Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "flash"
Comic Book Reviews: Mr. T and the T Force, Star Trek, Batman '66, Green Hornet, Iron Man
Mr. T and the T Force #6
Issue 6 wraps up the storylines from Issue 5 nicely and with a little more action. It's not as good as the first four issues, but this one has positive messages and just enough of Mr. T to keep it interesting.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Star Trek Gold Key #36:
Star Trek Gold Key comics were notorious for being nothing like the TV show and could also be kind of repetitive with them facing one generic alien menace after another with early issues even messing up the uniforms.
However, this particular was actually a very pleasant surprise as we get a very pleasant break in this pattern as a scientist has traveled back in time to disrupt history but they don't know whether it was to 1855 or 1955. Mr. Scott goes to 1855 and Kirk heads to 1955. The story is a lot fun particularly the part where Kirk thinks he landed in the wrong time and the wrong country. This book actually feels like it could have been on the original series. It's a fun story that captures what people really love about Star Trek.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Batman'66 Meets Green Hornet #4:
This comic moves along and does what it has to do: Our two villains are interacting, while the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet and Kato are converging on the villains
There's not a whole lot special about this but 2/3 of the way through we have somewhat average story. Not a whole lot bad, but not a whole lot really good has happened so far. The only real bad dialogue is the part where Batman has to explain to Robin what a philatelist is. (No way that Robin doesn't know that.) On the positive side, the book does conclude with a decent cliffhanger and I'm hopeful that the last two issues will redeem the time I've spent reading this series.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Iron Man, Vol. 1, Issue 55:
This is a landmark book drawn and co-written by Jim Starlin which introduces the villain Thanos as well as Drax the Destroyer. In many ways, the story seems somewhat out of nowhere, but with all the changes happening on Iron Man at the time, that's kind of par for the course. But as an issue, it's well written and fun, and introduces a character who would be key at Marvel for decades to come.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Flash #23:
Like in many modern comics, the story is kind of slow and not a whole lot happens although we do have a great reveal of who the Reverse Flash is as well as an idea of what he's aiming for. By rights, we should also have a resolution. However, this is dragged out to Issue 24 due to only 17 pages of story, much of which is taken up by Barry Allen's girlfriend Patti who seems to be more worried that he might miss her parents 30th Anniversary party than that he might get killed by a supervillain who has already murdered several other people with Speed Force powers. Ah, priorities. Got to love them.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Mr. T and the T Force #7:
Mr. T continues his one man crusade against crime. (Though this was supposed to be a group book, I don't miss the lack of T force) as Mr. T goes after a gang of jewel thieves and he suspects someone he knows is involved. As usual, there's a few corny bits but the story works pretty well with a lot more action than seen in the prior storyline. It's a cliffhanger with a decent set up even if it's a little silly (though with a serious message.) We'll see how they wrap it up in Issue 8.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
World's Finest #7:
This book continues on from Issue 6 and finds Huntress and Damian Wayne teamed up on the trail of whoever's been stealing money from Bruce Wayne (other than of course the Huntress who is the daughter of Earth's 2 Bruce Wayne) while Karen investigates a related issue in Africa.
To be honest, I'd been losing interest in this series, but this book was really fun and renewed my interest. Both parts of the story were well-told and Paul Levitz did a great job building mystery, so I'll definitely be back for issue 8.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Issue 6 wraps up the storylines from Issue 5 nicely and with a little more action. It's not as good as the first four issues, but this one has positive messages and just enough of Mr. T to keep it interesting.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Star Trek Gold Key #36:
Star Trek Gold Key comics were notorious for being nothing like the TV show and could also be kind of repetitive with them facing one generic alien menace after another with early issues even messing up the uniforms.
However, this particular was actually a very pleasant surprise as we get a very pleasant break in this pattern as a scientist has traveled back in time to disrupt history but they don't know whether it was to 1855 or 1955. Mr. Scott goes to 1855 and Kirk heads to 1955. The story is a lot fun particularly the part where Kirk thinks he landed in the wrong time and the wrong country. This book actually feels like it could have been on the original series. It's a fun story that captures what people really love about Star Trek.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
Batman'66 Meets Green Hornet #4:
This comic moves along and does what it has to do: Our two villains are interacting, while the Dynamic Duo and the Green Hornet and Kato are converging on the villains
There's not a whole lot special about this but 2/3 of the way through we have somewhat average story. Not a whole lot bad, but not a whole lot really good has happened so far. The only real bad dialogue is the part where Batman has to explain to Robin what a philatelist is. (No way that Robin doesn't know that.) On the positive side, the book does conclude with a decent cliffhanger and I'm hopeful that the last two issues will redeem the time I've spent reading this series.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Iron Man, Vol. 1, Issue 55:
This is a landmark book drawn and co-written by Jim Starlin which introduces the villain Thanos as well as Drax the Destroyer. In many ways, the story seems somewhat out of nowhere, but with all the changes happening on Iron Man at the time, that's kind of par for the course. But as an issue, it's well written and fun, and introduces a character who would be key at Marvel for decades to come.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
Flash #23:
Like in many modern comics, the story is kind of slow and not a whole lot happens although we do have a great reveal of who the Reverse Flash is as well as an idea of what he's aiming for. By rights, we should also have a resolution. However, this is dragged out to Issue 24 due to only 17 pages of story, much of which is taken up by Barry Allen's girlfriend Patti who seems to be more worried that he might miss her parents 30th Anniversary party than that he might get killed by a supervillain who has already murdered several other people with Speed Force powers. Ah, priorities. Got to love them.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5.0
Mr. T and the T Force #7:
Mr. T continues his one man crusade against crime. (Though this was supposed to be a group book, I don't miss the lack of T force) as Mr. T goes after a gang of jewel thieves and he suspects someone he knows is involved. As usual, there's a few corny bits but the story works pretty well with a lot more action than seen in the prior storyline. It's a cliffhanger with a decent set up even if it's a little silly (though with a serious message.) We'll see how they wrap it up in Issue 8.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0
World's Finest #7:
This book continues on from Issue 6 and finds Huntress and Damian Wayne teamed up on the trail of whoever's been stealing money from Bruce Wayne (other than of course the Huntress who is the daughter of Earth's 2 Bruce Wayne) while Karen investigates a related issue in Africa.
