Overview

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Nightwing by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo Omnibus Vol. 2

Omnibus Collects: Nightwing #101-118 and Nightwing 2022 Annual #1.

The Main Creative Team

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artists: Bruno Redondo, Travis Moore, Stephen Byrne, and Sam Basri

Recommended Pre Reading

Reading the first half of the run (Nightwing 2016 #78-#96) is pretty much required. Also, Taylor’s run on Titans is running concurrently with this series and provides some extra context, but isn’t required at all.

Review of the Story and Art

Tom Taylor’s time on Nightwing is kind of a weird entity. If you’re like myself and were reading Nightwing and comics in general when it was releasing, you couldn’t escape it. Everywhere you went, there was constant praise for this series. It won multiple Eisners. It was voted best series by DC fans multiple times. It was a constant stream of praise that pushed Nightwing further into the mainstream than he had ever been before. Since the series has ended, the discussion around the series has become much more contentious. If you get popular enough, at some point it will become trendy to hate you on the internet, despite whether it’s warranted or not. The real question is, is it just a popularity thing? Or is there weight behind its faults? Let’s talk about it.

Living up to its expectations

I adore the first half of this series. If you’re a veteran fan of the character, you’ll know we went through some rough years prior to Taylor. We dealt with Dan DiDio constantly trying to discredit and get rid of Dick Grayson due to some weird personal vendetta. Dick had his secret identity outed and was sentenced to a spy book that exceeded its expectations. When that didn’t work, Dick was straight-up shot in the head and turned into a different character. The Ric Grayson era is one of the biggest travesties I’ve witnessed in the industry. Taylor’s run came at the perfect time. His run rejuvenated the Nightwing brand. His more lighthearted tone and upbeat style, alongside masterful work by Redondo, really re-established Dick Grayson as a character going forward. Not only bringing meaning back to the character, but his role in the larger universe as well. I didn’t do a review for Vol. 1, but if I had, it would have had a very high rating. A very, very high one.

In this second half, it feels as though it loses some of that focus and gets a bit too big in nature for its own good. It loses a bit of that intimacy in order to prop up other things while becoming a bit complacent with the things that initially made it so great. I may sound critical of this book, but that’s mostly because of the regard I hold the first half in. Just being up front, I enjoyed my time with the book quite a bit. There’s much more to like than dislike. It just doesn’t reach the heights as its predecessor.

Close to the beginning of the book, we get Nightwing issue #100. I think this nails what an anniversary celebration issue should be. It not only celebrates the one-hundredth issue of the run, but Nightwing’s history in general. I loved all the throwback moments, and it’s really just such a caring and fun moment in time for the character.

Moving past that issue, though, is where the cracks start to show. The lighter tone and dialogue of this series is often a contentious point online. Generally, I think it’s kind of a uphill battle of an argument to judge the book for being “fluffy.” I actually commend it for trying to break away from the doom and gloom mold that the industry has defaulted to. Fun books have a place in the hobby and are a great change of pace, but I digress. In the first volume, I think the lighter tone actually really helps the book. It was able to achieve a light tone that, in turn, made for a fun book, while also using that tone to play into the intimacy of the characters. Here, it does not achieve those same feats. Why? Because it goes hand in hand with the biggest detractor of the series. The constant crossovers.

There is a heavy reliance on the Titans in this series. There’s a whole arc dedicated to them called Rise of the Underworld (#101-#104), and they are frequently recurring characters throughout the whole book. Inherently, I don’t have a problem with this. The problems start to arise when so much time is dedicated to these characters, like the Titans or the Batfamily, that the book no longer has time to focus on what made it special. Its light tone is still there, but it no longer gets those more intimate moments because that time now has to go to other places and different characters. If the book would have stayed a little tighter narratively and focused more on Dick, Barbara, and Melinda, it could have kept the sustained momentum without spreading itself so thin.

Taylor has a really good grasp on Dick Grayson’s core character. But with the pacing and the constant crossovers, that doesn’t get to shine all the time like it did in the first volume, and those more whimsical moments get highlighted more because they’re not contrasted. A good example of this is the The Crew of the Crossed arc, (#106-#109) or referred to as the pirate arc. This is the worst arc of the series by far for me. It’s another arc that takes Dick away from his core cast to go on a whimsical adventure that doesn’t show off Taylor’s skills with the character.

The End of an Era

As we start to wind down to the end of the series, we get some really good moments from Taylor. You could tell he knew his time with the book was coming to an end and wanted to fit in all the stuff he wanted to do before it was over. We get much more character driven moments. Before the final arc of the series, we get a shorter arc focused on Dick and Bruce teaming up to solve the murder of a young boy’s parents. I love this arc. It has such a great dynamic that shows off the bond between father and son, but also shows how far Dick has grown beyond Bruce. The quote from Bruce, “Dick Grayson is the best version of Batman there could be,” is shown off here. It shows the growth of Nightwing while not demonizing or belittling Batman like some other writers have done before. It’s really great.

This all leads to the final arc, Fallen Grayson. When this was coming out, I was extremely underwhelmed by it. After my second visit, I enjoyed it more. I still have my problems with it, but I feel like I was too caught up in the excitement around such a seminal run ending that it led to my disappointment. Here, I had no expectations, and I ended up enjoying it more. The only stuff I really don’t like is the stuff involving Heartless. That’s pretty damning, considering he’s the ultimate big bad that the book has been building towards, but I feel as though the loss of Blockbuster in this second half left the book needing to put more of the spotlight on Heartless, which hurt his character in the long run. I don’t love his backstory, and I think the mystery around him was much more interesting than his actual story. I like the way this run wraps up for the characters. I just feel as though the ending conflict, which was a major build for the whole series, was a letdown.

The Art

Bruno Redondo is absolutely brilliant in this series. Taylor and Redondo team up to give us some of the most inventive and awe inspiring comics I’ve ever read. In the first volume, we got the issue that was completely 2D. It was a home run of an idea. Well, in this volume, we get another innovative issue, this time the whole issue is in a first-person view from Nightwing’s perspective.

A lot of the time during my reviews, I’ll talk about how series have a lack of visual identity. That is not a problem here. Redondo intimately understands what makes this book special and capitalizes on those qualities every chance he gets. It’s stunning work.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

•Elite Artwork

•Inventive structures

•Really understands Dick Grayson as a character when not leaning too heavily into the whimsical

•Nightwing and Batman team-up arc

•A fun time

The Cons

•Too many team-ups

•Isn’t as good as its first half

•Loses some of the intimate character moments

•Heartless feels like a letdown

•Small table of contents and issue count

Final Score

Overall - 7.0/10

In this review, I have been critical, but that’s not to condemn this story. I think it’s mostly quite good. It’s just cursed by being the weaker half of such an instantly renowned and classic series. I don’t love the Titans arc or the pirate arc, but the rest of the series is a good time, despite not being as thrilling as its first half. Sure, this half has its weak moments, but it’s still quite enjoyable and has moments of true greatness.

Would I Recommend

Yes, especially if you’re trying to get into Nightwing. If you’re not already a fan and want to be, pick up this whole series.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments, and follows I get on these.

Overview

X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse Omnibus

Omnibus Collects: Uncanny X-Men (1963) #320 to 321, X-Men (1991) #40 to 41, Cable (1993) #20, X-Men Alpha, Amazing X-Men #1 to 4, Astonishing X-Men (1995) #1 to 4, Factor X #1 to 4, Gambit & The X-Ternals #1 to 4, Generation Next #1 to 4, Weapon X (1995) #1 to 4, X-Calibre #1 to 4, X-Man #1 to 4, X-Men Omega, Age Of Apocalypse: The Chosen And X-Men Ashcan #2.

The Main Creative Team

Writers - Mark Waid, Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, Jeph Loeb, John Francis Moore, Larry Hama, Warren Ellis, and Howard Mackie

Artists - Roger Cruz, Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Ron Garney, Ian Churchill, Steve Epting, Joe Madureira, Terry Dodson, Tony S. Daniel, Salvador Larroca, Chris Bachalo, Ken Lashley, Renato Arlem, Charles Mota, Edde Wagner, Steve Skroce, Val Semeiks, Tom Lyle, and Tim Sale

Recommended Pre Reading

All you need to have is included in here. The setup event, Legion Quest, and the main Age of Apocalypse series are all here.

Review of the Story and Art

So, in my last review of X-Men Blue & Gold: Bloodties (click here to check it out), I mentioned that it was a weird era of X-Men because it was past the hype of the relaunch but hadn’t made it to the Age of Apocalypse yet. Well, here we are. We’ve arrived at one of the most influential comic events of all time. Does it hold up all these years later? Let’s talk about it. Strap in, it’s gonna be a long one.

The Beginning

Age of Apocalypse is set up by another “event” dubbed Legion Quest. In this, we see Legion go back in time to attempt to kill Magneto. Due to interference, Legion ends up accidentally killing his father, Charles, and setting in motion the Age of Apocalypse. I have always been, and still am, a huge fan of Legion Quest. I think this series is so fun and leans into some interesting elements. The character of Legion has always been extremely interesting to me, and this period is a big reason for my initial interest all those years ago. I really like the concept of this arc. I think it’s a really interesting idea for Charles to have a son that is so intensely powerful that he becomes the idealized “Feared Mutant” that Charles is trying to rebel against. I also think it’s a really fun idea to have his son go back in time and inadvertently pervert Charles’s ideals and turn the world into the exact thing that Charles has been trying to avoid in the face of hatred for all these years.

The modern day stuff is pretty weak IMO. I think there’s some interesting character moments, but there’s not a ton that hooks me like the past does. I really love how much focus the past puts on the relationship between Charles and Erik, and I think that really helps inform the rest of the book. You really get to see the dynamic formed here and the impact both of these characters leave on each other. I think it’s early enough where the characters are still malleable instead of being the steadfast in their convictions versions we know in the present day. The idea of a flawed man having ideals that change the whole world and having his own son twist those ideals into something that ends up changing the world into the thing he’s been fighting against his whole life, leaving his main adversary as the one man perpetuating those ideas, is fascinating.

Once we actually get into the AOA with the Alpha issue, I think things start strong. I think this is a good opening issue that gets you familiar with the world and the upcoming series that are going to carry the story. The best thing about this early issue and being thrown into AOA is the subversion of the classic stories and how it’s told. Everything has a beginning, middle, and end. This starts it, you have a bunch of four issue series that tell their own section of the story, and the ending Omega issue. We have seen alternate futures multiple times in the X mythos. But in things like DOFP and others, the mutants are always on the losing side. This is the first time, up until this point, that we’re seeing the script flipped and the mutants on top. Better yet, this isn’t a “possible future,” this is the real 616 timeline at the time. It adds real stakes to the context of the story. This is an unavoidable threat that is happening to the world that we all love.

Another fun thing about that is that the crux character of the book is Bishop. A man who is from one of those possible futures where mutants have lost. He now finds himself having to fix a world that is the complete opposite of the one he came from. I think that hook, along with the world building and Magneto having to come to grips with sacrificing everything he knows for the world he dreams of, is a great setup. Heroes become villains, villains become heroes. It’s a subversive world from our usual stories. It’s very interesting.

The Middle

After the Alpha issue, we’re given eight different four issue mini series. Some are better than others, but all of them will have some aspect that ties into the core story at the end of the book.

The “main” two series that carry some of the core plots are Astonishing X-Men and Amazing X-Men. I really like Astonishing X-Men, and it could be my favorite of the bunch. I really enjoy the cast in this title. I think Rogue’s team is awesome, and I love the dynamics between them. This series is far more up tempo than most of the other ones and focuses on Rogue’s X-Men team as they try to stop Holocaust. The main reason I love this series is the cast. In 2014, I remember going to see X-Men Days Of Future Past movie and falling in love with the character Blink, only to get more into comics and realize that the character is rarely ever used. Here, she gets her time to shine. The standout characters for me are Blink and Sabertooth. I think both are really easy to root for and bring an emotional core to the series. This series is fun. It’s not some spark of writing genius, but I had a great time with it.

Amazing X-Men is far more up and down. There are some moments I really enjoy. The quieter moments that focus in on Magneto and his dynamic in this new world are really great. You truly get to feel the emotional struggle that one altered day has inflicted on him. He knows he has a chance to set it right, but that means giving up all he loves. Let me straight up say, I don’t like the relationship between Erik and Rogue. I think it’s a bit weird, and it doesn’t work for me. That being said, I think Erik’s relationship with his child, Charles, can be fairly emotional at times and really drives home the sacrifice of giving up what he holds most precious for a better world. This book is kind of used as the through line for the event.

Gambit and the X Ternals also has big ramifications for the overall story, but I have to be honest, I’m not a massive fan of this one. I don’t think it’s bad. I actually think some areas are really good. I felt as though the character dynamics leave some to be desired. I liked Gambit and Jubilee, but I found myself having a hard time connecting with the motivations of the characters that we’re trying to be told. I just wasn’t overly invested in this series, and I kind of find the crystal storyline to be one of the weaker aspects of the event.

A series that I was invested in, though, is X Calibre. I think this version of Kurt and Avalon is very interesting. This series does a very good job of keeping some of the core fundamentals of a character like Kurt with his desire to help people, but also flipping some of those other fundamentals like what he’ll do to achieve his goal. I think the whole boat issue really displays Kurt’s true character in a way that not a lot of others get in these series. With great characters and fun ideas like Avalon being a refuge that people travel to, it makes for some seriously interesting stuff. I do think the final issue is weak, and everything once Kurt and Mystique get to Avalon is a little thin, but I still enjoyed my time with this overly stylized series.

