Tag Archives: SDCC

Flash Costume Sightings at Comic-Con 2009

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If the number of Flash costumes at Comic-Con International last week is any indication, the fan base is energized. Most years I only see one or two Flashes, if any. This year there were at least three Jay Garricks including myself, two women who made variations on the costume, one man in a Black Flash costume, a Kid Flash, and a Captain Cold.

Here’s a gallery of photos from Flickr.

Golden Age

I don’t think I’d ever seen a Golden Age Flash costume at a convention until I saw some photos from HeroesCon and Wizard World Philadelphia in June. There seemed to be one Jay Garrick at each. So I figured I’d probably be the only one at San Diego. Imagine my surprise when I ran into not one other, but two!

The photo on the left shows me and a cosplayer who was part of a Justice Society of America group I spotted in line for the DC Nation panel on Friday. I asked the person behind me to save my place in line, walked along the line to where they were, and we did the obligatory “Nice costume!” exchange, then ended up posing for a bunch of photos. We did at least two poss, this one and one just standing and crossing our arms like the Alex Ross poster. Someone got an interesting shot with a blur effect, also.

I ran into the guy on the right on Saturday, when I wasn’t in costume. He actually used an original World War I helmet, polished it up, and made wings for it…then the first day in town the wings broke, so he needed to come up with a substitute fast. He ended up gluing popsicle sticks together and spray painting them gold.

Update: Speaking of the helmet, here’s how my helmet was made. Update 2: and here’s how we made the boots and shirt.

Variations

I didn’t manage to see any of these three in person during the con. But they’re really cool variations.

The two things that usually impress me the most with character costumes are:

  • Authenticity – costumes that match the source very well, especially if the person wearing it is a good fit for the character. (That especially helps with costumes from movies and TV shows. If you resemble an actor, seriously look at their roles for ideas!)
  • Creative variation – costumes that take a concept and put a deliberate spin on them. The Steampunk Flash from the League of Justice-Minded Citizens, for instance. Or either of the female Flash costumes here.

The Flash is well-suited for variations, because there have been so many of them in canon. You’ve got the basics: Jay Garrick’s Golden Age costume, the Barry Allen/Wally West Flash costume, and the Kid Flash costume (each with its own variations). Then you’ve got Professor Zoom, Johnny Quick, a half-dozen Jesse Quick costumes, Impulse, Max Mercury, Walter West, Iris West II, John Fox’s three costumes…and that’s not counting all the possible future Flashes from “Chain Lightning.”

So it’s not a problem to take the basic red-and-yellow lightning motif and build on it. People will still know who you are, especially if you keep the white circle around the lightning bolt.

Well, except for the dimwits who mistake you for Flash Gordon. 🙁

Update August 28: The woman on the left appears to be wearing an off-the-rack costume rather than a custom variation.

Cold and the Kid

I almost missed Captain Cold here. It was late Saturday afternoon, and I was on the phone with my wife trying to work out dinner plans. I saw him through the window, said, “Hang on, I need to get a picture of Captain Cold” and ducked outside into Sails Pavilion.

Kid Flash was there on Sunday. Sterling Gates, who had been announced the day before as the writer of an upcoming Kid Flash series, posted, “I just met Kid Flash! He’s here!” I kept looking for him the rest of the day, but had no luck. Fortunately, Comic Con has a lot of people with cameras!

Bonus: Cheetara!

She may not be a Flash character, but here are two women dressed as Cheetara from Thundercats. Hey, she is a speedster, after all!

Who Else?

I saw at least one, possibly two guys in off-the-rack Flash Halloween costumes during the weekend, and one kid who was probably about 6 or 7.

So…did you see any of these people at the con? Did you see another Flash that I’ve missed?

Flash News from San Diego

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DC made only a few Flash announcements at Comic-Con, but they were big ones!

