Tag Archives: Animated

Box Art Revealed for Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Warner Bros. has released box art and further details for the July 30 release of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the home video animated feature based on 2011’s Flashpoint miniseries. Casting was announced yesterday, with Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd as Flash (Barry Allen) and Batman (Thomas Wayne).

According to comicbook.com, the special features include:

  • A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions? Can time travel get us there? And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time? Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction.
  • My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains in this short film that gives viewers a glimpse into the Flash’s world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years!
  • A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe animated movie: An in-depth look into the next DC Animated feature film, spotlighting the cast and crew.
  • From the DC Comics Vault: Bonus cartoon episodes
  • The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary

Update: World’s Finest has more details including a synopsis:

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline.

Jim Krieg (Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Batman: The Brave and the Bold) adapted the script, with Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) directing and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) producing.

So, what episodes from the vault would you like/expect to see? I’m hoping for “Speed Demons” from Superman, “A Mirror Darkly” from The Batman, “Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster” from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and of course “Flash and Substance” from Justice League Unlimited. Though I can imagine they might go for alternate reality stories instead.

Quick Hit: Superman Unbound to feature Flashpoint Sneak Peek

Flashpoint #1 Cover (first look)Spinoff Online reports that among the special features included in the upcoming Superman Unbound animated feature is a preview of the next film in the series, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

I’m still of mixed feelings on this. On one hand, we finally get a Flash-centric animated feature. On the other hand, it’s basically a Flash/Batman story (and personally I didn’t like Flashpoint itself much), and now the Flash has even been demoted from the title.

As far as adapting a reboot? Most of the story isn’t about rebooting, and I still think that the conversion to the New 52 was tacked on at the end. Back when this was first hinted at last April, I noted that if you take out that double-page spread with Pandora and change the costumes in the epilogue, Flashpoint is back to being a standalone story.

Young Justice “Bloodlines”: More Speedsters!

Promotional photos have finally been released for tomorrow’s Young Justice Episode, “Bloodlines” by Peter David. Months ago, he wrote about the voice recording sessions featuring Jay Garrick alongside Barry Allen and Wally West, leading us to speculate that it would be a Flash Family-centric episode.

As it turns out there’s another speedster appearing!

Yes, the rumors were true: Bart Allen is appearing in the episode as Impulse!

@SuperheroShows was kind enough to point me to Worlds Finest Online, where they have six still images plus a 50-second preview clip. Update: Chrome is blocking that link as unsafe. Here’s a copy at Superman Homepage. (How does one get on the mailing list for these preview releases?)

Here’s how the episode is described:

An intruder mysteriously appears inside Mount Justice, claiming to be a tourist from the future. But who is he really? And what is his true agenda?

Young Justice “Bloodlines” airs Saturday June 2 at 10:30 am Eastern/Pacific Time on Cartoon Network.

Jay, Barry, Wally and Bart.

Not only that, but Bart as Impulse, written by Peter David, who wrote the entire run of the original Young Justice series.

I am so looking forward to this!

Flashpoint Animated Feature on the Way?

In this clip from Comic Book Club, Kevin Conroy says he’s working on an animated version of Flashpoint.

Oh I just, just last night, I recording a new animated movie…that features The Flash, it’s more about The Flash, but Batman is in it as well. It’s a Flash…Flashpoint! Flashpoint? I think it’s Flashpoint.

As ComicsAlliance points out, there’s been no official announcement past Superman vs. the Elite (which, though it won’t be released until summer, is finished — I saw it at WonderCon last month).

It’s an odd choice for a Flash film until one remembers that Warner Bros. is utterly focused on Superman and Batman, and Flashpoint is a Flash/Batman team-up story. Chances of getting a truly solo Flash animated film are slim for now.

And while it might seem strange to do a stand-alone movie based on a crisis reboot, I think the timeline of when things happened (JMS states that the reboot was given the green light after Superman: Earth One sales figures hit) shows that Flashpoint wasn’t originally intended as a universe-wide reboot so much as it was a story about fixing a broken timeline. Take out that splash page in #5 and change the costumes in the last three or so pages, and it works just fine as a stand-alone story.

So, what do you think: Is this the Flash story you want to see?

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

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)

Batman: Brave and The Bold Flash Action Figure

Somewhat related to Kelson’s Article about Batman: Brave and The Bold, it has been pretty much confirmed that Barry Allen will be getting an action figure of his own in the Brave and The Bold toy line.

Oddly enough instead of showing up at Toy Fair 2010, fans caught their first glimpse of the new Flash figure on Target.com. According to the Batman: Brave and The Bold Facebook Page, Mattel didn’t reveal it at Toy Fair on purpose. A sensible decision to try and save some of the new merchandise for the upcoming New York Comic Con. I hope they have a Jay Garrick ready to go as well, because to date he is the only Flash that we have seen guest star on the show. Not really fair for Barry to get a figure before Jay especially when Jay appeared on the show (and in the comics) first. Then again I don’t think Jay would mind that much once he saw this thing:

I don’t know about anyone else (or if anyone else can remember back as far as this) but does this toy remind anyone else of the Centurions from back in the day?

You know these guys:

As you can probably surmise I’m not too thrilled with the overall look of it. But looking at it from a kid’s point of view I could definitely see myself having fun with it. Not myself as a kid, because I was that kid who always questioned why Batman was wearing orange or neon green when he was supposed to be a creature of the night. I’m talking about your average kid who isn’t quite as nit-picky as I was.

I guess it can’t be much worst than this:

It took me a couple of years to finally break down and purchase that thing and it was only because I was in a collectors drought and hadn’t gotten anything new in months. Still every time I look at it I have to pretend that Flash somehow lost his powers and this is his way of making up for it or some nonsense like that. Yeah. Don’t ask.

I will still end up picking it up but if I can help it I will probably drag my feet a bit before doing so. Although with the Flash’s recent resurgence in popularity due to The Flash: Rebirth and the upcoming Brightest Day storyline coupled with the high demand of the Brave and The Bold toy line I might not have a chance to.

Devin “The Flash” Johnson