tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-314320792024-03-13T07:28:39.370-04:00Crimson LightningFollowing the Flash, the fastest man alive!Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.comBlogger649125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-49193964793675258382010-07-04T08:01:00.001-04:002010-07-04T08:01:00.517-04:00Independence Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TC993nO1ehI/AAAAAAAABQ0/oro3iSGF7aw/s1600/JLA8374.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TC993nO1ehI/AAAAAAAABQ0/oro3iSGF7aw/s400/JLA8374.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489744865165408786" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-41245473953056373762010-06-21T16:47:00.003-04:002023-08-11T20:56:40.738-04:00Flash Facts: Galactic Dispersal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV4F2OdNDr1dgLiNpMbHkhJVIYOTNRiok6UsHmwi7B5ZH4lzoVB18ijR279-6N8OckH3FEk_KRCsKC1CjXIbSOuLAa9zG5V89qWdEiGCr5--P0YOVULstgY-0CyEMqomTXSVd2Bu2UrDqhjlW7vU3C5P1qORLOrlptAjEy7bdFAy0rWgIIit4/s498/SvF-56A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV4F2OdNDr1dgLiNpMbHkhJVIYOTNRiok6UsHmwi7B5ZH4lzoVB18ijR279-6N8OckH3FEk_KRCsKC1CjXIbSOuLAa9zG5V89qWdEiGCr5--P0YOVULstgY-0CyEMqomTXSVd2Bu2UrDqhjlW7vU3C5P1qORLOrlptAjEy7bdFAy0rWgIIit4/w161-h200/SvF-56A.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Every galaxy in the universe is rushing away from our own Milky Way Galaxy--with the speed of recession increasing in proportion to the distance from us. The most distant galaxies are racing away at fantastic 60,000-miles-a-second speeds."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #ffcc00; font-weight: bold;">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Superman vs. The Flash</span> (1976)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-62379946742525310812010-06-18T10:16:00.001-04:002010-06-18T10:16:50.642-04:00Classic Covers: Flash Comics #54<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt_wXQGXfI/AAAAAAAABQk/bjORO7ZxmQo/s1600/FC054.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt_wXQGXfI/AAAAAAAABQk/bjORO7ZxmQo/s400/FC054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484117440105700850" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-62608011086836655912010-06-17T23:59:00.000-04:002010-06-18T10:10:04.278-04:00Ad Run: The Flash #173 (1967)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt-HilIJuI/AAAAAAAABQc/tdcfAcGAz1Q/s1600/FLSH173%281967%29.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt-HilIJuI/AAAAAAAABQc/tdcfAcGAz1Q/s400/FLSH173%281967%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484115639260423906" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-37797517761399433012010-06-16T23:59:00.003-04:002010-06-18T09:51:34.183-04:00Onomatopoeia: CRASH!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt1pVdoE8I/AAAAAAAABQU/0GJbRoICaag/s1600/CC009-77.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBt1pVdoE8I/AAAAAAAABQU/0GJbRoICaag/s400/CC009-77.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484106324250203074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">CRASH!:</span> It's common these days to regard Modern Age comics as more intensely violent or senselessly extreme than their esteemed predecessors, and not without cause. Anyone who thinks that modern superhero stories were the first to revel in violent imagery, however, clearly hasn't taken the time to familiarize themselves with the Golden Age adventures of Jay Garrick! Yes, the man we now regard as the elder statesman of speedsters was once a cruel, rambunctious, hotheaded bully. I offer this jaw-dropping scene--punctuated by a CRASH! and a YEEEEEOW!--as Exhibit A. Look how he delights in each imaginatively mean-spirited attack. That's not to say that these low-life crooks didn't deserve a bit of rough treatment but classic comics reveal how dramatically the tone of our action and our comedy have changed over the passing decades, and thankfully so has the original scarlet speedster!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Comic Cavalcade</span> #9 (Winter 1994)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-85996289193385034732010-06-15T18:42:00.000-04:002010-06-16T19:03:33.291-04:00Upcoming: The Flash #6"The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues!," the first story arc of the scarlet speedster's latest series,<span> concludes with <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash </span>#6, due in late September. And, as comic fans everywhere have noted, DC is continuing to do their very best to hype the mysterious <span style="font-style: italic;">Flashpoint</span>. What might this potential big-time crossover event entail? Time, and future promotions, will tell. Visit DC Comics's <a href="http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/06/14/a-look-at-brightest-day-in-september/">The Source</a> for a look at this and other <span style="font-style: italic;">Brightest Day</span> issues--All-new Aqualad! Martian Manhunter! Deadman! The Justice League!