Flash! Jay Garrick’s Helmet on Smallville

It looks like we’ll get another glimpse of the Golden-Age Flash on Smallville. Jay Garrick himself isn’t appearing in Absolute Justice, but we have seen a painting of the entire Justice Society, and now KryptonSite has spotted Jay Garrick’s helmet in the previews:

A man in a coat holds the Flash's helmet. Two policemen stand in the background.

Since it’s black and white, I assume it’s a flashback sequence. Probably to the disbanding of the Justice Society, with the Flash having left his helmet behind to send the message that they’re retiring.

Something I find interesting is that the stylized feathers on the wings appear to be separate pieces with gaps in between them, rather than being sculpted into a solid wing. I’ve seen variations ranging from realistic wings to parallel ribbons like this, but I think this is the first one I’ve seen with clear gaps.

Visit KryptonSite for more preview images of the Justice Society’s appearance. The 2-hour episode airs February 5, 2010.

Thanks to Dave of JSA Round Table for the tip!

Flash: Rebirth #5 Still Above 70K

A couple of weeks ago I posted that Flash: Rebirth #5 took the #9 spot in November’s sales rankings. Since then, ICv2 has posted full sales estimates for the month.

Issue Rank Units Sold Change
Flash: Rebirth #1 (of 6) 2 102,429 +286.6%
Flash: Rebirth #2 (of 6) 4 86,183 -15.9%
Flash: Rebirth #3 (of 6) 10 83,086 -3.6%
Flash: Rebirth #4 (of 6) 14 78,107 -6.0%
Flash: Rebirth #5 (of 6) 9 73,875 -5.4%

It looks like the drops may be leveling off. The drop from #3 (the last issue to ship on time) to #4 (the first issue to be several months late) was sharper than expected, but this drop was smaller — and in fact the sales ranking went up!

The book continues to outsell the 2007-2008 relaunch by a factor of two, and is holding above Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge, which sold in the 54-62K range. On the other hand, it seems to be dropping at a comparable rate to Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. Maybe it’s more typical (and less cause for concern) in a miniseries than in a regular series. Update: The Beat has more analysis of DC’s November sales.

Whatever the case, I’m really curious about the numbers for Blackest Night: The Flash.

Delayed! Flash: Rebirth #6 Now Due March 24

Flash: Rebirth #6 (thumb)Wow. Comic Bloc’s SNW1 has been checking more often than I have (or at least has better timing), because he spotted this: DC’s website now lists March 24, 2010 as the release date for Flash: Rebirth #6.

Think about that for a moment. Let that sink in. Assuming no further schedule changes (and so far, Blackest Night: Flash hasn’t changed), this means:

  • Blackest Night: The Flash will finish a month before Flash: Rebirth does.
  • Flash: Rebirth will have spanned just one week less than 52 did.
  • There’s a good chance that Flash Secret Files will also be out by the time Flash: Rebirth finishes. (Presumably we’ll find out on Monday when DC’s March solicitations go up.)
  • That April date for the Flash: Rebirth hardcover is looking mighty optimistic.
  • The book will be out one week before WonderCon, for which EVS is drawing the program cover/T-shirt (Edit: this was posted just two days ago).
  • On the plus side, those of us who were hoping The Flash might launch immediately after Rebirth’s conclusion might actually get our wish.

It’s worth noting that 4 people out of 106 did vote for March 2010 in the When Will Flash: Rebirth Finish? poll last month.

Update (Dec 20): The book may be coming out sooner than March after all.

Update 2: It’s been rescheduled to February 24, 2010.

This Week (Dec 16): Tiny Titans

You know it’s a slow week for the Flash when the only comic that (probably) has a DC speedster in it is Tiny Titans!

Tiny Titans #23

Tiny Titans #23Written by Art Baltazar & Franco
Art and cover by Art Baltazar

Wayne Manor has been overrun! There are penguins in the tub and bunnies in the bedroom, penguins in the freezer and bunnies in the fridge, penguins and bunnies everywhere — they’ve even driven the bats out of the Batcave! Poor Robin is caught in the middle of the bunny-penguin turf war and has to figure out how everyone can live together peacefully! (PS. Did we mention the penguins and bunnies?)

On sale December 16 · 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US

Comic-Con Int’l 1-Day Tickets On Sale Tomorrow

Quick note: One-day passes to Comic-Con International in July 2010 go on sale tomorrow at the convention’s website. That’s Tuesday, December 15. Four-day passes are already sold out, so chances are that one-day tickets will go quickly too.

If you plan to go, but haven’t bought your membership yet, you may want to take a few minutes out from holiday preparation to order your tickets.

Convention Plans for 2010 (And a Look Back at 2009)

Well, I did attend three comic conventions in 2009…but not the three I was expecting! WizardWorld Los Angeles was canceled with just two months’ notice, but Long Beach Comic Con stepped in to fill the gap.

I’ll most likely be staying in California again next year, so here’s what next year’s convention season looks like for me:

WonderCon

Yip! Yip! Yip!April 2–4, 2010; San Francisco, California. Probably.

The last two years have been a lot of fun. It’s a lot like San Diego Comic-Con used to be before it exploded, actually. (It’s also a good excuse to travel and visit people in the Bay Area!) This one’s still up in the air for now, since they haven’t started selling tickets yet, but despite the distance, it still ends up being cheaper than San Diego.

» Wondercon 2009 report and photos.
» Update: WonderCon 2010 report and photos.

Anaheim Comic Con

April 16–18, 2010; Anaheim, California. Maybe.

The show that officially replaces Wizard World Los Angeles is only 10 minutes away, so it would be a shame to skip it. And it’ll be close to the time that Flash and Kid Flash are launching. But it’s also only two weeks after WonderCon, and Wizard, or Gareb Shamus, or whoever is in charge keeps doing things that annoy me.

» Update: Anaheim Comic Con 2010 report and photos. After a lot of dithering, I went for it.

Westercon 63: Confirmation

July 1–4, 2010; Pasadena, California. Maybe.

It’s been years since I’ve been to a general science-fiction/fantasy convention. The last one was the 2006 WorldCon in Anaheim, L.A.Con IV, which I experienced through the haze of a summer cold and Day-Quil. I’ve considered Westercon the last two years, but the last two have been Las Vegas and Tempe, Arizona in July. Admittedly Pasadena is a good 10 degrees hotter in summer than where I live, but it’s probably not as hot as Vegas or Tempe…plus I can commute to Pasadena.

» Update: Westercon 63 Report. I finally decided to go.

Comic-Con International

Flash of Two WorldsJuly 22-25, 2010; San Diego, California. Definitely.

I’ve been going every year since 1990, and I’d hate to break that streak. Even if it ends up being too expensive to stay in town next year, it’s just close enough to commute for a few days.

UPDATE: I’ve just learned via Twitter that one-day tickets go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, December 15). Four-day tickets are already sold out, so if you plan to go, but don’t have tickets yet, now’s your chance!

» Comic-Con International 2009 report and photos.
» Update: Comic-Con International 2010 report and photos.

Long Beach Comic Con

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and DeadpoolOctober 29-31, 2010; Long Beach, California. Definitely.

I had a good time at the first event this year, and just discovered that they’ve set a date for next year! The website also mentions some sort of one-day event on February 20, but doesn’t provide any detail.

» Long Beach Comic Con 2009 report and photos.
» Update: Long Beach Comic Con 2010 report and photos.