Pages Tagged “Flash”
Reviews
- Flash: Stop Motion (Audio)
The concepts are intriguing, the characters are handled well, and the full cast and sound effects make up for the lack of visuals in superhero novels.
Tech Tips
- Flash 10 and WordPress File Upload Problems (Obsolete) WordPress use(d) SWFUploader for uploading images, but Flash 10 broke it. Fixed in WP 2.7. Obsolete now that Flash is discontinued and HTML+JS can handle nicer uploads.
Blog Posts
- Catching Up on Two Years of Comics
Last night, I did something I haven’t done in ages: I read a bunch of this week’s new comics. Over the last two years I’ve gotten behind on just about every comic book I read, and the further behind I get, the harder it is for me to catch up. (Making things worse: I stopped […]
- Genre TV Update: Fall 2015
Somehow I’ve managed to end up watching mostly shows based on comic books this year. And amazingly, there are enough of them out there that I have to pick and choose. It seems I’m able to keep up with about 3 shows on a weekly basis, and still fit in family, work and other hobbies. […]
- Long Beach Comic Con Hits its Stride in 2015
Twice the floor space, twice the programming, and they filled it! The show has turned into one for comics and art, plus the usual cosplay, signings etc.
- Flash and Les Mis in the Golden Age of Radio and Comics
Two of my fan interests sort of intersected with a pair of articles I wrote last night: Flash Comics and Les Misérables in the late 1930s/early 1940s.
- Quick TV Thoughts: Flash, SHIELD, Grimm, Castle, Once Upon a Time/Frozen
Now that the fall 2014 TV season is underway, a few thoughts about some shows I’m watching.
- Back to the Beach: Long Beach Comic Con (2014)
Photos and writeup: Indie comics, bargains, art, cosplay, Young Justice, and a mobile exhibit for the Flash TV show at this year’s Long Beach Comic Con.
- Apple: Supported After All
It felt weird to kill time at the Apple store with my Android phone. I thought about reading the new Flash comic, but that seemed off as well…or was it?
- Just One Day at San Diego Comic-Con 2011
With only a day at Comic-Con, it’s really about the trade-offs. Fewer panels, more floor time: Thundercats, apocalypse, Flash mobs, costumes & collectibles.
- Recent Links: Moon and More
Linkblogging: SMBC, XKCD, space pics, Flash Forward, mobile web usability and more.
- Mental Telepathy
It’s just redundant, like “big giant” or “fast speedster.” Is there any such thing as non-mental telepathy? It was nice to see someone taken to task in this panel from a Flash story…back in 1978!
- Central City Comic Con
I stopped for coffee on the way to Anaheim Comic Con. Yes, actually, I am wearing a Flash T-shirt. Why do you ask?
- Flash 500
500th post and a Flash drink over at Speed Force.
- Next for Geoff and Ethan: Vibe: Rebirth!
Apparently preliminary buzz is so good on Flash: Rebirth that DC has already announced the next character getting the Rebirth treatment: Vibe from the 1980s “Detroit-era” Justice League. After Flash, It’s Vibe: Rebirth Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver talk âVibe: Rebirthâ From the first link, Dan Didio explains: It was really a melding of […]
- Announcing SpeedForce.org!
I’ve just launched SpeedForce.org, a companion blog to the website, Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning. Since I started adding news items to the front page of Ride the Lightning, it’s started to get a bit crowded. I thought about converting it to a Delicious feed, but then I realized it really ought to be […]
- The Flash Companion Arrives in July
The Flash Companion details the publication histories of each version of DC Comics’ Fastest Man Alive: Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen.
- The Vastness that is Central City
Central City is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to Central City. (With apologies to Douglas Adams.) It’s an old post, but I just found the Absorbascon’s take on Central […]
- Did the Flash Save Comics?
Yesterday’s article about the Flash (warning: major spoilers for this week’s DC Universe: Zero) in the New York Daily News brings up the hero’s key role in launching the Silver Age of Comics. Superheroes had fallen out of favor in the early 1950s, and comics were exploring genres like westerns, horror, romance, etc. When DC […]
- Flash Sighting? Opera: The Fastest Browser Alive!
