FLASH #41

[ WHO'S FLASHING MY BOOK? ] 

In June, 2015, DC Comics launched their brand new direction, aptly titled DC YOU. However, do you know what the YOU in DC YOU actually stands for? Does it mean, oi YOU, Robert Venditti, how come you write your stories in a darkened room? Or does it mean, wait a minute, Brett Booth, didn't YOU once own a booth and call it Brett? Want to know the answer? Then what are you waiting for? Read. Read. Read.

To QUOTE Kanye West, when he sees his child being breast fed by his mother, Kim: 'Don't worry, son. Daddy's coming to save you'.

THE REVIEW:

For you to understand the basic crux of this issue I now want you to envision the following scenario it relayed. Try to imagine that you're a middle-aged man who's been locked up in a super-villain prison, because the authorities believe you killed your own wife, Nora. When one day, years later, you get paid a visit by your son, Barry, all grown up, and working as a forensic specialist, who explains to you that he's discovered another name associated with your wife's death.

So, how do you react? Do you jump up in the air and thank your son for such a major revelation? Or do you turn on him and say something like, 'Can't you leave everything enough alone?', before being led back to your jail cell where you plan your imminent escape with a number of other crooks?

Yep. You guessed it. I'm of course referring to Barry Allen's Dad, Henry Allen, who's currently locked up (ish) in Iron Heights Penitentiary for a crime he didn't commit. That said, if old Henry is as innocent as we think he is, how come he reacted so badly, and so strangely, when his son mentioned that revealing name? I mean, is it as we're led to believe, so he could signify that he now wants to defend his family's honor? Or is it to do with something else entirely?

Wait a minute, You do know what name I'm talking about, don't you? As you'll get to see the face in front of this name in two scenes which managed to book-end the aforementioned father and son sequence.

No. It's not the Joker (That's just an alternate cover image, silly). Obviously I'm gabbing on about that vile villain named Thawne: AKA the Reverse Flash.

He's back, as crafty as ever, and promptly teases Barry, now in his Flash costume, amidst these two intertwined scenes -- with both sections showing RF zipping in and out of Barry's field of vision, whilst he's in the process of fighting some armored slub who's attempting to rob a store.

Personally speaking, I wasn't a big fan of these two sequences as they teased us more than they informed us. And from my point of view, I'm sure they were only put on display to illustrate that Thawne is back from the beyond.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the sub-plot where we saw Barry sharing an apartment with Hartley Rathaway, AKA the Pied Piper, because this fresh addition was a very warming part of the story, and it did lend itself to re-building this book's brand new status quo.

I also loved the detailed artwork provided by Brett Booth. By in large I'd say his kinetic and free-flowing visuals were able to imbue Roberts dialogue scenes with some emotion, where as his fighting scenes did a very similar thing where it came to composition. So, in a real narrative sense, we know what is happening to whom and for why, as well as what someone is feeling at any given moment in time.

Overall, this is a good book. And I can't wait to see what'll happen next month.

THE MUSIC:

As I mentioned previously, a large portion of this tale is about a father who wants to do his own thing. You know. The same thing Papa did to a Rolling Stone (sung by The Temptations, baby).

THE COMPARISON:

Now before you start asking why I've provided a picture of a burlesque dancer (Yes. That is a picture of Anne Margaret doing burlesque), or for that matter, why I'm going to compare this aforementioned style of dance to this comic, in turn, I want you to ask yourself one simple question.

What do they both have in common? Teasing; that is what they both have in common. Case closed.

  

THE CONCLUSION:

At the very end of this issue Barry's Dad does something rather daring. So, just for fun -- ohhhhh -- can you guess what that something is out of the following eight scenarios?

1. He strips butt naked and declares himself a national holiday.
2. He calls the man who guards his cell 'A pig'.
3. He dresses up as a woman and starts calling himself Harriet.
4. He dances the Lambada with Killer Croc.
5. He breaks out of prison with three of his jail-mates.
6. He uses a swear word in relation to his genitals.
7. He calls his son up on the phone and explains to him that his previous creative team is now involved with a Batman comic book.
8. He dances the Lambada butt naked with Harriet the pig on a national holiday before breaking out of prison with his genitals and his sons previous creative team.

 Nuff said.