DC promises Flashpoint rings and buttons… plus a $4 price tag

DC Comics’ next big thing is a massive crossover called Flashpoint consisting of 15 separate character-centric miniseries, a number of one-shots and more that promises to do for the Flash what Sinestro Corps War did for Green Lantern (and not Blackest Night). The herald of the comic book Silver Age, the Flash is an incredibly important character that Johns has a unique handle on. His previous run on the series is legendary and the current monthly series is receiving accolades from critics and fans alike.

Of course, the incentive Flash ring and buttons may not win over many fans who will be struck by price shock at the $4 price tag (especially after DC loudly proclaimed a $3 price tag on all books), but… what can you do? It’s the business…

Cover to Flashpoint #1

Via CBR.com:

Representatives from DC Comics have been rolling out a string of product announcements today as part of the latest meeting held by ComicsPRO (the comics retailer trade organization) in Dallas, TX, and the publisher has capped off the day with word that they’ll continue with their highly publicized and occasionally criticized ring promotional program.

On their The Source blog, DC confirmed that June’s “Flashpoint” #2 will ship with a special edition plastic Flash ring and that they “will also be creating exclusive buttons, featuring the re-imagined superhero logos of ‘Flashpoint.’ So far only nine of the logos have been unveiled, but there will be buttons corresponding to each of the Flashpoint mini series. The buttons will only be available at comic book stores and will not be one of our (many) cool convention giveaways.”

A Flash feature film has been hinted at for quite some time and supposedly Johns has been deeply involved. DC Entertainment is banking on the success of Green Lantern to secure the possibility of future big budget films (with the scarlet speedster a clear contender). Much like Green Lantern, the Flash is a legacy hero with a generation predating the current speedster and extending into the far future. But (again like Green Lantern), the Silver Age Flash Barry Allen is regarded as the best and most prominent of the lot.

A mousy and humble police scientist, Barry Allen became the fastest man alive after being struck by magic lightning, drowning Allen with various chemicals in his crime lab. Imbued with the ability to not only move faster than anyone else, Barry Allen is also capable of perceiving the world around him in a heightened way in which the ordinary world crawls past at a snail’s pace. Facing a bizarre and madcap array of villains from Captain Cold to the Human Top, Heatwave, Gorilla Grodd and more, it has always been Allen’s brilliant solutions using his super speed that have earned him the mantle of superhero. After sacrificing his life so that the universe would live, Barry Allen was succeeded by Wally West (the wise-talking Flash of the Justice League cartoon), but in comics death is more like a revolving door than a final end. Allen made an explosive return in the pages of the inexplicably complex Final Crisis and has taken over the monthly book ever since.

Aside from the aforementioned writer Geoff Johns, one of the major pulls for me regarding the current Flash series (currently collected in ‘The Dastardly Death of the Rogues’) is artist Francis Manupaul. The art in the Flash has always been important, from the dynamic and strange motion lines of Carmine Infantino to the maddening detail-driven art of Scott Kolins. Manapaul spoke to the Canadian Press recently about drawing the scarlet speedster and had this to say:

“I’ve actually been a longtime Flash fan since high school and the very first time I talked to (DC co-publisher Dan DiDio) about working with DC, one of the very first projects that I asked for was The Flash,” said Manupal, who got to draw the character when Johns brought Flash back last year and the new series started.

“It’s better to work with writers that you admire and that you mesh with. The story is ultimately what is important,” Manupal said. “Through our experience working on ‘Adventure Comics,’ the collaboration worked out really well. And when Geoff came back to The Flash, he brought me along with him.”

Manapul’s goal has been to incorporate everything fast about The Flash and the series.

“Just that one word. We wanted to make it fast again,” he said.

(read the entire interview here)

I know that many readers are scratching their heads wondering why I am making such a big deal out of a superhero whose claim to fame is the ability to run fast. I can understand the reluctance to accept the coolness of the Flash, which is why it is fortunate that a hardcover edition of the new series is available today in comic shops, your local book store, library or even online.

Recommended:

The Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told

The Flash of Two Worlds

The Flash Vol. 2: Rogues

The Flash: Rebirth

The Flash, Vol. 1: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues

Will Ms. Marvel feature in the Avengers film?

Star of the hit series Chuck, Yvonne Strahovski, is rumored to be in the running for the role of Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel in the 2012 Avengers movie.

This film is a major gamble for Marvel Entertainment as it will be the culmination of several efforts in the movie arena. Gone are the days of struggling to get a comic book movie into production thanks to the success of Iron Man, Batman and more as big budget feature films. However, no one has ever attempted to knit together several movies into a single ensemble movie based on a similar effort in comics when Stan Lee decided to put all of his top ranking heroes in one book.

The Avengers 2012 movie will star Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Helmsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Sam Jackson as Nick Fury. The script is by Zak Penn and Joss Wheldon (who is also directing).

The Avengers is a massive team in the Marvel Universe. Nearly everyone who has ever worn tights has been a member at one point or another, but Ms. Marvel is a special case. One of the few female super powered heroes, she has starred not only in several versions of the Avengers, but also in two solo series that have enjoyed cult followings.
US Air Force pilot Carol Danvers is every bit tough as she is glamorous. Originally introduced as a supporting character in the Captain Marvel series, Danvers life was changed after she was caught in the explosion of a Kree device. The explosion granted her enhanced strength, endurance, flight and the ability to channel energy. Greatly admiring Mar-Vell, she took on a similar moniker.

Writer Gerry Conway may have created Ms. Marvel, but credit for her unique identity and mannerisms has to go to Chris Claremont who took over writing duties of her solo series early on. Part of a broader editorial decision to introduce strong female heroes such as She-Hulk, Spider-Woman and others, Ms. Marvel was every bit the strong-willed female with a chip on her shoulder, yet she was also a fully developed character in her own right as her series explored relatively sophisticated story lines for the time.

In recent years, Ms. Marvel has become a mixture of eye candy and power house. One of the few ‘full figured’ women in comics, I have high hopes that they will retain her physical stature as well as her persona. Like Wonder Man, the Vision and the Beast, Ms. Marvel is a key component of the Avengers that my generation grew up with and a hero that I closely associate with the comic book superhero team.

There is a very real danger of over-populating the Avengers film but if Ms. Marvel is included, I’m right behind that decision.

Recommended:

Essential Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1

Avengers Visionaries: George Perez

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: Best of the Best

Ms. Marvel - Volume 7: Dark Reign