I also like X Man, but I do think the plot and characters can become a bit thin a lot of the time. Some areas are done really well, and some others aren’t treated with the nuance that they needed to really become something special. I do think it’s neat to see what Cable became in this universe without the virus or being sent into the future. I think maybe if they leaned into that a bit more, it would have become more well rounded.

Weapon X is a bit of a slow burn for me. I didn’t find myself too invested in the start of the series, but as the series went along and we leaned a bit more into the political structure of the world, I found myself really enjoying it. I think Logan as a character becomes much less one dimensional after the departure of Jean and a much more compelling protagonist. I think this series is very fun and wholly unique. It was really interesting to see another part of the world away from Apocalypse’s rule. By the end of the series, it became very well rounded.

Finally, there are two series I did not enjoy. First is Factor X. I think this series could have been something great, but it just didn’t have the time it needed. I think the Dark Beast stuff rules, but I didn’t love the conflict between Alex and Scott until it started to wrap up. I think this book had really solid ideas and think it would have become a good book if it had the breathing room, but for me, it just wasn’t as well fleshed out as I would have liked it to be.

Lastly, Generation Next. I know I’m gonna get flak for this one. This has become quite the cult classic for a lot of X fans, but it just doesn’t work for me. Mostly because of two things. I don’t enjoy the boneheaded interpretation of Colossus, and I’m not a fan of the art. Yes, I know some people love the art. It’s just not for me. I’ve never been a big Bachalo guy, and this doesn’t sway my opinion. I do think the undertones of the story are very interesting, and it has a really good final issue. That panel of Colossus closing the door is absolutely brutal, but in its totality, it ends up at the bottom of my list, unfortunately.

The Ending

All of these series lead to our final Omega issue. This issue has the tough task of needing to tie all these sub series together and give them a fulfilling conclusion. Does that happen? Eh, not really. There’s definitely some stuff that is brushed past very briefly that didn’t necessarily live up to the importance that the series built up, like the Destiny subplot, the baby Charles subplot, and others. Not every subplot comes together in a massively fulfilling way, but it’s an achievement that they all come together in a somewhat orderly fashion to begin with.

The focus is on two main characters this issue. Magneto and Bishop. Magneto’s story really wraps into this big climactic fight with Apocalypse. I haven’t talked about Apocalypse because, through the minis, he’s not overly focused on as a character. The focus is more on Apocalypse’s rule and how that affects the world rather than the actual character. I actually really like that. If you’re reading X-Men, you know Apocalypse and what he’s all about. This is the natural outcome of his plans. That doesn’t need to be reiterated. Saving any confrontation with Apocalypse makes this feel, well, climactic. Almost like the final boss fight at the end of a game. I really enjoy this fight with Erik, Nate, and Apocalypse. It feels brutal.

Bishop goes back in time and stops Legion. Magneto stops Apocalypse in the present. I really love the mirrored dynamic here once again. Bishop prevents David from inadvertently killing his father and delivers an absolutely brutal line. “Your father would not be proud of you.” In David’s hubris, not only did he start the Age of Apocalypse, but he turned the man he intended to kill into the very person Charles always believed him to be. He sees the value of all life. All this culminates in a beautiful line. Erik, speaking out to his lost friend, saying, “As I hold my family to me before the end, I thank you for changing my life.” Bishop stops Legion, resetting the timeline and ending the Age of Apocalypse.

Is this a perfect book? Absolutely not. It’s got a lot of flaws. For me though, the sum total of those flaws don’t outweigh the fun I had with this book and how beautiful I believe the core story is. I really enjoyed my time here.

The Art

The art is really all over the place just due to the multitude of series that take place within this book. For me, I’ve always been a fan of the Kuberts, and that’s no different here. I think they do a great job on their respective series. There’s also some good stuff in here from Ken Lashley as well.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

•Great core story

•Great opening Alpha issue

•Core story wraps up nicely

•Unique and fun series that come together

•Legion Quest is a personal favorite

The Cons

•Some series matter much less than others

•Uneven writing and art due to the multitude of creators

•Not a fan of Factor X or Generation Next

•Omega issue can feel a little overstuffed

Final Score

Overall: 8.2/10

In conclusion, this is what I’ll say. In my opinion, Age of Apocalypse has always been one of Marvel’s best events. Let’s be honest, we all know Marvel events are mostly the same story in a new dress. But this one feels unique. It even feels unique from the boneheaded attempts to cash in on the Age of Apocalypse format that we’ve repeatedly gotten since its release. This is a full story. It’s not an event with fifty different tie ins that don’t really matter to the story at all. It’s not an event that has no stakes because it’s another in a long list of “possible futures” or “possible outcomes.” It’s got its flaws for sure. You could pick it apart, but it’s an event that isn’t too self indulgent and tells a beautiful core story with a great structure. It’s a must read for any X fan. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. I think this is a must read for X Men fans, and it’s not too overly reliant on prior lore knowledge.

The Afterward

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments, and follows I get on these.

To read all my other reviews, click here.

Overview

Animal Man by Grant Morrison Omnibus

Omnibus Collects - Animal Man #1-26

The Main Creative Team

Writer - Grant Morrison

Artists - Chaz Truog and Dave Hazelwood

Recommended Pre Reading

Nothing. This this book can be read completely fresh.

Review of the Story and Art

Well, today I’m taking on an impossible task. I have to somehow find the words to review Grant Morrison’s Animal Man. This series is so entirely unique that I don’t think I could get through talking about all the complexities or subversions in this book without writing a novel. Reviewing this book is a tall task, but I’m gonna do my best. This will feature heavy spoilers. I truly believe if you have not read this before, it’s best to go in blind. Read at your own discretion. Also, feel free to skip to the “Final Score and Overall Thoughts” section for spoiler free end thoughts.

“What happens when the continuity changes?”

The first four issue of the series are actually much different from the rest. Originally Morrison was only supposed to write a four issue mini series for Animal Man. The first four issues are still Morrison-esqe but much more tightly structured and more in line with a classic series. In these issues we really get to know our characters and lean heavily into the family dynamic. We meet Buddy Baker who we’re immediately shown to be somewhat of a dreamer. Buddy is an on and off again hero who really hasn’t found his place in the world yet but has greater aspirations to be a grand hero on the Justice League. We’re also introduced to his family. Ellen, his wife who we’re shown as someone who is supporting Buddy while also keeping her family running smoothly. As well as Cliff and Maxine, his son and daughter. I think the family dynamic of this series is very underrated and kind of gets lost in background of the greater concepts in the grand scheme of things but it’s a core fundamental of the book. Morrison does a really great job of introducing us to these characters and getting us invested in their stories early on.

“What happens to all those lives?”

Once we get past the original slated mini series we are thrown into the deep end. This is no longer a standard superhero comic. This is a brutal tale of postmodernism. Issue five waste no time crafting one of the most complex and introspective stories ever told. This issue is a criticism and commentary on the brutal and “realistic” nature that comics had evolved into.

Issue five is titled “Coyote Gospel” and in this issue, in a base summary, we see Crafty the coyote come to the DC universe after being cast out from his world after he questioned “God”. Crafty is trying to go back home but is cursed to live a life of pain suffering. The book cold opens to Crafty being ran over by a truck. After being crushed we see Crafty start to put himself back together. It’s brutal and jarring. There’s no fun to be had here. Just brutality in a world once filled with hope. We jump forward in time and see the man that ran over Crafty comes back to try to kill him once again. The man has fallen on hard times since their original encounter and due to his religious beliefs and everything bad leading back to that day, he believes his troubles are because Crafty is a devil. Much like Morrison, the man has created a story of violence. One of the most prolific moments of the series for me happens in this issue. The man proclaims “why won’t they stop?”, this has a double meaning in my opinion. Narratively claiming his hand are shaking, but also I believe asking us as the readers, why won’t we stop turning the page? Why do we read stories that are so grim? Why are we enthralled by watching others suffer? A few panels later the man aim a gun directly at the reader and call us “Satan!” Narratively he’s looking at crafty, but he’s also looking at us with Judgement. This is later called back on by Morrison at the end of the series stating that this series, his writing deystroying these characters lives, and us continueing to read it is “a little Satanic”.

At the end of the story, Craft meets Buddy and gives him the scroll that he wore around his neck. The responsibility of his curse is passed to Buddy. After, the man shoots Crafty killing him, and passing away himself immediately after. Both dying after serving their narrative purpose. When you first read this story, you may go “that was a weird one” but after you read the whole series and think back on this particular issue, you truly see how this is the foundation for everything. Everything going forward is built on this issue. This issue really encapsulates the brutality that Morrison is making his commentary on. Our stories are no longer focused on the whimsical of the silver age, but on the “realism” ushered in by things like Watchmen and TDKR. This issue is still extremely relevant even to this day.

After that we get my personal favorite issue (besides the final one). The Death of The Red Mask. This issue centers around a villain who has been basically forgotten by continuity until he was needed for this story. In this we see him question his purpose in life and in the narrative. This is a much tighter narrative that focuses on how these characters are forgotten by writers and readers and where they go when they’re no longer remembered by us. This is where Buddy starts to speak a bit more openly meta and starts to see the larger forces at play. Stating, “listen, you don’t want to die. It’d be pointless. People keep dying on me. It’s getting really depressing.” I really appreciate this moment because Morrison gets across their point without being overly in your face about it. It’s subtle, but does its job well.

“Who’s responsible”

I think the first 8 issues of Animal are great. I think the last 8 issues of Animal are great. I think the middle 10 issues of Animal Man are weaker. I think this book is at its best when it’s either crafting a great story and then adding some meta stuff around that, or when it’s just being extremely forward with its meta concepts. In the middle part I think Morrison can lean on the conceptualization a little too much instead of making a gripping and tightly structured story. I think it becomes better in retrospect of knowing the whole story, but as its own set of issues, there’s definitely some things that slip through the cracks. It’s not a bad story by any means, it’s just not as strong as it’s beginning or ending. Some things just don’t work for me like the intentional splintered narrative, but some things really work for me like Highwater being a Deus Ex Machina, or Morrison inserting himself as a fox and using a leviathan to represent Chaos. But for the sake of time, we’ll not go in depth about those.

Once we get to the final stretch of this series it starts to become much more bombastic in its storytelling and much more overt in proving it point. Buddy captures the attention of the Government because of his animal rights activities. In retaliation a hitman is sent to Buddy’s home. Buddy isn’t there. When he arrives home, in one of the most gruesome and shocking panels I’ve ever seen, we see that Buddy’s wife and two children have been brutally killed. All shot to death. Once again dialing up the violence as we keep reading, senselessly.

This send Buddy on a path of despair and questioning life and why it must be so cruel. We get some really great stuff during this stretch in the lead up to the finale. We see Buddy get revenge, killing the people responsible for the death of his family. It doesn’t make him feel any better. It just more violence in a captivating moment. That’s what the story has become. We see Buddy try to go back in time to save his family calling back to multiple moments in the series, but it doesn’t work. Eventually after after some psycho pirate shenanigans, and basically a memorial for the forgotten character of the pre crisis timeline, we get to the climax

“Who Writes the World?”

In the final issues we see Buddy start to explore outside the confines of his own reality and continuity. Buddy goes on a long journey just to end of back at his house, the same place he started, just all the worse for it. Things start to change around him and as the door open we get introduced to.. Grant Morrison. In maybe one of the most intriguing and important issues we’ll ever get, we see a conversation between Buddy and the person who’s been writing him. This is a very high concept moment, but also extremely straight forward. Grant is talking to Buddy but also to us as the reader.

Something I love is how blunt and honest Grant is. They admit to ruining Buddy’s life because they weren’t creating enough drama for the book and knew killing his family was an easy way to get a cheap emotional shock. Grant touches on two things I find fascinating in this issue and I’ll focus on those, because god help me if I would try to cover every existential comment brought up here.

Earlier in the series we were asked a question. What if god, or whoever it is, created us to be better than himself? And if we were created in his image, is he just as bad as us? Grant touches on this in relation to Buddy. Grant’s own suffering and trauma caused by the loss of his cat informed how he wrote the series. It gave him insight on pain and animal life. Buddy suffers because Grant suffers. Buddy suffers because we suffer. We keep reading, Grant keeps writing, and the characters keep suffering as an outcome. If you’ve ever heard a debate about religion you’ve probably heard “if god is real, then why do bad things happen?” Buddy asks this to Grant and is given an answer. Entertainment. In a industry now shifting towards being “realistic” we’ve become reliant on shock value and cynicism instead of the hope and joy we once had. This leads into the next topic.

During this conversation Buddy asks Grant to bring his family back to life. Grant says that wouldn’t be realistic. But towards the end of the story, once their conversation is over, Buddy shifts back into the comic book and is home once again. He gets a knock on his door to see that his wife and kids are alive and well once again. To me, this was Grant acknowledging to way the industry has shifted but rejecting the idea that there’s no room for the whimsical and hopeful comics anymore. In Coyote Gospel, Crafty met his creator and asked him to take his pain away. He was then punished for it. Here we see that subverted. Buddy asks Grant to take his pain away, and they obliged. If they take on the role of God, why not be one that leads with kindness? As Grant says in this issue “We thought that by making your world more violent, we would make it more realistic, more adult. God help us if that’s what it means. Maybe, for once, we could try to be kind.”

