Speed Reading: Cupcakes & Death, Futurama X-Men and Robots from Space

Some funny links from the last week or so two…

Geoff Johns and Matt Fraction joke about a Green Lantern/Iron Man crossover.

Ah, super-heroes and dead parents! The cliche is so established that it’s been spoofed, as Comics Should Be Good spotlights Kill All Parents in their Year of Cool Comics.

Comics Oughta Be Fun mashes up those Hostess cupcake ads with Gwen Stacy death to reveal…what really happened the night of June 16, 1973.

gottabecarl draws the Futurama cast as the X-Men via IO9 and Ryan the Iowan.

The National Park Service really is having problems with a movie about “Robots from Space” — Transformers 3.

And totally off-topic, but I thought it was funny: a local city is really concerned that you understand that the dead grass is intentional and not a sign of *gasp!* poor maintenance.

Brightest Day Captain Boomerang HeroClix Announced

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Digger Harkness will be getting his second HeroClix in October when they release The Brightest Day Action Pack. Boomerang will be released alongside several other key characters from DC Comic’s white hot bi-weekly series Brightest Day, including: Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Aquaman, Osiris, Martian Manhunter (half martian, half Black Lantern), Hawkgirl, and Deadman. I really only collect Flash-related items so I will definitely be picking up Captain Boomerang, but the rest of the characters look pretty good too. You can check out Brightest Day Captain Boomerang below:

I mentioned that this is Digger’s second HeroClix. The first being released a few years back as part of the 2007 Justice League Set. This was the washed up version of Digger from his later years (primarily Identity Crisis):

I don’t like to compare ‘Clix usually, unless I have them in hand, but the second Boomer looks a lot better than the first. Of course the older one is supposed to be the washed up version and this newer one was released 3 years later and is supposed to be Digger rejuvenated, so I guess it makes sense that it looks a lot cleaner. I am really liking the new Boomer character design too. Although I’m not usually a fan of designs with trench coats, I can make an exception with characters like Digger that carry a large amount of weapons on their person (in this case lethal boomerangs). It makes perfect sense for storage purposes. I will of course reserve final judgement until it arrives, but I like what I’m seeing so far. Which reminds me: I’ve gotten eight new Flash-related ‘Clix over the last few months and I still have yet to do a write up on them. I was waiting for Blue Lantern Barry Allen to arrive and it finally got here a couple days ago. I will definitely have to make an effort to do this asap.

A little bit of Flash HeroClix trivia before we go:

In addition to Digger Harkness, only one other Flash villain has had two different HeroClix releases in two different sets; Who is it?

–Devin “The Flash” Johnson

Batman Bits: Rogues in the Game & New Episodes in July

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Batman: The Brave and the Bold’s Facebook page reports that new episodes return to Cartoon Network in “late July.” Presumably this means that US fans will finally be able to (legally) see “Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster” (featuring three generations of Flashes) and “Siege of Starro,” which have already been shown in Australia and the UK.

In related news, IGN has posted some new screenshots from the upcoming Batman: TBATB video game…including one featuring Captain Cold, Weather Wizard, and Heat Wave! (via The Rogues Kick Ass)

Francis Manapul Covers Jesse Quick for JLA #46

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One aspect of the upcoming JLA/JSA crossover is that Liberty Belle will be moving from the Justice Society to the Justice League as Jesse Quick. Check out this this variant cover for Justice League of America #46:

Wow!

I’ve mostly lost interest in the current Justice League series. From what I’ve seen of it, the book has been too focused on shuffling the roster and supporting crossovers. And after the Cry For Justice fiasco (though I get the impression that the worst of it was editorially decreed), I’d made a conscious decision to avoid James Robinson’s run.

But you know what?

I think I’m picking up this comic, if I can find a copy with the variant cover at a reasonable price.

Jesse Quick + Liberty Belle + Francis Manapul. Seriously.

Justice League of America #46 arrives in stores June 30.

Update: Francis Manapul has posted the uncolored artwork.

Jesse Quick Variant Cover Francis Manapul Original

Young Justice Flashback: “They Canceled My Comic”

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Impulse ran for 90 issues (including Impulse #1,000,000) until it was canceled in 2002. A month later, Young Justice #49 opened with this scene in which Bart laments to Superboy that his comic was canceled.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t make a post that was mostly scans and not much commentary, but this scene is short, and (for the most part) stands on its own. Two pages after the cut.

Continue reading →

Jesse Quick Anime-Inspired Statue

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Among DC’s September solicitations are announcements of upcoming action figures and collectibles, including a Jesse Quick statue.

Well, sort of.

AME-COMI HEROINE SERIES: JESSE QUICK AS THE FLASH PVC FIGURE

Sculpted by Jack Mathews

Faster Than Lightning!

Super-speedster and member of the Flash family of zoomers, Jesse Quick invokes the mysterious 3×2(9y2)4A formula, tapping into the power of the Speed Force.

Fleet of foot, Jesse sizzles with swiftness!

Packaged in a 4-color window box with J-hook, this non-articulated PVC statue stands approximately 9” high and includes a display base.

On sale February 9, 2011 * Statue * $70 US

Thoughts: This is part of a series of statuettes that have taken DC heroines and redesigned them with looks inspired by anime. This one’s a bit odd, as is another one announced today (Duela Dent as the Joker) in that they’re double mash-ups. Instead of just anime-inspired Jesse Quick, it’s anime-inspired Jesse Quick as the Flash.

OK, the Flash has the name recognition. And while they could have just given us a female Flash, it’s nice that they actually used one of DC’s few female speedsters (most of them are alternate-reality, past or future characters). And, let’s face it, Jesse Quick doesn’t exactly have an iconic look to start from. She’s gone through at least half a dozen costumes since her first appearance.

Side Note: Speaking of Jesse Quick and anime, about ten years ago I watched a science-fiction sports epic called Battle Athletes Victory. There’s an athlete named Jessie with long blonde hair whose last name I could never remember, so I always thought of her as Jesse Quick!