To be honest, I'd been losing interest in this series, but this book was really fun and renewed my interest. Both parts of the story were well-told and Paul Levitz did a great job building mystery, so I'll definitely be back for issue 8.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0
When Characters Collide (Thoughts on Flash, Arrow Crossover)
This week, what happens several times a month in comics happened on television as the Flash and Arrow met up for two crossover episodes in the "Flash vs. Arrow" and "Brave and the Bold." Some spoilers may follow.
In "Flash v. Arrow" Oliver Queen comes to Central City as the Arrow in search of a criminal who killed someone in Starling City. He and the Barry Allen agree to be partner for a mission to capture a dangerous metahuman who is able to make people angry. Instead, the first thing Arrow does is dress the Flash down for his lack of preparation by embarrassing him and goes after the villain only to be turned into a speeding pile of rage that Arrow has to stop.
This episode had some good character moments with a very strong performance by Stephen Arnell as Arrow. The effects of the episode were stunning as always and the Flash v. Arrow fight scene was beautifully done.
On the downside, the plot suffers from a lot of contrivances. I'll even let them get away with the fact that Arrow's team came to Central City because it produced so much Iron Oxide (which is rust). The biggest contrivance has to be how the metahuman affected the Flash. While a normal person is angry for five minutes after exposure were told that Flash's system fought off the spectral light infection and so it's lasting for hours which makes no sense. Also, if his system is fighting it, shouldn't we see that? It should either last shorter or not effect him at all. But logic goes out the window to set up the battle.
And it also sets up the bigger storyline of Detective Eddie Thawn trying to get Eddie and Barry's precinct Captain to form an anti-Flash Task Forc. This may be meant to set up revelations about Eddie and the "dark past that was announced with the character when he was added to the series, but from a strict viewer perspective, it's a bit out of nowhere. I will like that this episode did disillusion Iris about the Flash which was good because her one-woman evangelistic crusade to get people to "accept the Flash" was getting a bit much.
In addition, I didn't like the fact the the Flash and Arrow confronting the villain of the episode occurred off screen.
There's also a scene at the end of the episode whee Oliver encounters a character that neither the audience or Barry knows, presumably from the continuity of Arrow (a series I hadn't watched since the pilot.) that was a tad confusing.
Overall, I'd give Flash v. Arrow a rating of 5/10.
"Brave and the Bold" has Caitlin and Cisco travelling to Starling City for vacation, with Cisco (in particular) wanting to take a look at "the Arrow Cave." Barry is called in when a boomerang throwing assassin tries to murder the chief of a local government black ops group.
This episode works on several levels. I think the plot is far stronger and less contrived. I can totally see Cisco coming to town and I love how he geeks out over everything the Arrow has and Arrow's annoyance when members of his team start referring to their headquarters as "The Arrow Cave."
The plot with the assassin does work and he's a genuine menace whose capture and plans play out on screen. The last few minutes are tense and how the Flash faces the threat is truly epic.
Arnell's Arrow is still in full command and I can definitely see why the show is so popular. He's clearly a tortured soul who is haunted by the dark deeds he performs to safeguard his city. He may be a Batman knock off or a low rent Batman, but he's also as much as in command and control as any version of Batman I've seen.
On the other hand, I did find that many characters were hard to sympathize with. Our villain was causing all this mayhem because he'd been part of the suicide squad under the black ops group and the person who he's hunting ordered a microbomb exploded in his head, which you admit is a pretty harsh corrective policy from a human resources perspective.
I don't usually go for a series where the line between the good guys and the bad guys is that thin. But then again, that's why I'm not a fan of the show, though I understand its appeal, so I can't really knock it down for that.
I did feel the show delved a bit too much into meta discussions with some dialogue that didn't make sense as various characters tried to explain the difference between the two shows' approaches. Arrow's explanation that Starling and Central City are different works best. After all, Gotham-I mean Starling is actually quite well portrayed as a city that's far darker than Central City. This is a city that needs a dark knight like Bat-I mean Green Arrow.
