Tag Archives: Glen Antonio

How idolizing The Flash has profoundly influenced my life (Part 2)

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Today’s guest post is by Glenmarc Antonio. Read part one first.

Flash: Rebirth

Reinvigorated as if I was able to tap into the Speed Force, I went back to living normally.  I also went back into my happier self, though slowly.  As part of my personal recovery, I tried a lot of things, and was fortunate to have been successful once more.

In early 2011, a crazy idea occurred to me.  I wanted a Flash suit.  With the rise of cosplaying in local hobby events in the Philippines, I began to strongly consider suiting up in one of the local cons as the Scarlet Speedster.  A very good friend and established local cosplayer, Paolo Cordero, helped me craft my very first Flash costume.  I said I was only to wear it if he joined me as Green Lantern.  He gamely agreed, and thus JUSTICE Ph (the Philippines’ DC cosplayers group) was born.

Glenmarc Antonio as the Flash

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How idolizing The Flash has profoundly influenced my life (Part 1)

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Today’s guest post is by Glenmarc F. Antonio, whose Flash memorabilia collection has previously been featured here on Speed Force in our first Collector’s Showcase.

My name is Glenmarc F. Antonio, and I’m Flash.  That makes me the Fastest Man Alive.  Well, not really.

I’m actually a 30-something Digital Media specialist for the Philippine’s largest telco provider.  In my heyday, I was one of the fastest runners in my company, and was fairly athletic, having competed in basketball at a varsity level back in college.  My self-confessed similarities to the Flash’s (superhuman) speed however do not end there.

An introduction with the Scarlet Speedster

I got introduced to the Scarlet Speedster when I was really young, having watched and loved the live-action Flash TV series starring John Wesley Shipp in the late 90s-early 2000s when it was shown in the local channel.  The moment I saw that golden lightning emblazoned across John’s chest as the opening credits were shown (plus Danny Elfman’s masterful The Flash theme song), I fell in love with the character.  For me, Shipp was THE Flash.  His portrayal of Barry Allen (with a subtle mix of Wally West) was in my honest opinion, absolutely on-point.  I watched all of the episodes and didn’t mind re-runs.  Seeing him running in his bright red suit was a joy.  I wanted to be him.  No, I wanted to be The Flash.

Flash TV Series (1990)

I guess I have my mom to blame as well.  Being the very 1st geek in the family, my mother Ruby introduced me to the world of comics, as she was the one who bought me my 1st title (Jim Lee’s X-men #1), and over the years, has steadily maintained and monitored my voracious consumption of comicbook geekery.  I still remember when she gave me the Death Of Superman TPB as a gift when I graduated from grade school school.  Yes, that’s how geeky she is.  From there, I have shuttled between fandoms, Marvel and DC Comics (and for a brief period, Image Comics).

Over time, I saw myself being more of a DC-fan long after the live-action TV series was cancelled.  I have always been pro-mutant given my X-men roots, but I have grown to appreciate the Justice League and its many incarnations.  And while the comics have already focused on Wally West taking over the cowl of The Flash since Barry’s apparent demise in the 80s mega-crossover “Crisis On Infinite Earths”, I still hoped that Barry would come back.  That he would be The Flash again.

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Geraplica Sculptoys Custom Barry Allen 1:1 Scale Head Bust

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Salutations, fellow Speed Readers. I’m here today with pictures of a beautiful piece of Flash sculpture courtesy of Glenmarc “Flash” Antonio. Glen may seem a bit familiar as he was the subject of Speed Force’s first Flash Collector Showcase. Hailing from the Republic of the Philippines, Glen is nationally known as the biggest Flash collector in the country. Glen and his collection make regular appearances at various toy and comic conventions throughout the year where he usually shows off his vast Flash collection. In addition to collecting Flash stuff he also has large collections of Marvel Comics action figures (particularly Deadpool and Blade), G.I. Joes, and many others. He also cosplays frequently and customizes action figures.

Now this bust is sold only in the Philippines and can be found in some hobby shops for Php 1,000 or about $20. Usually you have to go directly to the sculptor to get one made. While it is not exactly a custom sculpt it does have a few distinctions that set it apart from other versions of this bust on the market. But before we go into that have a look:

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Flash Museum for Sale on eBay

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eBay seller “bflash” is selling a veritable Flash Museum on eBay. In what he has dubbed the World’s Largest Flash Collection, he has for sale over 300 rare Flash items, some of which I wasn’t aware even existed. bflash breaks it down for us:

When you think about the large Superman, Batman or even Wonder Woman collections and items that are out there, then you consider how few Flash items there are, it’s pretty amazing to think that there are over 250 separate and “Flash-only” pieces here and available all at once. This collection has been amassed over 40 years. Each decade and era of the character are represented: 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and now.

Let’s take a look at this massive lot:

*Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image*

Quite the amazing haul. The Buy It Now price is $12,500.00 and the starting bid is $1,000 with a Reserve in place. When a eBay seller puts a Reserve on an auction it means that the sale item has to reach a certain amount before it can actually be called yours. bflash notes that the Buy It Now price is much less than the reserve, and well worth it:

Along with the expected toys, action figures and posters, there are several “very high value” items included: a 1942 Pinback (excellent), a 1961 Vissari Halloween costume (MIB), a 1946 Wheaties Giveaway Comic (Fine – Very Fine), a 1965 Ben Cooper Halloween Costume (MIB), a 1967 Hasbro Justice League – Flash board game (MINT) and Kenner Super Powers Prototypes and “test shot”, just to name a few. Also, in the collection are items from the 1989-91 TV show – scripts, cast and crew items and advertising pieces. These sought-after items more than justify the Buy It Now price.