Grant end’s the book by referencing back once again to his imaginary friend Foxy. Lighting the torch to once again try to find him. They can’t find them, so they walk off into the grim world. We as the reader linger just a little longer, and we see the light from Foxy. Stories matter, and they are as “real” as we make them. Stories don’t become more real with violence, they become more real with meaning. Stories matter, and there’s a light at the end of ours. At least that how the story impacted me and how I interpreted it. I don’t find this interesting because of the concept or even because it had never been done before. I find it interesting because it isn’t trying to disguise itself behind some stroke of genius. It’s a brutally honest confrontation between two sides of Morrison. The creator and the consumer. This concept could have been done by anybody if they had the guts to try it, but I don’t think anyone else would have been as openly authentic as Morrison. That’s what makes it truly special to me.

The Art

The Art in here from Truog and Hazlewood fits the story so well. I have such respect for the consistency of the work. It manages to walk a fine line of feeling cartoony at times and then grimly realistic in others. I just think this was an absolutely perfect fit. I also really love some of the panel composition in the more meta moments. And I especially love how the world was drawn in the final issue and how Buddy offsets it. My brain has melted from covering the writing in this book, so I’m sorry for being brief here, but in summary, it’s top tier work.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

-Features some of the most prolific and significant issues of all time

-Great and consistent art throughout

-Does a great job at bending genres

-Has maybe the greatest final issue of all time

-Extremely thought provoking

The Cons

-Prioritizes metatexualizing the story at times that it loses good story structure

-Has a weaker middle section than the rest of the book

-Do not buy this if you just want a straight forward story

Final Score

Overall - 9.3/10

Would I Recommend?

Yes. Admittedly I do have my problems with the middle section and I do think the message in that section would have been achieved without sacrificing the structure, but other than that this book is simply one of the greatest feats of all time. Those final issues could be considered the greatest stretch of all time and I would not argue. I think issue #5 and #26 are generational issues that are simply perfect. Unless you explicitly dislike meta commentaries, I think this book is a must read.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments, and follows I get on these. This review is LONG and I actually cut a lot of it. Just to make it digestible. I felt like I was writing a novel at points. I thank you for sticking with it and I’d love to hear how this impacted you. Also, I’m pretty sure I used Grant’s pronouns correctly and didn’t catch any mistakes on the proof read. If I accidentally slipped a “he” in there, then I do apologize. Just point it out and I’ll fix it.

Check out all my other reviews by clicking here!

Overview

Green Lantern by Robert Venditti Omnibus Vol. 1 & 2

Volume One Collects - Green Lantern Corps #21-34, Green Lantern #21-34, Green Lantern: New Guardians #23-24, Green Lantern Annual #2, Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, Green Lantern: New Guardians #23-24, Secret Origins #3 and #9, Red Lanterns #24, and Green Lantern #23.1: Relic

Volume Two Collects - Red Lanterns #35-37, Green Lantern: New Guardians #35-37, Green Lantern Corps #35-40, Green Lantern #35-52, Green Lantern Annual #3-4, Sinestro #6-8, Green Lantern: Futures End #1, Green Lantern Corps: Futures End #1, and Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1

The Main Creative Team

Writers - Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Justin Jordan, Charles Soule, and Cullen Bunn

Artists - Billy Tan, Bernard Chang, Fernando Pasarin, and Martin Coccolo

Recommended Pre Reading

This could be a good jumping on point for reader’s but it does lean heavily on the Johns run that came before it. It not a necessity, but you will have a better idea of the wider concepts being used in this series.

Review of the Story and Art

Last review I did was for Green Lantern Corps by Peter J Tomasi (check it out by clicking here) and now I’ve decided to revisit the next step in that era. Coming off the heels of Geoff Johns’ seminal run in Green Lantern, the book was handed over to Robert Venditti. At the time, he was a very new face in comics. Handing the book over to someone else after one of the most renowned run’s in comic was always gonna be a tough task. Handing it over to someone who was just breaking into the industry at the time was an even tougher task. Unfortunately, a lot of those bumps in the road are very apparent in this series. Let’s talk about it.

The Start and Lights Out

In Venditti’s foreword at the beginning of the book he talks about how he was relatively fresh in comic’s when he started getting the Green Lantern gig and more importantly, how he was not familiar with Green Lantern before he was asked to pitch for it. You can tell that he was telling the truth because this series is exactly what you’d expect out of someone who isn’t familiar at all with the mythos and was given the cliff notes on what happened during the Johns run.

Venditti actually brings some good humor to the book but that’s mostly because the writing relies on the humor to draw attention away from the fact that almost everyone is written out of character and aren’t portrayed with any of their core traits that bring variety to such a large cast. Also, he almost immediately resets Hal back to base status quo and ends the relationship with Carol that Johns had set up before leaving the book. The out of character moments and reset make the Hal and others feel very bland.

Venditti’s first big event is Lights Out. In these we see the entity’s of the emotional spectrum start to become sick and wither away after our emotional reservoir starts to run out. We learn that beyond the source wall, there a reservoir that all the entity’s and ring users draw from. Once the reservoir runs out, the universe dies. That’s the whole crux of the story. We also get the get introduced to the character Relic. He is a giant man from the universe that happened before ours and miraculously survived after that universes emotional reservoir runs out. Does he sound vaguely familiar? Well that’s probably because if you painted him purple he’d basically be Galactus. I’m not saying it’s a total rip off, but the similarity is uncanny. Weird thing is, I actually like how he’s used to further the plot at times. I think he works really well as a plot device but his core character is just very bland. He furthers the plot well, but there’s nothing truly of substance to his character. This event is kind of just all over the place and never really finds it footing or really figures out the type of story it wants to tell. There’s three different plot lines with completely different tones that build to a really inconsequential finish with a fake out death that lasts for what feels like three pages. I think the core story could have been interesting but it was a little too big for its boots and threw together Kyle using his White Lantern powers to cross the source wall (yes, it makes no sense. I know) and refill the reservoir. It ranges from bad to just really fine but overall it doesn’t feel like it lives up to its own promises or the big choices it makes like Kyle’s supposed death or the destruction of Oa. On top of all that, we’re given this big revelation of a somewhat sacred thing to DC in the source wall but we’re only told what on the other side and not really given a good explanation. Sure, don’t give away all the secrets. Save that for someone like Snyder who did his whole thing with Perpetua, but still not having at least someone of a visual representation is odd.

Uprising

After Light Outs the revelation of the emotional reservoir is spread and the lanterns become condemned because of their use of a finite power that holds the universe together. This build towards the next key event called Uprising in which different planets and races band together to go to war with the Green Lantern Corps. I’ll be blunt, this build and event is not very good. Sure it’s got some fun moments in the build up, but that’s a small drop in a large pond. There’s so much build towards this war and the consequences of it but the war quickly comes and goes. We get this long build with different faction’s coming together against the Lanterns and even a sub plot of the Lanterns being infiltrated by a traitor but the actual climax of the story is inconsequential, rushed, and just kind of uninspired. It’s the most disappointing part of the whole series.

The book is titled Green Lantern by Robert Venditti, but a lot of the book isn’t written by him. A lot of it is Written Van Jensen because he’s the main writer for the Green Lantern Corps series. Jensen’s series is definitely the weaker part of the book. Most of his stories are very cookie cutter in plot and structure. That’s very apparent in Uprising. Jensen’s title takes on a lot of the narrative through this stretch and it delivers some really uninspired issues. It mostly focuses on John Stewart but I don’t think he had a really good grasp on the character. He’s portrayed as the prototypical soldier instead of the deeply resonate character that we’ve become accustomed to over the years.

The Start of Volume two and God Head

Volume two’s main event is God Head. In this we see the New Gods come to the main DC universe for the first time looking to claim the powers of Kyle Rayner who possesses the Life equation. This event doesn’t really make sense. The whole premise is that the New gods are coming here for the first time. But that doesn’t make any sense. The New 52 reset the timeline for our universe. But the New Gods live outside of our universe. They shouldn’t have been affected. The New God’s and New Genesis are outside of our universe. The continuity in this is just all over the place. The New Gods are changed for some reason when they shouldn’t be and there’s a bunch of other little references that don’t make sense. Guy even mentions his time in JLI. This is before Rebirth and Death Metal so these references make no sense continuity wise. Yes, a lot of Green Lantern continuity carried over but why are we retconing how Xanshi was destroyed but Guy can reference a team that never happened in this timeline? But whatever, moving past that. This event is really weighed down by trying to include everyone in the story and those different issues not flowing well into each other. Going between all the different writers series can feel a little discombobulating. It’s a little too large in scope for its own good. Mix in continuity problems, weird plot choices, bad narrative structure, and simply an uninteresting story and this is the result. Hal’s sub plot is interesting with him going to get Black Hand, but the other sub plots aren’t very gripping.

There’s various plot lines that could be cool in their own vacuum, but together they don’t fit well. I’m not a huge fan of the Kyle and Carol thing, but a big problem is once again putting a big focus on the “New Guardians” being evil. This has been done to death. I also think this new interpretation of the New Gods, aside from it making no sense, isn’t that interesting. It feels like they were reduced down to a base version of themselves and the whole plot line of needing to gain the life equation to defeat Darkseid doesn’t bring any tension to the book because we’re only told about him but not shown. Hal has some interesting moments but that’s about all I can say that’s good about this event.

Renegade Hal

After this we get a storyline where Hal leaves the corps to take the fall for the bad reputation of the GLC. The set up for this is pretty stupid, but I actually enjoyed some of the stories that came from this quite a bit. I really enjoyed the smaller stories that focused in on Hal being a renegade and his adventures on the run. They feel much more character driven and really like a breath of fresh air after such massive inter-series spanning stories. Now that’s not to say it’s all good. Towards the end once we start introducing alternate Paralax’s the book once again goes down it quality. But I really enjoyed most of renegade Hal.

Once final thing I want to mention. In this book we get Van Jensen’s retelling of how John destroyed Xanshi and it has got to be one of the worst retcons I’ve ver seen. I mean it just sucks all the life and meaning out of that event. Im very happy that we’ve got the original version back and even expanded upon in Scott Snyder’s Justice League because this was not the play.

The Art

Billy Tan does most of the main GL run and for the most part I think he does good work. I really like his work toward the beginning of volume one and during Lights Out the most. The other series that are included in here have a rotating cast of artists which are fine but there’s some particularly sloppy work on GLC in volume two.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

-Good Artwork on the main series

-Has good humor

-The condensed Hal renegade issues are fun

The Cons

-Doesn’t have a good voice for the characters

-The Green Lantern Corps issues are a step down in quality

-Runs into lots of continuity issues

-Big events like Lights Out and particularly God Head aren’t very good

-John Stewart is written very poorly

-Has a very lackluster version of the New Gods

Final Score

Volume 1 - 3.2/10

Volume 2 - 3.4/10

Overall - 3.3/10

Would I Recommend?

No. I’m a massive GL fan and think there are so many other great option to read that it’s difficult for me to find a reason to recommend this one. I actually really like Venditti’s run on Rebirth’s Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps, but his early stretch with these character just did not work.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I really appreciate all the upvotes, comments, and follows I get on these.

Check out the rest of my reviews by clicking here

Overview

Green Lantern Corps by Peter J Tomasi & Patrick Gleason Omnibus Vol. 1 & 2

Vol. 1 Collects - Green Lantern Corps #1-38, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1-3, Green Lantern #21-25, Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1-5, Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1, Showcase '95 #7-8, and Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1

Vol. 2 Collects - Green Lantern Corps #39-47 #59-60, Green Lantern Corps (The New 52) #0-20, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1-13, Blackest Night #8, Green Lantern #65-67, Green Lantern (The New 52) #17, #20, Green Lantern Corps Annual #1, and a story from Green Lantern 80th Anniversary JOO-Page Super Spectacular #1

The Creative Team

Writers - Peter J Tomasi, Dave Gibbons, Geoff Johns, Keith Champagne, Sterling Gates, and Tony Bedard.

Artists - Patrick Gleason, Fernando Pasarin, Doug Mahnke, and Ivan Reis.

The Pitch

Outside of Earth, the Green Lantern Corps, wielding the power rings of will, protect the galaxy from anything that poses a threat to its existence. Join the Corps of Oa as they battle reincarnated heroes in the form of Black Lanterns, Sinestro, Different Corps, and Corrupted Guardians.

Recommended Pre Reading

Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern is almost essential to read in unison with this series. The whole start is set up in Green Lantern Rebirth and as the series goes on it ties heavily into the event happening in Johns main GL run.

Review of the Story and Art

Recently I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite books. I just did a big re-read of The Flash (check out all of those reviews by clicking here) and I decided that I wanted to revisit my other favorite corner of the DC universe. Coincide that with the celebration of the new show Lanters releasing and I knew it was the perfect time to jump back into some Green Lantern. Let’s get into it.

Volume One

The Reintroduction

This era of GLC starts with the mini series titled Recharged. This series is written by Dave Gibbons and Geoff Johns. Spinning out of the events of Green Lantern Rebirth where we seen our classic Green Lantern dynamic come back. The central power battery is reignited and the corps are once again brought together. This isn’t some massive overarching story, but more structured like a series of different smaller events that focus on different Lanterns that eventually all come together to give us our main cast going forward. I think this series does a great job of introducing you to all these new characters and their dynamics without giving too much away. These characters get established but it leaves plenty of room for those characters to develop later. Just a solid start that sets up things to come.

Peter J Tomasi’s name may be front and center on this book, but he actually doesn’t write a lot of it. Once the actual GLC ongoing starts, Dave Gibbons is the writer for the first seventeen issues. I feel like this whole era kinda gets clumped other as the Tomasi era by general readers but Gibbons set up an amazing foundation and did some really great work on this series. Some of it being the best from this era.

