With the success of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Super Punch has a round-up of links to Roger Robinson’s art for BottleRocket’s 2007 Flash video game that never got off the ground. I really like the menu art, and the two sets of storyboards show some interesting design choices, including a mask design reminiscent of Walter West, the “Dark Flash”. (via Comics Alliance)
Originally posted way back in 2003, long before the infamous Green Arrow/Black Canary wedding!
Over the past few weeks I’ve been going through the Silver Age Flash series, cataloging character appearances. I’m almost done – only 25 issues left – but it reminded me of something:
Why is it that super-hero weddings are almost always interrupted by super-villains – even when the hero’s identity is secret?
Is it just that readers expect a story with some sort of fight in it, and if it’s just a wedding they’ll be disappointed?
Consider these examples:
And it’s not just the main characters who get this treatment: Continue reading
Flashback Post from 3 years ago. Some of the stuff is old news about the launch of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, but a lot of it is also a look at Flash history with a number of writers and artists who have worked on the character: Geoff Johns, Carmine Infantino, Mark Waid, Joe Giella, Brian Bolland, Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo.
I missed the first half of Saturday’s “50 Years of the Flash” panel because we missed the red line and got stuck waiting to transfer at America Plaza. The shuttle might have gotten us there faster (maybe even on time), but we were pretty sure they wouldn’t let us on with our coffee.
What I did see of the panel was still mostly retrospective, and mainly Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, and Danny Bilson. Carmine Infantino told a couple of stories (one of which he’d told at Thursday’s panel, about the “war” between him and Julius Schwartz: he’d try to draw ever-more-nasty cliffhangers on his covers, and every time, Julie would come up with a story to go with it. So finally he drew one with the Flash and the Golden Age Flash both racing to save some guy, and said, “There! Top that!” The rest, of course, is history).
After a while they started talking about the new Flash book. While the most common answer in the Q&A session was, “Wait and see,” Bilson and DeMeo did answer a couple of questions that I’ve seen people asking about.
For the “legacy pages” in the first two issues, they did a whole bunch of research, sometimes finding conflicting info. (They didn’t mention this one, but the issue of “Who named Impulse” is probably one of those cases.) Any changes in continuity are accidental, and not intentional.
The reason Bart’s acting so morose in these first few issues is that he’s got this problem to deal with, and once he starts to work through it, his impulsive nature will start taking over again.
I almost got the new #1 signed, but staff kept telling everyone to clear the room, and as near as I can tell, Bilson and DeMeo took a different exit than I did.
Bilson and DeMeo told a good story about how when they pitched the TV show, the powers that be wanted the Flash to be running around in a gray sweat suit. So they got Dave Stevens to design a suit and his rendering convinced them to go with it. Even then, the network resisted bringing costumed villains in until they showed it could work. And apparently what killed it wasn’t bad ratings, but network politics. Someone wanted his show, so he could get a better bonus. A real pity, as the second season opener would have been a two-hour special with the Trickster, Captain Cold, and Mirror Master—a Rogues Gallery episode.
Some more linkblogging…
CSBG’s Cool Comic Book Moments #245 features the death of Barry Allen from Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Crimson Lightning finishes up the Super-Powers retrospective with the original mini-comic that came with the action figure.
Silver Age Comics brings up 3 extremely lame bits about Kid Flash. Coincidence, costume change, and…do you dare read on to learn the third?
Indie Squid Kid presents the golden age of octopus fighting. No, really!
Update: Newsarama’s Friday Flashback looks back at the classic Flash #0 by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo. This classic post-Zero Hour book told a stand-alone story of Wally West bouncing around in time and, at one point, meeting his younger self, reassuring him that everything would work out. It also set things in motion for the epic Terminal Velocity, which started the following month.
Some Friday linkblogging:
Former Impulse writer Todd Dezago is working on a Casper the Friendly Ghost miniseries. Update: Newsarama has an interview.
Again with the Comics considers other times that DC’s heroes have had to face undead former allies.
Being Carter Hall posts a sketch of Hawkman and the Golden Age Flash by classic artist Sheldon Moldoff.
Silver Age Comics looks back at the Great Price Increase of 1961.
Grumpy Old Fan considers the essential difference between Marvel and DC and how it impacts continuity, long-form storytelling and relentless pursuit of imperfection.
Comic Book Heroes profiles the Flash.
Update: The Nerdy Bird has located a sexy Flash costume (and a scary Batman one). Update 2: The first woman in the SDCC Flash Sighting post appears to be wearing this costume.
Update: Custom Paper Toys’ paper JLA figures will be available at Arby’s (via Robot 6)
25 years ago, Kenner launched a line of DC super-hero action figures under the name Super Powers. Today, Crisis on Earth-Blog unites fourteen sites in celebrating this landmark toy line. In particular, check out Crimson Lightning’s week-long coverage, starting with a review of the Flash mini-comic. (“Mini-comic,” you ask? Read on!)
The Super Powers figures were 6″ toys with a twist — sometimes literally. They really were action figures. Each figure would perform an action if manipulated, usually by squeezing the arms or legs. Squeeze Superman’s legs and he’d throw a punch. Hawkman’s wings would flap. Robin would do a karate chop, and Wonder Woman would lift her bracelets to block bullets. If you squeezed Red Tornado’s arms, his lower body would spin.
Naturally, if you squeezed the Flash’s arms, he would run.
Each figure starred in his (or her) own miniature 16-page comic book, around 4 inches high. To keep things readable they typically had only one or two panels per page. Villains and other heroes were pulled from the rest of the toy line, along with a couple of playsets and vehicles.
The Flash (Barry Allen) appeared in four of the mini-comics.