Barry Allen is largely absent this issue, as Captain Boomerang breaks into Iron Heights jail to ask Reverse-Flash some questions, while thinking back to his origins.
And I realise I never actually finished the darn book, having picked it up a couple of hours ago and gotten distracted. That's how engaged I was. So, let's see, what else happened ...
(tum-te-tum)
... nothing much, just a set-up for another villain focus next issue, on the Reverse-Flash.
On the one hand, good on DC for scheduling fill-in issues to help get this book on a monthly schedule. On the other, couldn't they at least be stories featuring Barry Allen? After a series of laboured storylines positioning him for his own series again, how about he stars in it every issue for awhile? Failing that, maybe let his successor, Wally West - the Flash for the past generation - guest host? Heck, they even have Wally's longtime artist Scott Kolins on board this month.
The Rogues have gotten an enormous amount of play in the DC Universe over the past few years, with their backgrounds easily traceable. The Boomerang origin here doesn't reveal anything new, though it does add a layer of gore to proceedings while ignoring the old, fun, trick boomarangs. It reminds us that 'Digger' Harkness is a decent character, but not a star - he's a guy who learnt to throw boomerangs and turned to crime. He has rubbish fashion sense. He works best in the ensembles of the Rogues, or the Suicide Squad. The end.
There is some storyline progression, but the storyline being progressed isn't a Flash tale, it's the Brightest Day 'event' about which, believe it or not DC, some of us just don't care.
The script by Geoff Johns is well-crafted, though rather too contrived in its use of the concept of karma - what goes around comes around, like a boomerang, geddit? The work of Kolins looks great, and regular colourist Brian Buccellato keeps the feel of the book consistent. Sal Cipriano offers some lovely display lettering, and regular artist Francis Manapul's cover is inoffensive, though he fails to convey the boomerang's shape and motion. But overall, this is a terribly skippable issue. I suspect next month's will be too.
Yeah, there's not a lot to recommend this issue. I'm glad that Ostrander's Boomer-returns-home story from Suicide Squad hadn't been retconned out, but that's nothing I couldn't have learned from Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteIt is tremendously frustrating that after having invested so much storytelling time capital into the allegedly much-needed and much-desired return of Barry Allen, DC cannot a) actually publish the comic in a timely manner b) actually have Barry Allen in it.
ReplyDeleteOne almost gets the impression of a child who begged and begged for some special toy for Xmas, and then when they got it played with it for 5 minutes and got bored. That sure feels like what's happened with Barry Allen/Flash--"gotta have him back gotta have him back"..."bored now."