The Cast

The best thing Gibbons did was create a really dynamic cast that all have their own unique qualities. So many characters go on different arcs without the book ever feeling overwhelming. Guy Gardner is pretty much our through line for the whole series that becomes much more central later on, but in the Gibbons era the spotlight is passed around a good amount.

Soranik Natu gets a big focus in the first half of this series. I think she’s the most interesting addition to the cast. Having another person from Korugar be selected as a GL is a really fascinating choice that has a lot of depth to explore. Seeing the turmoil that the planet has been left in after Sinestro’s tirade over the planet is interesting because the protectors of the universe are now viewed as tyrants on the planet. Soranik doesn’t want to be selected. She’s doing important work to help her fellow oppressed people and now she’s selected to become the successor to a symbol of oppression against them. Her story of trying to use the powers she’s given to redeem the symbol is really interesting. I think there’s a mirrored image between Soranik and Sinestro (who end up being more tied to together than originally thought) that’s really interesting when you look beneath the surface. Soranik’s way of using her abilities and just her general attitude towards the corps and how they work has always stuck out to me. Her relationship with Kyle is also something that sticks out to me but it’s really something that gets a bigger focus in different books, only the beginning is shown in this series.

We get other new characters (and old ones with bigger roles) such as Isamot and Vath who are from races that are at war against each other. It’s a really fun idea to take these characters who have been tought to hate each other then partner them together to protect a whole sector. We get some really fantastic development for these two through out the series as we see them slowly work past their prejudice and bond with each other. Something I really appreciate is that it’s not a perfect friendship. That indoctrinated hatred doesn’t just go away. You see moments of relapse and anger but you also see them work through it. It’s a friendship that has the odds stacked against it and it ends up being possibly my favorite dynamic throughout the whole series.

We get smaller roles from characters like Stel, Greenman, Bzzd, and Iolande. These more supporting roles are great because these character still get their own development where they feel important but don’t feel forced or like they take too much time away from the bigger storylines happening with other characters. You wanna see a robot and a giant frog like man be partners? Here you go. You wanna see a tiny bug GL save his sector partner who is an actual freaking planet? Here you go. You wanna see a princess of a world be partnered with someone who is a doctor for oppressed people? Here you go. Green Lantern is a gold mine for these types of dynamic that you’d just rarely ever get from other stories. The only limit to what you can do is your imagination and I think this series hits a home run with its characters. You truly care about all these characters and where they end up.

Tomasi’s Time

Spinning out of The Sinestro Corps War is where Peter J Tomasi’s run on GLC really starts. Tomasi does some great work here and something I really like is his use of Mongral II. I know it has to be selective for the sake of the story but it’s always kinda bothered me that conveniently the rings only choose characters within the GL sphere. Why don’t other villains get yellow rings? Well here, one does. Seeing Mongral obtain a yellow ring and kind of take over the Sinestro Corps is really fun. It’s kind of a story that starts in Ring Quest and continues until the end of the volume. We see Mongral get a yellow ring and after being defeated by the GLC he goes and amasses the rest of the Sinestro Corps and takes over the planet Daxam. This leads to a confrontation between himself and another character named Sodam Yat.

Sodam Yat is another character that gets a massive focus in this first volume and I think his story is really well written. When we first meet him he’s shown as this undeserving guy who’s maybe a little too over confident, and he’s given this extreme power called Ion, who regular GL fans are familiar with as being Kyle’s former role. As the story goes on this character gets fleshed out extremely well. He’s partnered with Arisa who GL fans are familiar with. Were shown these flashback of him growing up on a planet that shames him for having an interest in what’s beyond just their world. This really informs how the character acts. Not only does he have this sense of adventure but he also has this core need to prove his parents and Daxam wrong. The correlation between all his passionate choices and the decimation of his home world is phenomenal theming. This all wraps back around to when Sodam has to go back to Daxam to save his homeworld from Mongral. He has no love for his planet or the parents who inflicted so much trauma on him, but his core need to prove them wrong and live up to the legacy of the GLC shines through. It’s a really interesting mental struggle for the character. I won’t go into every detail because it’s one of those things were you can only truly appreciate it if you read it yourself, but Sodam was a standout and I loved his inclusion in the book.

Also this first volume does a great job of bringing a horror aspect to the book. Space is scary and this really plays into the creatures that could be inhabiting this unknown planets. I feel like there’s such a distinct tonal and visual identity in this volume that has hardly been replicated by others.

Volume Two

Volume Two is gonna be a bit more brief. Mostly because we’ve talked about the big characters, but also because it’s a step down from volume one. Now I’m not saying it poorly written, it’s not. But it suffers from the same problems I have with Johns main GL run post Blackest Night. It stops being inventive and just starts spamming the same events we’ve been doing just in a new variation.

Pre New 52

The book starts with the build and tie ins to Blackest Night. For the most part I enjoy these, but specifically I enjoy how the friendship between Guy and Kyle takes center stage here. These two have really been the heart of the series so watching the grief that Guy goes through when he believes Kyle died is pretty impactful. We see Guy become filled with uncontrollable rage and become a Red Lantern for the first time. It’s a good way to set up a fun story while still having an emotionally resonate background. I think it’s a fun little side piece to the main Blackest Night series that takes chance on doing something a little different. Watching Guy destroy space zombies is so visually enjoyable.

Something that is not fun is War of the Green Lanterns. This is where we kinda start moving into just repeating the same stories. This just doesn’t work for me in any meaningful way. This whole event is just a big excuse to see the main four Lanterns wear different rings, but it doesn’t have enough structure around that to make it mean anything. Also, this book specifically maps its events very poorly and that’s a big factor here and going forward. It gives you the GLC issues of the event and maybe an odd main GL issue if it’s absolutely necessary, but collecting it that way makes it feel extremely incomplete. I could totally see people who aren’t as connected to Lantern lore as I am just end up being completely lost.

Anyways let’s talk about the big moment. John kills Mogo. Look if you like this, that’s fine. I remember thinking it was really cool when I read it for the first time all those years ago. But if you’re a GL regular or a John fan, specifically of his pre Rebirth time as GL, then I don’t need to tell you how absurd this moment is. I think what annoys me the most is the audacity to use Xanshi as a plot point but completely miss the point of what made that moment so important. Here we’re told John “knows what it’s like to make tough decisions”. John didn’t make a tough decision on Xanshi. He made a mistake. His ignorance and hubris killed a whole planet. John went on a long journey of redemption after that so to have John do that same thing here and try to re-contextulize things is disrespectful to the lessons and arcs of those original stories. Later once we get into the New 52 series we’ll get yet another story where John kills a lantern and I just think there’s an extreme fundamental misunderstanding of John’s character. I really dislike when he confined to this box of being the former soldier who has to make the hard choices. John is so much more than that and we’ve been shown how great those stories can be when the writers are more expansive on his other aspects. I don’t know why this era wanted to regress him so badly.

New 52

This is my least favorite section of the Johns/Tomasi era. New 52 becomes very one note and in GLC specifically things get very messy.

The book becomes very singularly focused on Guy Gardner. I like Guy, a lot, but basically sweeping the rest of the cast away besides Guy and John sucks. All those characters that brought so much heart to the book and made it feel expansive are just gone from the book. Some just stopped getting attention, some went off into other books, there’s lots of factors. Either way, not having that cast anymore really hurts the series.

This era of GL winds down with the Rise of the Third Army arc that leads into the Wrath of the First Lantern event that closes out John’s and Tomasi’s times with the Corps. These stories are.. fine, but there’s pretty much just different takes on the same stories we’ve been getting. Another story about how the Guardians are evil, what a big surprise. I don’t want to be too negative here because I think there’s some fun moments. Volthoom has some good scenes, but I don’t think it’s enough to really make this an event on the same level as its predecessors.

Overall this second volume and specifically the post New 52 section feels extremely disjointed. The mapping and lack of some content really messes up the flow of the book and loses the wide variety of characters really hurt the series. There’s still some great stories and good moments, but it doesn’t have the consistency of the first volume.

The Art

The Art in this series is incredible. Patrick Gleason does most of the art work until we hit the New 52 and he knocks it out of the park. He does such a great job at creating different atmospheres and creatures that keep you glued to the page. He has some really underrated horror aspects. Seriously just top tier art from Gleason.

Fernando Pasarin takes over after New 52 and I think he does a fine job but it doesn’t quite have the distinct visual identity that Gleason brought to the book.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

-Patrick Gleason’s Art

-Fun and unique cast

-Guy Gardner gets needed development

-Really great character development in the first volume

-Elite level first volume

The Cons

-Quality drop off in volume two

-Most of the cast leaves in volume two

-Becomes too tie in focused

-Mapping can feel very disjointed

-John is poorly written

Final Score

Vol. 1 - 9.1

Vol. 2 - 6.9

Overall - 8.0

Would I recommend?

Yes, I would very much recommend this series. The mapping isn’t great once we start getting into the crossover sections and I struggle to find a lot I like about the post New 52 section, but the rest is just undeniably great. That first volume is some of the greatest Green Lantern content we’ll ever get. The cast is just so stacked and easy to fall in love with. If you’re interested in Green Lantern or the GL universe outside of Hal Jordan, this is the series for you.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments, and follows. This was a long one so thank you for lending me your time.

Check out all my previous reviews by clicking here

Hello everybody, need to get rid of some stuff. Everything has just been sitting on my shelf. $5 shipping unless order is over $25, then it’s free. If you need extra photos, feel free to ask.

Hardcovers:

https://imgur.com/a/AVpWKeP (Timestamped)

Moon Knight by Huston Omnibus $110 (Minimal Shelf Wear)

Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron Omnibus $50

Batman & Robin Eternal part 2 EagleMoss Collection - $8

Batman Sets:

https://imgur.com/a/XacqyVe

Batman No Man’s Land Full TPB set (Vol. 1 - 5) - $65 (separated spine on Vol. 3. Spine and pages intact, just cracked glue.)

Batman Knightfall Full TPB set (Vol. 1 - 3) - $40

Batman War Games Complete Collection 1&2 Lot - $35

TPB’s:

https://imgur.com/a/1hvoiaX

Batman The Knight TPB - $10

New 52 Suicide Squad Vol 1 (New) - $5

Daken/X-23 Collision TPB - $5

Siege New Avengers HC - $8

X-Men: X-Verse villains - $2

Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four - $2

Saga vol 1- $5

Open to all trade offers as well

Specifically interested in Spider-Man Omnis.

Overview

The Flash: Road to Rebirth Omnibus

Omnibus collects - The Flash #25–52, The Flash Annual #3, Secret Origins #7, The Flash: Futures End #1, and DC Universe: Rebirth #1.

The Creative Team

Writers - Robert Vinditti, Van Jensen and Geoff Johns

Artists - Brett Booth, Gary Frank, Phil Jimenez and Ivan Reis

The Pitch

In this omnibus, watch as Barry has to deal with enemies from his past and future. Will Barry solve the mystery of who killed his mother? And when a future Flash comes back to the present, will he still be the man we know now?

Recommended Pre Reading

I would recommend reading the first half of the New 52 series by Francis Manapul. It provides a lot of context to the events that happen in here.

Review of the Story and Art

Here we are at my final stop in my big Flash re read (check out all the previous reviews by clicking here) and unfortunately, we end on a pretty sour note. I’ve always thought the New 52 era of Flash is a major downer for the character. I thought maybe revisiting this specific era that I’ve only read a few times before would evoke something new and I’d have a better time this go around.. I did not. Let’s talk about it.

The Beginning and Characterization

The book opens up with some shorter arcs before jumping into anything too substantial. Here we get to establish our cast for the book that mostly carry over from Manapul’s run. Here we get a big focus on Barry and his relationships with his girlfriend Patty Spivot whom he works with, and Wallace West (I’ll refer to New 52 Wally as Wallace and Classic Wally as.. well, Wally) who is Barry’s close friend Iris’ newly adopted nephew. Barry’s character takes a huge hit in New 52 and that continues here. Instead of feeling like the classic Barry, the New 52 kinda blends classic Barry and classic Wally together. We keep Barry’s back story (kinda) and some of his main traits, but he’s lightened up and given some personality traits that classic Wally had. I understand the desire to blend the two together in this new universe, but in the process they lost what made both of them so special. It feels like Barry is stretched in so many different directions but has nothing interesting done with any of them that he ends of being a bland prototypical protagonist.

Another character who feels very bland is Patty. I won’t pretend like Patty was a massively exciting character pre N52, but she was used in some fun and interesting ways. Here, she does feel like a character who you want to root for, but she’s mostly condensed into this one note character whose only purpose is to further Barry’s plot. That’s a big deal for Flash fans. We’re used to Iris West and Linda Park who basically becomes co main protagonist for a lot of their time on Flash. Patty is often depicted as this jealous over emotional character whose only purpose is constantly bending over backwards for Barry but never gets any proper development to flesh out her character. In a series where fully developed powerful women character’s are the usual, it’s extremely disappointing to just see Patty treated with such disregard and thrown to the side once her purpose was served.

Wallace is also not great. Eventually his character starts to get some development, but when we first see him as a young abandoned kid committing petty crimes because he’s angry at the world. Yes, if you’re thinking that sounds like a problematic stereotype, you’d be right. Unfortunately, Wallace just isn’t in a lot of the book. He doesn’t really get the opportunity to develop into anything that is substantial to the book. I feel that way for both Wallace and Iris.