  • Blackest Night: Flash miniseries by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins — 3 issues starting in November December. (announced at the Geoff Johns Spotlight on Thursday) The book will star Barry, Wally, and a whole lot of dead Rogues. [Note: I was originally under the impression that the second round of Blackest Night tie-ins would launch in November, and at the panel I was focused on the official announcement and the people involved, so I missed the fact that the month was one syllable off from what I was expecting. DC has audio of the panel, and he did say December.]
  • Flash ongoing series written by Geoff Johns, to start after Blackest Night: Flash. They’re not ready to announce the artist, but Geoff assures us that he’s “awesome.” (announced at DC Universe on Saturday)
  • Kid Flash ongoing written by Sterling Gates. No artist or start date announced. (also announced at DCU panel)
  • A new speedster will join the Flash family by the end of Flash: Rebirth (DCU again.)

I liveblogged both panels (though a technical glitch prevented the DCU post from actually going up as I wrote it, which really annoyed me), and there are some other remarks in those panels (and in DC Nation) that Flash fans might find interesting.

Comic Book Resources has an interview with Geoff Johns in which he talks about the Blackest Night miniseries and the ongoing series. The first story is called “The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues,” and he says that “all the Flashes in the Flash Universe will be major players in both Flash books.” There’s a lot more at the interview, such as this:

In “Blackest Night: Flash,” it’s the Rogues versus the Black Lantern Rogues and Flash is caught in the middle. And Captain Cold will be facing off against Black Lantern Golden Glider.

Ouch…that’s going to be one nasty fight!

Sunday at Comic-Con (in Tweets)

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  • Retweeting @GreatWhiteSnark: RT @slashfilm: A real life light cycle in Flynn’s Arcade.
  • RT @SpeedsterSite: OH NO! The Flash: Rebirth pushed back again! Set to release August 26th.
  • Retweeting @SpeedsterSite: RT: @CBR CCI: Geoff Johns on “All Flash”
  • Slept in today. Just got to the floor and I’d swear it’s more crowded than Saturday. Weird.
  • Oh, good, Mark Waid has a line today.
  • OMG Nichelle Nichols!
  • Scored a copy of the Flash:Rebirth #3 Variant! Wish I’d remembered to look BEFORE yesterday’s Geoff Johns signing, though
  • Overheard on return to convention center: “Air conditioning! Woo hoo!”
  • Creepy couple costume: Comedian & battered Silk Spectre from Watchmen. Just saw them pose for a photo w/him hitting her. Messed up.
  • Home from SDCC! Will post today’s pics (w/ decent bandwidth finally!) & unpack a bit, then sleep.

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Saturday at Comic-Con (in Tweets)

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  • All right! Friday’s photos actually uploaded overnight!
  • Just walked up to Mark Waid for autograph at Boom booth, no line. How times change.
  • Had no idea Leonard Nimoy & Brent Spiner were going to be here.
  • Took a trip thru Artists alley, then rushed 3/4 of the exhbit hall to DC booth. Forgot how far it was.
  • Saw Harley Quinn skipping merrily along. With a gun, of course.
  • Got a great Madame Xanadu sketch by Amy Hadley & Richard Friend! #Vertigo
  • Batgirl, Harley Quinn & Power Girl @ DC booth
  • Dark Reign Panel: “How do you want Norman Osborn taken down?” Kid dressed as Vision: “Honestly? Howard the Duck.” *applause* “Or Deadpool.”
  • Today is trade-off day. Couldn’t choose btw Quick Draw & Sheldon Moldoff, skipped both to do Madame Xanadu

  • Black Lantern Captain America!
  • Liveblogging DC Universe Panel
  • Thought my legs were shaking. Understandable for 3rd day of con. Turned out to be the floor.
  • Could really use Google Maps for con floor. Search by booth name, get directions. At least the pull-out map shows major booths.
  • Whoa. Saw a Princess Leia who was fully clothed.
  • Fought thru G4 crowd to get Coraline exclusive figure at next booth over.
  • All right!!! RT @Robot6 Gail Simone’s Welcome to Tranquility will return at Wildstorm
  • Ran into a 3rd Jay Garrick a few minutes back. Most years I don’t see any Flashes at all!
  • Newsarama covers DCU panel
  • Whew! Made it through Geoff Johns signing. Going to try for PAD and Bryan Lee O’Malley, then call it a day.
  • 4 signings, 1 panel, caught 4 artists/writers at booths/artists’ alley. Feet ready to fall off. Done for the day
  • Those searchlights should have the Bat Signal

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DC Universe at Comic-Con: Big Flash News UPDATED

AARGH! Liveblogging failed. Lots on Twitter. BIG news: Geoff Johns on Flash ongoing after Blackest Night: Flash, Sterling Gates on Kid Flash ongoing.

