Category: Comics

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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 #1 (copied from Comic Coverage), showing grad student Jay Garrick taking time out for a smoke:

Jay Garrick pauses for a smoke

Four decades later, in 1986, Secret Origins #9 would retell his origin. Mindful of the details, but also concerned about modern sensibilities about health, writer Roy Thomas kept the cigarette break, but added Jay thinking, “I know I should give up these things…”

Jay really wants to quit

A decade later, the cigarette had disappeared completely. Flash Secret Files #1 (1997) featured a condensed retelling of all three (at the time) Flashes’ origins, and this time, Jay simply succumbed to the hour and nodded off, dropping the beaker.

Jay falls asleep on the job

(Via Crimson Lightning)

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White LightningA question over at the Comic Bloc Forums reminded me that I hadn’t gotten around to writing a full profile of the Impulse villain, White Lightning. Fortunately I had a full list of appearances already, so I was able to look up the answer to the question, but it felt like being caught totally unprepared. So yesterday I re-read all her appearances, and tonight I wrote up a profile of White Lightning.

Just for fun, I did some searches for her name. Mostly I came up with cars, horses, wax and, of course, booze. And an alpaca. Back to the booze, there was one point at which the character was mistakenly identified as as Moonshine (later explained away as an in-world mix-up, which would have made more sense if she hadn’t been the one calling herself the wrong name!)

Fedora LogoNow the funny thing: the “…in pop culture” section in Wikipedia’s article on Moonshine reminded me that Fedora 7, which just came out last week and which I installed at work a few days ago, is codenamed Moonshine.

The only way the timing could have been more appropriate would be if I’d written the character bio the same day as the Linux release.

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All-Flash 15Two 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 Do While Battle Rages
  • Tin Cans in the Garbage Pile Are Just a Way of Saying “Heil!”
  • Waste Fats in Good Condition Help to Make Fine Ammunition
  • Boys and Girls, Every Day, Can Give War Aid in Many a Way—
  • Every Time You Buy a Stamp, You Feed the Flame in Freedom’s Lamp
  • If You Have an Extra Quarter, Buy a Stamp to Make War Shorter
  • However far soldiers roam, the want to have some mail from home
  • Collect Old Paper, Turn It In—Help Your Uncle Sam to Win
  • You Can Walk to School and Store! Saving Gas Helps Win the War!
  • Boys Are Smart, Girls Are Wise, Black Markets Not to Patronize
  • IF YOU STILL HAVE METAL SCRAP, TURN IT IN TO BEAT THE JAP
  • Turn Out Lights Not in Use —War Production Needs the “Juice”

Case and punctuation are preserved as closely as possible. Continue reading →

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Flash v.1 #193: Captain Cold holds up a photo labeled 'Censored' and says, They wouldn't let me show you what I did to the Flash. Do you dare read this issue and find out for yourself!?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 may be shown in peril, but his face will be defiant. He won’t be shown as submissive.” Lea Hernandez’ remix of the cover alters the expressions to do just that.

Now, I agree—that cover was way past the line, and I can’t imagine DC or Marvel doing the same thing with male characters, especially when you take into account the sleaze factor. But phrases like “never, ever” tend to read like a challenge. Looking just at the defiant/passive stance, I knew I’d seen at least one cover with the Flash beaten to within an inch of his life, unable to put up a fight or even a glare, so I took a trip through the Grand Comics Database’s cover gallery. Continue reading →

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The Heroes season finale was excellent. They did a good job of resolving the main story arc established at the beginning of the season (the bomb threatening New York City), balanced action and characterization, answered some questions while still leaving things open—and set up a really interesting situation for season 2.

It’s also nice to see that they’re keeping the weekly online comics going between seasons—and that they mentioned it during the broadcast. I think that’s a good move for keeping fan interest going until fall. I’m still hoping they’ll collect them in print, though. They could probably put everything concurrent with season 1 into a ~200-page trade paperback and sell it in bookstores. It would be a great companion item to go with the DVD set.

Now for more detailed thoughts on the episode. Spoilers follow: Continue reading →

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Showcase Presents: 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 several years of Barry Allen’s run as the Flash, from the original Showcase appearances starting in 1956 through the beginning of his series in 1959–1961. That includes the first appearances of the Elongated Man (who got his own Showcase Presents book last year) and Wally West as Kid Flash.

There was one surprise: “The Rival Flash,” from Flash Comics #104 (1949). That was the final issue of the Golden-Age series, and the last solo Jay Garrick adventure printed for years. I’d heard that the Showcase Presents books were making use of restoration done for DC’s Archives series, and this tracks: That same story also appeared in The Flash Archives Volume #1.

It also appears as a backup in The Flash #211 (1971), and is listed in the contents for the upcoming Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, tying the origin story in Flash Comics #1 for the most-reprinted Golden-Age Flash story yet.

Full contents:

  • Flash Comics #104 (1949)
  • Showcase #4, 8, 13, 14 (1956–1958)
  • The Flash #105–119 (1959–1961)

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