THE FLASH #182
"Absolute Zero"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Scott Kolins
Inks: Dan Panosian
Colors: James Sinclair & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Gaspar Saldino
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins maintain their solid track record on this title with a nice self-contained issue in which the title character plays no role, outside of a flashback or two. Johns makes a character that was initially a cornball villain into a human being to which the reader can relate, and Kolins's stark, moody art continues to impress.
A while back, the Golden Glider took to naming her boytoys "Chillblaine" and giving them a cold gun like that belonging to her brother, Captain Cold, but one of those beaux ended up betraying and killing her. Today, Captain Cold, AKA Len Snart, is looking for revenge, having learned that Chillblaine had faked his own death. As he tracks the junior ice-villain down, he reflects on the events that shaped him into a member of the Flash's Rogues Gallery.
Sinclair bathes this issue in a light blue glow, reinforcing the chilly nature of the title character's gimmick, his emotions and his intent. The colors also help differentiate between the main sequence and the numerous flashbacks. I'm pleased to find that changing inkers -- Dan Panosian takes over from Doug Hazlewood in this issue -- hasn't changed the mature, detailed look of Kolins's pencils. Kolins's work here reminded me of the style of Ron Lim, best known for his stint on Marvel's Silver Surfer years ago.
Johns offers up yet another impressive story that combines the fun and wonder of yesterday's super-hero comics with the stronger focus of characterization of today. We've already seen hints of Johns's take on the character -- he may be a crook, but he's not evil -- but here, he uses the character to show us how just about anyone is capable of murder under the right circumstances.
The only real problem with this issue is the fact that Johns is forced to get into a lot of exposition to explain Cold's rage toward Chillblaine. The character-driven aspects of the script seem to be competing with an emphasis on continuity. Johns seems just as focused on tying up a loose end from Mark Waid's run on The Flash as he is on characterization.
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