Some reviews of The Flash #15, in no particular order:
Category Archives: Round-Ups
Speed Reading: Review Round-Up
Some recentish reviews of Flash issues found around the web:
Flash vol.1: Move Forward (HC)
Flash #13
Flash #14
Other
Speed Reading: Notpocalypse Edition
Sorry I haven’t had time to keep this round-up column going lately. I’ve picked a few highlights since the last round-up, focusing on the more recent ones:
Sterling Gates talks about that Kid Flash series that was announced in 2009 but never actually launched, saying “I don’t think it ever made it past the initial pitch and a couple written scenes.”
The FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST mini I wrote in 2011 was sort of the tone we were planning on for that series: serious stories with humor in the mix. Woulda been a belter, too, with Bart, Max Mercury, and Xs returning to Blue Valley, Nebraska to fight villainy…and other super speedsters.
Comic Book Legends Revealed brings us a Christmas story with the Three Dimwits — who were basically the Three Stooges, inserted wholesale into the Golden Age Flash comics by Gardner Fox.
Newsarama tells the story of how Mike Wieringo’s first Impulse drawing made its way back to Mark Waid.
Speaking of Mark Waid, his run on the Flash was voted #36 in the Top 100 comic runs as selected by Comics Should Be Good readers back in October, the only Flash run to make the list.
Brian Buccellato is writing a revival of The Black Bat, a pulp-era superhero who’s been largely forgotten in favor of that other guy who dresses up as a bat and fights crime. Here are two interviews at Newsarama and at CBR.
Jim Zub breaks down where your $2.99 goes on a typical indie comic. There isn’t much left over for the writer and artist. Follow-up: looking at digital sales.
Jill Pantozzi has resurrected “Hey, That’s My Cape!” at IGN, starting with a piece of advice that sounds simple on its face, but seems to be hard for comics fans to follow through on: Stop reading comics you don’t like. For me, the last straw was Countdown to Final Crisis. From that point on, I resolved to only read comics that looked interesting, not those that I felt obligated to read. I slip up sometimes, but overall I enjoy my comics more than I used to.
Update: CBR has the results of their poll for who fans want to debut in the New 52. A certain missing speedster handily takes the number one spot.
Speed Reading
Some linkblogging catch-up. Things are going to be a bit slow since the software I was using to build the round-ups doesn’t work anymore, and I’m going to have clean up the lists more-or-less manually until I have time to write something that will clean it up automatically.
First the Flashy links.
- Flash #0 review at Comic Book and Movie Reviews
- The Culture Cast reviews The Flash #0
- Easter eggs in Flash #1 (1987) in last week’s Comic Book Legends Revealed at CSBG
- The Dark Flash (Walter West) makes Newsarama’s top 10 grim and gritty superhero makeovers (via @CraigRMacDonald)
- This Month in DC History: Barry Allen and Iris
- Wednesday Comics vs. The New 52: The Flash (Every Day is Like Wednesday)
- Dan DiDio talks Stephanie Brown, Wally West and Donna Troy at Newsarama
Other comics/fandom links
- Francis Manapul’s Amethyst variant cover for Sword of Sorcery #2 (CBR)
- Art: Saturday Morning in Front of La Salle De Justice (Firestorm Fan)
- DC Comics August sales analysis at The Beat
- Marvel in the bubble of 1992 (TCJ excerpt from Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story and Peter David on the state of the comics industry in 1998. The more things change…
- Interesting thoughts on the Kickstarter audience from Ryan Browne (via @ComicsAlliance)
- SDCC vs. NYCC Attendance comparison by Alex Zalben
- Noblemania: The only two surviving letters written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger (via The Beat)
- Thrillbent is back, with more “Insufferable” and a new series called “Pax Arena”
- Speed Force’s own Greg Elias reviews Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors at Collected Editions
- Wow, the effort some people will put in to avoid Spoilers…. Shortpacked: We’ll have to revisit this in January
- New DC Comics fan blog: Captain Carrot’s Burrow (via @FirestormFan)
- Babylon 5 and the rise of internet fandom
Other stuff:
- I got to see Endeavour during the space shuttle’s trip through Los Angeles.