Update: Now that the day’s tweets have been imported, here’s my full running commentary on the panel.

  • Inkpot award to Bob Wayne
  • SDCC is like “longest Thanksgiving dinner ever” – con staffer
  • Flash:Rebirth – bunch of Flashes behind him on final cover
  • GEOFF JOHNS ON FLASH ONGOING!
  • Some costume changes & a new speedster by end of Flash:Rebirth
  • Sounded like Flash ongoing starts after Blackest Night:Flash. They’re all Geoff Johns-written.
  • Troia, Batman, Hal &…Monel w/ S symbol In JLA.
  • Good Dr. Light vs Black Lantern evil Dr. Light
  • Guessing Batgirl’s ID: Stephanie Brown? DD: “No spoilers here.”
  • DCU panel info is coming fast & furious – hard to keep up
  • Titans’ new leader…let’s just say it’s not Wally as rumored on ComicBloc.
  • GS: WW to renounce Amazons & become more of a super-hero than ever
  • Sterling Gates on Kid Flash series!
  • Rainbow Raider will be a Black Lantern. GJ: “I guess he’ll be the Black & White Raider.”
  • C’mon, random fanboy…wait till you see the new writer’s work before begging Geoff to come back to Teen Titans.
  • Question cosplayer at mike: “I have a question…”
  • DD on renumbering books that have been relaunched: content more important than number on cover, low numbers may bring in more new readers.
  • Geoff Johns: artist lined up for Flash ongoing, can’t talk about it yet. [Edit: GJ adds that he can only say the artist is “awesome.”]
  • Fan requests a Snapper Carr & Jimmy Olsen team-up in Brave & the Bold.

See Also: Comic-Con 2009 Complete Index

Friday at Comic-Con (in Tweets)

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Around the Con

  • Apparently the secret to uploading photos in this hotel is to wait until 6am when there’s no competition.
  • The fastest man alive…stuck in traffic.
  • Saw Michael Jackson.
  • Lots of *ahem* Flash photography today
  • Morning shaping up well. Got lassoed into DC costume photoshoot, got 3D photo w/wife (also in costume) & made it into Coraline room
  • Haven’t been to a con in costume since 2003, and then it was Riff from Sluggy Freelance. Not terribly recognizable.
  • But showing up as the Jay Garrick Flash? That stands out!
  • *sigh* someone just said “excuse me, Flash Gordon.”
  • In last hour or so have posed with Captain Hammer, Catwoman, Liberty Belle and Stargirl. Now in line for DC Nation.
  • Hah! Just ran into a JSA group w/ another Jay Garrick!
  • Insta-mob just formed around Olivia Munn (?) As she headed to the panelist entrance.
  • Another insta-mob as Robert Rodriguez left panel.
  • Just saw a Geonosis Padme with a little girl dressed as Princess Leia from A New Hope

Panels: Coraline, Flash Forward, DC Nation

  • Coraline making-of w/Selik, Gaiman, animators & cast.Selik wants to do stop-motion Sandman, Neil wishes him luck w/WB
  • Forgot there was actually a Flash connection w/ Flash Forward: Marc Guggenheim & David S Goyer.
  • They just showed the 1st 2 acts of the Flashforward pilot and it’s AWESOME!
  • Dominic Monaghan confirmed for Flashforward. And he’s here.
  • Liveblogging DC Nation

Evening

  • Cleaned up after day in costume, back at hotel restaurant. Planning to return for “Worst Cartoons Ever”
  • Awesome! RT @Robot6 SDCC ’09 | Scott Pilgrim video game is on the way.
  • Missed shuttle by 10 sec, chased, locked out. Ran, walked, jogged 1+ miles & took a pedicab. Chain broke. Made it w/5min to spare
  • Worst Cartoons Ever: mix of poorly-done, or trippy crack, or seriously offensive WTF-were-they-thinking cartoons from the 50s&60s

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