The idea Cisco floats that they didn't consider it real because they were dealing with metahumans and took it as a game doesn't quite hold water given that they were almost killed by an energy vampire in the prior week's Flash. It's also odd idea to apply to Barry. Barry is a crime scene investigator who sees horrific things regularly and the worst side of a major city. It's a great debate for fans, not so sure characters should get in on the action.
Overall, I'll give Brave and the Bold 8/10. Other than the Meta discussions, the things that most bothered about the episode of Arrow are the things that make it a show I rarely watch.
Looking at the two stories as a whole, I can't help but wonder if it would have been better to have one long crossover story rather than two shorter self-contained stories. There's good reason not to do this. Many people don't like being forced to watch a show they don't usually watch to understand what's happening in the one they do watch. And if people wanted to be cross-sold other titles that way, they'd buy comic books. But there's a case for doing it here as parts of both episodes seem to repeat each other with Flash and the Arrow criticizing one another, complimenting one another. It's all for people who only saw one episode, but it's a bit repetitive.
If you had one long story, it would have flowed better over the two nights.
I also think a sort of post-modern philosophy pervades the arc and lessens the conflict. In many ways, the story mirrored the conflict between Post-Crisis Superman and Batman with Superman objecting to Batman's rough tactics and that tension is always there despite the character's friendship and Batman's tactics are nowhere near as brutal as Queen's.
However, while Barry does weakly criticize some of Arrow's methods after witnessing them, it's somewhat muted. Barry defends the Arrow to his boss, Joe and tells him to "not judge" Arrow. For the post-modern superhero, torture and murder to get results are just an alternate lifestyle I guess. That's a shame because there's actual drama found in making the heroes confront these issues.
While hurt by the repetition and the lack of moral conflict between the two leads, the crossovers has a lot of fun moments. It was fun story but ultimately forgettable.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10.0
In "Flash v. Arrow" Oliver Queen comes to Central City as the Arrow in search of a criminal who killed someone in Starling City. He and the Barry Allen agree to be partner for a mission to capture a dangerous metahuman who is able to make people angry. Instead, the first thing Arrow does is dress the Flash down for his lack of preparation by embarrassing him and goes after the villain only to be turned into a speeding pile of rage that Arrow has to stop.
This episode had some good character moments with a very strong performance by Stephen Arnell as Arrow. The effects of the episode were stunning as always and the Flash v. Arrow fight scene was beautifully done.
On the downside, the plot suffers from a lot of contrivances. I'll even let them get away with the fact that Arrow's team came to Central City because it produced so much Iron Oxide (which is rust). The biggest contrivance has to be how the metahuman affected the Flash. While a normal person is angry for five minutes after exposure were told that Flash's system fought off the spectral light infection and so it's lasting for hours which makes no sense. Also, if his system is fighting it, shouldn't we see that? It should either last shorter or not effect him at all. But logic goes out the window to set up the battle.
And it also sets up the bigger storyline of Detective Eddie Thawn trying to get Eddie and Barry's precinct Captain to form an anti-Flash Task Forc. This may be meant to set up revelations about Eddie and the "dark past that was announced with the character when he was added to the series, but from a strict viewer perspective, it's a bit out of nowhere. I will like that this episode did disillusion Iris about the Flash which was good because her one-woman evangelistic crusade to get people to "accept the Flash" was getting a bit much.
In addition, I didn't like the fact the the Flash and Arrow confronting the villain of the episode occurred off screen.
There's also a scene at the end of the episode whee Oliver encounters a character that neither the audience or Barry knows, presumably from the continuity of Arrow (a series I hadn't watched since the pilot.) that was a tad confusing.
Overall, I'd give Flash v. Arrow a rating of 5/10.
"Brave and the Bold" has Caitlin and Cisco travelling to Starling City for vacation, with Cisco (in particular) wanting to take a look at "the Arrow Cave." Barry is called in when a boomerang throwing assassin tries to murder the chief of a local government black ops group.
This episode works on several levels. I think the plot is far stronger and less contrived. I can totally see Cisco coming to town and I love how he geeks out over everything the Arrow has and Arrow's annoyance when members of his team start referring to their headquarters as "The Arrow Cave."
The plot with the assassin does work and he's a genuine menace whose capture and plans play out on screen. The last few minutes are tense and how the Flash faces the threat is truly epic.
Arnell's Arrow is still in full command and I can definitely see why the show is so popular. He's clearly a tortured soul who is haunted by the dark deeds he performs to safeguard his city. He may be a Batman knock off or a low rent Batman, but he's also as much as in command and control as any version of Batman I've seen.
On the other hand, I did find that many characters were hard to sympathize with. Our villain was causing all this mayhem because he'd been part of the suicide squad under the black ops group and the person who he's hunting ordered a microbomb exploded in his head, which you admit is a pretty harsh corrective policy from a human resources perspective.
I don't usually go for a series where the line between the good guys and the bad guys is that thin. But then again, that's why I'm not a fan of the show, though I understand its appeal, so I can't really knock it down for that.
