Answering Questions from Searchers

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Every once in a while I see something in the search terms that people have used to reach this site that makes me wish I could contact them and answer their questions. So I figured I’d try something new: The following are questions (or implied questions) pulled from this week’s site statistics.

Interestingly enough, they settled into three broad categories.

Costumes

What does Wally West’s new costume look like? (There are lots of variations on this one!)

Short answer: We haven’t seen it yet. But according to Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver’s design is “Very clean, very familiar, yet unique!”

What is the difference in the Flash costumes?

Barry Allen: belt is straight across, boots always have wings, eyes are always visible (well, except in this week’s Brave and the Bold issue).
Wally West: 1986-1991: same. 1991-2009: belt is V-shaped, boots sometimes have wings, eyes sometimes covered, costume is sometimes shiny.

Jay Garrick, of course, has a completely different costume with blue pants, red boots, no mask and a silver helmet.

How to make a Golden Age Flash costume. (Several variations on this, also.)

Here’s a two-part series describing exactly how to do it:

Future of the Flash

Will Flash Rebirth ever finish? (Yes, that’s exactly how it was phrased.)

Yes. The next issue is scheduled for November 11, and the whole thing should wrap up on December 23, 2009. The schedule could still slip, of course.

Why is Flash Rebirth being delayed?

Artist Ethan Van Sciver has accepted at least some of the blame for being a slow artist. He intended Flash: Rebirth as a project that would help him learn to draw faster.

Will Wally West be back in 2010?

Yes. Wally West will star in a second feature in the new Flash comic book, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Scott Kolins.

More immediately, he will appear in both Blackest Night: Flash and Blackest Night itself, alongside Barry Allen.

Powers

Who is the fastest Flash?

Whoever’s currently starring in the main book.

How Flash got super speed.

Lab accidents, mainly. Jay Garrick inhaled chemical fumes (originally identified as “hard water,” but later sometimes identified as “heavy water,” which still doesn’t make sense, but radioactivity makes a little more sense than high mineral content). Barry Allen was struck by lightning and simultaneously splashed with chemicals. Wally West was struck by a repetition of Barry’s accident.

What force is involved in lightning flashes?

Electromagnetism.

Is it possible to run as fast as a speed force?

I’m not entirely sure what this question is asking.

Frustrations with DC: One Year Later

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Actually it’s closer to a year and a half since I wrote about my frustrations with DC Comics, but it’s a good time to look back at them.

In June 2008, I listed three main problems I had with the current state of DC:

I’m tired of mega-crossovers.
Mishandling of the Flash after Geoff Johns left.
The wholesale slaughter of “redundant” and C-list characters to make a point.

So, what’s the current status?

Crossovers

DC is even more focused on mega-crossovers than before, with Blackest Night ballooning from a Green Lantern story into an eight-issue main miniseries, seven three-issue side miniseries, eight-issue arcs in both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, a month of eight in-series crossovers, a month of eight one-shots…

But frankly it doesn’t bother me, because of those 61 comic books, I only plan on reading three: the three issues of Blackest Night: The Flash. Realizing that I don’t have to buy the big event has saved me a lot of grief.

Mishandling the Flash

On the plus side: Geoff Johns is back on the title. Bart Allen is back as Kid Flash. Scott Kolins is back drawing Wally West. Most importantly, DC seems to be willing to stick with a direction at this point, and has committed to the point that they’ll actually launch two series, and every month will have new solo stories starring Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen.

On the minus side: Flash: Rebirth should have wrapped up in September, is currently scheduled to end in December, and individual issues are getting rescheduled often enough that I’m checking daily to see if the release dates have changed. The repeated delays have killed a lot of the story’s momentum, and have actually soured some fans on the relaunch. Plus they’re sidelining my favorite version of the character, though at least they aren’t taking him off the playing field entirely.

Killing Characters

The big crossover is all about dead characters rising from the grave as evil undead. Need I say more?

Has it improved?

Well, one item shows some progress, but it’s mixed. The other two haven’t changed at all…but I’ve gotten less attached to the DC Universe, so it doesn’t bother me as much. I’m not sure if that’s progress or not.

Review: Brave and the Bold #28 (Blackhawk and the Flash)

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Brave and the Bold #28

Brave and the Bold #28, “Firing Line,” by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz occupies an unusual niche for the Flash. While Barry Allen has been back for a year and a half, this marks his first real solo adventure in an ordinary comic book format since his return. Flash: Rebirth is very much a transition, more setup than story, and while Barry certainly has the spotlight in that book, he shares the stage with a host of other speedsters. Wednesday Comics came close, but was very much caught up in exploring the alternate format.

Calling a team-up story a solo adventure might be pushing it, but this does read much more as a Flash story than a Blackhawk story. It’s told from the Flash’s point of view, the key dilemma is a decision the Flash has to make, most of the Blackhawks are indistinguishable from each other, and a group known for air combat spends the entire issue grounded.

Dilemma

At its heart, the story uses the clash between two classic comic book genres to ask the question: “When is it acceptable to kill?” The Flash — perhaps the example of the Silver Age superhero: slightly goofy, with crazy science adventures and a code against killing — is dropped into the middle of a war, unable to leave until an injury heals. And not just any war: World War II.

