Speed Reading: Bad Comics, Gaga, Firefly Trek and More

More weekend linkblogging!

Grumpy Old Fan asks (and answers) the question: why reprint “bad” comics?

Wikipedia has a good breakdown of comic book super-powers.

Collected Editions takes a look at DC’s Spring 2011 trade paperbacks.

Fantastic image: Firefly crew as the Enterprise crew. Classic Star Trek, of course.

Sillof, the custom action figure builder who made the Steampunk Justice League and Legion of Doom, collaborated with Glorbes on a Star Wars in World War II series.

Empire Online has a set of Lucas Lee Movie Posters featuring one of Ramona’s Evil Ex-Boyfriends from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Humor! The Onion reports: Supervillain Lady Gaga Kidnaps Commissioner Gordon.

Science! Darryl Cunningham debunks the Moon Hoax in comic-book form.

Speed Reading: Merit Badges, Plush Flash, Sonic Month and More

Some Flashy linkblogging for the weekend…

Fanboy Scouts has launched a series of Merit Badges for Geeks including a Speedster badge, awarded for “the display of any of the following speed-related attributes: Super Speed, Speed Control, Kinetic Energy Manipulation, Infinite Mass Punch, Time Travel or Hyper-Vibration.”

Check out Mark Grambau’s super-hero/super-villain posters.

The Hooded Utilitarian continues reading the Silver Age Flash, this time moving on to the few solo issues.

Sideshow Collectibles has the Flash “As you’ve never seen him before” — as a plush toy! (OK, I have seen Flash plush toys before, but not quite like this one.)

The 1992 Elongated Man miniseries makes CSBG’s Year of Cool Comics.

In other speedster news, First Comics News is making August Sonic the Hedgehog Month.

Design and Win Your Own Flash Ring 2010 Contest Update

We just received an email from Joey Forlini the winner of Speed Force and Arroba Silver’s Design and Win Your Own Flash Ring Contest that we cosponsored a few months back. He just received the final result of his custom Flash ring design and sent us some great pictures:

First, the original winning design:

Now the final product:

Wow. A great design turned into a fantastic piece of jewelry. We have not received word about when the ring will be available for ordering but we will definitely keep you all updated. In the meantime you can check out the Arroba Silver website HERE. Officially licensed by DC Comics to sell DC Comic-related jewelry, Arroba Silver has a wide variety of rings, earrings and even cufflinks inspired by the world’s greatest superheroes and most notorious supervillains (except for the Rogues who are horribly underrepresented and don’t like being called supervillains). They are still offering readers of Speed Force a 10% discount on any order. Go to Arrobasilver.com, pick your items, enter code: GA001 during checkout, and save 10%.

For all that entered, followed the contest, and check out this site, thank you again for all the support. You helped make this contest a huge success and we hope to get something like it going again sometime soon. (I know we keep saying that but I promise something awesome is coming up)

Oh and before I forget Joey also sent me an flashtastic picture of a smart car his local comic shop owner had customized to promote his store, The 4th Wall:

You can visit the store’s online website, HERE. Based in Canada, they aim to make comics as accessible as possible by bringing a friendly atmosphere for new and old readers to their store. Plus they price all of their books at U.S. prices. So if you are in Canada and looking to save a few bucks drop by. You might still be able to see that car too.

Pictured in the photo is our contest winner, Joey Forlini.

Thanks for reading.

Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Flash in Top 15 Super-Hero Properties

ICv2’s Top Super-Hero Graphic Novel Properties for Q2 2010 are based on “sales in all channels,” including comic shops, book stores, and online sales. Topping the list is Kick-Ass, which isn’t terribly surprising since the movie came out during this time. Edit: Here’s the full article on second-quarter comics & GN sales.

The Flash comes in at #11 overall, or #5 among DC Comics properties after Batman, Watchmen, Superman and Green Lantern, propelled onto the list by the hardcover release of Flash: Rebirth in April. No doubt the high-profile series launch during the same period helped spark interest in collections as well.

It’s also interesting that, at least in book form, the single volume of Watchmen continues to outsell DC characters who are not only cultural icons (Superman and the absent Wonder Woman), but are continuously getting new stories. This despite it being a quarter century since its first publication and a year after a movie that was widely considered a flop (debatable, but that seems to be the consensus). Is it any wonder that DC keeps it in print?

(via Robot 6)

Ivan Reis Draws a Superman/Flash Race

DC has posted six new variant covers at The Source, including this Ivan Reis cover for Action Comics #892. Part of DC’s 75th Anniversary series, it homages the cover to the very first Superman/Flash race in Superman #199 by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.

Superman #199 (1967)

As shown here, the cover has been referenced at least once before, for the first race between Superman and Wally West in The Adventures of Superman #463 (1990) by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.

It’s interesting to look at the three covers together and see just how comic book art styles have changed over the past four decades.