I did feel the show delved a bit too much into meta discussions with some dialogue that didn't make sense as various characters tried to explain the difference between the two shows' approaches. Arrow's explanation that Starling and Central City are different works best. After all, Gotham-I mean Starling is actually quite well portrayed as a city that's far darker than Central City. This is a city that needs a dark knight like Bat-I mean Green Arrow.
The idea Cisco floats that they didn't consider it real because they were dealing with metahumans and took it as a game doesn't quite hold water given that they were almost killed by an energy vampire in the prior week's Flash. It's also odd idea to apply to Barry. Barry is a crime scene investigator who sees horrific things regularly and the worst side of a major city. It's a great debate for fans, not so sure characters should get in on the action.
Overall, I'll give Brave and the Bold 8/10. Other than the Meta discussions, the things that most bothered about the episode of Arrow are the things that make it a show I rarely watch.
Looking at the two stories as a whole, I can't help but wonder if it would have been better to have one long crossover story rather than two shorter self-contained stories. There's good reason not to do this. Many people don't like being forced to watch a show they don't usually watch to understand what's happening in the one they do watch. And if people wanted to be cross-sold other titles that way, they'd buy comic books. But there's a case for doing it here as parts of both episodes seem to repeat each other with Flash and the Arrow criticizing one another, complimenting one another. It's all for people who only saw one episode, but it's a bit repetitive.
If you had one long story, it would have flowed better over the two nights.
I also think a sort of post-modern philosophy pervades the arc and lessens the conflict. In many ways, the story mirrored the conflict between Post-Crisis Superman and Batman with Superman objecting to Batman's rough tactics and that tension is always there despite the character's friendship and Batman's tactics are nowhere near as brutal as Queen's.
However, while Barry does weakly criticize some of Arrow's methods after witnessing them, it's somewhat muted. Barry defends the Arrow to his boss, Joe and tells him to "not judge" Arrow. For the post-modern superhero, torture and murder to get results are just an alternate lifestyle I guess. That's a shame because there's actual drama found in making the heroes confront these issues.
While hurt by the repetition and the lack of moral conflict between the two leads, the crossovers has a lot of fun moments. It was fun story but ultimately forgettable.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10.0
TV Episodes Review: Flash/Arrow Crossovers: Heroes of Today/Heroes of Yesterday
The Flash/Arrow crossover episode has them battling Vandal Savage in a two part extravaganza as Vandal Savage tries to run his record in battles to the death against Hawkman and Hawkgirl to 207-0. Below are the highlights of the battle.
***Spoilers Ahead***
Positives:
---After last year's sort of lackluster crossover with them having episodes where they met not really related, we get a battle with Vandal Savage, one of the DC Universe's best villains and he's well realized here as an immortal full of arrogance and quite deadly. He's a great menace and ultimately he makes this an event rather than an obligatory gimmick.
---Oliver Queen has some great moments and really works well off Barry with his annoyance at having a woman who Savage wants killed dropped into his lap with no clues about her and resistance to it. One great moment was in the second part when he learned that Barry had time traveled back in time and he decisively moved in favor of correcting the timeline without the hemming and hawing Barry would probably have probably on his own. I also like that Ollie questioned the idea that the timeline would really care whether he told his girlfriend about his son. Finally someone questioning the personification of natural forces like "time" and "the universe" by cast members in the Flash.
---A great story for Cisco as he struggles with being supportive while also slowly losing his girlfriend to her "Soul Mate." for four millennia where they fought evil (in between being beaten by Vandal Savage.) There's a great deal of sweetness and protectiveness in the way that Cisco is portrayed that really makes the story work.
---Shorter first scene of, "Legends of Yesterday": "Yeah, we're ripping off Avengers: Age of Ultron. You want to make something of it?
---Finally, some acknowledgment that trying to work out personal issues while trying to save the Universe isn't always a good idea.
--While I'm no fan of the reincarnation plot with Hawkman and Hawkgirl, it is something borrowed from the DC Universe and it's true to the characters golden age version. At lease they didn't trying to combine it with the Silver Age Alien police story from the Silver Age like Justice League: Unlimited did.
The Negatives:
---If you're not following Arrow (as I'm not), then much of the first half of The Flash seems like you're attending a friend's high school reunion. A lot of- characters (particularly from Arrow) are just there. Maybe next year, a smaller scale crossover with the Flash going to meet Ollie or vice versa. When two team-based shows meet, it just gets overwhelmed with everyone catching up with everyone else and meeting the new guys and the new headquarters.
---I know John Barrowman best as Captain Jack Harkness but in The Flash, he gets to be Captain Exposition as his character Malcolm Merlyn gets to show up to do an info dump on Vandal Savage's history. That was the best way they could think of to do that?
---One should not try to do Ancient Egypt on a budget.
---There's so much wrong with the DNA test in Part Two. First, just because you're the fastest man alive doesn't mean you can do DNA tests at the speed of light. The worst way to hide something is to try and hide it at superspeed because it makes a sonic boom. Finally, the idea that Felicity recognizes Oliver's DNA pattern on sight had my wife and I both laughing at the absurdity of it.
---The way the fight between Felicity and Ollie plays out is over the top and the "I recognize your DNA" makes it seem contrived. I think the way the whole set up of the long lost son is handled was melodramatic as well with the mother unreasonable and Ollie unwilling to even try and counteroffer to just tell his girlfriend and no one else even apparently knowing the consequence of keeping this from Felicia.
