gorogues:

Man, this plot turned out great.  I’m sure glad we got to see it.

Yeah, the follow-through on all those seeded storylines from Flash: Rebirth and that Secret Files book was just amazing, wasn’t it?

justm3h:

Hunter Zolomon aka Zoom from X meets Y’s Fedora Fic

Intro: A person’s first impression lasts the longest. A first impression establishes a crook’s reputation, and having a good rep—or a bad one, admittedly—is half the fun of villainy.

Which makes the new kid’s sudden appearance a little unnerving. He’s quick, quiet, and sometimes you don’t even notice he’s there until he’s long gone, and the jobs he pulls are just the same. Quiet. And Captain Cold isn’t even sure how long the guy’s been working in this town.

There’s a new player in Central City, and no one knows anything about him.

X asked me to help design Hunter’s Zoom outfit. I was happy too! I think it turned out ok. Not happy with some of it but honestly she deserves any fanart. Her fic is fantastic with a great new look on how simply moving away because of the rising insurance can change pretty much anything and everything. I recommend it to any fan of the Young Justice cartoon as well as some of the Flash fan’s I know follow me. She includes a lot of Rogues ;D

For those of you who have been waiting for pictures of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Professor Zoom, you need not wait any longer. Our very own friendly neighborhood webmaster and Flash historian, Kelson Vibber attended SDCC 2011 and managed to snag an exclusive DC Direct/Graphitti Designs Flashpoint Professor Zoom action figure. Let’s take a closer look:

Eobard Thawne aka Professor Zoom is the chief rival of Barry Allen, The Flash and the central figure behind 2009’s Flash: Rebirth and DC’s latest event, Flashpoint. Thawne was reintroduced to comic readers in Flash: Rebirth as an even more sadistic opposite of The Flash that managed to not only construct and tap into his own negative Speed Force but as a result is also able to alter the past in any way he see’s fit. His machinations eventually lead to the event Flashpoint where Thawne has made the main DC Universe nearly unrecognizable.

It has been reported that Flashpoint artist, Andy Kubert was heavily involved in the art direction and design of these figures, but the final result is the handiwork of seasoned sculptor, Karen Palinko. Karen joined DC Direct exclusively in 2005 and since then has been involved in numerous projects based on the work of superstar artists such as Alex Ross and Andy’s brother, Adam. The partnership of Andy and Karen has created one of the better Flash-type body sculpts released by DC Direct in recent years. In fact the body sculpt looks a lot better than I initially thought it would judging from the pictures. A good looking figure in pictures but a great looking figure in person. Especially when it comes to the head sculpt; Professor Zoom’s sadistic grin is captured here perfectly. I found the yellow eyes to be a bit off putting which is a great thing! Zoom looks genuinely creepy. I can’t wait to match this guy up with Flashpoint Flash which is due to ship next week after some delays.

Professor Zoom had been realized once before in his traditional uniform as a figure based on the art of Ed McGuiness, and sculpted by former DC Direct sculptor, Tim Bruckner. The figure was released in the second wave of Identity Crisis Classics and sports a look that is Eobard Thawne’s classic look with a few details borrowed from Hunter Zolomon’s variation of the suit. The figure looked solid but I’ve made it known on many occasion that I’m not a fan of the overly bulky art style for my speedsters and this one is definitely a representation of that. This new version of Zoom is without a doubt my favorite version thus far, although that could all change when Mattel releases Wave 20 of DC Universe Classics with their own version of Professor Zoom.

Here we have DC Direct Professor Zoom alongside Eaglemoss’ DC Comics Superhero Collection #84 Professor Zoom. The lightning accessory in DC Direct Zoom’s hand is actually from a Justice League Unlimited Flash action figure. It’s a shame that DC Direct didn’t include his lightning rod accessory but since it hasn’t been seen since Flash:Rebirth I can understand it’s absence. The aforementioned DC Universe Classics Professor Zoom will however come with the lightning rod, which is a nice touch, since speedsters traditionally come with nothing at all. DC Direct Professor Zoom did come with a black stand but it lacks any unique Flashpoint characteristics or anything to set it apart. It is just a basic circular black stand.