Future Flash

This book has a lot of problems, but a major one is its paper thin plots. Most of the stories feel like your basic low tier plots from around the N52 era. There’s not a lot of plot that is exciting or challenging in any real way, but there is one that stands out. A future Barry Allen who after the death of Wallace West has an emotional breakdown and decides to go back in time and fix everything.

I find the future Barry character interesting. I think he’s well designed and is a catalyst for the best moments in the book. We get a slow build of future Barry’s journey to the past. Through multiple issues we get to see him stop at multiple points in time to change certain events in his way back. It makes absolutely no sense because why would you need to stop a different points in time to change events when none of it will happen because you’re just gonna change history further back in the timeline, but I digress. I think it’s so interesting to see a ruthless version of Barry and just how powerful he could be. Future Barry’s encounters with Mirror Master and Selkirk do a really good job of depicting the ruthlessness of this version of Barry and just how advanced he’s become. Our Barry gets trapped inside of the “Savage Speed Force” which is very dumb and doesn’t fall in line with past or future depictions, but its purpose is to take our Barry somewhere else so Future Barry can become our central character in the present for a bit. I think this is the best stretch of the book.

A paranoid future Barry trying to manipulate the timeline makes for some extremely interesting dynamics and moments. Having a Barry who doesn’t have moral boundaries or the value for life like our usual Barry does makes for a fun mirrored image dynamic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t like as long as it should’ve. Eventually Barry escapes the Savage Speed Force and confronts future Barry along side a future alternate version of a grown up Wallace (who literally only serves the purpose to die immediately and set up our Wallace getting powers in a really uninspired way later on). After being confronted by the Flash’s and witnessing the toll his actions have had on Patty, future Barry decides he was wrong and sacrifice himself to save everyone one last time. Its a super mediocre way to end the arc, but it’s still by far the most enjoyable part of this run.

The Return of Thawne

In the back half of the book we get the debut of N52 Eobard Thawne. Immediately, we’re shown that it’s a very different take from our normal version that we’re used to. Also, what I mentioned earlier with Barry and Wally being blended together, the same thing happens here with pre N52 Thawne and Hunter Zoloman. Thawne still has his twisted affection/hatred for Barry but is also given some of the characteristics and trauma from Hunter. Instead of being the mirrored image of Flash with the negative speed force, he’s given more time based powers like Hunter as well.

In this story we’re given yet another version of Thawne being revealed to have killed Barry’s mother, and it is by far the worst version. This is the fourth time we’ve been retold this story. Pre Flash Rebirth, Flash Rebirth, Flashpoint, and now this story arc. Somehow this version is the most convoluted. It tries to tie way too many moments together and takes away from the whole allure of Johns Rebirth story. It takes away from this raw moment of rage and hatred that was set up in Rebirth and replaced with a moment that means and amounts to nothing. It’s a really weird version of the character and story, but thankfully as soon as rebirth happens and Williamson takes over this is dismissed and replaced with what we all know and love again.

Wrapping Up N52 and The Start of Rebirth

The final arc is basically just a filler arc while we wind down N52 but it does have a few fun moments. Here we see the CCPD sour on the Flash and hire a task for to arrest him. The task force is The Rogues. That’s a fun idea and leads to a few good moments. Behind the scenes we see that a mastermind is manipulating things to ruin Barry’s life. The big reveal is that it’s The Riddler, once again another fun idea. This story isn’t anything great, it’s not even particularly well written, but with Rebirth in sight I like the decision to make a fun whimsical arc that plays on the tropes of putting a hero against a villain from someone else’s rogues gallery. It’s not necessarily good, but it can be fun.

Finally, DC Rebirth #1. This issue rocks. In this issue we see Wally West try to escape the speed force to warn different characters about the changes of N52. In a lot of ways this issue is a course correction for post N52 and setting up things to come. We tease Dr Manhattan and The Watchmen to the main DC universe. We see the set up for the great crossover between Flash and Batman title “The Button”. We see the reintroduction of our classic Clark and Lois with their new son Jon. And mostly importantly to me, the reintroduction of Wally West to the post N52 universe. I love basically all of this issue, but the sequence between Wally and Barry has a special place in my heart. Everything from Wally’s monologue to the moments where Barry remember Wally and pulls him back from the speed force is just perfect. That moment when Barry apologizes to Wally for forgetting him will always bring a tear to my eye. I adore it so much. At least the book ends on a great note.

The Art

A lot of people really dislike Brett Booth’s art, I’m somewhere in the middle. I like how he draws some things and really dislike how he draws other. He’s on basically the whole book so at least it’s consistent. I will say though, I hate the Flash suit. Why would you ever give him gold eyes? The art on DC Rebirth is phenomenal. A collaboration between DC’s biggest hitters at the time and you can tell the talent and effort put into this issue.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

-DC Rebirth #1 is fantastic

-Future Barry is an interesting character

-Fun final arc

The Cons

-Terrible characterization

-Paper thins plots

-Terrible treatment of Patty

-Wallace is stereotyped and underdeveloped

-Bad concepts

-Bad depiction and reintroduction of Reverse Flash

-Barry backstory is retold yet again and made even more convoluted

Final Score

2.4/10

Future Barry and DC Rebirth save this book from being a total dud but that’s only a small portion of the book. The rest is some of my least favorite Flash content of all time.

Would I Recommend?

No. No veteran Flash fans are gonna like this series and it’s doesn’t do anything well enough to allure new fans in. Everyone is much better reading other Flash series that are great and just skipping over this. There’s just so many other great Flash series that unless you’re a Flash completionist like myself, there’s no reason to choose this over other options.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you for all the upvotes, comments and follows. We’ve got some big books coming up so stay tuned!

Check out my previous review by clicking here

Overview

The Flash by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 3

Omnibus Collects - Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge #1-3; The Flash: Rebirth #1-6; Flash #1-12; Blackest Night: The Flash #1-3; The Flash: Rebirth #1; Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #1; The Flash Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1; Flashpoint #1-5

The Creative Team

Writer - Geoff Johns

Artists - Francis Manapul, Scott Kollins, Ethan Van Sciver and Andy Kubert

The Pitch

This collection features the epics stories that followed his return that no fan of the Scarlet Speedster should miss out on reading including Flashpoint where Barry Allen wakes up to a world that is not his own. A place where his mother was never killed...and the Flash never existed.

Recommended Pre Reading

This omnibus isn’t connected to the first two volumes by Johns and can be read on its own, but I do recommend reading Final Crisis if you’re interested in seeing when exactly Barry returned.

Review of the Story and Art

This omnibus hold some of the most iconic Flash stories ever told. After reading through all of Waid’s run I wanted to read some Barry focused books and this is what I landed on.

The Rogues

The book starts out on the Rogue’s centered mini spinning out of Final Crisis. I enjoy this series and honestly just their inclusion throughout the whole book. Flash has an extremely underrated rogues gallery by general readers and the Rogues always shine throughout the Flash mythos and that’s no different here. There’s a ton of really great moments and even a standout character moment for Snart in the Blackest Night tie in series. I just think they subtly bring a lot to the book.

I also enjoy the Blackest Night tie in series. It’s nothing crazy but it definitely has some moments that are really cool which fit in line with the main event. The moment with Captain Boomerang at the end is brutal.

Flash Rebirth

Generally, I like Flash Rebirth less than most. I know, I know. How could I not love this series like everyone else? There’s a lot of stuff I like in this series, there’s also a lot of stuff I think is really dumb. I really like the reintroduction of Thawne here and just how menacing he seems throughout the series. I enjoy the introduction of the negative speed force and how Thawne and Barry are truly mirrored images of each other. I like how the importance of the Flash legacy is portrayed in the series. I also really love the idea of Wally and Barry going back in time caused the original lightning bolt that struck Barry. But, there are so many retcons in here that are so unnecessary. Green Lantern Rebirth built upon the GL mythos, Flash Rebirth completely reengineers it. Maybe it’s because I’m such a huge fan of The Life Story of The Flash story that I hate this, but it feels like so many things get changed for the worse. Barry wearing bow ties was originally a quirk of his that Iris fell in love with, but now Iris is the one that gave him his original bow tie. Barry stopping the waiter from dropping the food is changed for no real reason and just used as an “oh I remember that!” Moment. It just feels unnecessary. There’s also a moment where Barry says the last time he seen Wally he was “four inches shorter” but that’s literally not true because we know full adult Wally goes to the future and teams up with Barry against Cobalt Blue. Also, I know everyone loves to meme it, but Thawne going back in time and breaking child Barry’s arm and letting his dog out to get run over by a car is more ironically funny than the tension builder that Johns was going for. Yeah I got mixed feelings about this series.

The Ongoing

I like most of the ongoing series. I think it starts to lose some steam towards the end (probably because Flashpoint was coming) but for the majority I really liked it. I think Johns takes Barry on an interesting route that shows some character flaws in contrast to the pedestal that the people around him put him on. I think all the stuff with the Rogues are really fun and I enjoy how Johns was planting seeds for Flashpoint throughout the whole series. I love the context of all these things building up like the Barry being shown his life with his mom that eventually lead to the snapping point of creating Flashpoint. I just really liked most of this series and think it’s an underrated stop in Flash history.

The depiction of Barry and his importance gets a little out of hand at times. It feels like Barry is immediately thrown back into the main role and its treated as “the real Flash is back” which is just kinda lame considering Wally carried the book for over 20 years by that point. Trying to pass off the Rogues needing to take it seriously now because Wally always treated it as a game is unbelievably lame. It is not a smooth transition at all. I’m not gonna say Barry shouldn’t have come back, it was gonna happen eventually with as much as they teased it. But bringing Barry back and treating it as the real Flash is back and throwing Wally to the side is stupid. There’s so many interesting routes you could have gone with that dynamic and they don’t do any of it. Instead they just reinforce how great Barry is constantly. It’s easy to see why so many people hate Barry returning when you put into context how Wally was treated when Barry returned and then was just erased from history after being the main Flash for over 20 years. I love both Flashes, but it just felt like there was so much untapped potential here just to boost up Barry.

Flashpoint

One of the two big hitters of this book is Flashpoint. Don’t get me wrong, there’s problems with this series, but there’s no denying its scale and importance. I really like the idea of Barry being so lost after returning from death and finally breaking under the weight of knowledge. Finding out Thawne killed his mother in Rebirth and all the little things that built up throughout the ongoing series made him crumble on his mother’s birthday. I like that Barry makes such a flawed mistake in the face of being touted as a golden boy for so long after his death. I also really like how you’re led to believe that it’s Thawne all along when really it turns out to be Barry that changed the timeline. I think Flashpoint does a really good job of showcasing the scale of how badly things have changed in the world. Obviously Thomas Wayne is great as well. A lot of people have turned on that character in his overuse since Flashpoint, but contained in Flashpoint, he’s great. The dynamic between him and Barry is fantastic as a mirror to Barry and Bruce’s relationship. And the conversation at the end between Barry and his mother is absolutely brutal. Flashpoint has some lows, but also has some tremendous highs.

It’s not enough to ruin the series for me, but the crux of Flashpoint makes no sense. We establish that Flashpoint is created because Barry went back and saved his mother and creates a history that shouldn’t have happened. Except that makes no sense because it did happen. Thawne going back and killing Barry’s mother was an aberration. Until 2009 when Johns wanted to retcon it, Barry’s mother had lived and died a normal life. We establish that multiple times. So if Barry stops Thawne from creating an aberration in the timeline, it should just reset to the original timeline. Right? You can say that Barry specifically doing it caused it but it gets not so subtly hinted at that Barry could always change the timeline if he tried hard enough and literally in Johns own run we establish speedsters other than Thawne can change the timeline. That’s literally a plot point in one of his biggest arcs. Barry literally time travels in Rebirth. So it should have just reverted to the original timeline that we had before the retcon. But fine, say that Barry specifically is the one who caused it due to his interference. Barry doesn’t go back and re-kill his mother, he goes back and stops himself from originally saving her. So if Barry is specifically the one who caused it, it should have reset to the timeline to the post rebirth timeline since Barry stopped himself from changing the timeline at all. So there’s no way that it could’ve been Barry specifically. Sure, we can say now that it was Dr. Manhattan influenced by a corrupted part of the Great Darkness and all that stuff but Johns wasn’t using any of that at the time. It was very much explained that it was a due to Barry causing Flashpoint that caused the New 52 timeline. I feel like an incoherent mad man rambling about this but either the beginning doesn’t make sense, the ending doesn’t make sense, or this is just some random bs that Johns and DiDio cooked up on a random Tuesday.

The Art

The Art throughout this whole book is phenomenal. Francis Manapul is one of my favorite Flash artists and I adore his time on this book. Scott Kollins is a veteran on the series by this point and I’ve always been a big fan of his work on the series. Ethan Van Sciver does a great job on Rebirth and Andy Kubert is a big part of what makes Flashpoint so special. Just absolutely top tier art work in this book.

Final Score and Overall Thoughts

The Pros

-Heavily features the Rogues

-Both mini series are good

-Flashpoint and Flash Rebirth included

-First half of the ongoing series is very good

The Cons

-Constant unneeded retcons

-Untapped potential

-Inconsistent plot points

Final Score

Overall - 8.1

I have my problems with all the retcons, but most of the stuff in here is very good. I think the ongoing is an underrated period of the Flash and a fun book despite its flaws.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. I think good for fans of the Flash and readers looking for a place to jump on at.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you guys for all the upvotes, comments and follows.

