Flash #6 Solicitation and Cover, Manapul GL Variant

THE FLASH #6
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by MIKE CHOI
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Struggling with the climactic aftermath of his battle with Mob Rule last issue, The Flash must solve a murder mystery that dates back 150 years! Is this case too cold even for Barry Allen? Also: Learn the origins of Central and Keystone City!

DC released their full February solicits today.  In addition to Flash #6, DC announced The Flash Archives, Vol. 6, as well as Flashpoint and related paperback releases.  Check out the full rundown at Newsarama.

Also, over at The Source, DC posted Flash writer/artist Francis Manapul’s variant cover for Green Lantern #4.  Check it out after the jump…

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Bootleg Flash fan

The story behind this little oddity is actually my husband’s — he bought two small bootleg fans from somebody on Ebay in 2007. He’s a Transformers geek, so he got Optimus Prime and Megatron for kicks. However, the cardboard packaging shows the other available fans, and one is the Flash! Because this is a foreign bootleg it has to have a bit of semi-sensical Engrish, and thus Flash cheerfully chirps “I’M HERO” while Spidey declares “Show Time!”

The obverse touchingly states “This summer is a little bit cooler than last summer because you are with me! I am so happy!” and always makes me smile. Anyway, unfortunately we didn’t buy the Flash one, which I rather regret now; the Optimus and Megatron fans are actually fairly decent quality.

New 52 Flash HC for November 2012

DC has announced their New 52 collection schedule for 2012. Rather than blasting them all out at once at the end of spring, they’re spreading the collections across the second half of the year. That’s good news if you plan on buying several of the books. It’s not so good news if you’re waiting for the first post-reboot Flash collection, because that one won’t arrive until next November.

As announced, it collects The Flash #1-7. That covers the five-issue “Mob Rule” storyline kicking off the relaunch, plus two more. Those next two issues are planned to be two done-in-one stories, the first focusing on Barry Allen: CSI, and the other going for all-out science fiction.

The Collected Editions blog breaks down the stats on which books are getting the hardcover treatment, which are launching in paperback, how far along some series will be by the time the first collection is out, and just how much it would cost if you wanted to buy them all.

THE FLASH VOL. 1 HC
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Artist: Francis Manapul
Collects: THE FLASH #1-7
$22.99 US, 168 pg
November 2012

Flash #3 Preview and Google Plus

Google has finally opened up brand/group pages on Google+ yesterday. DC Comics was one of the first to sign up, and their second day of posting features a four-page preview of The Flash #3. Last week I got a sneak peek during a conversation with Brian Buccellato at Long Beach Comic Con, and let me tell you: this is only the beginning. The issue looks amazing.

You can also find Speed Force on Google+ now, so if that’s your preferred network, please drop by, say hi, and add us to your circles!

Flash Sales Solid in October

Diamond’s sales rankings for October are up, along with ICv2’s sales estimates*. Flash #2 was ranked the #5 comic book, selling an estimated 114,137 copies, and the Flashpoint hardcover was the top graphic novel selling 5,646 copies to comic stores.

That represents am 11.17% drop from issue #1, which sounds like a lot…but for a #2 issue, it’s phenomenal. You expect a lot of people to pick up a #1 out of curiosity, or speculation, or just because they collect #1s. Add in the line-wide relaunch and people who bought every single New 52 first issue (without intending to keep going), and you’d expect this to be a lot higher.

For comparison, Flash vol.3 dropped 24% from issue #1 to #2. Flash: TFMA dropped a staggering 35% between the first two issues.

Also: Look down that list a ways, and you’ll find the Flash #1 second printing at 18,558 copies. That’s more copies of a reprint than the latest new issue of the highest-selling Vertigo book.

Issue Rank Month Units Sold % Change
Flash v.4 #1 4 September 2011 129,260
Flash v.4 #2 5 October 2011 114,137 -11.7%

*What these numbers measure: US-only sales, wholesale from Diamond to comics retailers. They don’t count sales through bookstores, they don’t count international sales, and they don’t count how many copies were actually bought and read…but they do measure the same thing every month, which means they can be used to spot trends.

First Look at LA’s Comikaze Expo (2011)

Spy vs SpyMy photos are up from Comikaze Expo, a show that just launched in Los Angeles this weekend. It was a bigger show than I expected, though more of a general geek pop culture con than a “comic con.” They kept talking about how it was a first for Los Angeles, but it reminded me a lot of a Wizard convention, just bigger.

For the record, I spotted only two speedster costumes all day: Sonic the Hedgehog and a woman in the off-the-shelf Flash Halloween costume.

Anyway, photos now, more detailed write-up soon. Also, the friend I went with took more photos than I did, if you’re interested in checking them out.

Update: My full write-up of the con is up at K-Squared Ramblings!

The Crowd