- What does it mean to be entitled to your opinion? (via @laura_hudson)
- Recommended: This is True, a weird-news newsletter. I’ve been a subscriber for years. It’s often funny and always thought-provoking.
Speed Reading
Flashy Links
- Flash Birthday Cake
- Flash Annual #1 at Comic Book and Movie Reviews
- One Year Later: The Flash – Comics Bulletin
- Our Valued Customers: How to improve the Olympics
- Flash as the Running Man, Stand by T, and more comic book/Stephen King mashups at CSBG’s The Line it is Drawn
- Comic Book Easter Eggs: Francis Manapul Gets “Lost” in the Pages of Flash
Plus lots of stuff at Fastest Fan Alive and The Rogues Kick Ass.
More Comics & Stuff
- Have you nominated your choices for Comics Should Be Good’s Top 100 Comic Book Runs yet?
- Mike Sterling describes The reader’s curse. I know it well.
- Boxes Within Boxes – More on digital vs physical comics, moving, and ownership, from Westfield’s KC Column
- Biff! Pow! Thwack! How Not To Write Comics Criticism – Dylan Meconis
- Trying to figure out the New 52 cancellation threshold at The Beat
- Thrillbent Comics is relaunching next week with new series. Meanwhile, Insufferable continues.
- My photos of Space Shuttle Endeavour landing at LAX – nothing to do with the Flash, but it was awesome to see.
- Superman vs. Doctor Wertham – CLBDF
- I’m walking to raise funds for food allergy research and advacy, and I could use your help.
Speed Reading
Flashy Links
- Flash cups & glasses at That F’ing Monkey
- Evil Genius Productions Outfits Artist Francis Manapul With A Flash Mask – ComicsAlliance
- The New Rogues Gallery – All About the Flash
- The Secret Origin of Earth 2 at Big Shiny Robot
- The Full Run: Mark Waid’s Flash (Part 3) at Comics Bulletin
- Francis Manapul’s layouts for Flash Annual #1
- The Last Run for The Flash (Barry Allen [Pre-Crisis]): Part 1 — #270 thru #284 – Comics And…Other Imaginary Tales
Conventions
- My photos from Chicon 7 (Worldcon 2012)
- FAN EXPO: Drawing with Amanda Conner, Tony Daniel and Francis Manapul – Comic Book Resources
- The Fire and Water Podcast: Dragon*Con
- Dragon*Con 2012 round-up and Photo Gallery at Girls Gone Geek
- YOU are a fan! I know one when I see one! – the idea of visible fandom has been around for a long time.
Art
- The Crisis on Infinite Walkyverses limited-edition poster is awesome. And I missed my chance to buy one. – Shortpacked!/Dumbing of Age
- Superheroes Get New Jobs!
- Video Game/Comic Book character mash-ups
- Superheroes Get New Sidekicks – CSBG
More DC Comics
- DC/Transformers: The Crossover that could have been.
- This Is the New DC – Thoughts on what digital release of the once-scrapped Elseworlds Giant means for DC now vs. then, from Comics Worth Reading
- DC Comics Month-to-Month Sales: July 2012 – The Beat
- The Ultimate Problem with The New 52 – food for thought at Comic Book Movie
More Comics
- Rank your top 10 favorite comic book runs for CSBG’s Top 100 poll, now through Sep 30th.
- Digital vs. physical comics in terms of moving and the hidden cost of homeowner’s insurance at Comics Worth Reading
- This is what it’s like to be harassed on the Internet – DC Women Kicking Ass. This is truly messed up. If you think sexism & harrassment online isn’t a problem, read this & think again.
- Big Event Comics Death Fatigue at The Beat
- The World’s Most Expensive Comic Book Art (And Why Prices Keep Climbing) – Wired.com
- Streaming Video’s Robotic Overlords – Wired.com