--coming this fall.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Francis Manapul; Variant cover by Ale Garza & Sandra Hope. </span>Brightest Day<span style="font-style: italic;"> dashes on with the stunning conclusion of “The Dastardly Deaths of the Rogues!” With Barry caught between the Rogues and the Renegades, the resurrected Captain Boomerang’s role in the adventure is revealed! You won’t believe how this leads to the upcoming </span>Flashpoint<span style="font-style: italic;">. On sale September 22, 2010. 32 pg. FC. $2.99 US.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBlUQqbiCzI/AAAAAAAABQM/-0dzrLSbWt8/s1600/FLSH4006.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBlUQqbiCzI/AAAAAAAABQM/-0dzrLSbWt8/s400/FLSH4006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483506666544696114" border="0" /></a></span>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-72412533353535906072010-06-14T17:17:00.001-04:002010-06-14T17:21:34.542-04:00Flash Facts: Gaseous Envelopes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBadUQzUoPI/AAAAAAAABQE/cQHJGrGEEsQ/s1600/FLSH128-12C.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBadUQzUoPI/AAAAAAAABQE/cQHJGrGEEsQ/s200/FLSH128-12C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482742567803330802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Recent experiments indicate that a gaseous envelope (such as the one shown below around a torpedo) can double the speed of underwater missiles. The vapor envelope eliminates much of the skin-friction drag of a hydrodynamic body."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #128 (May 1962)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-73573072330553738422010-06-11T23:59:00.000-04:002010-06-12T13:52:30.778-04:00Classic Covers: Impulse #12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBPJREzZXSI/AAAAAAAABP8/0F1A8uF21b4/s1600/IMP012.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBPJREzZXSI/AAAAAAAABP8/0F1A8uF21b4/s400/IMP012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481946466624298274" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-31785860566534367052010-06-10T23:59:00.000-04:002023-08-11T21:01:41.505-04:00Ad Run: Flash Comics #50 (1944)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkJj-NEv0kzxG82pNO2OhzjXvir9bE6FfEHSIB8qv98NvvtqKAd2BzfJWZ5HXAFqnkchNWYQMZS31i_tPPmXsHs01uqxzCXz8rXehgbZ4EgE9t4CfuhgN4JoB4hFN1pjrz0fG2_ntQo5sitQNc6mwUiikJlxpnJo2_0kpzhy9JzkI3fZkzSKX/s674/FC050(1944).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkJj-NEv0kzxG82pNO2OhzjXvir9bE6FfEHSIB8qv98NvvtqKAd2BzfJWZ5HXAFqnkchNWYQMZS31i_tPPmXsHs01uqxzCXz8rXehgbZ4EgE9t4CfuhgN4JoB4hFN1pjrz0fG2_ntQo5sitQNc6mwUiikJlxpnJo2_0kpzhy9JzkI3fZkzSKX/w296-h400/FC050(1944).jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><br />Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-90947211501876635922010-06-09T23:59:00.000-04:002010-06-12T13:40:59.629-04:00Busy Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBPGiyxGjNI/AAAAAAAABPs/09GaQiIldJM/s1600/FLSH2158-02A.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 338px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBPGiyxGjNI/AAAAAAAABPs/09GaQiIldJM/s400/FLSH2158-02A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481943472485600466" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-65543465196184675432010-06-08T23:59:00.001-04:002010-06-12T12:36:31.466-04:00Rogue Spotlight: Abra KadabraWith Memorial Day behind us, it's time for everyone's favorite sixty-fourth century sorcerer to take a bow. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Crimson Lightning</span>'s <a href="http://thefastestmanalive.blogspot.com/2010/05/rogue-spotlight-abra-kadabra.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rogue Spotlight</span></a> dedicated to the unforgettable, the irrepressible Abra Kadabra is at an end. (And, hocus pocus, it looks as if that wicked magician has made the last week of blog entries... <span style="font-style: italic;">disappear!</span>) Gone is the oddly disturbing parade of puppet imagery. Gone is the seemingly endless presentation of sadistic magic tricks. The Flash has defeated his spellbinding foe time and again, and now the fastest man alive will reclaim our regular blog features as summertime begins.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBOtUtdP97I/AAAAAAAABPc/o38mcw_Y6b8/s1600/FLSH2094-21.