---Hawkman is another character from the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow who doesn't have a particularly strong introduction and this may not bode well for Legends of Tomorrow.
Overall: A fun, but flawed romp with Vandal Savage, flying heroes, and some truly fun moments between the Flash and Barry. It's definitely a step up from last season's crossover. Still, bigger isn't always better and there were lots of characters getting lost in the shuffle. Rating: 7/10
***Spoilers Ahead***
Positives:
---After last year's sort of lackluster crossover with them having episodes where they met not really related, we get a battle with Vandal Savage, one of the DC Universe's best villains and he's well realized here as an immortal full of arrogance and quite deadly. He's a great menace and ultimately he makes this an event rather than an obligatory gimmick.
---Oliver Queen has some great moments and really works well off Barry with his annoyance at having a woman who Savage wants killed dropped into his lap with no clues about her and resistance to it. One great moment was in the second part when he learned that Barry had time traveled back in time and he decisively moved in favor of correcting the timeline without the hemming and hawing Barry would probably have probably on his own. I also like that Ollie questioned the idea that the timeline would really care whether he told his girlfriend about his son. Finally someone questioning the personification of natural forces like "time" and "the universe" by cast members in the Flash.
---A great story for Cisco as he struggles with being supportive while also slowly losing his girlfriend to her "Soul Mate." for four millennia where they fought evil (in between being beaten by Vandal Savage.) There's a great deal of sweetness and protectiveness in the way that Cisco is portrayed that really makes the story work.
---Shorter first scene of, "Legends of Yesterday": "Yeah, we're ripping off Avengers: Age of Ultron. You want to make something of it?
---Finally, some acknowledgment that trying to work out personal issues while trying to save the Universe isn't always a good idea.
--While I'm no fan of the reincarnation plot with Hawkman and Hawkgirl, it is something borrowed from the DC Universe and it's true to the characters golden age version. At lease they didn't trying to combine it with the Silver Age Alien police story from the Silver Age like Justice League: Unlimited did.
The Negatives:
---If you're not following Arrow (as I'm not), then much of the first half of The Flash seems like you're attending a friend's high school reunion. A lot of- characters (particularly from Arrow) are just there. Maybe next year, a smaller scale crossover with the Flash going to meet Ollie or vice versa. When two team-based shows meet, it just gets overwhelmed with everyone catching up with everyone else and meeting the new guys and the new headquarters.
---I know John Barrowman best as Captain Jack Harkness but in The Flash, he gets to be Captain Exposition as his character Malcolm Merlyn gets to show up to do an info dump on Vandal Savage's history. That was the best way they could think of to do that?
---One should not try to do Ancient Egypt on a budget.
---There's so much wrong with the DNA test in Part Two. First, just because you're the fastest man alive doesn't mean you can do DNA tests at the speed of light. The worst way to hide something is to try and hide it at superspeed because it makes a sonic boom. Finally, the idea that Felicity recognizes Oliver's DNA pattern on sight had my wife and I both laughing at the absurdity of it.
---The way the fight between Felicity and Ollie plays out is over the top and the "I recognize your DNA" makes it seem contrived. I think the way the whole set up of the long lost son is handled was melodramatic as well with the mother unreasonable and Ollie unwilling to even try and counteroffer to just tell his girlfriend and no one else even apparently knowing the consequence of keeping this from Felicia.
---Hawkman is another character from the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow who doesn't have a particularly strong introduction and this may not bode well for Legends of Tomorrow.
Overall: A fun, but flawed romp with Vandal Savage, flying heroes, and some truly fun moments between the Flash and Barry. It's definitely a step up from last season's crossover. Still, bigger isn't always better and there were lots of characters getting lost in the shuffle. Rating: 7/10
TV Episode Review: The Flash: Running to Stand Still
It's Christmastime and you know what that means....Supervillain showdown and family drama.
***Spoilers Ahead***
Positives...
---Mark Hamill had some great moments as the Trickster even though he got upstaged in the climatic scene by the more powerful Weather Wizard. The scene with the Trickster, the Weather Wizard, and Captain Cold. I liked the scene where he essentially was serving as the Elder Statesman of the super criminals in the fight between Weather Wizard and Captain Cold. His broadcast had a whole, 'Christmas with the Joker' vibe to it.
---Joe's reaction to finding out he had a son were so beautifully realistic and spoke to so many men her with lost Fatherhood, and also showcased the Flash's unique on the importance of Fathers.
---The fight between Flash and Weather Wizard was great particularly with Weather Wizard having figured out to fly. The effects the show has are really astonishing in making these superhuman characters seem very authentic.
---What a great episode for Patti. We got to see her in a light we hadn't all season. This was great for making her a fleshed out well-developed character. I found charmingly endearing when she objected to the Flash picking her up since she was in a relationship.
---The themes of forgiveness and not letting bitterness reign really were well played out.
---Harry coming for kids Christmas presents was hilariously silly.
---When the door swung open, it was so powerful and a great twist that hits like a ton of bricks. It was such a perfect surprise and very well-played by the writers.