Opera Software has just released a new beta version of the desktop web browser, Opera 9.50 beta 2. The splash page makes me think of something a bit different, though: Opera 9.5 beta Speed, security, and performance matter. Now, we’ve made the fastest browser in the world even faster. Operaâs new beta is quicker to […]
- Black Flash T-Shirt
One of the cool things I discovered at WonderCon was this T-shirt with the emblem of the Black Flash, the personification of death for speedsters and the only Flash villain that Davan MacIntire likes. Okay, it’s just the regular Flash logo with the colors changed, but it means I’ll actually wear it. I’ve never really […]
- Finding Back Issues: Then and Now
I’ve had parts of this in draft form for at least 2 years. Last night, while brushing my teeth, I decided to pick it up with a new approach. This morning, I jotted down a couple of notes. And earlier this evening I saw Comics Should Be Good’s post, Where do you buy your comics?—and […]
- The Flash Companion
I just turned in final drafts for the last of three articles I’m contributing to TwoMorrows’ upcoming book, The Flash Companion by Keith Dallas. The book covers the entire history of the Flash, from Jay Garrick through Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen. It’s full of articles, artwork, and interviews with writers, artists, with […]
- The Ballad of Barry Allen
I just discovered that They’re Everywhere, the album featuring the Flash-themed song, “The Ballad of Barry Allen,” is now available on Amazon’s MP3 store. The band, Jim’s Big Ego, is headed by the nephew of legendary Flash artist Carmine Infantino, who did the cover artwork on the album. And yes, the song’s actually good! It’s […]
- Bart? Keystone? Hmm…
I could not believe I managed to spot these next to each other. I mean, Bart and Keystone? It’s right up there with Flash Transport.
- Not the Flash
Speedster? Check. “World’s fastest man?” Check. Skin-tight costume? Check. Wings on head? Check. Lightning motif? Check. Round insignia on chest? Check. Yellow boots? Check. I first saw this ad for movietickets.com with 3:10 To Yuma a few months ago. He’s trying to impress his date by running and buying the tickets for their movie while […]
- Flash Movie Runs Through Another Director
Well, MTV is reporting (possible spoilers for JLA movie) that David Dobkin has taken over as director of the still-vaporware Flash feature film. Dobkin replaces Shawn Levy, who himself replaced David Goyer. Keeping up? Goyer has long experience with super-heroes, having written or co-written Batman Begins, two of the Blade films and the TV show, […]
- Flashes in the top 50
Last month, Comics Should Be Good ran a fan poll for the top 50 DC characters and top 50 Marvel characters. They’ve been posting the results over the last few weeks, finishing on Friday. The four main Flashes all made it to the top 50, and one even made it to the top 5. #3. Flash: […]
- Speed Force
I just discovered that the domain name speedforce.org was available. I couldn’t pass it up. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. I’ve toyed with the idea of separating out all the Flash stuff from this blog and creating a dedicated comics blog. I’ve also thought about renaming the site, Flash: […]
- Flash vs. the Pirate Torpedo
Arr! Barry Allen may not know how to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day, but he do celebrate Jog Like a Pirate Day! From Showcase #13, it’s “Around the World in 80 Minutes,” a tale of the Flash. (Mostly he runs around the world, helps people out, and gets kissed by women. Aye, it be […]
- Is there demand for more Flash Archives?
Has the Flash exhausted the material for which collectors are willing to pay a premium? Or are there still stories that are worth the effort to reprint?
- Flash Greatest Stories Redux
Today DC Comics released The Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, a collection of classic Flash stories ranging from 1947–1994. Back in February, when they announced the contents, I did a point-by-point comparison of the stories to be included and the stories that appeared in the 1991 book, The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told. When […]
- Flash Sightings at Comic-Con
I saw quite a few Flash T-shirts in San Diego this year, but only two people dressed as the Flash. Interestingly, both were women.