Personally I have my eye on that Tiger Flash LCD Video Game from the early nineties, but unfortunately he does not sell items individually. The entire collection has to be purchased all at once and the Buy It Now price of 12k does not include shipping, although he does offer Local Pick Up. Glen Antonio had an idea about Flash collectors teaming up to purchase it and divvying up the loot accordingly. Who’s down?

There is a complete list of the items on the auction page and a rough youtube video of the collection HERE.

The auction ends in 4 days and 19 hours so that gives us a little time to have a yard sale and take out a second mortgage on the house. I would seriously have to sell every item in my Flash Collection just to afford this and that might not even be enough. If one of you guys ends up buying this, please let me know. I’m desperate for that Tiger Game.

Good Luck bidders and Keep it Flashy,

-Devin “The Flash” Johnson

New Feature! Flash Collector Showcase: Glen Antonio

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Speedforce.org is proud to present our newest feature, Flash Collector Showcase. We will be showcasing Flash memorabilia collectors and their collections from all over the world; whether it be comics, toys, t-shirts, collectibles or art. If it’s a collection and it’s main focus or a large part of it relates to The Flash or his Rogues, then it will be eligible to be featured.

To that end all collectors interested in having their collection possibly featured in a future Flash Collector Showcase please send your name, geographic location, a short biography, some background on your collection, and about 3 to 6 pictures to
Devintheflashjohnson@yahoo.com. Be sure to mention if your collection has received special mentions or any other accolades as well although this is not a requirement.

Now on to our very first Flash Collector, Glen Antonio.

Glen hails from the Republic of the Philippines, where he is widely known as the country’s biggest Flash Memorabilia collector. His collection is so well known that he has been featured in various newspaper articles and even on a popular Filipino primetime talk show, Mel and Joey. The show’s topic was Glen and his family of fellow collectors; his wife, Rosette who collects Lord of the Rings action figures (with a focus on Legolas) and his daughter and son, Dylan and Dwayne who collect Barbie dolls and red diecast cars respectively.

You can see Glen and the rest of the family on Mel and Joey showing off their collections HERE. The language is Tag-Lish, a combination of Tagalog and English, but you get the idea.

Glen has been collecting Flash action figures and memorabilia since he was in grade school, but he didn’t really hit his stride (hehe) until around 2001. His collection now includes more than 100 versions of the Flash and several rare collectibles that can only be procured through fast food establishments in the Philippines. These collectibles alone may make his collection one of the largest and certainly more unique Flash collections in the world.

His favorite Flash just so happens to be Barry Allen. Glen believes Barry to be the noblest and the greatest of The Flashes, which admittedly is a hard case to disprove considering he sacrificed himself for the universe and all. Glen’s love for the character comes through even in the way his display is set up. With Barry’s figures taking center stage and the rest of the Speedsters carefully arranged behind him, Barry Allen is clearly the star:

Glen’s display is arranged thematically. The first section has all the Bart Allen figures on the far left of the display, then all of the Jay figures closer to the middle, with Barry figures taking center stage (Glen’s favorite speedster after all). Wally’s section is to the right of Barry, and all other Flash incarnations (Johnny Quick, Alfred E. Neuman, etc) are farther right.

The second section is reserved for the bigger items (8” and above). Plushes, various dolls, Justice League Animated 10” Figures and the 12” Giants of Justice DC Universe Flash SDCC exclusive among others, goes here.

Finally the third section (below) consists of fast food Flash collectibles, Kenner Flash action figures and the smaller scale Justice League Animated Flash Figures. The fast food collectibles are definitely some of the rarer pieces in Glen’s collection. They are considered harder to find since only certain parts of the world offered them and even then only for a limited time. He has pieces from the United States (Burger King, Jack in the Box, Subway, McDonald’s, Sunkist – Hawaii), France (McDonald’s), and the Philippines (Jollibee, a fast food chain that rivals McDonald’s popularity in the Philippines):

DC Universe Classics Barry, Crisis On Infinite Earths Barry, Silver Age Barry, Superfriends Barry, and New Frontier Barry all team up to stop the Anti-Monitors of Five Different Universes, or something cool like that:

Some of Glen’s rarer collectibles:

One more view of the largest Flash collection in the Philippines:

There are a few more items that aren’t pictured, and Glen is always adding new collectibles to what he has dubbed his “Flash Stash”, but you can see the newest pics of his “stash” on his Facebook or follow him on Twitter.

I have to say that this really feels like things are coming full circle; Glen was the guy who first inspired me to start collecting Flash memorabilia in earnest a few years ago. Up until then I had purchased a few Flash action figures here and there but nothing significant. Then one day I was checking out Toynewsi.com and I came across a post of Glen’s in the DC Comics forum where he had posted some pics of his collection and I was awestruck. From that point on my goal was to amass a collection as thorough as Mr. Antonio’s. Who else can say they have garnered national attention for their Flash collection?

This guy doesn’t skip a beat by the way. Glen will be exhibiting his full Flash collection for the upcoming 9th Annual Philippine Toycon, June 19th through June 20th, 2010. This year’s theme is the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics. With a collection that spans the Golden Age with Jay Garrick and up through the Modern Age with Bart Allen (and everything in between), there is no doubt that Glen’s collection is a great choice to be on exhibit for the 75th Anniversary celebration.

Thanks for reading. Keep a look out for more collections to be showcased here on Speedforce.org in the future. Also remember if you or anyone you know has a Flash collection please drop me a line at
Devintheflashjohnson@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from you. Be sure to include your name, geographic location, a short biography, some background on your collection, and about 3 to 6 pictures as well.

Btw Speedforce.org and myself are on Twitter. Add @Speedforceorg and @FlashJohnson to receive the latest Flash news on the run.

–Devin “The Flash” Johnson