DC has released the Justice League November solicitations, including…
THE FLASH #14
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale NOVEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
(Originally posted on Google+)
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Jason writes in with word of a documentary about character actor Dick Miller. Who’s Dick Miller, you ask? This guy:
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.