last week in Before Watchmen: Nite Owl, and DC recently announced a Joe Kubert Presents anthology miniseries.

Mark Evanier remembers Joe Kubert on his blog, News From Me. First Comics News has a retrospective on his career and is collecting remembrances from others in the industry. CSBG has a gallery of great Joe Kubert covers. Update: The Washington Post has a retrospective with remembrances from other comics professionals, and The Beat looks back on his “unparalleled life”. Update: More reactions at Progressive Ruin, Being Carter Hall, Fire and Water Podcast.

(Covers via comics.org.)

M-Day (8/12): Honoring Mike Wieringo & Mark Gruenwald

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This Sunday, August 12 is the fifth anniversary of the death of artist Mike Wieringo and the sixteenth anniversary of the death of editor/writer Mark Gruenwald. Marvel’s Tom Brevoort and The Hero Initiative’s Jim McLauchlin have set up M-Day, a memorial to honor their memories by raising funds for the Hero Initiative to support comics creators in need.

Mike Wieringo, co-creator of Impulse/Bart Allen, was one of my favorite artists on The Flash, and his death came as a major shock. (I would also recommend his Image comics series, Tellos, with later Impulse writer Todd Dezago.) Mark Gruenwald had a very long association with Marvel Comics, and is probably best known for his work on Squadron Supreme.

M-Day donation page on Razoo, or if you prefer, you can go straight to the Hero Initiative.

Jesse Quick Returns in Ame-Comi

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Jesse Quick as the Flash in Ame-Comi: Duela Dent #2

Speedster Jesse Quick is back – not in the New 52, but in the digital-first series Ame-Comi as that universe’s Flash.

If you’re not familiar with the title, it started out as a statue line in which DC’s major female characters were re-imagined as anime characters*. They next moved on to adapting female characters who were similar to more well-known male characters: Jesse Quick as the Flash, Duela Dent as the Joker, etc.**

Earlier this summer, DC launched a weekly comic book online featuring these versions of their characters. Wonder Woman has the first spotlight miniseries, then Batgirl, Duela Dent and currently Power Girl. @TheFlashReborn points out that Jesse Quick makes an appearance as the Flash in Ame-Comi: Duela Dent #2.

There’s one more “solo” miniseries starring Supergirl, and then it rolls over into an ongoing Ame-Comi series. Here’s hoping the Flash will get some time in the spotlight soon.

New chapters of Ame-Comi go up online every Monday on ComiXology, and will appear in print starting in October.

*As I understand it, “ame-comi” is a Japanese term for American comics, so the terminology is sort of backwards – it’s an American interpretation of how the Japanese might adapt an American comic book character.

**Eventually they moved into stranger territory, like repainting Jesse Quick as the Black Flash.

90s Flash(back): Dick Miller Documentary. Yeah, That Guy.

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Jason writes in with word of a documentary about character actor Dick Miller. Who’s Dick Miller, you ask? This guy:

That Guy Dick Miller

Or rather, “That guy” as in the title of the film, or “Hey, it’s that guy!” which was probably your reaction on seeing that photo. Miller has an impressive 175 acting credits on IMDB in a career spanning 1955-2009. You may recognize him from such movies as Terminator and Gremlins, or TV series like Fame and The Flash.

What’s that? The Flash, you say?

Miller had a recurring role on the 1990 Flash TV series as Fosnight, a small-time con man who acted as an informant for Barry Allen. And his signed copy of the shooting script for “Deadly Nightshade” is one of the incentive rewards for backers on the Kickstarter funding project.

Funding is at $18K of $40K, with 12 days to go.

This Week: Flash Chronicles Vol.3, Digital Flash(back) #48, Impulse #7-8

Following on the heels of last week’s Flash Archives vol.6 for the hardcover collector, DC has the next volume of the softcover series reprinting the Silver Age Flash starring Barry Allen: Flash Chronicles vol.3

In this third collection of 1960s adventures in chronological order, the Fastest Man Alive battles Rogues including The Trickster, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Gorilla Grodd and more. • Collecting THE FLASH #113-118.

Written by John Broome and Gardner Fox, art by Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, and Murphy Anderson.

The Flash Chronicles Vol. 3 at Amazon

The surprise comes with this week’s back issues from ComiXology. For the last few months, DC has been releasing three issues a week of the Wally West Flash series. Last week, they only released two, and this week, they’re only releasing one…but we’ve also got two issues of Impulse featuring Bart Allen!

Flash #48 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque. The Elongated Man guest stars in part one of this three-parter leading up to the big Flash #50. A flood of cheap drugs is causing a devastating crime wave, and the clues point to the return of Vandal Savage…as well as his arch-nemesis, the Immortal Man. Flash v.2 on ComiXology.

Impulse #7–8. The first is a one-shot by Martin Pasko, Nick Gnazzo, Mark Stegbauer, in which Impulse battles the one-shot villain Gridlock. The second features the return of regular writing & art team Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos for an Underworld Unleashed crossover in which Bart faces off against the new improved Blockbuster, who bartered his soul for intelligence…but is even less happy now than he was before.

Impulse on ComiXology.