iFanboy has a regular feature where fans send in questions and they answer in the persona of a comic book character. This week featured questions answered by Dazzler. Next week, it’s Ask the Rogues.
Submit your career/relationship/meteorological/psychological/pet care queries to ask@ifanboy.com by Sunday at 5pm EST and the appropriate Flash rogue or rogues (Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, Trickster, Weather Wizard) may answer next week!
This week features the Kid Flash/Superboy race over in Superboy #5 (preview). Meanwhile, a new speedster villain named Slipstream is introduced in Batgirl #19 (preview).
Written by JEFF LEMIRE; Art by PIER GALLO; Cover by EDDY BARROWS & J.P. MAYER; 1:10 Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Get ready for the first-ever Superboy/Kid Flash race! Bart Allen may have the speed, but Conner Kent has the power – who will win?! Meanwhile, a dangerous threat is nipping at their heels, one that may mean the end for Superboy, Kid Flash and all of Smallville!
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER; Art by DUSTIN NGUYEN & DEREK FRIDOLFS; Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
Patience may be a virtue, but can Batgirl stand still long enough to stop a super-speedster foe? “The Lesson” continues as the mysterious Order of the Scythe unleashes its first weapon in their war on Batgirl – Slipstream!
I remember staring at the Greg LaRocque cover for Flash #48 for the better part of an afternoon, terror frozen in time while a flare of hands stopped a hail of bullets.
Weekly trips to the general store turned into transparent check-ins for the latest issue of Flash. Galvanized by the TV show, fandom took over. After receiving and wearing-out a copy of The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told, I saw the avenues and inroads throughout Flash’s fictional history.
I had fallen in love with the concept of moving faster than humanly possible, and the implications and consequences therein. Challenging the limits of time and reality, while remaining grounded in a world of human limitations…what more could comics offer?
As I grew up, I was especially thrilled by something I had managed to overlook: the prose piece in the Greatest Flash Stories, “The Final Flash Storyline”. I sought out each original installment at once.
Those waning days of almost unending tribulation and tragedy, spent in the constant specter of death, were unlike any other hero story I had read. Written by longtime Flash scribe Cary Bates, the issue-by-issue cascade of the Final Flash Storyline broke my heart. It also provided context, and weight.
The new world of The Flash’s protégé, carrying on in his name and dealing with a different set of challenges, made it simple for me to stay dyed crimson in the comic book wool. What an amazing hook.
Along the way, I immersed myself in Kelson’s unparalleled Those Who Ride the Lightning site, a major source of information and reading material when I was putting together the bulk of my Flash collection. I was of course very excited, as a fan, when the Speed Force blog launched. Concentrated Flash news!
I hope I’m able to do justice to the standard set by Kelson, and Devin.
With a few interviews on the board, I’m looking forward to working and collaborating on some projects for this space, including:
You can follow me on Twitter, www.twitter.com/gregislands.
Many thanks to Kelson!
ICv2’s February sales estimates are out based on Diamond’s rankings, and The Flash climbed back into the top 10 to score an impressive #9 ranking in units sold.
| Issue | Rank | Month | Units Sold | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash v.3 #1 | 2 | April 2010 | 100,903 | |
| Flash v.3 #2 | 12 | May 2010 | 76,560 | (-24.1%) |
| Flash v.3 #3 | 11 | June 2010 | 68,799 | (-10.1%) |
| Flash v.3 #4 | 15 | July 2010 | 64,832 | (-5.8%) |
| Flash v.3 #5 | 14 | September 2010 | 62,063 | (-4.3%) |
| Flash v.3 #6 | 15 | November 2010 | 57,673 | (-7.1%) |
| Flash v.3 #7 | 12 | December 2010 | 56,304 | (-2.4%) |
| Flash v.3 #8 | 18 | December 2010 | 53,975 | (-4.1%) |
| Flash v.3 #9 | 9 | February 2011 | 55,980 | (+3.7%) |
The issue actually sold more copies than the previous one for the first time since the relaunch! Some possible reasons for the climb:
Or perhaps the book has reached its level. The next question: what kind of boost will Flashpoint bring to the book?
(Thanks to Esteban of Comic Verso for the link!)
It’s been a busy weekend, so I haven’t had a chance to put together my weekly linkblogging round-up until now. Enjoy!
Flashy (and other) Art (mostly from The Rogues Kick Ass and The Fastest Fan Alive)
Other Flashy Stuff
Other Comics Stuff
As reported earlier on Fastest Fan Alive, a vintage Flash TV Show Prototype Action Figure has been found on eBay:
From the seller’s description:
Awesome and ultra rare early 1990s Toy Biz The Flash 9″ prototype action figure. The figure, which was based on The Flash TV show, was never produced making this one of the rarest figures or prototypes around. The figure is in excellent condition (I would call it VF+) with some minor paint wear, probably due to the fact that as a prototype, it was not handled very carefully in transit. The shoulder and hip joints are just a metal peg inserted into a hole in the limb and tend to be loose, but hold together well making it display beautifully. It appears to be made of some type of resin. This has been in my collection for over 15 years and has been kept in a smoke free environment.
Wow! As a nut for anything from the old Flash TV Show this just takes the cake. I’d seen an uncolored version of it on the Action Figure Insider Forums a few years back but I never imagined I’d see a fully colored piece. Yet alone for sale. Unfortunately for me the bidding starts at $1,999.99, which is a bit out of my price range. It would be nice though. In any case the auction ends in 1 day and 11 hours, so good luck to anyone trying to bid. In case you missed the link above you can find the auction HERE.
Thanks for reading,