Check out all my previous reviews by clicking here

Overview

The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 3

Omnibus Collects - Flash #142-163, #1,000,000; Flash Annual #10-13; Showcase '96 #12; Flash/Green Lantern: Faster Friends Part 2 #2; Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends Part 1 #1; Flash Secret Files #1-2; Speed Force #1; The Life Story of the Flash #1; Flash 80-Page Giant #1-2

The Creative Team

Writers - Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Michael Jan Friedman, Joe Casey, Chuck Dixon, John Byrne, Christopher Priest, Tom Peyer and William Messner-Loebs

Artists- Paul Pelletier, Pop Mhan, Ron Lim and Mike Collins

The Pitch

Wally West faces powerful new threats, uncovers long buried family secrets, and forges bonds with the past, present, and future of the Flash legacy. From the debut of the mysterious Cobalt Blue to the reality shattering arrival of Walter West.

Recommended Pre Reading

I definitely recommend checking out the first two volumes as they provide much needed context for this volume.

Review of the Story and Art

The Story

Well, here we are. Our final stop on my Flash by Waid re read. It’s been an absolute joy going back through all these issues that solidified my love for the character all those years ago.

The Good

The book starts off with a crossover that I really love. It’s a crossover with Green Lantern that not only includes Wally and Kyle, but also Jay and Allen. An event from Jay and Allen’s past comes back to haunt them in the present, but that’s not really the main focus of the crossover. Instead it’s a really great story that focuses on Jay as he learns that he’s dying and doesn’t have much longer to live. The setup around the story is nothing special, but the core of the story about Jay’s legacy and the impact that he’s had on everyone around him really resonated with me. I always think the idea of Wally and Kyle getting body/mind swapped was really fun and was a nice way to keep the book fun when not focusing in on Jay. Overall just a really fun story with some heartfelt moments.

Then we go to the 1997 annual titled I Married The Flash. Usually I’m not a huge fan of annuals, but this one was really fun. It’s not a deep story, but it really leans into the more whimsical side of the Flash and I really enjoyed it. Rainbow Raider crash the production of a Flash movie based on Terminal Velocity. Wally has to navigate a movie being made about him while dealing with Rainbow Raider and romance issues. It’s a goofy story that doesn’t take itself seriously and I think it worked really well in the annual format. It also has some really fun Linda moments.

Then we get the highlight of the book. The Life Story of The Flash. I cannot express how great this massive 100 page issue is. If you are a Flash fan or even generally interested in the character, this is a must read. It’s an in universe biography made by Iris West-Allen for her Husband Barry Allen. This callsback to the book that Wally discovered way earlier in Waid’s run. In this we get to see the whole life story of Barry (before it was Johns-ified) told in this really detailed love letter to the character. We get to see the whole story from when Barry was first struck by lighting all the way until his death in Crisis. It doesn’t skip over anything either. Every important moment in the Flash history is shown here, from Keystone being reintroduced to the world, to the trial of The Flash. It’s all here and depicted by people who you can really tell put a massive amount of effort into nailing the legacy of the character. It’s extremely detailed and does a great job of truly immersing you in the story. This is a must read issue, and one of the best stories ever told.

Later on in the book during the 80 page giant, we get a short story called Answers by Mark J Kiewlak and Paul Ryan. I really love this story. It’s a compact story about Wally coming to terms with the kind of life he’ll be leading his new wife Linda into. Wally goes to multiple different friend to ask about their own experiences, by the end he meets an old man who just lost his wife. During their conversation Wally realizes the value of the love he shares with Linda and can’t give that up just for the possibility of what might come in the future. It’s short and sweet, I really enjoy part of the giant.

Towards the end of the book after Chain Lightning we get the debut of a new Flash. Eventually we come to learn that this Flash is an alternate version of Wally named Walter who has been hardened by the loss of his Linda and his battle with Kadabra. I actually really liked this short era of Flash. I enjoy Walter and how his story plays out. I enjoy the mystery of who he is and the slow reveal of how our Wally and Walter’s stories intertwine. I think this short stint did a good job of serving its purpose without over staying its welcome. The mirrored dynamic between not only Wally and Walter, but Linda and Angela as well is really interesting. Showing how some events can completely change the outcome of your life was really intriguing and ending on Wally/Linda getting their happy ending vs Walter/Angela being forced to be apart was a really interesting way to end that story. it’s a fun way to wrap up the run.

The Neutral

Chain Lightning is sort of the main event of this era of Waid’s Flash. I don’t think it’s a bad story but it’s kind of a combination of a ton of tropes Waid has used before. I’m gonna be honest, I think it’s pretty bland. I think it focuses a little too much on the novelty of getting every Flash together from the future in this big event rather than focusing on fleshing out a well crafted story. I also think the idea of giving Barry a “brother” is kinda lame and an idea that’s grasping for straws. It doesn’t really add any tension to the event that couldn’t have been achieved through a different path. I do think the idea of Wally changing the events of Crisis and trying to fix it is a cool idea. It makes zero sense logically and continuity wise, but still cool. Cobalt Blue, even admitted by Mark Waid, is a super lame name as well. It’s not poorly written, but it doesn’t nothing to stand out either.

In this book we also get the wedding between Wally and Linda. I really like the actual wedding issue and some of the stuff around it but I would have much preferred a normal wedding issue without a big twist ending. It’s comic books, but still I think it took away from some of the glamour of Wally and Linda getting married. I like the stuff that it eventually led to with Walter and the eventual wedding, but I would have liked to have seen that plot point wrapped up a little more neatly.

The Bad

We’ll start with the 1998 annual titled Haunt. I do not like this issue. I think it’s much more regressive than progressive. By this point we’ve done the story of Wally keeping things from his friends and being a little too self centered a hundred times. It felt like it was retreading old ground on the premise of something that was a just not a factor until they needed it to be. Wally and Jesse’s dynamic has always been fun and I think this annual really missed the mark. And the cherry on top, Jesse kissing Wally is very weird and out of character. I don’t care what context it’s put under, it’s weird and doesn’t fit the character at this point.

Now we get to the main two problem I have with this volume. Firstly, the pacing of this volume is horrendous. Specifically in this format, there’s so many plus sized issues put in this volume that it makes for some of the worst pacing you’ll find. You’ll go from reading a 23 page issue, to a 54 page issue, to a 80 page issue, to a 23 page issue and a then to a 100 page issue. At points it just really makes the book feel like a slog to read since there’s no really consistency in length or importance.

Keeping in line with that, there’s absolutely no fluidity to the book. All these giant issues are jammed in between the ongoing story and it disrupts the whole flow of things. There will be times where something will happen in the main story and it will take multiple issues or a giant sized issue before we get back to the story being told. Often times the stories lose all their momentum and significance just due to pacing and mapping. I like most of the stuff being told in here, but it doesn’t work well in the omnibus format if you’re someone who likes to read multiple issues at a time.

The Art

The Art is very inconsistent in this book. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good art in the book, but it never really pop the way some early Flash stories do. Due to the all over the place nature of the book, it never really has a visual identity. There’s tons of artists rotating in and out of the book that it never really gets to establish itself like the previous volumes.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-The Life Story of The Flash is a masterpiece

-Starts great with the Green Lantern crossover

-The 1997 annual is really fun

-The Answers short story is fantastic

-The book wraps up in a really fun way with Dark Flash

The Cons

-Awful pacing and consistency

-1998 Annual

-Very inconsistent art

Final Score

Overall - 8.2/10

There’s a ton of really high highs in this book. But the pacing and consistency in the omnibus format just really brings enjoyment level down at times. Still, with such great stories, it feels like a good spot to place it around an eight. I love this run, and some of the stories in here are a big reason for that.

Would I Recommend?

Yes, I would recommend this whole series. If you have volume one and two, pick this up.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! It’s been an absolute blast revisiting a series that means so much to me and I’m happy that I’ve gotten to share my thoughts with you guys as well.

Check out all my previous reviews by clicking here

Overview

The Flash by Grant Morrison & Mark Millar Deluxe Edition

Deluxe Collects - THE FLASH #130-141, GREEN ARROW #130 and GREEN LANTERN #96!

The Creative Team

Writers -Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Ron Marz and Chuck Dixon

Artists - Paul Ryan, Ron Wagner, Pop Mhan, Paul Pelletier, William Rosadd, Joshua Hood, Mike Parobeck and Ariel Olivetti

The Pitch

Confined to a wheelchair after a run-in with the mystery villain known only as The Suit, how can The Flash protect Keystone City from evil run amok?

Recommended Pre Reading

Reading the Mark Waid stuff that this follows up with definitely provides some context but this can be read without any prior reading.

Review of The Story and The Art

The Story

Here we are at the next stop in my re read of some classic Flash stories. After reading the first two omnibus of Mark Waid’s run, I’ve been reminded of all the reason’s I adore this character. Interestingly, Morrison and Millar’s run takes those classics and flips them on their head. They succeed in some areas, and fail in others. One thing’s for sure though, it’s an interesting ride.

The Good

Immediately you can tell that Morrison and Millar bring a different and fresh feel to the book. Does the book need a fresh feel? Not really. Waid pretty much perfected the formula, but it’s still fun to see a different vision for the character. I think the overall more whimsical feel in this run is really fun. It works really well as a change of pace between Waid’s stuff.

Something else I really like is how the arc’s are structured. They’re shorter stories that work really well to have a nice sense of diversity in their short time on the book. It’s not a long book, but you get a lot out of it.

I enjoyed how much focus got put on Jay. After the events of the first story arc, Wally gets injured. The other speedsters have to step up to take his place. Jay Garrick gets a lot of the spotlight and I think the story focused on himself and his relationship with former villain, Thinker, was really great. I think it gave a great look into the inner workings of Jay’s character. By this point we’re so used to Jay being the older wiser figure who gives knowledge to the younger generation. Here we get a story that shows what type of hero Jay is and how important his faith is. Even in the face of uncertainty, he still believes that doing the right thing will work out. I think he was used very well.

I also like the issue focused around the Mirror Master. Not even mainly story wise, but character wise. I really like Mirror Master, but a lot of writer’s can completely miss the mark with his Scottish accent and quirks. It can end up being this overdramatic version that can be annoying to read. Here, probably because of Morrison, the Scottish aspects are done almost perfectly which allows for his ingrained humor to show without being overpowered. The story is also fun, but I wanted to give a shout out for the great depiction.

My favorite story of the whole book is The Human Race arc. It’s not for everybody, but it’s for me. I love the goofiness of this story. In this story Wally has to save the world from aliens by competing in a race against his childhood “imaginary” friend. He saves the day by getting everyone in the world to run at the same time, super charging him to win a bet against the aliens. Sounds absurd right? Well it’s that and so much more. It’s the most Morrison-esqe story in here and I love the dynamic it brings to the book. I think some characteristic’s lack in this book (I’ll get to it later) but here I think those classic Flash fundamentals are firing on all cylinders. Also the idea of the whole world rallying behind Wally to save them is such a good moment that really brings the arc together nicely.

The Neutral

The Flash 80 Page Giant story by Millar is included in here where we see Millar meet the Wally West at a bar in order to come up with an idea to write about him in his comic series. It’s very meta. I enjoy some of the things Millar does here. I think it’s fun. The problem is, it becomes very self indulgent. Millar writes himself in a very tongue in cheek way but it comes off forced in places. By the end it gets way too self indulgent at the cost of the story. Which makes sense, it is Millar we’re talking about. I like the idea of it, but it could’ve been handled a bit better. We’ve seen this concept in other places done much better.

The Black Flash arc. I enjoy some parts of this. I think there’s some good moments in the final issue, but there’s just too much bad for me. The way Linda gets treated as a plot device here without any value being added to her character is just inexcusable. Killing Linda to have her set up the rest of the story then magically bring her back at the end and basically go “well they’re gonna get married now so be happy!” is absurd. I like the idea of the Black Flash but I think there’s short story arc got a little crammed and didn’t allow for the mystique of Black Flash to fully develop before having his big reveal. I just kinda didn’t really end up feeling anything. I do really like the final confrontation between Wally and Black Flash though. Wally outracing death to the end of time is a power scalers dream and the type of nonsense I enjoy every once in a while. That was a cool moment that I very much enjoy.

The Bad

The crossover between Flash, Green Arrow and Green Lantern is fun but each issue is extremely different and gives tonal whiplash when reading such different takes on the same story. I had fun but could never get invested due to the narrative being all over the place.

Earlier I mentioned a fresh feel to the book. That’s true, but it comes at a cost. There’s some fun whimsical stories that lean themselves well to the Flash property. The problem is a lot of the core fundamentals of Flash are lacking here. The book is more focused on the high concept at times that it doesn’t bring the fundamentals that WML or Waid established and baked into the Flash mythos. It’s very focused on telling the story that it wants to tell that a lot of time it loses what makes a good Flash story in the first place.

The prime example of that is Linda. Shes such an important character to the series and the mythos. Wally’s Flash doesn’t work without her. In Waid’s run she’s basically the co lead of the book. Here she’s basically thrown to the side and turned into your typical side damsel in distress. Especially during the Mirror Master issue or the Black Flash arc. This really bums me out. She’s got some fun moments but that’s it. There’s no real focus or drive for her. That sucks. I understand the main focus is on Wally, but to see such an important character be treated as a plot device just really puts a sour taste on your mouth.

