|
THE FLASH #182
"Absolute Zero"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Scott Kolins
Inks: Dan Panosian
Colors: James Sinclair & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Gaspar Saladino
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
One of my favorite characters, and definitely my favorite of Flash's Rogues' Gallery, has long been Captain Boomerang, thanks to the work that John Ostrander did on him in Suicide Squad. With the work he has done on Captain Cold, especially in this issue, Geoff Johns is giving the good Captain a run for his money as my favorite Rogue. As with his work on JSA, Johns combines a knowledge and use of continuity
with accessibility, as well as great insight into the characters. This issue is
self-contained, an examination of the life of the Rogue from a different point
of view, and I'm happy to find that the change in inkers has not affected the
work much at all, as it maintains the same distinct and impressive look it has
had since Kolins came aboard.
It's really pretty easy to
write good guys, but the challenge comes in writing villains. Making them real,
even sympathetic, without making them into heroes, is a tough balancing act, and
Johns hits that balance perfectly with Captain Cold. It's easy to relate to
Cold's love for his sister, his regrets over past choices or his need to
vengeance. At the same time, however, his methods of action are brutal and his
appreciation for human life definitely skewed. In other words, he's a
sympathetic character, but he's not by any stretch of the imagination someone
that you root for.
There's an element of danger
in using child abuse in any villain's story. For one thing, it's a cliche,
despite how frequently it turns up in the pasts of real-life criminals, and for
another, it's really easy to go over-the-top with it, making it unbelievable.
Johns writes a convincing portrayal of the mixture of abuse and love that Cold
suffered in his youth, such that we can understand his choices but not feel that
they are necessarily excused by a rough upbringing. In addition, Johns does an
absolutely incredible job on the relationship between Cold and his sister,
showing us the human and vulnerable side of the professional criminal.
This issue relies on some
continuity from the Mark Waid era, where Golden Glider took on a number of
henchmen using Cold's gun, as well as containing references to the Messner-Loebs
era on the title. However, I never felt that the continuity was overwhelming or
obtrusive. Instead, it was slipped in and will make just as much sense to the
casual reader as the other references to Cold's past, which are revealed for the
first time here.
While I could go on and on
about the strength of the writing in this issue, I should reserve some praise
for the artwork, which is excellent as always. Panosian's inks add a slightly
rougher edge to Kolins's pencils, but they maintain the distinct look that the
book has had from the beginning, and the roughness actually really works,
particularly with the subject matter of the issue. In addition, Sinclair's
colors this issue are phenomenal, with blue tinged work and blue panel borders
on the flashback really giving a feel for the lead character.
If you're a fan of super-hero comics, there's really no reason not to be reading The Flash right now. This issue, a standalone story, is a terrific example of
what makes it the best super-hero series DC has on the stands.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