- Who Named Impulse?
Superman, Batman, and Max Mercury have all been cited as giving comic-book speedster Bart Allen the name Impulse. Batman most famously in Impulse #50, and Superman just recently in the previews for next month’s All-Flash #1. But who named him originally? The name first appears on the cover of Flash #93 (August 1994), with an […]
- Flash Foreshadowing
The very first issue of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive starring Bart Allen features the Black Flash and a hint that death may already be stalking the hero.
- Dead Flash Covers
The Flash has a long tradition of appearing dead on the covers of his comics, and most of the time he gets back up again.
- Relaunching the Flash—again
Well, now we know why DC has been infuriatingly vague about what happens in Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #14-15. The answer: Nothing. That’s right, nothing happens in issues #14-15 — because they don’t exist! In an interview with Newsarama, Mark Waid revealed that DC is canceling the current series after #13, and relaunching it […]
- Extinguishing a Speedster’s Smokes
Comic Coverage recently posted a humorous look at the role smoking had in the Golden-Age Flash’s origin. Jay Garrick was working late, took a cigarette break, and knocked over a beaker of “hard water.” Interestingly, later retellings of his origin downplayed and finally deleted the cigarette. First, here are the original 1940 panels from Flash […]
- Comics and the World War II Home Front
Two months ago I picked up a copy of the comic book All-Flash #15 (Summer 1944), published during the thick of World War II. In the bottom margin of each page is a slogan, in rhymed couplet form, on how children could help with the war effort: Bottom Lines on Following Pages Tell What to […]
- Victimized Hero
I didn’t think I had anything to add to the discussion on the infamous Heroes For Hire #13 cover. (Some of those links possibly NSFW.) Something stuck in my mind, though. Typolad suggested that “you would never, ever see Marvel or DC make a cover like this with a male protagonist. Yes, a male hero […]
- Showcasing the Flash
The first volume of Showcase Presents: The Flash came out today, reprinting ~500 pages of Silver-Age Flash stories in black-and-white for cheap. If you’re familiar with Marvel’s Essential line, it’s the same concept. I took a look at it to see what stories were included. (DC’s solicits didn’t say.) As expected, it features the first […]
- Super-hero Weaknesses
If your hero has to have an off-switch, that’s kind of a sign that they’ve been over-powered, isn’t it?
- Flash Smash Crash!
Hmm, I wonder how many newsstands displayed these books next to each other: An explanation: I recently stumbled across a mention of Smash Comics, a series from Quality Comics that ran more or less concurrently with the more familiar Flash Comics. Just for kicks, I searched the Grand Comics Database (which is where I got […]
- Flash: Greatest Stories and Off on a Tangent
DC Comics released their July solicitations today, along with some of the books due in August. They managed to say absolutely nothing informative (or, to be honest, particularly interesting) about Flash #14—just that it’s going to be big. C’mon, show, don’t tell! On the plus side, we now have a cover and a confirmed date […]
- Pro(to)zac
One of the characters I encountered early in my exploration of Golden Age Flash stories was Ebenezer Jones, the Worry Wart. In fact, All-Flash #24 (1946) was one of those first two GA Flash books I bid on just to see if I could win. The story in that book referred to previous meetings. If it […]
- Whoâdâa thunk it? (Uncovering the origin of the Thinker)
After almost 1½ years, my Golden-Age back-issue hunt finally netted a relatively cheap copy of All-Flash #12, the first appearance of the Flash villain, the Thinker. It’s an odd read, because the origin of the Thinker (a mob boss who plans his heists very meticulously) is interwoven with a slapstick story of the Three Dimwits. […]
- Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told?
