This Week: Digital Chain Lightning Begins

No new Flash comics this week, but ComiXology is adding to their digital back catalog.

Flash #145

Flash #145: “Chain Lightning” Part 1 of 6: Wally West, Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, Impulse, and Jesse embark on a thousand-year time-spanning journey to help future Flashes against those who wield the Cobalt Blue gem. It’s Allen vs. Thawne for generation after generation. Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Paul Pelletier, Vince Russellcover by Steve Lightle.

Impulse #70: Bart’s friends have decided to make a movie about Impulse! Of course, Bart gets cast as…the villain? Todd Dezago, Carlo Barberi, Juan Vlasco, cover by Ethan Van Sciver.

Also, I missed this one a few weeks ago:

Green Lantern #40: A tie-in to The Return of Barry Allen: “Hal is surprised to find that his old pal Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, has apparently returned from the dead–but the speedster’s actions are less than civil. If Green Lantern is unwilling to stop this seemingly evil Flash, then his rival, Darkstar, will!” Gerard Jones, Claude St. Aubin, Romeo Tanghal

The Flash in Video Games Part 6: Injustice

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Today’s guest post is by Colin Crebs.

Flash fans rejoice! Another playable Flash in a fighting game appears, this time in Injustice: Gods Among Us. But is he done well, or is it an… injustice?

Injustice: Trinity Plus the Flash

Pictured above: The Flash striking a pose with the DC Trinity, with Solomon Grundy photobombing.

For quick reference, here is a video of the Flash fighting Shazam. You can see the Flash do some super-speed combos, slow down time, and perform his Super Move where he runs entirely around the world just because why not. If you practice with him for a few minutes, you will discover he’s very different in play-style from his appearance in MKvDC. He will seem generally slower, with no ability to zip around the stage with impunity. But he may grow on you.

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Flash #173 and the Mystery of the Shrinking Panels!

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Flash #173, the full-length “Doomward Flight of the Flashes,” is an all-time classic tale of the DC multiverse by legendary writer John Broome and the great Carmine Infantino.  Featuring the three Flashes of the time in a dimension-leaping epic, this is pure Silver Age Flash in the Julius Schwartz tradition!  While reading a copy of the 1980 DC Blue Ribbon Digest #2, I was inspired by a panel on the final page, showing the three Flashes arriving back on Earth One:

brdpanel

The position of the figures in space and their different centers of gravity, as well as the solid city backdrop, give this a strange sense of motion fitting a return-trip from an alternate reality. It is deceptively simple and effective, and spurred me to pull a reprint.  That’s where things got a little weird…

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Takin’ It To the Streets (of Boston) with Jay Garrick and Doctor Fate! (review of Earth 2 #12)

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earth 2 12 coverIn Earth 2 #12, Doctor Fate is learning how to control the amazing powers granted to him by the Helm of Nabu, while Jay Garrick and Alan Scott provide cover as the battle with Wotan takes to the streets of Boston!  This is a much more powerful Wotan than Nabu himself faced so many years ago, so the outcome is certainly in doubt as we rejoin the battle as this issue begins, continuing one of the best series that DC publishes today!

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!  PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD! Continue reading →

This Week: Earth 2 and Cobalt Blue (Plus Black Bat)

New Flash comics this week:

Earth 2 #12: “The drums of war begin to sound as the heroes of Earth 2 rally behind Dr. Fate—and a threat from Apokolips becomes all too real!” James Robinson, Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott. Preview at ComicVine

Also worth a look: Flash co-writer Brian Buccellato is writing the revival of pulp hero The Black Bat for Dynamite comics. You can check out a preview of The Black Bat #1 at CBR.

Tony Quinn is a brash Defense Attorney to the mob who compromises his ethics for financial gain. When he refuses to cross the line and commit murder, he is tortured and blinded by his gangster employers. But when a fortuitous meeting with a covert agency gives him a chance to make amends, Tony transforms into the Black Bat and embarks on a redemptive quest to right the wrongs of his past.

Digital Flashbacks at ComiXology this week include…

Flash #144: No! It Can't be...YOU!

Flash v.2 #143-144: An attack on the Flash Museum leads to an encounter with a mysterious villain from the Flash’s past…with a surprising connection to Barry Allen. These two issues feature the origin of Cobalt Blue and lead into the time-spanning “Chain Lightning.”

Yes, that’s a bit of a jump, since last week they released #129. However, Flash #130-141 had been published digitally for a Grant Morrison sale, and Flash #142 – the interrupted wedding of Wally West and Linda Park – was already available as well (though I forget when).

Impulse #69: Bart Allen, Kyle Rayner and Adam Strange battle a menace on the alien planet of Rann in the second half of this Green Lantern: Circle of Fire epilogue.

Kid Flash and the Titans vs. Trigon! (Review of Teen Titans #19)

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Teen Titans 19 coverThe storyline is heating up quickly in Teen Titans #19, as Trigon is here – and is devastating New York City!  Kid Flash is beginning to show signs of leadership within the team as the Titans face their biggest danger yet in the New52.  This issue is action packed, and truly one of the best issues of this title I’ve read in quite some time!

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Please read the issue before continuing here!

This issue picks up with some significant dissension in the ranks of the Titans in the aftermath of last issue’s battle with the Suicide Squad.  Cassie expresses her displeasure rather, uh, forcefully…with a hand around Tim Drake’s throat!  The rest of the team tries to talk her down, but it is Bart Allen who plays peacemaker here.  It is good to see Bart stepping up, and I look forward to more from Kid Flash in this title.  And, it is important that he is stepping up a bit, as Tim Drake still seems caught in his jerk-of-the-month mode.  We don’t linger here much longer, though, because…Trigon appears in Times Square with devastating results!  The Titans go into battle, to find that Trigon has more than just a few physical tricks up his sleeve.  This is a most impressive battle, but one that doesn’t go well at all for the Titans.  Raven appears to be ready to help to an extent…but is she really ready to directly defy Trigon?  We’ll have to wait for that answer…

Kid Flash does feature more prominently here than in some recent issues, and there is foreshadowing of future storylines that may finally explain Bart’s future/history in the New52.  Scott Lobdell’s script (with dialog by Lobdell and Tony Bedard) was very well done and action packed throughout.  It is easily the best issue of Teen Titans I’ve read in some time.  Eddy Barrows does a great job on pencils, with inks by Eber Ferreira and colors by Alex Sinclair.  This is an excellent issue – and I can’t wait for TT #20!