The Art

The art is good but a bit all over the place. I think each artist does a good job but there’s no real sense of visual identity in the book. Paul Ryan does some good work continuing over from his time in the Waid run. Pop Mhan also did some work that I enjoyed.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Leans into the whimsical

-Mostly good story arc structure

-Jay Garrick focused issue

-Mirror Master focused issue

-The Human Race arc

The Cons

-The treatment of Linda

-Loses some of the core Flash identity

-Crossover is all over the place

-Black Flash arc could’ve been better

Final Score

Overall - 7.4/10

Might be low for some people, but I think the low-mid sevens is a good spot. It’s a fun book but the small things I didn’t like just tend to build up when reading the whole run. It’s always been that way for me but some things stuck out a little more for me this time around. Still some really great stuff in here though.

Would I Recommend?

Yes I would recommend. I think it’s fun and has some good stories if you’re into Morrison’s style of writing. I would recommend Waid’s run over this if you’re looking to understand the core fundamentals of Flash though. This is like a fun side quest.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thank you so much for reading my review! I appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you for the upvotes, comments and follows.

Check out all my previous reviews by clicking here

Overview

The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 2

Omnibus Collects - The Flash (1987) #0 and #92-129, The Flash Annual #7-9, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #4, Impulse #10-11, The Flash Plus #1, a story from DC Universe Holiday Bash #1

The Creative Team

Writers - Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn and Peter J Tomasi

Artists - Mike Wieringo, Oscar Jimenez, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca, Paul Ryan, Humberto Ramos and Ed Benes

The Pitch

Picking up after Vol. 1, watch as Wally find out where his power truly comes from, and find out the length he’ll go to in order the save Linda’s life!

Recommended Pre Reading

I would definitely recommend reading Vol. 1 before this. It’s a direct continuation.

Review of the Story and Art

The Story

Here we are once again jumping into The Flash by Mark Waid. As someone who has a deep connection to the character, it’s always fun to revisit these stories that cemented my love for the Flash all those years ago. Volume 2 is once again filled with great stories.

The Good

Something Waid does throughout his run that really gets put in the spotlight here is how Wally has matured. Wally can still act unreasonable at times, but you really get to see how far the character has come from those rough beginnings. Wally start’s to step up in different aspects of his life. You get to see Wally take on a much more mature view of the world and his place in it. Other hero’s start to look to him for guidance. The Flash has now fully becomes Wally’s mantle, and it shows in how he’s depicted in this volume.

Waid doesn’t cheap out either when it comes to Wally’s better half. Linda is such a dynamic character in this series and I adore how she’s depicted most times. In the first volume Linda gets established as a major supporting character. In this volume Linda full on takes co lead of the book. I love that decision by Waid. Linda and Wally’s dynamic is fantastic. They’re both headstrong in what they believe but also extremely compassionate. Linda having such a major role in the book allows for so many different avenues of storytelling. I especially loved the issue where Wally starts to lose faith that the JLA can find a way to restore the sun safely and save the world. He confesses that there’s a high likelihood that life is gonna be wiped out. After hearing this Linda think she should go public with this information. Wally disagrees. However, Linda continues on anyways and tells the world the truth, but she also makes a speech about faith and belief in the hero’s. Even in the face of extinction, our hope empowers these hero’s to be able to do what they do. I find it to be an allegory for Wally and Linda’s dynamic. The Flash doesn’t work without Linda. She’s become such a crucial part to the hero that without her, he wouldn’t be the person and the hero we’ve all come to love. Easily, my favorite couple in comics.

In this we also get the true introduction of the Speed Force. It’s kind of mind blowing to go back and see the beginning of such a crucial part of the Flash mythos. It’s expanded the lore in such a substantial way. Not only is the speed force referenced heavily throughout the rest of the Waid run, but in every single run since. I really like the way it’s introduced as this mystical force that’s beyond our understanding. I also loved the effect that it’s had on Wally as a character. His journey into the speed force really opened the door to explore more characteristics of his. Wally goes from a hard headed kid to a hero with a higher calling. It’s such a fascinating addition that we’re still exploring to this day.

We also get the introduction of Bart Allen AKA Impulse. I really love the idea to flip the typical Flash dynamic on its head. Instead of Wally being the hard headed kid who rebels against authority, we see Wally become that authority and Bart take the typical role that Wally fulfilled. Giving Wally a mentor role really played into the maturity that I was talking about earlier but also shows off the struggles of trying to fulfill a role that you’re not yet ready for. It also brings a ton a humor to the book. Unfortunately, we don’t get a ton of Bart in the book past a certain point since he spins off into his own book, but the moments we have with him here are really great. It’s just yet another great addition to the Flash family.

I can’t do a review of this book without mentioning the big hitter. Terminal Velocity. A lot of people think this is the best Flash story of all time. I don’t hold that same opinion but I can see why people can reach that conclusion. Terminal Velocity is just a really fun event that does a great job of building tension in order to make a big splash ending. It’s goofy but also filled with really emotionally compelling moments that don’t shy away from effecting the larger DC world. I really love how this story gets all of the supporting cast together in a fun and unique way. Everybody has a part to play and they play them well. The main part of this story is the speed force and Linda. I really love how this establishes Linda as the thing that always grounds Wally. His lighting rod you could say. I also love that ending. Leaving Heaven for Linda was sappy as hell and I ate up every moment of it and think it spun out into a fun follow up with Linda feeling inadequate afterwords.

I think the 1995 annual titled Year One is fantastic. It’s a really beautiful look at the beginning of Wally and how far he’s come at this point. It’s a simplistic story, but I really love it. Adding Jay and Hal to the issue really gives it a perspective on top of Wally’s that I enjoy. We’ve seen stories where Wally has to come to terms with Barry’s legacy a bunch of times before, but I really like how this one is told though Wally’s memory and perspective of the early days.

The Neutral

Dead Heat is a fun book. There’s some moments that I really really like, but some of the progression gets very sloppy at times. Savitar is interesting but he does come out of no where with no real build up. While I think the dynamic between Savitar and Max is fun, the tension built between Wally and Savitar feels very artificial. We’re not given really anytime time to develop things before we’re hit over head with another “Wally might not come back from this one!” storyline again. I like that Wally and Jessie are partnered for most of the story, I think it was a smart decision after Terminal Velocity as a follow up to the actions taken there. Unfortunately that isn’t given enough runway due to needing to give time in the book to the old timer’s to build towards Johnny Quick’s demise. It’s just stretched a little thin. I do however really enjoy the final issue. I think Wally and Savitar’s race is really fun and plays into all the classic Flash tropes that I love. Savitar being defeated by winning is also a fun little twist (until he pops up in rebirth, then again allows for Jeremy Adams to attempt to fix the travesty of Hero’s in Crisis almost 25 years later) So yeah, fun story but definitely could’ve been much tighter narratively and progression wise.

The Bad

I don’t think Peter J Tomasi did a bad job on the 1996 annual, but it’s kinda everything I dislike about those old annuals in these books. Being stuck with a 50 page annual that has no real relevance to the stories or the characters that we’ve been building brings the pacing to a crawl. Like it’s a fine story but in this context it really doesn’t work. It’s a massive gap in between the regular flow of the book. I just wasn’t a fan.

Finally, this is a great book. But when compared to volume one, it just lacks that same spark a lot of the time. Volume two is about building on the Flash legacy and progressing these characters forward, and I think it does that. But narratively it gets a little looser, especially by the end. The whole series does a great job of adding a subversive nature to the book. False endings, shock reveal that aren’t what you think they are, new twists on classic tropes, all the good stuff. But I feel as if volume 2 follows up on that subversive nature to a lesser extent. It’s still phenomenal writing, above average, but when compared to the heights of volume one, it’s a step down. I think it especially loses its vision towards the end of the book. John Fox coming back was fun but a little too long and kinda inconsequential by the end. It just feels like that whole storyline was built around the John/Linda dynamic that you could see the subversive twist coming from a mile away. Also the storyline with Keystone kicking Wally out of the city is a fun concept but should have been much tighter narratively and way more condensed. They’re both still good stories, and I especially like the back half of both of them, but when compared to volume one there’s definitely some more bumps in the road. There’s great stories, but I’m not blown away by anything to the extent that I was with Born to Run or The Return of Barry Allen in volume one.

The Art

The Art by Wieringo is fun and does a nice job of fitting in with the tone that Waid uses. It’s a little sloppy at times with the small in between pages, but for the meaningful panels, there’s some really excellent stuff. Oscar Jimenez takes over for Wieringo and while I think he does a phenomenal job with the big moments and the important panels, you can tell that some pages were extremely rushed and did not turn out well. I really don’t like how he depicts people in the more zoomed out shots. It’s just personal preference but I found myself being thrown off my some panels. It’s not a big deal since they’re not constant, but worth the mention. Salvador Larroca does good work on Terminal Velocity and I enjoyed his short time on the book. Paul Ryan does a good job as well with finishing out the book. He’s not my favorite artist, but he does a really good job

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Great character development

-Linda Park takes an even bigger role

-New character additions

-Introduction of the speed force

-Terminal Velocity

-1995 annual “Year One”

The Cons

-Can be narratively sloppy at times

-Dead Heat is a mixed bag

-1996 annual

-The end arc leaves some to be desired

Final Score

Overall - 8.3

While I do think it’s a little step down from the first volume, there’s no denying its greatness. This is still a phenomenal book filled to the brim with good stories. Waid was a perfect match for these characters. Even in the downer moments of the series, it’s good work.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. If you have volume one and liked it, then pick this up for sure. If you haven’t jumped into the series at all, volume one and two make a great pair and are worth the pick up.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I’ve loved jumping back into this series. I’ve already finished the Morrison & Millar deluxe edition, so expect that review soon.

Check out the rest of my reviews by clicking here!

Overview

The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 1

Omnibus collects - The Flash #62-91; The Flash Annual #4-6; Green Lantern#30-31, #40; The Flash Special#1; and Justice League Quarterly #10.

The Creative Team

Writers - Mark Waid and Gerard Jones

Artist - Greg LaRocque, Mike Wieringo, Phil Hester and Mark Bright

The Pitch

When a freak accident gives Wally West the same super-speed powers as his uncle Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, Wally's journey toward becoming a true hero began. Watch him take on terrorists, gunmen, and villains while trying to cement his own legacy!

Recommended Pre Reading

The William Messner-Loebs run will provide some back ground context to the characters but Waid does a really good job of making the book new reader friendly. You can jump right in and not feel lost.

Review of the Story and Art

The Story

What’s your favorite era of comics? Who’s your favorite character? What happens when those two things intersect in perfect unity creating one of the best comic runs of all time. For me, that’s The Flash by Mark Waid. WML set the groundwork for who Wally would become, Waid takes that groundwork and sculpts a masterpiece. This is where we see the true legacy of Wally’s time as the Flash be built. Recently I’ve been revisiting Waid’s Flash and I thought about doing a review of all three volumes at once but that felt kinda felt like a disservice to the review format since I wouldn’t be able to talk in depth about each volume that way they deserve. I really want to have a fleshed out conversation about the books instead of grouping them together and rushing through them. So keep an eye out for more Flash reviews to come in the future.

The Good

As soon as we jump into the main series Waid does a really get job of establishing the tone that the series will carry throughout its run. It can be very lighthearted and silly with really great moments of humor, but it’s also incredibly introspective and emotionally resonate story with deep meanings. It walks the line of being a fun book but also one filled with impactful messages. Waid doesn’t shy away from talking about and delivering messages about legacy, faith, inner turmoil, love, and reason. Waid’s willingness to dig deep into these things is the reason that Wally goes through such massive character development. The tone and messaging not only has impact on the reader, but the characters experiencing it.

The first real arc of the book is Born to Run. We see Wally run into his grandfather and have to confront his feelings and trauma from his own past. This arc is used to retell the origins of Wally and his becoming of Kid Flash. I think this is a perfect example of how to pay homage to the classic stories while revamping things for a more modern audience. Not only do we get the re telling of Wally’s origins here, we also get a really great story about the intricacies of familial love and the expectations that you put on people. Wally goes through a monumental change in life with his Aunt Iris and his new mentor Barry Allen. He gets swept up in this new life but what happens when that honey moon phase ends? Wally and Barry’s relationship is displayed as this really pure and genuine bond that informs the dynamic between the two from that point forward. The final two issue of this arc are very impactful. Seeing Wally and his father’s relationship where the expectations supersede the love that is actually expressed is something that hits close to home for a lot of people. It all wraps up around this beautiful moment of a kid having to grow up and realize that things aren’t always gonna be how you want them to. People aren’t always gonna act how you want them to. You have to grow despite those things. How does someone deal with those things while adding powers on top of that? It also has a meaningful ending about reconnection. Wally gets to reconnect with his Grandfather that he’s become distant from. It’s a really great story that has a lot of emotional depth.

After that we get one of the best holiday issues of all time with issue #73. Wally and Jay find themselves helping a pregnant woman trying to find her husband Joey who is about to do something he shouldn’t because of the weight of needing to provide for his new family. One of my favorite aspects of this issue is that while Wally is trying to do the right thing by trying to stop Joey from making a mistake, he actually has nothing to do with Joey’s internal decision. He comes to that on his own after helping a child and some self reflection over his own faith and decisions for his and his family’s future. He realizes the effects he would have on himself and the people around him. Wally shows up after that decision has already been made to save Joey and the child. It’s a really great issue about struggle and faith. In a world of superhero’s, it still matters if you do the right thing even as a normal person. You have to put your best foot forward and have faith for the future. No matter who you are you can make a difference no matter how small. It also brings Wally down to earth and sheds light on the basic human struggle. All of this being set in the backdrop of Christmas and the holiday spirit was just fantastic. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Then at the end we get the big reveal. The return of Barry Allen.