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBOtUtdP97I/AAAAAAAABPc/o38mcw_Y6b8/s400/FLSH2094-21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481915742751291314" border="0" /></a><br />Abra Kadabra has always been obsessed with applause, craving acclaim and endless attention from the very men and women he ultimately victimizes. The vainglorious villain's peak in popularity, no doubt, was attained during the aforementioned Mark Waid era, in which he served as a recurring arch-nemesis for Wally West. For those looking for a thrilling first-time encounter with Kadabra, reach for a copy of <a href="http://www.fourthhorsemanpress.com/Flash/iss067.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> (v.2) #67</a>, or immerse yourself in the convoluted but mesmerizing <a href="http://www.fourthhorsemanpress.com/Flash/iss152.htm">"Dark Flash Saga."</a> (Beyond the works of Mark Waid, <span style="font-style: italic;">DC First: Superman/Flash</span>, by Geoff Johns and Rick Burchett, provides and even more accessible introduction to the character.) Never was this singular supervillain more demented, more dangerous, more wonderfully engaging.<br /><br />Kadabra is as charismatic as he is insane and it's clear he'll remain a mainstay of our hero's illustrious Rogues Gallery far into the future. Blink and you'll miss his fleeting off-screen appearances in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash: Rebirth</span>, but that shadowy back-stage puppetry is nonetheless truly foreboding. No one spins a myth-arc like Geoff Johns, and a decisive conflict involving the mad magician speedily approaches. Johns has made it clear that he regards the Flash as a superhero who is integrally associated with time, and a clash between the crimson comet's time-traveling foes seems a tantalizing inevitability. We haven't seen the last of Abra Kadabra...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBOtpO2SGeI/AAAAAAAABPk/0mhxdKpQPBo/s1600/FLSH3007-00.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TBOtpO2SGeI/AAAAAAAABPk/0mhxdKpQPBo/s400/FLSH3007-00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481916095312042466" border="0" /></a><br />I chose to transform <span style="font-weight: bold;">Crimson Lightning</span> for the month of May, dedicating most of our regular features to my personal favorite of the Flash's Rogues, to pick up the pace a little, so to speak, to change things up. And, after a month of amusing ourselves with panels and pages from Abra Kadabra's memorable appearances throughout the years, it seems as if our first <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rogue Spotlight</span> was a success. Considering the size, diversity, and sheer success of the crimson comet's all-but unrivaled Rogues Gallery, it's only natural that the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rogue Spotlight</span> be adopted as a regular feature. Don't be surprised if you see another infamous supervillain taking over the blog someday soon. <br /><br />The question is, which of the Rogues should seize the spotlight next?Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-76697307346547479982010-05-31T19:38:00.005-04:002010-05-31T20:17:02.860-04:00Flash Facts: Hypersonic Speed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TARJQlClaxI/AAAAAAAABPM/nq4hbuh-4Rs/s1600/FLSH124-27B.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 76px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TARJQlClaxI/AAAAAAAABPM/nq4hbuh-4Rs/s200/FLSH124-27B.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477583595959053074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"When an object travels at a speed greater than Mach 5, it is said to move at hypersonic speed."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Editor's Note:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Mach is a unit of speed measurement for an object moving through a medium, equal to the speed of sound in the same medium--760 mi/hr at sea level."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #124 (November 1961)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-61491724216137215792010-05-28T11:30:00.000-04:002010-05-31T10:23:12.419-04:00Classic Covers: The Flash (v.2) #23<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TAKEqCfxTkI/AAAAAAAABPE/lOEidB02mJI/s1600/FLSH2023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TAKEqCfxTkI/AAAAAAAABPE/lOEidB02mJI/s400/FLSH2023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477085954595442242" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-66759967344799419122010-05-27T23:59:00.004-04:002010-05-30T11:56:18.257-04:00Fast Talk: Radioactive M-Metal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TAJ-Y-GDziI/AAAAAAAABO8/I5M4TmYQlTE/s1600/FLSH128-03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/TAJ-Y-GDziI/AAAAAAAABO8/I5M4TmYQlTE/s400/FLSH128-03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477079064286318114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Radioactive