San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Flash-related Exclusives Update!

Back in April Speed Force posted news about the SDCC 2010 Exclusive Starro the Conqueror action figure with the original Justice League of America. In celebration of the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics the packaging is based on the milestone Silver Age cover, Brave and the Bold #28, featuring the first appearance of the Justice League. Along with an 8″ bendy Starro we get 3 ¾ classic versions of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (with a brand new construct add-on), Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and of course The Flash, all with slightly improved articulation (well at least when compared with the older Infinite Heroes figures) .

A few days ago Mattel released a video showcasing all the features and packaging of the Exclusive Starro Set including flashing lights and Kevin Conroy of various animated Batman projects lending his voice to give us individual bios of each member of the Justice League and a synopsis of Brave and the Bold #28. All of which sounds pretty nifty. I mentioned before that this may be one of the few things that I keep mint on card and this video has pretty much sealed the deal.

Mattycollector Shows off the SDCC 2010 Exclusive Starro Set

It’s obvious from the final product that Mattel’s designers put a lot of thought into this. We even get a commemorative shipping box, which I will also be hanging onto. I know a lot of people aren’t really fans of the Infinite Hero toy line, so I’m wondering if this will impact them purchasing it. Even if I weren’t already a fan of the little guys, the packaging and the fact that the Flash is included almost automatically guarantees my purchase. Mattel thrives off of people like me. Well sort of. Apparently the SDCC Exclusive Spores are for use for the full size DCUC figures instead of the included Infinite Heroes. Probably really cool for some people, not so much for me. Although if they used Papa Zero‘s idea and made a Starro sleep mask I would be all over it.

Here are a few “captures” for those who don’t have time to check out the vid…

And a picture of the Starro Spores if you haven’t seen them yet. These are only compatible with the DC Universe Classics 6″ figures.

Starro and his Justice League combatants will be available to purchase at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 this weekend (July 22-25) with the exclusive Starro Spores included. They will be available to those not attending SDCC 2010 (and those not willing to pay scalper prices on eBay) on Mattycollector.com August 2nd minus the Starro Spores.

Also for those actually attending SDCC, Mattycollector for the first time is taking presale vouchers for their exclusives. Basically you can order the item ahead of time and go to a special room during SDCC with the proper credentials and simply pick up your item free of headaches and worries. Mattel says there will be plenty of items available and I really hope they mean it. I don’t think anyone wants a repeat of the Gleek Incident from last year. I personally don’t really care for the idea of event only exclusives but it seems to be popular.

What do you think about event only exclusives? And will you pick up Starro and the JLA? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading,

Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Fastest Pet On Earth

DC is teaming up with Capstone to produce a series of children’s books, DC Super-Pets. Super-heroes have pets just like we do…but what if their pets also fought crime? (Krypto would be the classic example of this concept.)

Writers at Capstone imprint Picture Window Books will provide the stories, and Tiny Titans artist Art Baltazar will provide the art. The 24-book series launches in January 2011 and will run through 2012.

Among the first few books in the series is The Fastest Pet on Earth.

I certainly wouldn’t expect these to worry about continuity, but Bart Allen used to have a pet dog named Dox during his days as Impulse…

Minor Mobile Fix

Those of you who visit this site on your phones will be happy to see that I’ve fixed the problem where large images were being resized horizontally to fit on the screen, but not vertically. It adjusts both the width and height together now, so large images shouldn’t look squished anymore!

Tested on the Android Browser and Opera Mini, and tested in principle on desktop versions of Chrome, Firefox and Opera, so it should work on Safari/iPhone as well. (Mobile Internet Explorer doesn’t support the feature I was using, so it shouldn’t have been affected to begin with.)

Flash Collections for Spring 2011: Rogues HC & Rebirth TPB

The Source has posted more detail on Spring 2011 collections.

We already knew that the hardcover edition of The Flash: The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues was coming out next February, but there’s been a slight change. Earlier reports showed it featuring The Flash #1-7 and The Flash Secret Files 2010, but now DC is saying that it collects The Flash #1-6 and The Flash Secret Files 2010. This makes more sense, because it lines up exactly with the first story arc instead of extending one issue beyond it. On the other hand…

The Flash: Rebirth paperback is scheduled for April, and someone forgot that the miniseries was six issues long and not five! I guess we shouldn’t rely too much on the numbers here.

Other books

Additionally, the Justice League International trade paperbacks start collecting Justice League Europe with volume 5. Flash Wally West was a founding member of that branch of the League, based at first in Paris and later in London. This volume features two JLI annuals and the first six issues of JLE. The next two issues are actually part of a JLA/JLE crossover, “The Teasdale Imperative,” which picks up where the previous volume left off collecting Justice League America. I’d guess that volume 6 will feature that crossover and some mix of the two series.

Justice League of America: The Rise and Fall collects the “Fall of Green Arrow” and “Rise of Arsenal” storylines spinning out of JLA: Cry for Justice. Barry Allen appears in the Green Arrow story.

There’s a new Showcase volume of Justice League of America.

I think Kid Flash Bart Allen is in Teen Titans: The Hunt for Raven.

Flash Barry Allen appears in at least the opening chapters of Brightest Day Vol.1.

Justice League of America: Dark Things covers the JLA/JSA crossover that just started, featuring Flash Jay Garrick and Jesse Quick.

Speed Reading: Two Worlds and More

Some Monday morning linkblogging…

Flash…

Comics Should Be Good’s Year of Cool Comics spotlights “Flash of Two Worlds” — or more precisely, the Grant Morrison/Mike Parobeck retelling of the story from Secret Origins #50. The story was recently reprinted in Flash: The Human Race.

…and Beyond!

In light of Death’s upcoming appearance in Action Comics, Comics Alliance rounds up the long history of Sandman and the DC Universe.

Update: Let me add two more here: Collected Editions has worked out the Blackest Night reading order for the trades/hardcovers, and Once Upon a Geek has also taken a stab at Death in the DCU.