DC Comics And Beyond: Comics Reviews
Written by Wayne Hall on November 19, 2009 – 12:00 pm -As the holiday season approaches, it seems my weekly comics take gets bigger. I’ll have to remember that next year. I took home a healthy dose of reading material, so let’s get to it:
1. The Flash: Rebirth #5 of 6. Geoff Johns continues to intrigue and amaze as he re-defines the Scarlet Speedster for DC Comics. Ethan Van Sciver‘s art pulls me in and makes me feel I’m experiencing what Barry Allen is going through, particularly the third page in the issue. Wow!
In this issue, we find out that Barry Allen was always out of step with the rest of the world, including work, his social life and his family. He often felt alone as a result of this. And that didn’t change when he was struck by lightning and became the Flash. “I didn’t have to be the fastest, I just didn’t want to be the only one,” he reflects.
Again I marvel at the reviving of great characters that creative talents in the past thought wouldn’t and couldn’t make it in the current comics climate. As Johns has proven with Green Lantern, he’s making the Flash someone we can relate to, someone we can sympathize with. All this for the guy who was killed back in Crisis On Infinite Earths because he was “too powerful” and most felt he couldn’t be challenged.
We see the entire “Flash family” enter the fray against the Reverse-Flash, and some changes take place. Johns yet again sorts out mangled continuity like it is easy, and makes things happen I never thought of — but should have. Just check out the new Impulse, for example.
The most important part of this issue was the impact that the Reverse-Flash has had on Barry Allen’s life, even before the put on the red tights. Did Zoom really kill Barry’s mom? Did he cause problems for the young Barry during his growing years and later? Personally, I can’t wait for the next issue to find out!
If you thought the Flash has been passe, consider Hal Jordan’s revival. Anyone who can turn Barry Allen into a CSi gets my support!
2. Drone #1 of 4. Let me get to my problem with this book right away — if you read the Surrogates comics or saw the movie, the basic premise of this book is going to sound awfully familiar. That said, it still is a well-told story with an interesting twist or two.
Here’s the basic premise of the book:
“In the near future, the U.S. transforms modern warfare by testing lethal remotely controlled robotic drones on the front lines. They are powerful, lethal, and effective. To the world’s superpowers, the technology is something to be coveted and stolen. To a group of state-side fun-loving hackers, it is the ultimate video game. But when enemy rebels capture a group of drones and lock out their military controllers, the illicit gamers may be the only hope for the surviving technician.”
I like the art by Randy Kintz, particularly when the hackers Mark, David, and Phil are looking through the eyes of the robots. I also enjoy Scott Chitwood‘s story and characterizations. It’s very inspiring when the guys see the robots and their users get ambushed, and many of them are killed. They decide to take matters into their own hands and use their backdoor connection to the robots to help a lady tech as she faces the barrel of a gun.
My favorite line in the issue comes from David: “I’m so going to prison for this!”
I have my quibbles with the basic premise, but it is done well enough for me to keep reading. Oh, and I also like a lot of other product Red 5 Comics puts out, including Atomic Robo, which also bears some resemblance to this premise as well. Hmmmm … .
Also out this week from DC Comics are The Justice Society of America 80-Page Giant #1 and Supergirl #47; Invincible #68 from Image; Irredeemable #8 from Boom!; and Kookaburra K #1 of 3 from Marvel/Soleil.
The Blackest Night event continues unabated at DC Comics. This week, I added two more power rings to my collection — the Star Sapphire ring and the Blue Lantern ring. Three books tied into the Blackest Night hit the stands: Superman/Batman #66 (in which the title characters don’t appear anywhere in the book), Adventure Comics #4, and Outsiders #24. Again, I heartily recommend Blackest Night!
As always, don’t miss this Sunday’s SciFiPulse Radio on blogtalkradio.com. While host Ian Cullen is at a comic book convention (the lucky guy), I’ll be performing hosting duties. I’ll talk more about comics and play an interview Ian conducted with Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Don’t miss it!
Related posts:
- DC Comics And Beyond: Comics Review
- ‘Blackest Night’ Shines Brightly For DC Comics
- ‘Its All In The Characters’ Says Geoff Johns
- DC Comics And Beyond: Comics Reviews
- DC Comics And Beyond: Comics Reviews
Tags: Barry Allen, Darkest Night, DC Comics, Drone, Ethan Van Sciver, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Red 5 Comics, The Flash
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