In 1991, DC released The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told, part of a series of hardcovers collecting classic stories about their signature characters. It was reprinted in softcover a few years later, but both editions have been long out of print. When DC started releasing new “Greatest Stories…” books last year, I figured it was […]
- Smallville Traffic Spike 2.0
After last week’s Smallville episode, “Justice,” featured Cyborg, Aquaman, Green Arrow and the Flash Impulse, there was another spike in traffic to my Flash site and the profile of Bart Allen, Smallville Edition. It jumped up to 1½ times the usual number of visits on the day “Justice” aired, then quickly started trailing off to […]
- Smallville Flash
With Bart Allen returning to Smallville tonight—alongside Cyborg, Green Arrow, and Aquaman—I find myself wondering about the best way to hang onto just a few episodes. Last night I went looking for my tape of “Run,” the first episode in which he appeared, and I couldn’t find it. I have no interest in buying full […]
- The Longest-Running Flash
A post on the Comic Bloc Forums the other day made me think about the question: Which Flash had the longest solo career? It depends on how you measure it. The original Flash, Jay Garrick, has of course been around the longest: 1940–today. He’s got more than 65 years on his successors. But a more […]
- Flash Fraud
Got an interesting phish today. Subject: Error in your billing information From: Keystone Savings Bank. Hmm, Keystone, eh? ð
- Minicon: LA Sci-Fi, Flash and Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo
My second trip to the LA Comic-Con at the Shrine proved far more interesting than my first, with a Teen Titans screening, signings, and some cool discoveries
- 50 Years of the Flash at Comic-Con 2006
Carmine Infantino, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo & Brian Bolland talk about their parts in the history of Barry Allen, Fastest Man Alive.
- When it has to be there in a Flash
A while back I was driving on the freeway and noticed a truck with this logo: OK, so I’m maybe a bit focused on the Flash, but then I started looking at the design. Red as the main color Sans-serif capital italics (just like the longest-running versions of the Flash logo) A lightning bolt that […]
- One-Man Team
Something I’ve noticed as I read through various Golden-Age Flash Comics is a repeated subgenre in which the Flash plays an entire team. “Nine Empty Uniforms” (Flash Comics #90, 1947) is the first one I read, since it was reprinted in an 80-page Giant. The bad guys cause problems for a baseball team, so the […]
- Speedsters, Sorcerers, and Sergio
DC has announced their comics for June, and I’m really looking forward to three books. First, they finally announced a release date for the re-launch of The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive. It was getting to the point where I was in more suspense over when they’d launch it than who was going to be […]
- Twins in the Flash Family
It’s really annoying that the writers and editors on The Flash didn’t see fit to actually tell us the names of Wally and Linda’s children during the final 6 issues of the series. All we know is that one is a boy and the other is a girl. Even more annoying is the fan speculation […]
- Amazonia and the Flash
I’ve been slowly working my way through the Comic Cavalcade Archives. I’m determined to read the whole thing, but I have to take it in small doses. Partly the target audience is much younger than me, partly the storytelling (and art) I’m used to is much different, and of course partly it’s a very different […]
- Early Flash (and Jim Membership)
In the first year and a half of the golden-age Flash Comics, Jay Garrick runs into five of his old college pals – and four of them are named Jim.
- Deadly Nightshade After Closing Time
Comic Cavalcade was an anthology series that ran from 1942 until 1954, publishing super-heroes and other adventures for the first six years. Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern were the headliners. Earlier this year, DC reprinted the first three issues as The Comic Cavalcade Archives, Vol. 1. (At 100 pages per issue, it’s still […]
- Unusual Flash Sighting
I noticed this SUV as I got on the freeway after work. We apparently kept pace with each other, because it was there on the off-ramp as well. It was then that I noticed something red on the back: Yes, a plush Flash doll was jammed into the trailer hitch!