M-Metal:</span> We couldn't wrap-up our month-long tribute to the supervillain Abra Kadabra without resurrecting the old <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fast Talk</span> feature, for though the character is built from a concept that cleverly allows for the conflation of science and magic, even Kadabra's Silver Age origin is utterly dependent upon senseless scientific technobabble. Desperate to escape the year 6363 A.D. and its society's obsession with scientific achievement, the mad magician Abra Kadabra decides to seize control of a groundbreaking experiment in time travel. The means to traverse centuries is granted by a jury-rigged two-part apparatus: a "time-vehicle" driven through a corresponding portal by the "propulsive force" granted by "radioactive M-metal," a mysterious element harvested from a fallen meteorite. (What happens when you create an alloy of M-metal and Nth metal? Presumably, it would allow you to fly through time whilst knocking out any ghosts or monsters encountered along the way!) If this explanation sounds a little too convenient, it's because it is. Given the questionable terminology spouted by these so-called scientists--who, we are told in a wonderfully over-descriptive narrative, spend their days working in "a building dedicated to science"--it's a miracle that Kadabra survived his trip through time! This, of course, is just one of countless science fiction stories that utilize the broad, widely-misunderstood label "radiation" as a storytelling shortcut. (Kadabra should dose-up on some <a href="http://thefastestmanalive.blogspot.com/2008/12/fast-talk-neo-magnetic-radiation.html">neo-magnetic radiation</a> while he's at it!) Is it at all conceivable that any form of radiation could provide what is being described here as a propulsive force, let alone propel one through time? Can you imagine what the Periodic Table must look like in the DC Universe?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #128 (May 1962)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-73319501936777738442010-05-26T17:58:00.005-04:002010-05-30T10:43:49.075-04:00Onomatopoeia: KRRT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_2eybmZO5I/AAAAAAAABO0/D4xq-OlctRA/s1600/FLSH2090-13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_2eybmZO5I/AAAAAAAABO0/D4xq-OlctRA/s400/FLSH2090-13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475707311191833490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">KRRT:</span> Though the mustache-twirling Abra Kadabra might appear at first glance to be a mere comic caricature, this fugitive from the future is easily the match for some of the DC Universe's darkest villains. Beneath that showman's smile, behind tricks designed to dazzle and distract, seethes a twisted and terrifying psyche. In the hands of Abra Kadabra, even the most childish of magic tricks is made unforgettably macabre. Never was this more true than in tales such as "On the Run" by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, one of a chain of stories during which Kadabra took a starring role among Wally West's recurring arch-enemies. Infuriated by repeated defeats, obssessed by the desire to reclaim perceived past glories, the perverse prestidigitator makes his sentiments and intentions clear to a captive Flash by adding grisly punctuation to that old, familiar sleight-of-hand involving a rabbit and a top hat. (Kadabra's diatribe, finishing with a slight but nonetheless sickening sound effect, is presented here in full for its full effect.) What happens to that poor little bunny is better left unspecified--indeed, it cannot even be illustrated! Suffice it to say, this is certainly the most troubling--and, perhaps, dramatically effective--of the onomatopoeia we've seen thus far. Abra Kadabra's is an ego to be reckoned with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> (v.2) #90 (May 1994)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-2693048870752685512010-05-25T23:59:00.000-04:002010-05-26T17:38:59.255-04:00Amazing World of Puzzles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_2UywZG-qI/AAAAAAAABOs/6wzrs5kdRvo/s1600/AWOP000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_2UywZG-qI/AAAAAAAABOs/6wzrs5kdRvo/s400/AWOP000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475696321656978082" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-64444638982481909092010-05-24T23:21:00.002-04:002010-05-24T23:24:01.792-04:00Flash Facts: Swordfish and Sailfish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_tCw7DlaBI/AAAAAAAABOk/f8Xq5OlwtTw/s1600/FLSH156-27C.