While putting together this action pic it became extremely apparent just how messed up DC Direct’s scaling is. I couldn’t use my favorite versions of Wally and Barry because they were much shorter than Professor Zoom. Of course it didn’t matter as much with Jay and Bart because Jay is out cold on the ground and Bart is a teenager but I had to go with two versions of Wally and Barry that I’m not too keen on; Justice League of America Series 3 Wally West and Identity Crisis Classics Series 1 Barry Allen. Yes, despite the lack of boot wings and Barry’s old straight across belt this figure is supposed to be Barry Allen. I definitely can’t wait until my Flashpoint Barry arrives. I didn’t realize how much we needed a new Barry (not a redeco of a Wally figure) until I did this picture. Unfortunately with the recent news it looks like we will never be getting a new version of Wally West. At least not in his new costume and as The Flash.

Finally a group picture of all of the Zooms in traditional garb (I left out the Black Flash Zoom). Soon we will have a DC Universe Classics version to add to the collection as well but after that I have to wonder when we will have another opportunity to get a Zoom. With the upcoming reboot and depending on what happens to Professor Zoom after Flashpoint I have to wonder when will we even see him again in the comics after September. Judging by the amount of attention and focus Thawne has gotten in the past couple of years I have to believe that they won’t take too long before reintroducing the antithesis of The Flash but on that same token a little breather would be good for the character.

Was everyone able to get a Professor Zoom? Was it a relatively easy process or did it involve a lot of alternative sources, time and money? Let us know below.

***UPDATE***

Graphittidesigns.com now has Professor Zoom for sale online for 20 dollars. Hurry quick before supplies are exhausted. You can find the figure HERE. Thanks to Wayne Lippa for the tip!

Thanks for reading.

-Devin “Flash” Johnson

Original Article

Whenever I first arrive on the exhibit hall at a new Comic-Con, I find myself at the DC Comics booth. Whether it’s to check out the signing schedule, or the demonstrations, or the displays, or even just see what this year’s decoration theme is. (It’s the New 52 first-issue covers, blown up to about 8 feet tall.)

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We’re back with our look at the “Death of Iris Allen” story from the 1979-1980 issues of Flash!  This issue marks the penultimate chapter of a year’s worth of Flash stories by writer Cary Bates that changed the core of the title and the future of DC Comics’ super-speedster.  Links to research and artwork are included throughout this post.  For previous weeks, click here!

UP TO SPEED:  Flash has been lured into the future with the false hope of discovering his wife’s killer.  Masquerading as Flash in the present, Professor Zoom incarcerates Chief Paulson for his role in the confiscated heroin smuggling operation that has made Barry Allen a moving target.  Zoom also clashes with, and easily defeats, Green Lantern.  On his return trip, Flash materializes onto an exploding Cosmic Treadmill…

COVER: One of my favorite Flash covers, by Editor Ross Andru and Dick Giordano.  The red-on-pink and swath of white are unorthodox and eye-catching.

I also just realized that Tom vs. The Flash had posted panels from these issues w/ commentary, so I’ll be sure to include those going forward.  Here’s this issue’s!

PG 1:  Flash, as his atoms are “dispersed through time” by the explosion of the Treadmill.

PG 2:  As with the finale of issue #280, the cryptic security video footage of Iris’s death, the final panel of issue #281 and last issue’s fruitless venture into the future, the reveal remains out of the reach of both Flash and the reader.  Having “given” Flash the idea of going into the future for information on the past, Zoom is waiting for him to return and “didn’t even bother hiding…”.  This can be seen as a nod to the security video.

PG 3:  Zoom discovers the footage of Iris’s murder, and watches it for himself.  Both Zoom and a caption addressing the reader point out the clues contained in the video, which Flash also mentioned on his return-trip from the 25th Century.  Zoom places himself at the masquerade party where Iris was killed, but this is not much of a shock.  Captain Boomerang mentioned a number of villains attended the event in costume (back in issue #278).  Someone dressed as Zoom does appear throughout the party scenes in issue #275.  In our recent interview, Bates said he could not be “100% sure” but that is was a “good bet” he intended for Zoom to be Iris’s killer from the outset.

Zoom’s “affection” for Iris was longtime Flash fodder.  In Flash #233, Zoom claims it started when he impersonated Barry on their wedding day (Flash #165).  Zoom’s last appearance in Flash before issue #281 was Flash #237, the culmination of Zoom’s attempts on Iris from issue #233.

PG 4:  Zoom’s choice of hideout, a condensed milk factory, drew scrutiny from Flash in issue #281.  Now we see why:  Zoom is using future-science to introduce heroin into the food supply, to “create a nation of junkies to do my bidding”.  This type of mass attack would be echoed in future Flash stories, including the Velocity 9 saga by Mike Baron, and later William Messner-Loebs.

