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THE FLASH #184
"Crossfire Part One: Run: Program"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Scott Kolins
Inks: Doug Hazlewood
Colors: James Sinclair & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Gaspar Saladino
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
This issue
begins the story arc that the creative team has been building up to since early
on, but in true Geoff Johns fashion, it is completely accessible to new readers
while rewarding older ones as well. There are several plots coming together this
issue, including the new Rogues' Gallery finally launching an all-out attack,
the Thinker revealing his interest in the Flash and the continuing story of some
of the background supporting players. Just as he did with Gorilla Grodd's issue,
Scott Kolins shows off in vivid detail what the power of the Rogues is actually
capable of, and Johns has given Flash a truly deadly situation to reckon with.
"Crossfire" is off to an impressive start.
One of the things that impressed me right off the bat about Johns's run on the Flash was his take on the Rogues' Gallery. He has stuck
with only a couple of the classic members, adding several new ones, and despite
their more serious demeanor being a departure from the usual Rogues approach, I
found myself liking these new, deadlier members a lot. This issue is their first
chance to shine as a group, and the display of power is impressive. In
particular, the Weather Wizard's widespread use of lightning makes for some
impressive pyrotechnics, but seeing all of them working together, combining
their abilities, made them seem more dangerous and effective than they've ever
been.
I had expected that the
Thinker was going to be more of a part of the Rogues' eventual plan, but it
seems that he is a wildcard, just like the former Goldface. Johns reveals this
issue what Goldface has to do with the Rogues, simultaneously providing an
explanation for who Blacksmith is, as well as unleashing the Thinker on Keystone
City. The Thinker's plot is creepier than the Rogues' plan, and just as
potentially deadly to the Flash. The resulting feeling of everything falling
apart at once is quite powerful.
Much of the impressive
effects of this issue can be laid at the feet of Kolins, Hazlewood and Sinclair.
The infiltration of minds by the Thinker is a truly haunting sequence,
especially when it features such familiar faces as Linda, Iris and even young
Joshua. That's nothing, however, compared to the truly epic-level destruction
caused by the Weather Wizard, or the impressive double-page splash that
introduces the Rogues as a team for the first time. While Kolins caught my
attention originally for his ultra-detailed, industrial depiction of Keystone
and Central City, there's no doubt in my mind that he's also one of the best
action super-hero artists around right now.
Johns has been building to this story pretty much since he began working on the Flash, and it's very interesting to start watching the
dominoes fall. While this issue gets by largely on spectacle, I expect there to
be a few more plot twists and turns, as well as changes for some of the
characters, before the story is done.
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