- High-Speed Déjà vu
I’ve never really considered Noble Causes’ Race Noble to be a reference to the Flash beyond sharing the speedster archetype—especially since the Nobles owe a lot to the hero family concept pioneered by the Fantastic Four—but a scene from Noble Causes #6 has me ready to change my mind. The Nobles are both heroes and […]
- An Earlier Identity Crisis
With Identity Crisis just finished, and news breaking about DC Countdown, Crises are in the news in comics right now. That makes this exchange from The Flash 80-Page Giant #1 (1998) all the more interesting. The setup: The DCU version of comic book writer Mark Millar is interviewing the Flash to get ideas for his […]
- The Flash on Film
Well, it’s official. As reported all over the place, David Goyer is signed on to write, direct and produce a Flash movie. This isn’t just a rumor like the Jack Black Green Lantern, this was announced in Variety. Goyer’s got experience with superhero films. He wrote all three Blade movies, and the upcoming Batman Begins. […]
- Identity Crisis Conclusion (spoilers)
I went out at lunch and picked up Identity Crisis #7. Looking back at the series, it was very satisfying dramatically, though of course there were many things happening in it that I didn’t like. Even the revelation of the killer’s ID didn’t feel like a cheat. There was no sense of an Armageddon 2001-style […]
- Super-Spawn: Rogues
While working on my Flash site last night, I noticed something interesting: several of the Flash’s classic Rogues Gallery have children. The Trickster was the first: he discovered he had a 12-year-old son by an ex-girlfriend. (Neither Billy nor his mother has appeared since this story, which was part of 1998’s “New Year’s Evil” event.) […]
- Pinning down Identity Crisis
With the Top‘s history featuring prominently in the current Flash tie-in to Identity Crisis, I realized it’s possible to narrow down just when the flashbacks in IC take place. I’m not very familiar with the satellite-era Justice League, but I have tracked down, read and, yes, catalogued the entire Barry Allen run of The Flash. […]
- Comical Third Parties
Wow… a new issue of Rising Stars! To be honest, it was a bit of a let-down. Usually JMS is better at showing, rather than telling. He’s infamous for laboriously laying groundwork in the B-plots and character moments of what seem like “ordinary” stand-alone stories, then kicking the arc into high gear and making use […]
- Smallville Traffic Leveling Off
I suppose it was too much to hope that the traffic spike from Smallville’s Flash guest spot would translate into a long-term increase, but it seems to have dropped to normal levels after 1½ weeks: Daily traffic for Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning (October 2004) Still, it was a pretty huge spike, and I’m […]
- Smallville Spike
Wow. I expected a spike in traffic after the Flash appeared on last night’s Smallville, but I wasn’t expecting a three-fold increase! It’s all on the Flash site — no sign of spillover onto this blog, for instance — but Bart Allen’s 15 minutes of fame have propelled him to the #3 spot (right after […]
- Iced mochas for the Amazons
I recently rented two of the Justice League DVDs. So far I’ve gotten through the opening 3-parter, “Secret Origins,” and the 2-part “Paradise Lost.” I have no idea how far into the series the second disc is. A scene that stuck in my mind was the newly-formed League looking around their headquarters. As the heroes […]
- Two places at once
Well, I picked up JLA Secret Files 2004 today. Not because I read JLA, or even Justice League Elite (I read the first two issues, but it hasn’t really grabbed me), but because I figured there’d be a good image to scan of the Flash’s alternate costume for JLE. (It’s odd to be using that […]
- Oh. My. Grodd.
While looking at website referrer logs, I came across an article at Radio Heroes detailing Gorilla City (Or, What if Grodd Was One of Us?) The site is all about “reviewing—well, okay, making fun of” a series of audio-drama comic books, and this one tells a tale of Batman in Gorilla City, and how he […]
- Clearly heâs changed his mind
I found this while looking for pictures to scan for some new profiles on my Flash site. It’s very interesting in light of where Hal Jordan has gone since: This is from Flash #276 (1979), right after the Flash’s wife, Iris, has been killed. Barry goes straight to the JLA satellite HQ and asks Superman, […]
- Super-Hero Weddings
Over the past few weeks I’ve been going through the Silver Age Flash series, cataloging character appearances. I’m almost done – only 25 issues left – but it reminded me of something: Why is it that super-hero weddings are almost always interrupted by super-villains – even when the hero’s identity is secret? Is it just […]