Reserving Judgment:
---The deal between Harry and Zoom. If Harry is serious about keeping it, he's an idiot. However, the writers could planning something clever for later so we'll see how that plays out.
Negatives:
---In an incredibly busy episode, the supervillain plot was really an afterthought. Despite the great fight in the sky, the overall plan was really not all that spectacular, and Trickster spends most of the scene sitting down. It's an evil plot but a lame one.
---Captain Cold was so transparently broken out of prison so he could appear in Legends of Tomorrow. His visit to Barry's house was a great cliffhanger to go to commercial break but turned out to be a pointless moment where he revealed that he'd upgrade his cold gun in the few hours he'd been out on the run from the law.
---I usually don't go after swear words in this complaint, but Cisco standing alone, staring at the sky and swearing in triumph after Harry invented a way to fix this. What was that all about?
---And while we're at it, where did Patti get a Flash leg "Bear Trap" from and will those work on Zoom.
Results: Overall, a very solid Christmas episode that explores fatherhood and forgiveness, while also growing the character of Patti. The supervillain portion of the show is a bit below par, but the episode has so many emotionally compelling moments it can be forgiven. A solid episode that leaves me eager to find out what will happen in January 8/10.
***Spoilers Ahead***
Positives...
---Mark Hamill had some great moments as the Trickster even though he got upstaged in the climatic scene by the more powerful Weather Wizard. The scene with the Trickster, the Weather Wizard, and Captain Cold. I liked the scene where he essentially was serving as the Elder Statesman of the super criminals in the fight between Weather Wizard and Captain Cold. His broadcast had a whole, 'Christmas with the Joker' vibe to it.
---Joe's reaction to finding out he had a son were so beautifully realistic and spoke to so many men her with lost Fatherhood, and also showcased the Flash's unique on the importance of Fathers.
---The fight between Flash and Weather Wizard was great particularly with Weather Wizard having figured out to fly. The effects the show has are really astonishing in making these superhuman characters seem very authentic.
---What a great episode for Patti. We got to see her in a light we hadn't all season. This was great for making her a fleshed out well-developed character. I found charmingly endearing when she objected to the Flash picking her up since she was in a relationship.
---The themes of forgiveness and not letting bitterness reign really were well played out.
---Harry coming for kids Christmas presents was hilariously silly.
---When the door swung open, it was so powerful and a great twist that hits like a ton of bricks. It was such a perfect surprise and very well-played by the writers.
Reserving Judgment:
---The deal between Harry and Zoom. If Harry is serious about keeping it, he's an idiot. However, the writers could planning something clever for later so we'll see how that plays out.
Negatives:
---In an incredibly busy episode, the supervillain plot was really an afterthought. Despite the great fight in the sky, the overall plan was really not all that spectacular, and Trickster spends most of the scene sitting down. It's an evil plot but a lame one.
---Captain Cold was so transparently broken out of prison so he could appear in Legends of Tomorrow. His visit to Barry's house was a great cliffhanger to go to commercial break but turned out to be a pointless moment where he revealed that he'd upgrade his cold gun in the few hours he'd been out on the run from the law.
---I usually don't go after swear words in this complaint, but Cisco standing alone, staring at the sky and swearing in triumph after Harry invented a way to fix this. What was that all about?
---And while we're at it, where did Patti get a Flash leg "Bear Trap" from and will those work on Zoom.
Results: Overall, a very solid Christmas episode that explores fatherhood and forgiveness, while also growing the character of Patti. The supervillain portion of the show is a bit below par, but the episode has so many emotionally compelling moments it can be forgiven. A solid episode that leaves me eager to find out what will happen in January 8/10.
Book Review: The Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice
The Flash, Vol. 1: Lightning Strikes Twice by Joshua WilliamsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book collects the Flash: Rebirth and the first eight issues of the new Flash series.
The book is a couple issues longer than the usual rebirth book has been but with good reason. It's an exploration of the Flash as a character. The Rebirth event brings Wally West back into the DC Universe and this event is more personal for the Flash and it tugs on what's been missing from him. Barry Allen is portrayed as a man who is the fastest man alive but is always late, always behind, never able to be where he needs to be in time...and alone.
Over time, the Flash became more than just a single hero...It became a brotherhood, a tradition, with speedsters like Jay Garrick, Wally West, and Bart Allen part of something larger and always there for each other. In Flash's own book, he has pretty much been on his own since the new 52.
But he's not on his own for long in this book. An old friend gets speed powers after being hit by lightning and then it happens to people all over Central City. Meanwhile, the other Wally West is developing powers of his own but not telling his Aunt or the Flash. We get to see Barry as teacher and mentor and he rediscovers joy and a bit of love.
This story is incredibly effective with some solid new characters and a great emotional journey. There's also several mysteries beyond the big one involving Doctor Manhattan. There's the question of whose behind giving so many people speed powers which is never answered. As well as a search for a killer speedster named Godspeed who shows up towards the middle of the book. In addition, there are some very cool speedster scenes which are just a joy to read.
The book is a great jumping on point for new readers to the Flash, although there are a few Easter eggs for old fans as well. Taken together with the solid action, great characters, and fundamental examination of Barry Allen as a character, this is a great book to check out for fans curious about the Rebirth event.
