My favourite Flash memory

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As odd as it may sound, I think my favourite Flash memory might be related to the Justice League Unlimited episode “Flash And Substance”. I got into comics through Marvel, and for years had no interest in the DC universe. But eventually I slowly dipped my toe into the DC pool, for a variety of reasons that could really be detailed in its own post.

I didn’t watch every episode of JLU (and still haven’t seen them all — that should really be rectified someday), but was rather excited to hear there would be a Flash Rogues episode. I was fairly new to the Rogues at the time, but definitely made certain to watch when it aired. I enjoyed the episode, which was a lot of fun and probably made me like the Rogues (and Flash!) even more.

Time passed, and I learned more about the Rogues and Flashverse. At some point I watched the episode again, and was delighted by how many more easter eggs I recognized that I’d not understood before (the scene in the Flash Museum is particularly great for all the visual references crammed in there). I was tickled by all the character cameos I now recognized.

Yet more time passed, and I continued to learn more about the Flashverse. When I watched the episode for the third time, there were even more references I understood. That’s the sign of a great episode: I was never left confused by the stuff I didn’t understand, it merely went over my head. But there’s a wealth of riches to be found in it if you know what to look for, and it’s great fun for Flash fans.

So in addition to being my favourite episode of the series, I have fond memories of watching it repeatedly and realizing that I was understanding more about the Rogues and Flashverse. It actually became better and more enjoyable with each viewing. I’ve long since reached the point where I think I get all the references, and in a way that’s kind of sad because there won’t be any new easter eggs to discover, but it’s also a triumph too. And I still love re-watching it.

I tip my hat to the creative team of the show — not only did they produce a quality episode, but I have happy memories associated with watching it, and for that they deserve thanks.

Contest: Your favorite Flash memory!

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Hey there, Flash fans, and welcome to Speed Force’s fourth anniversary celebration! We four regular contributors will be writing about some of our favorite Flash memories, and thought it might be nice to get you folks involved as well. What better way to do that than with a contest?

Here’s how it’ll go: simply share your favorite Flash-related memory, or an early memory that you think is pretty special (for whatever reason — it could be entirely personal) in the comments section of this post. We’ll collect the stories and set them up as a poll to be voted on by readers, and the top-rated four will win!

There will be four winners, and the contest will run until 9 pm ET on Tuesday, June 19. Prizes will include Flash variant issues. There aren’t any rules or restrictions, although please share just one story to make things fair for everyone. So dig deep into your memories, and have fun!

Update: The results are in!

Surprise Star of DC Digital Father’s Day Sale

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I never thought I’d open up an email from ComiXology with a giant banner featuring Wally West with Iris and Jai, but here you go:

DCU Father's Day Sale at ComiXology featuring Wally West, Iris and Jai

ComiXology’s DC Father’s Day Sale features “The Wild Wests” and Flash #237, since they deal heavily with Wally West as a father, as well as the main Flashpoint and Batman Knight of Vengeance miniseries (less for the Flash, and more for the Batman). The Flashpoint books have been up for a while, and are discounted to 99 cents each for the sale. The Flash issues are up for the first time.

I’m thinking this might be a good opportunity to read Batwoman: Elegy or some more Starman. (Unfortunately I can’t remember how far into the series I got when I started – I may have already read all the ones in the sale.)

Four Years of Speed Force

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Can you believe it’s been four years since the first post at Speed Force?

Amazing, isn’t it?

Back when it started, it was just me, running WordPress on a shared webserver at work. It’s since grown to four regular writers, the occasional guest writer, a bunch of regular commenters and lots of readers.

This was a time when the iPad didn’t exist, the iPhone had only been around two years, and Android had yet to release a single phone. Digital comics were something that the print publishers still looked at as maybe a threat, or maybe a fad, but certainly not something viable, even though webcomics had been around for over a decade. Wally West was still the main Flash and Barry Allen’s return had only been hinted at on panel. The previous Comic-Con International had still sold tickets at the door, and the next Comic-Con wouldn’t sell out until about a week before the event. No one had ever complained that Twilight “ruined” Comic-Con, because the movie hadn’t come out yet. No one had heard of a Black Lantern.

For comparison, here are the covers of the most recent Flash issues at the time the site launched vs. today.

Flash v.2 #240 Flash #9 cover

Hmm, two relaunches (three if you count Flash vol.3 separate from Flash: Rebirth) later, and they’re still monkeying around…

I launched Speed Force on June 15, 2008, because I wanted to write about the Morrison/Millar Flash run being collected. A few days later I lucked into my first “scoop:” images of the Flash in Mortal Kombat vs. DCU. That and the reputation of Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning helped the blog hit the ground running (so to speak), and it’s been a mad dash ever since.

Over the next four days, each of us at Speed Force — me, Devin, Greg and Lia — will be writing something special for the event. We’ll have a contest, too, so be sure to check in over the weekend!

Thanks to all of you for coming along on this ride!

This Week: Digital Flash(back) #25-27 – The Porcupine Man

It looks safe to say that DC and ComiXology have settled into a pattern, releasing three issues of the 1987-2009 Flash series each week. Among this week’s releases are Flash #25-27, featuring the middle segment of the “Porcupine Man” storyline that ran from Flash #24-28.

After the events of Invasion!, Wally West has been left powerless. In Flash #24, a team of scientists tries to re-create the accidents that gave him and Barry Allen their super-speed. It works…but his control is gone. In the moment he starts running, he cuts a swath of destruction across North America, then disappears. The next few issues follow scientists Tina and Jerry McGee and Wally’s neighbor Mason Trollbridge as they follow his trail and search for Wally West, only to find rumors of a legendary creature of the southwest desert: the Porcupine Man.

» Flash (1987-2009) on ComiXology.

Update: I didn’t notice it in the blog post, but ComiXology has also added a digital edition of DC Presents: The Flash #1, a reprint book from 2011 containing a collection of Silver-Age time-travel stories.

Spotlighting tales of time travel and the Rogues! Collects [ed. note: stories from] SHOWCASE #4 and 14, THE FLASH (1959-1985) #125, 130 and 139, pitting The Scarlet Speedster against Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, The Top, Captain Cold, and more! NOTE: some issues are available individually online.

It’s a bit of an odd choice: wouldn’t it make more sense to digitize the original issues and then bundle them, rather add content from The Flash somewhere other than The Flash? I guess this way is easier since DC has already restored these stories, and they don’t have to take the time to restore the other story from each issue. (Most Silver-Age Flash issues contained two short stories instead of one full-length story.)

Showcase #4 (including “The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier”) and Flash #125 (“Conquerors of Time”) are already on ComiXology. Flash #139 (“Menace of the Reverse-Flash”) is a full-length story, so the only thing missing is the cover. That leaves one story each from Showcase #14 (“Giants of the Time World” is in this collection, but Dr. Alchemy’s first appearance isn’t) and Flash #130 (“Who Doomed the Flash?” is collected, but not “Kid Flash Meets the Elongated Man”) needed to get a full set in the library for the series itself.