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_tCw7DlaBI/AAAAAAAABOk/f8Xq5OlwtTw/s200/FLSH156-27C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475043180252850194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Sharing the honors of the fastest fish are the swordfish and sailfish, which skim through water with 68 miles-per-hour speeds."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #156 (November 1965)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-10363465848663895182010-05-21T21:41:00.002-04:002010-05-21T21:43:06.402-04:00Classic Covers: The Flash (v.2) #158<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_c2gJwkliI/AAAAAAAABOc/bykZn7OXADY/s1600/FLSH2158.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_c2gJwkliI/AAAAAAAABOc/bykZn7OXADY/s400/FLSH2158.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473903798095484450" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-85932124691014990532010-05-20T23:59:00.000-04:002010-05-21T18:58:28.863-04:00Ad Run: The Flash (2007)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_cPwtcD3JI/AAAAAAAABOU/ILf3hEKF-bw/s1600/FLSHv3+%28May+2007%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_cPwtcD3JI/AAAAAAAABOU/ILf3hEKF-bw/s400/FLSHv3+%28May+2007%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473861201597553810" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-78819043144336819862010-05-19T11:59:00.001-04:002010-05-20T23:33:45.966-04:00Onomatopoeia: THWOK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Xwf8CfCsI/AAAAAAAABOM/najUn8rotG8/s1600/FLSH182-13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Xwf8CfCsI/AAAAAAAABOM/najUn8rotG8/s400/FLSH182-13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473545353621867202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">THWOK:</span> It's hard to believe that a technological magician possessing almost limitless power could be defeated with a simple left-hook to the jaw and yet, time and again, this is how the sultan of speed is able to topple his futuristic foe. With a swift blow--represented here but briefly by one of the myriad onomatopoeia variations used to represent hard-hitting punches--Abra Kadabra and his bag of dirty magic tricks are rendered inert. Of course, what makes the Flash such an exceptional superhero is the fact that he cares enough to speedily catch and cradle his nemesis following that blow, sparing Kadabra from an otherwise nasty fall. Again I ask you, is there a more kindhearted hero than Barry Allen?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #182 (September 1968)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-29861970396730807402010-05-18T19:41:00.005-04:002010-05-18T19:57:43.143-04:00Upcoming: The Flash #5DC Comics has announced its upcoming issues for the month of August, including our first glimpse at <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #5. "The Dastardly Death of the Rogues!" continues as the fastest man alive witnesses the start of an all-new Rogue War pitting the Rogues against the Renegades. The issue's summary is filled with tie-in teases, too, so expect the lingering effects of <span style="font-style: italic;">Blackest Night</span> to be felt by the scarlet speedster's resurrected foes. Visit <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dc-august-2010-solicitations-100517.html">Newsarama</a> for a complete listing of books and products available from DC this August, or visit DC's <a href="http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/05/14/brightest-day-solicits-for-august/">The Source</a> for a sneak peek--finally, a male Star Sapphire!--at the <span style="font-style: italic;">Brightest Day</span> crossover tie-ins.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Francis </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Manapul; Variant cover by Ryan Sook, Fernando Pasarin & Joel Gomez. </span>Brightest Day<span style="font-style: italic;"> continues with a shocking connection to the White Light as Captain Boomerang and the Reverse-Flash experience a bizarre event that ties them together. Meanwhile, it’s the Rogues vs. the Renegades with the Flash caught in the middle! On sale August 18, 2010. 32 pg. FC. $2.99 US.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Mn4efrOYI/AAAAAAAABOE/uzZ_aa6Rqng/s1600/FLSH4005a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Mn4efrOYI/AAAAAAAABOE/uzZ_aa6Rqng/s400/FLSH4005a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472761823397362050" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-29604600699975208292010-05-17T20:34:00.003-04:002010-05-17T20:38:49.023-04:00Flash Facts: Vertical Sprint<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Hhifay1yI/AAAAAAAABN8/dNqJaBO6fJQ/s1600/SvF-57A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S_Hhifay1yI/AAAAAAAABN8/dNqJaBO6fJQ/s200/SvF-57A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472403004897548066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"While running the 100 yard dash, a sprinter does sufficient work to theoretically lift himself 240-270 feet into the air."