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Book Review: The Flash, Volume 2: Speed of Darkness
The Flash, Volume 2: Speed of Darkness by Joshua WilliamsonMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book collects Issues 9-13 of the Flash.
Issue 9 features a meeting between the two Wally Wests (the post-Crisis Wally and the New 52 teenage Wally.) The characters play well off each other and have to team up when things go wrong with Barry. This is a fun story and the characters play well off one another and it ends with a great Easter Egg.
Issues 10-12 has Kid Flash in trouble for running off to fight crime on his own with the Teen Titans and in Central City and Barry stopping training him which results in the two of them being caught with the Shade. The Shade is one of the DCU's most interesting villains and he's just not handled well here, and the story is a bit tired. It's not horrible, but a bit of a let down from prior storylines.
Issue 13 has Kid Flash taking on a b-list Supervillain named Tarpit while Barry and Iris go out to eat on a date around Christmastime. This is a fun Holiday issue and shows some character growth by Wally.
Overall, the book has two enjoyable one-shots with a lackluster three part story sandwiched in between. This collection is worth checking out if you've been following the Flash's Adventures as it does move that story forward.
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Book Review: Flash by Mark Waid Book One
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Flash by Mark Waid Book One by Mark Waid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is the first in a series examining Mark Waid legendary run on the Flash, collecting Flash Special #1, Flash Annuals #4 and 5 and Issues 62-68 of the Flash.
The book kicks off with Flash Special #1 which is a fiftieth anniversary story for the Flash and features all three Flashes (in separate adventures) as well as a future flash that's written by Waid. In fact, the future Flash (John Fox) is the only part of this actually written by Waid. That doesn't stop this from being an amazing linked graphic novel. The different creative teams for each section evoke the Flash of the Golden, Silver, and Post-crisis era with Waid doing a good job on John Fox.
Flash Annual #4 takes a look at Wally in the future, having gone into witness protection but being found by the people he's hiding from and having to fight to save his family after spending years in retirement. He has to fight a series of villains. It's an epic story that has a bit of the flavor of Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 with Spidey fighting the Sinister Six. Waid tells a good story with a twist that manages to avoid forcing Wally towards a pre-determined outcome.
Issues 62-65 is a Year One storyline for Wally West. Considering that Waid was a new comic book writer in the 1990s, giving him a Year One story to write was a gutsy editorial move, considering that Frank Miller was the man who wrote Batman's "Year One," this just isn't something typically given to a rookie writer. However, Waid deliver brilliantly with a story that updates but still respects Wally's silver age origin but also gives Wally's character some depth.
Issue 66 has Wally going on a cruise ship in a trip in which he faces a sea based villain and meets Aquaman. This story is okay. There's some nice action and art, but it's probably the least remarkable part of the book.
Issues 67 and 68 has the Flash meeting Abra Kadabra. It's a good story that gets really interesting in the second part as the Flash travels to Abra Kadabra's world and makes a startling discovery.
Annual #5 is all about the Rogues as the Flash battles them, while the Rogues are beset by a challenge from within as Golden Glider believes someone in the group has sold her out and has planned some tests to find out who it is. It's a tale with a lot of twists, none greater than the ending which was part of some event...which it would have nice if DC had explained.
Still despite the issues with the presentation, the comic book issues are great and a sign of what was to come for Mark Waid who would prove to be far more than...a flash in the pan.
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Flash by Mark Waid Book One by Mark WaidMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is the first in a series examining Mark Waid legendary run on the Flash, collecting Flash Special #1, Flash Annuals #4 and 5 and Issues 62-68 of the Flash.
The book kicks off with Flash Special #1 which is a fiftieth anniversary story for the Flash and features all three Flashes (in separate adventures) as well as a future flash that's written by Waid. In fact, the future Flash (John Fox) is the only part of this actually written by Waid. That doesn't stop this from being an amazing linked graphic novel. The different creative teams for each section evoke the Flash of the Golden, Silver, and Post-crisis era with Waid doing a good job on John Fox.
Flash Annual #4 takes a look at Wally in the future, having gone into witness protection but being found by the people he's hiding from and having to fight to save his family after spending years in retirement. He has to fight a series of villains. It's an epic story that has a bit of the flavor of Amazing Spider-man Annual #1 with Spidey fighting the Sinister Six. Waid tells a good story with a twist that manages to avoid forcing Wally towards a pre-determined outcome.
Issues 62-65 is a Year One storyline for Wally West. Considering that Waid was a new comic book writer in the 1990s, giving him a Year One story to write was a gutsy editorial move, considering that Frank Miller was the man who wrote Batman's "Year One," this just isn't something typically given to a rookie writer. However, Waid deliver brilliantly with a story that updates but still respects Wally's silver age origin but also gives Wally's character some depth.
Issue 66 has Wally going on a cruise ship in a trip in which he faces a sea based villain and meets Aquaman. This story is okay. There's some nice action and art, but it's probably the least remarkable part of the book.
Issues 67 and 68 has the Flash meeting Abra Kadabra. It's a good story that gets really interesting in the second part as the Flash travels to Abra Kadabra's world and makes a startling discovery.
