The Flash #7

            I have always loved Geoff Johns work with the Flash, especially Wally West, so I decided to pick up his series with Barry Allen. I must admit that some of the earlier issues were a let down, but once Johns got into the series  (around issues five and six) it started to get much better.
           This issue has almost nothing to do with the Flash, it is very much an origin issue about Captain Boomerang. This issue starts off with Captain Boomerang breaking Girder out of prison. Then it tells his origin. When his father and brother left him to go work, a delivery man brought Harkness a Wiggins boomerang with no sign of who sent it. Digger tries it out, and ends up sending it into his dad's windshield. After he lost that boomerang, a new one came, he learned to use it, and then he robbed a store with it. His dad through him out of the house, but his mother gave him money to go work for Wiggins. He became the mascot, known as Captain Boomerang. He later turned to crime, got beat by the Flash and joined the Rogues, then joined the Suicide Squad. Then he went home for his mothers funeral and killed his father. Then the flash back ends and Captain Boomerang releases Zoom, which the Rogues don't like.
           I didn't expect to like this issue, but I did, a lot. Captain Boomerang is one of those characters that can be menacing while still having a very classic feel, even if he's not wearing his Wiggins Captain Boomerang suit. This also gives a real reason to put the Brightest Day header on, before Johns did put the header on, but barley talked about Captain Boomerang, and the series had almost nothing to do with Brightest Day, but now that he's focusing on Captain Boomerang more, it is tying Brightest Day into the series very well. I'm not a huge fan of not using Francis Manapul. Scott Kollins does a good job with the art, but he lacks a certain crispness that Manapul had. Although Manapul was a better artist, Kollins is the better story teller. Manapul had many effects, and stunts like when Flash ran on the helicopter rotor, but Manapul takes more of a subtle approach, so even if his art isn't as good, he tells the story better.  I'm very exited for the next couple issues to see how people react to Zoom. I do hope that the Rogues don't work with Flash against Zoom, simply because that would be tedious, and we just got done with the Renegades. So the rest of this arc could either be very good, or very bad, it all depends on the next two or three issues, but this issue was very good, and a very fun read.






Grade: 8/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com

Flash #5

           To be honest I almost dropped this series, with a new Geoff Johns , Barry Allen Flash series, I expected to be constantly giving this series nine's and ten's out of ten, opposed to six's and seven's. I've been really disappointed and I was exited to get almost any comic except Flash, but I heard such great things about this issue that I thought I would give it a try, and let this be the deciding issue. (if the score is more than 7/10 I'll continue) 
           In this issue the 25th century version of the Top is working with the Flash, so that Iris doesn't become some Super Villain thing. He stops Mirror Master from breaking the glass with the mirror lords, but then the White Lantern ora thing told Captain Boomerang to throw his boomerang and he broke the glass, now the Flash has to distract them so that the Top can do something else.
           I really liked this story, the action was clever, entertaining, and just plain awesome, also it didn't distract from the rest of the story. I was a little confused about what happened to Captain Boomerang, but Brightest Day is supposed to be a mystery, for now. I really liked how not everything went according to what Top told the Flash, because now it's not "Geoff Johns goes through the motions and then at the end of the arch makes a stupid excuse to make it different." I've seen that so many times before and I'm happy that it happened this way.
         The art in this is extraordinary. I like Francis Manapul but this is some of his best work. I especially like how powerful he made weather wizard. Usually I would give the credit to the writer for something like this, but Manapul really captured him as an all powerful being. A lot of times people underestimate people like him (for example: Storm) but really they are all powerful. Weather Wizard was only in this issue for a short amount of time, but I thought I'd mention it any way, because it shows how well Francis Manapul did in this issue.
         I really liked this issue, best one of the series. (so far) The art was great, the story was great, the writing was great. I especially liked how it was just one big fight scene, but it didn't take away from the rest of Barry's life, nor did it slow down the plot. This is a great issue and I'm definitely continuing with the series.



Grade: 9/10
Buy at: www.mycomicshop.com