On that level, it works. The Flash’s idealism and the Blackhawks’ determination contrast well, until he finds a way to align them. Jesus Saiz’ artwork feels a bit stiff and static during the Silver Age-style framing sequence, but is well-suited to the war story that takes up the bulk of the issue. The coloring also highlights the contrast between the Flash’s bright red costume, the Blackhawks’ dark blue, and everything else in muted grays and browns.

It also manages to avoid the stilted dialog that occasionally crops up in JMS’ writing. Every once in a while I’ll be reading something and a line will leap out as either very awkward, or a quote from Babylon 5. That didn’t happen even once here.

So what doesn’t work?

Continue reading →

Flash: Rebirth to Conclude December 23

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Flash: Rebirth #6 (thumb) Once Flash: Rebirth #5 was pushed back to November 11, I don’t think anyone really expected the final issue to come out just two weeks later. Now DC has made it official, rescheduling Flash: Rebirth #6 for December 23. Merry Christmas, Flash fans! 😐

Dates for Blackest Night: The Flash have not changed.

Some interesting facts:

That’s 6 weeks after issue #5’s current release date.
It’s 12 weeks after the issue’s original release date (September 30).
Oddly enough, it’s 3 weeks after Blackest Night: The Flash #1 is scheduled to ship. (Thank you, DC, for not postponing it!)
It makes the miniseries 38 weeks, or almost 9 months, from start to end.
That makes it an average of 7.6 weeks between issues. The first three issues, which shipped on time, were 5 weeks apart.
Last year, the final issue of Wally West’s solo series, The Flash #247 was released on December 24. If this sticks, that means that two years in a row, a Flash series will have ended the Wednesday before Christmas.

Thanks to @kukheart for spotting this change. I’ve been checking daily, but he got there first today!

Baltimore Impulse Sighting

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Last week at the Baltimore Comic-Con, this eight-year-old Impulse fan was among the attendees:

Impulse Costume Impulse Costume Kid Meets Mark Waid

Caleb’s father wrote in to say that he’s been a big fan of the Flash ever since seeing him on the Justice League cartoon, and that they’ve read all of The Flash and Impulse together. They met several writers and artists who have worked on the series, including Mark Waid (pictured), Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, and Pop Mhan. Caleb/Impulse also made an appearance on Todd Dezago’s Perhapablog last week in his con write-up.

Update: Caleb returns to Baltimore Comic-Con in 2010…as Kid Flash.

This Week (Oct 21): Brave and the Bold, Halloween, Lo3W, Tiny Titans

This week the Flash guest-stars in Brave and the Bold with the Blackhawks. It looks like at least Kid Flash will be involved in the DCU Halloween Special. The hardcover of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds comes out, and Kid Flash appears frequently in Tiny Titans.

The Brave and the Bold #28

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art and cover by Jesus Saiz

J. Michael Straczynski (Amazing Spider-Man) and Jesus Saiz (OMAC PROJECT) continue their series of unlikely pairings with a match that spans the decades! When an experiment meant to alter the speed of light goes awry, Barry Allen finds himself face-to-face with some surprising allies — World War II’s legendary Blackhawks! But Barry isn’t the Flash they know, and he’s not even the kind of hero they need to help fight history’s most grueling war! What must Barry sacrifice to serve his country — and his world?

On sale October 21 · 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

DCU Halloween Special 2009

Written by Joe Harris, Billy Tucci, Jake Black, Franco, Adam Schlagman, Mandy McMurray and others
Art by Rags Morales, Joe Prado and others Cover by Gene Ha

Darkness falls across the land as the DC Universe faces its greatest horror in this Halloween special filled with all-new stories! Watch as Guy Gardner continues his quest to share Halloween with the cosmos and his fellow alien Green Lantern Corps members. In another tale, Red Robin finds the true, deadly meaning of the sinister holiday while overseas on his quest to find Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, Bizarro receives neither trick nor treat in his own backwards celebration of the spookiest night of the year on his home world. Plus, 10 other ghoulish tales to fill you with fright this Halloween!

On sale October 21 · 80 pg, one-shot, FC, $5.99 US

Update: This special includes a Kid Flash vs. Mirror Master story.

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds HC

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by George Pérez & Scott Koblish
Cover by George Pérez

Superstar writer Geoff Johns and legendary artist George Pérez deliver the Crisis of the 31st century as the Legion of Super-Heroes reaches out for help against a powerful foe they can’t beat alone. From the moment Superman landed on Earth until the end of time, the Time Trapper has sought to erase Superman’s impact on the universe. But the Legion of Super-Heroes have always been there to stop the relentless villain. Now, one Legion isn’t enough as the Time Trapper taps a twisted mirror image of The Boy of Steel from a parallel Earth long dead: Superboy-Prime! Who will answer the Legion’s call for help?

With ties to Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis and the history of the DCU, this tremendous hardcover collects the entire 5-issue miniseries and is not to be missed!
On sale October 21 · 168 pg, FC, $19.99 US

Notes: Not to mention the return of Bart Allen as Kid Flash…

Tiny Titans #21

Written by Art Baltazar & Franco
Art and cover by Art Baltazar

The first rule of the All Pet Club issue is: Please tell everyone you see today about the All Pet Club issue! The second rule of the All Pet Club issue is: Please tell everyone you see tomorrow about the All Pet Club issue! After all, it’s not just Pet Club — it’s Pet Club in space!

On sale October 21 · 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US

Speed Force

Tracking the Flash – the Fastest Man Alive