Annual #5 is all about the Rogues as the Flash battles them, while the Rogues are beset by a challenge from within as Golden Glider believes someone in the group has sold her out and has planned some tests to find out who it is. It's a tale with a lot of twists, none greater than the ending which was part of some event...which it would have nice if DC had explained.
Still despite the issues with the presentation, the comic book issues are great and a sign of what was to come for Mark Waid who would prove to be far more than...a flash in the pan.
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Book Review: The Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 2
The Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 2 by John BroomeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book collects Issues 117-132 of the Flash, but that's barely sufficient to describe the massive amount of imaginative work in here. The Flash is the character who started the Silver Age of Comics because of the utter fantastical imagination applied. While this doesn't have as many firsts in it as the previous book, it does feature the first appearance of Captain Boomerang, the Top, and Abra Kadabra, and most importantly, the first-ever cross-over between the Flash of Earth One to Earth-Two.
The book is too massive to summarize. There's too many great ideas to cover them all.
Some highlights including Captain Boomerang trying to execute the Flash by tying him to a giant boomerang...twice! You have the Top imprisoning the Flash in an atomic grenade. You have a brilliant Flash and Green Lantern team-up. And then an encounter with an interdimensional TV producer whose trying to cause mayhem on Earth in order to create entertainment and won't let the Flash stop them. You have the Flash and Kid Flash travelling back in time to prehistory. The best one is Flash #125 which has aliens planning an invasion in the 23rd century and to accomplish they remove all radiation from the Earth during pre-history. So Kid Flash travels back to pre-history while the Flash runs to the 23rd century. It's massive fun.
The Kid Flash stories are all fun. They're kid wish-fulfillment as he uses his powers to solve crimes and problems in his hometown of Blue Valley, although in addition to his Flash team-up, he battles the Weather Wizard alongside Elongated Man, who also appears in many Flash stories.
Bottom line: if you love imaginative stories filled with fun and amusing uses of superpowers, memorable villains DC is using to this day, this book is for you. It contains the stories that laid the groundwork for the DC Universe.
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Book Review: The Flash: The Silver Age, Volume 3
The Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 3 by VariousMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The third volume of the Silver Age Flash collects Issues 134-147.
The book has a few highlights. The Kid Flash costume is changed from the "mini-Flash" look to the iconic Kid Flash look. We meet two big new members of Flash's Rogue's gallery, Heatwave and Reverse Flash. Heatwave's introduction is okay, though its marked by one of the dullest and least interesting costumes of the Silver Age.
The Reverse Flash is a really solid challenge for the Flash. He not only appears but comes back a few months later to try and use a reformed criminal to make a come back. Issue #147 has Flash and Reverse Flash raising towards the former criminal in an homage to the Flash #123.
Other than that, the Flash repels several alien invasions. He has another team up with the Earth One Flash as they battle Vandal Savage who has picked off former Justice Society of America members off like flies. The adventures leads to a re-forming of the JSA and sets the stage for 20 years of crossovers between the JLA and JSA. He has a great team up with the Green Lanterns where they fight several versions of the Green Lanterns who exist for scientifically dubious rason.
There were many returning villains, some featuring silly ideas that worked from a story standpoint ( such as a prison newspaper that has a ranking of e effectiveness of Flash villains and Mirror Master escaping to rise in the rankings) to those that don't know (the Prankster story.)
Overall, I don't think this is quite as good or groundbreaking as the previous volumes, but it is still a really fun read, full of imaginative stories, and even a couple changes for our hero.
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Book Review: Flash, Volume 6: Cold Day in Hell
The Flash, Vol. 6: Cold Day in Hell by Joshua WilliamsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book collects Issues 34-38 of the Flash and Annual #1.
Issues 34 and 35 is the Black Hole rising story that has Meena returning to Barry and Young Wally West and offering to take the negative speed force away, but of course, it's more complicated than that for Barry. This story is good, and it also helps Barry bond with young Wally. However, the big reveal was spoiled all the way back in Volume 3.
Issues 36-38 features the murder of a rogue in Iron Heights with the Flash trying to solve the crime with little cooperation from the Warden. Barry has been sent out to the prison to work as their permanent crime scene preservation guy. This is a good story with quite a few surprises and does a good job playing up the darker view of the rogues that Williamson's got going.
The Annual focuses on the old Wally West flash who is set off by the news that Iris had to kill Reverse Flash in Volume 4. It adds to his frustration about people he loves not remembering him and him not being able to get through to him. He finds someone who he can get to remember. Unfortunately, she also remmebers she's a supervillain. This is a good story with a nice character exploration of Wally West.
Overall, I like this Volume. It's not great, but it's probably Williamson strongest release since Volume 1. The stories are fun and the art is passable. Overall, a good book that brings the Flash to a better place.
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Christians and Superheroes
I'm a Christian who writes superhero fiction (some parody and some serious.)
On this blog, we'll take a look at:
1) Superhero stories
2) Issues of faith in relation to Superhero stories
3) Writing Superhe ...more
On this blog, we'll take a look at:
1) Superhero stories
2) Issues of faith in relation to Superhero stories
3) Writing Superhe ...more
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