Zoom’s comments here cast his crimes, at least those that target the public, as a type of performance art.  Zoom’s affection for 20th Century crime and criminals goes back to his roots (especially the previously mentioned Flash #186, where he speaks in a gangster affectation), and says of the life of a time-hopping crook, “This is ‘high style’…a dream-come-true!”.

PG 5:  I tried to come up with a better description for this page, but Zoom’s thug says it best: “Hirin’ a plastic surgeon to rebuild some dame into a living replica  of a police scientist’s dead wife?  That’s what I call weird!”

PG 6:  Zoom decides to record a diary of recent events, noting that despite the pain of his memories “a permanent record must be made!”  The veil begins to come back slowly, as Zoom’s monologue mentions conscience, vanity and his “catastrophic excursion into the 20th Century”.  He also notes his removal of the records of “these events” from the historical records of the 25th Century, thus explaining the information missing during Flash’s visit.

This is confusing, as time travel can be, so here’s how I think it works out:  the only reason anyone knows who killed Iris in the 25th Century is that Zoom makes this recording (for reasons we will see).  Its removal from the historical records of the future happens in this story before he makes the recording, but it ends up in the public record sometime after this story.  The confusing point is, Zoom never replaces the information after the point from which he removes it.  He only generates the original record.

This logic ties into a few different, common questions regarding key events in Flash vs. Zoom history (prior to and after this story) some of which were not cleared up until The Return of Barry Allen:

• i.e. Doesn’t Zoom know that Flash killed him, since it happened in the past?

…and some of which are fundamental and key to the characters current arcs in Flash: Rebirth and Flashpoint:

• i.e. Why does Zoom even try to change what is already “history” by the time he is alive?  If he knows enough to pillage historical records just to toy with Flash, he must know of the futility of his own criminal attempts, despite the enjoyment they bring him.

The futility of changing history in DC Comics lore was perhaps most famously established in a story from Superboy #85 (1960), “The Impossible Mission”, where Superboy is unable to prevent the assasination of Abraham Lincoln.  This is obviously no longer the case, given the events of Flash: Rebirth and Flashpoint.

PG 7 - 10:  Zoom recounts his role in the events leading up to Iris’s death.  A day before the masquerade party, he threatened to kill Iris after she laughed off his latest advance.  After wiping the encounter from her memory, he reappeared at the party and re-proposed, to be rebuked again.  The first sure signs of Zoom’s guilt are in his narration: “She gave me her answer all right — and signed her own death warrant at the same time!”

Zoom is revealed as Iris’s killer.

Zoom reveals he dispatched Yorkin through the window at the scene, a self-described “masterful” finishing touch, and left “a whole mansion-full of master party guest suspects for Flash to sift through…”

PG 11:  The powdered-milk/heroin factory is taken down by suspiciously Flash-like vibrations.  Flash then broadcasts his own message to Zoom via the Professor’s recording device, explaining how he escaped the sabotaged Treadmill.

PG 12:  Flash’s complete molecular control is a hallmark of the Barry Allen iteration, and this is arguably the most elaborate application of that power.  See: The Molder saga.  Instead of allowing the treadmill to disperse his molecules throughout time for him, Flash directs them into the future on his own.  Then, he meets up with them down the road.

PG 13:  With Zoom revealed as both the mastermind of the heroin smuggling and Iris’s murderer, the last year-plus of Flash stories come to a head.  Just to make sure we know Zoom is “yellow scum”, Bates has him kick Flash in the back.

PG 15 & 16:  Zoom attempts to escape aboard a time-sphere.

If you’re ever looking for an argument that Barry deliberately snaps Zoom’s neck in Flash #324 (featured in the upcoming Showcase Presents: The Trial of the Flash), this is probably the strongest evidence there is.  Barry drives Zoom’s face into the floor “a few million times”, and longs for his nemesis to receive “the execution you so richly deserve!” from 25th Century authorities.

PG 17:  Flash attempts to re-route the time sphere to the 25th Century, but a fail-safe sends the two hurtling towards the beginning of time “— and beyond!”  Flash leaps into the time stream in a desperate bid to save his own life, leaving Zoom to die…

NEXT ISSUE:  “Run Flash — Run For Your Life!”

Original Article

New, official pic of the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Flashpoint ZOOM figure that we covered last week.