FLASH #27

[ RUNNING TO THE SALE ] 

Now what would you do if you discovered that your Mother was killed by some sort of ghoulish apparition? Would you yelp at Brian Buccellato, perhaps? Would you scream at Patrick Zircher or Pasqual Ferry? Or better yet, would give DC Comics a good talking to in February, 2014? Yeah. I thought as much. Get ready for a right ear bashing, DC!

To QUOTE Robert Frost: 'A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in only twenty minutes'.

THE STORY:

So there I was, Barry (The Flash) Allen, slapping down a failed robbery attempt made by the dysfunctional duo, Chroma and Tar Pit. When suddenly, to my own dismay -- SHOCK HORROR! -- I come across a mound of buried corpses underneath the pavement.

But I tell you something for nothing, my friends. These corpses aren't your normal run of the mill corpses. No Sir-E-Bob! Despite Captain Fryes reluctance for me to investigate this discovery any further, I eventually figure out they're connected to the imprisoned serial killer called the 'Brome Hill Butcher', who may have killed my old Mum.

I think.

THE GOOD:

In my eyes 'History Lessons' was just a fantastic comic book to read. Yeah! No messing about, folks. I can hardly find anything wrong with it at all.

First off, I best mention how I loved following Brian Buccellato story. As it was one those stories that had my blood pumping from the get go -- but more on that point later. Furthermore, Patrick Zircher's artwork was so bold and dynamic on the page, there's a part of me that would like him to take over the art chores on this title too.

Oh! And while I'm on the subject of chores -- My God -- wasn't Barry put through the emotional wringer all the way through this tale! Well, the way I see it, he comes across like a young and naive boy who wants to clear his Daddy's name, whilst solving his Mother's murder in the process. But he can't do that at the moment, can he? Oh no. Due to the fact that Captain Fryer may have... errr... nudge-nudge... wink-wink... his dearly departed Mum many years ago.

Hmmmmm!

THE BAD:

OK. I know this might sound rather strange to some of you, folks. But the only real problem I had with this adventure was that DC changed 'Rainbow Raiders' name to 'Chroma'.

Come on. Let's face it. To some of us more mature comic book readers, we know deep down inside us who this bad-guy was meant to be. Now I'm not saying this was a bad choice for a name. Because I know 'Chroma' means 'color' in Greek. Still. It was well worth mentioning.   

THE MUSIC:

Now in respect for Barry's feelings throughout this tale, I think it would be a good idea to match it up to the emotional song sung by John Lennon, entitled, 'Mother'.

THE COMPARISON:

It's fairly common knowledge that throughout history incarcerated murderers have killed many-many times before. Just check out my 'Killers Behind Bars' section if you want see an example of that. And if you do, while you are at it, I bet you'll find out why I feel compelled to compare this comic to my old pal, Professor David Wilson. Wink-Wink!

THE CONCLUSION:

As some of you may all well know I'm a right sucker for personal tales about unsolved crimes and mysteries. Honestly. You stick me in front of a 'Jack the Ripper' documentary or another 'real crime' account, and I'd be glued to it from the very beginning to the very end.

So, to get back to the matter at hand, how can I say anything bad about this issue of the 'Flash'? I can't. Can I. To me it's one of those tales that has it all. A very intriguing premise. Some smashing art-work. Plus a very personal escapade I can't wait to see more of.

I mean, could Barry's mother have been struck down by a serial killer, or one one of his known accomplices? And if this is the case, did she also have an affair with Captain Fryer, as implied by his confrontation with Barry?

Hmm. Food for thought. Isn't it?