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13 years ago
General
THE FLASH # Move Forward by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (DC Comics, $25)
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Vol-Move-Forward-New/dp/1401235530/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352827619&sr=1-1&keywords=flash+move+forward
reviewed by Roochak
It wasn't until the sixth issue, with a vastly more powerful Captain Cold on the verge of becoming a mass murderer, that the ongoing FLASH series got interesting, and by then it was too late for anyone but diehard Flash fans. Readers had had to sit through a five-part story arc about the boring new villain Mob Rule -- a guy who makes copies of himself -- and about Barry Allen's troubles, such as they are, with his boring new girlfriend, fellow crime lab analyst Patty Spivot.
Only when co-writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato begin to re-introduce the Rogues does their book become anything more than a generic superhero comic, and that's just a slightly more interesting generic superhero comic. Besides co-writing the series, Manapul draws and Buccellato colors the pages. They like dynamic page layouts with distorted panel shapes, lettering integrated into the backgrounds, and noirish color schemes (the Flash's adventures now seem to take place mostly at night). The first five issues were often more fun to look at than to actually read.
Still, I'm a sucker for my Rogues, and issues six through eight give us some intriguing reboots. Besides Capt. Cold gone wild (the most exciting segment of this collection), there are glimpses of Grodd and the Pied Piper, and the Top gets an extreme makeover -- hell, a complete reinvention -- as Turbine, a deranged fighter pilot trapped for decades in the Speed Force.
Generic superhero comics aren't necessarily a bad thing. They're not necessarily worth $25, either.
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Vol-Move-Forward-New/dp/1401235530/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352827619&sr=1-1&keywords=flash+move+forward
reviewed by Roochak
It wasn't until the sixth issue, with a vastly more powerful Captain Cold on the verge of becoming a mass murderer, that the ongoing FLASH series got interesting, and by then it was too late for anyone but diehard Flash fans. Readers had had to sit through a five-part story arc about the boring new villain Mob Rule -- a guy who makes copies of himself -- and about Barry Allen's troubles, such as they are, with his boring new girlfriend, fellow crime lab analyst Patty Spivot.
Only when co-writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato begin to re-introduce the Rogues does their book become anything more than a generic superhero comic, and that's just a slightly more interesting generic superhero comic. Besides co-writing the series, Manapul draws and Buccellato colors the pages. They like dynamic page layouts with distorted panel shapes, lettering integrated into the backgrounds, and noirish color schemes (the Flash's adventures now seem to take place mostly at night). The first five issues were often more fun to look at than to actually read.
Still, I'm a sucker for my Rogues, and issues six through eight give us some intriguing reboots. Besides Capt. Cold gone wild (the most exciting segment of this collection), there are glimpses of Grodd and the Pied Piper, and the Top gets an extreme makeover -- hell, a complete reinvention -- as Turbine, a deranged fighter pilot trapped for decades in the Speed Force.
Generic superhero comics aren't necessarily a bad thing. They're not necessarily worth $25, either.
Have you ever done a review of the "Castle Waiting" first volume hardcover? You want quality comic work, that's the ticket.
I think what may impress you most is the clever nested storytelling. A story was talking about a person's personal history, then got into the story of another character's history which then moved into a story about a religious order. Now that's some nested narrative. And the art is very lovely.
Very worth a look.