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Superman vs. The Flash</span> (1976)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-79128539763439583382010-05-14T21:17:00.002-04:002010-05-14T21:19:03.205-04:00Classic Covers: The Flash (v.2) #67<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S-32ZSzIKGI/AAAAAAAABN0/OIKNzilgnFc/s1600/ish067.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 392px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S-32ZSzIKGI/AAAAAAAABN0/OIKNzilgnFc/s400/ish067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471300036728465506" border="0" /></a>Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-42338787875399678382010-05-13T23:59:00.005-04:002010-05-14T14:02:14.345-04:00Sight and Sound: "Chill of the Night!"<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MUf1UK4nvqk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MUf1UK4nvqk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">"Chill of the Night!,"</span> an outstanding installment of <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman: The Brave and the Bold</span>, premiered 9 April 2010 on Cartoon Network. The episode was written by the legendary Paul Dini, directed by Michael Chang, and features Diedrich Bader as Batman, Jennifer Hale as Zatanna, and Jeff Bennett as Abra Kadabra. This animated series provides endless fun, rarely if ever disappoints, and, even with all that being said, "Chill of the Night!" represents its most stunning story to date. Shadowed by the opposing influences of the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger, the caped crusader is forced to choose between justice and vengeance as he follows a trail of clues that may lead him to solve the murder of his parents. In addition to the voice actors listed above, the episode guest stars Adam West, Julie Newmar, Kevin Conroy, <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Mark Hamill! As an added bonus, the story features a brief appearance from one of the Flash's renowned Rogues. In the traditional teaser sequence, Batman takes on Abra Kadabra after teaming-up, appropriately enough, with Zatanna. Given Dini's well-known love for the Zatanna, it's clear that in this instance Abra Kadabra was chosen as an appropriate counterpart for the sorceress superhero, not vice versa. Nevertheless, a multitude of Kadabra's familiar tricks from various classic comic appearances are on display as the magicians duel it out at a Gotham City museum. Perhaps next time Batman will let the scarlet speedster himself join in the action!Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432079.post-52187078924494616502010-05-12T23:59:00.001-04:002010-05-13T17:49:22.468-04:00Onomatopoeia: HA HA HA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S-xrP6GZzdI/AAAAAAAABNs/VREC3bQkxeQ/s1600/FLSH2032-18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KI0FIJfML_8/S-xrP6GZzdI/AAAAAAAABNs/VREC3bQkxeQ/s400/FLSH2032-18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470865568386633170" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">HA HA HA:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"Feel the strings... Feel the joints... Feel the wood... Feel the points..."</span> With a sudden sparkle, Abra Kadabra performs what may be his favorite magic trick of all, transforming the ill-fated Chester "Chunk" Runk into a bulbous wooden marionette bound by string and rhyming incantation to the demented puppeteer's will. (Puppets, of course, have been associated with the villain ever since the publication of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> #133, featuring one of the Silver Age's most memorable <a href="http://thefastestmanalive.blogspot.com/2007/04/classic-covers-flash-133.html">classic covers</a>.) Kadabra's so delighted by this trick, in fact, that the air is soon filled with the sinister onomatopoeia we most associate with the comic book supervillain. From an early age we're taught that these joined letters--"HA!"--equate to the sound of human laughter. The onomatopoeia is so ingrained in our consciousness, in fact, that we sometimes utter the word itself in place of actual laughter! None wield it quite so well as the supervillain, however. Where would the likes of the Joker, Sinestro, or Black Manta be without it? In this instance, Abra Kadabra seems only too happy to demonstrate. Is it any wonder Wally West fears for his sanity?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 0);">Issue:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The Flash</span> (v.2) #23 (February 1989)Dixonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11851711774731301585noreply@blogger.com3