After the massive reveal of issue #73 we get the story of Barry returning from the dead. Waid did such a great job of manipulating your feelings as a reader through the writing of the internal monologue of Wally. The initial reveal of Barry is filled with excitement and shock. How is Barry back? Who’s gonna be the Flash? But through Wally internal thoughts you’re made to feel the same doubts that he has. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Is it too good to be true? Add all of that on top of Wally’s creeping insecurity over his place in a world with Barry in it, and it makes for really compelling writing. All of this is built throughout the story, dividing you between excitement and doubt. All this leads to Barry’s visit with Iris’ grave. Not only does this resonate with the reader, but Wally as well. Wally lets go of his suspicions and lets his guard down. He finally accepts that his friend and mentor is back. As a reader we get to see a grown Wally and Barry take on the legacy together for the first time… only for that to be ripped away the next issue, and it is done MASTERFULLY.

In a conflict, it seems like Wally is killed. The goon exclaims “I killed the Flash!” Which sets Barry off. He starts beating him ruthlessly. Wally, who survived, goes to stop Barry but overhears what he’s saying. He’s not angry over Wally, he’s angry because Wally was called Flash. Barry is the only Flash in his own eyes. He’s not concerned about his friend, but his own title. This is a jaw dropping moment of the story. It’s written in such an impactful way that it’ll have you on the edge of your seat waiting to know what happens next. Skipping some moments, it all leads to the reveal that Barry has actually been Eobard Thawne all along, marking the return of the Reverse Flash. It’s revealed that this is a young Eobard who’s traveled back to the past before his death. Eobard’s first conflict wasn’t with Barry, it was with Wally over Barry’s legacy. This could have been really easily screwed up and written off as a writer not leaving well enough alone. Instead it’s written with such nuance that it results in not only IMO the best Flash story of all time, but one of the greatest stories ever. By the end you realize what the story was really about. It’s not about Barry. It about Wally finally stepping out of his mentors shadow. After all that time Wally finally steps forward and realizes that he is the Flash. He’s not only living to honor Barry’s legacy, he’s solidifying his own. It’s an amazing story about becoming your own person in a brutal world and trying to live up to the people you want to make proud while not letting that rule over your life. The Return of Barry Allen is a classic and an essential for any Flash fan.

The cast is also fantastic with very unique personalities. The core cast built around Wally is really great and the guest cast including Green Lantern, Nightwing, Starfire, and Max Merceury is also great. Every character is written with purpose and fulfills their own roles.

In this we also get to see the beginning to IMO the best relationship in comics, Wally and Linda. We haven’t reached the deep waters of the relationship yet in this volume, but the beginning of their romance is still a treat to read. Waid does a great job of contrasting Wally and Linda against each other that makes their relationship even more special. Both have their own stories being told and it feels incredibly natural. Linda is given her own urgency and nuance that really helps her stand out. She’s not just the damsel in distress that the hero has to save. She feels like a true building block for the series and given her own importance. The dialogue between Wally and Linda is really well written. Their chemistry has a lot of depth which is more than you can say for most of Wally’s previous relationships.

The Neutral

The crossovers can be fun at times but they do feel like breather issues in between the core story. The crossovers between Flash and Green Lantern has some great moments but you can tell a drop in quality, especially for Wally, whenever Gerard Jones is writing. The same love and care that Waid brings to the book is just not there. Those crossovers lean a little more on the whimsical side but lack the nuance that Waid uses during the solo Flash stories. I do appreciate some of the more goofy aspects taken from the wider DC universe though. The crossovers with Argus are fine, but once again just feels like filler. I don’t care about Argus, like at all. So there’s really no investment in the character and the story doesn’t compel me to suddenly care about the character. It kinda reminds me of Manhunter from the start of WML’s Flash run but less fun.

The Bad

I don’t think all the Annuals are bad per se.. but man do I hate to see them coming. They’re just too big with not a lot of material that has substance. Whenever I see an annual I know I’m about to sit through fifty pages of story that is going to have no influence or impact on anything else I’ve read or am about to read. They’re fine stories, but I think if they were twenty less pages I might appreciate them more. Reading a double, and sometimes triple issue just really affects the pacing of the book and the stories don’t do enough to make up for that pacing issue.

Finally, the #87 Christmas issue. The previous Christmas issue is so great that this one completely fails in comparison. I understand what Waid was going for, but completely subverting the expectations of a Christmas issue didn’t really work. Instead of making an issue that brings the holiday feel and is about the human spirit, it’s an issue about not feeling like that holidays and focuses in on Wally’s struggle as the Flash. I don’t think taking the story in a different direction this time was the right choice and I think a normal holiday issue with a twist on the end with Wally being sued would have subverted those expectations enough since you could’ve had a nice contrast between that reveal and the Barry reveal from the previous year.

The Art

The art is elite throughout this whole book. Greg LaRocque is on a different level here. This is my favorite work of his career. The line work is so great and it’s enhanced by great inks and coloring. And respectfully, I think LaRocque’s Linda might be the most attractive person ever drawn. We also get a good fill in issue from Phil Hester who I always enjoy. I like his style a lot and think he gets overlooked a lot of the time. In the back end with get the start of Mike Wieringo’s time on Flash. I think he also does some great work. Although I will say, once Wieringo takes over, some of the coloring can be wonky at times. Everything is not quite as precise.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Great art throughout

-All time great stories like Born to Run and The Return of Barry Allen

-Wally’s character gets much more fleshed out

-Linda becomes a major player in the Flash mythos

-Great supporting cast

-Great mix of tones and messages

-Issue #73 is one of the best holiday issue ever

The Cons

-The annuals are too long and tie into meaningless events

-Crossovers feel like filler most of the time

-Issue #87 feels like a massive letdown after the previous years holiday issue

-Argus feel very shoehorned into the story

Final Score

Overall - 9.6

This books does have some down stories, but the heights it reaches are undeniable. Born to Run, issue #73, and The Return of Barry Allen are all elite level stories. And the stuff around those stories still range from good to very good.

Would I Recommend?

Yes, absolutely. This volume specifically is a must read for anyone interested in The Flash.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I appreciate all the upvotes, comments and follows I get on these. I’m very happy I decided to review the volumes individually because clearly I had a lot to yap about. I’ll have reviews for volume 2, 3 and the Morrison and Millar stuff coming out in the future. So keep an eye out!

Check out my previous review of Flash by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque by clicking here

Overview

Spider-Man Brand New Day Omnibus Vol. 3

Omnibus Collects - Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #612-647, Amazing Spider-Man Annual (2009) #37, Dark Reign: The List - Amazing Spider-Man (2009), Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Black Cat (2010) #1-4, The Many Loves of the Amazing Spider-Man (2010) #1; material from Web of Spider-Man (2009) #2-7, 12; Spider-Man: Origin of the Hunter (2010) #1; Spider-Man: Grim Hunt - The Kraven Saga (2010)

The Creative Team

Writers - Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Roger Stern, Zeb Wells, and Joe Quesada

Artists - Adam Kubert, Barry Kitson, Marcos Martin, Michael Lark, Francis Portela, Max Fiumara, Michael Gaydos, Lee Weeks, Todd Nauck, Chris Bachalo, Mike Mayhew, Paolo Rivera, Joe Quesada, and Paul Azaceta

The Pitch

The family of Kraven the Hunter is preparing an unholy resurrection, and their Grim Hunt might just put Spidey back in the grave! Also, find out what really happened at the wedding of Peter and Mary Jane.

Recommended Pre Reading

I would recommend reading the two previous volumes to get a grasp on the overarching story and all the references in here.

Review of the Art and Story

The Art

This book is filled with spectacular art work. The highlight for me was Marcos Martin. I love the combination of outlines and colors that makes his art pop. I think his art is such a good fit for the type of stories he was tasked with. The book also includes great art work from Michael Lark, Michael Gaydos, Lee Weeks and som early Marco Checchetto. Of course there’s gonna be some inconsistency with fill in artist with a title like this because of the schedule but the core set of artists did an outstanding job.

The Story

The BND era was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Thankfully, my memories on this final third of the era was accurate in being much better then Vol. 2. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some real stinkers in this book, but for the most part I really enjoyed my time revisiting this stuff.

The Good

Firstly, this volume is much more narratively focused. For a lot of the last volume it was meandering around with no real direction. That’s changed here. There’s a clear direction for the story built through the overarching narrative that keeps the book much tighter. We have the gauntlet building towards Grim Hunt, then afterwords we start wrapping up some stories that have been built throughout the era. A lack of direction was my biggest complaint about the previous volume, and I’m very happy that it was much better here.

There’s some really great single issues in here as well. Not all of the villain stories were good, but there was some that really stood out. I think these stories did a great job of breaking up the book while not being overbearing. I like having these chapters that give more depth to the characters without them being full issues that take up too much time in the book.

I really loved the Rhino issue. I think it did a great job of adding some much needed depth and development to the character. I also really liked the issues that focused on Flash. It’s really great that the character became so fleshed out through such a slim amount of focus throughout this era. I really enjoyed the conversation between Spidey and Flash about the difference between trying to be someone else and being inspired by them. I think Flash’s monologue did a great job of keeping the consistency of Flash looking up to Spidey, while also establishing that Flash is a hero because of his own actions and no one else’s. Flash is inspired by Spidey, but Flash is a hero because of his own will and integrity. Really great stuff from a limited amount of time.

In my review of volume two, I complained about Fred Van Lente’s writing. It was a big issue for me. There’s still some bad moments, but for the most part I feel like his writing in this volume was a improvement over the previous stuff. His writing for Peter’s character specifically was much less egregious. Still not stellar stuff, but an improvement over volume two is note worthy.

I enjoy the Origins of the Species arc. I think it’s a fun story that breaks up the typical structure of a Spidey story. After the more sinister tone of Grim Hunt and Shed it was nice to get a story that was more fun with a interesting tone shift in the middle. I think the “Spider-Man stops joking around” trope is so played out but that may just because I’m tired of Spidey fans online trying to power scale him just by the justification of going “but did you read that comic of when he stopped messing around and no one could stop him”. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story and I appreciate it trying to fix the sins of the previous volume with the Osborn family. It’s just a really fun time that I think serves as a great arc to wind down and wrap up the era.

The Neutral

The Shed arc is very conflicting for me. I think there’s some moments that are really great. Peter’s inner feeling over the actions of the Lizard is really compelling at times. Also, some of the nuances with the inner monologue of Curt’s mind is really good. The overall direction that they take the Lizard’s character is really weird and not explained well. The build towards the big moment with Billy is also not great. While it has those great moments, the rest feel incredibly rushed and undeserving of its own direction.

Grim hunt is kinda meh for me. I don’t really like or dislike it. I don’t really have anything notable to say about it, I like the stuff around it more than the actual story itself.

The Bad

Just by design of the era there’s gonna be inconsistencies. Theres so many moving parts with different writers that it’s inevitable. Even though this volume was an improvement over the last, there’s still inconsistencies with how characters are written just due to different writers getting their time to shine. Everyone has their own interpretations of the characters and story. It doesn’t take you out of the book or anything, but there’s definitely some noticeable moments, specifically with Michelle.

The Black Cat mini series is not good. I really like Felicia but this story was just a cheap attempt at giving Cat her own story. The story is just incredibly bland and goes through all the classics tropes that will make you roll your eyes. It never brought anything interesting to the table. It was tying into the Grim Hunt stuff while also trying to be its own thing and it ended up kinda failing in both aspects. It feels like it shoved all the GH stuff towards the end of the series where to can focus on its own run of the mill story. It can be humorous at times, but that’s about all I can say that’s positive.

Finally, the big one. One Moment in Time. Bluntly, people can be annoying about OMD. I’m sorry, but they can be. Everyone loves to say that OMD killed Spidey just because it took away the marriage. Which is fine, you can feel however you want about it, I just don’t need to hear about it in literally every conversation that involves Spiderman. Point is, people love to hate OMD, deservedly so. To me, OMIT is just as bad, if not worse and a massive slap in the face to my literary intelligence. If you have to make a story that is sold on the basis of “Find out what really happened” but in actuality is just a cheap attempt to justify your own choices. You were probably in the wrong and only making yourself look like more of a conceded hypocrite that can’t live with the consequences of their own choices. This story so badly tries to justify the decisions of OMD by desperately villainizing Mary Jane. The decision of ending the marriage was a dumb one. Even if it was a benefits to the numbers, it’s still a decision that deserved and still deserves to be criticized. Attempting to justify those decisions by basically going “why do you want Peter to be with MJ? MJ is the reason they’re not together!” Is straight up just an insult to the readers. Readers are not stupid and this even being published is a self indulgent slap in the face to the same people who have been making Spider-Man your most profitable character for years. The amount of mental gymnastics this story has to do to explains itself is absurd. Villainizing the love interest to justify getting rid of her and keeping Peter squeaky clean while trying to sway people into not being upset at your own stupid decision is an insult to readers, the characters, their legacies, the brand, and the industry in general. Congratulations, you’ve outclassed yourself by somehow making something more insulting than the original content you were trying so desperately to defend. If you cannot tell, this is my least favorite story of all time. Thankfully, it is only a very short section of this book.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Much more narratively focused

-Great art

-Big step up from volume two

-Great one off stories

-Rhino and Flash stories stand out

-Wraps up the era nicely

The Cons

-One Moments in Time

-Inconsistencies

-One Moment in Time

-Black Cat mini series

-One Moment in Time

-Grim Hunt is underwhelming

Final Score

Overall (OMIT not included) - 7.1/10

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed revisiting the stuff included in here. Not all of it was great. There’s some low moments but I feel like generally I liked most of this stuff. I didn’t include OMIT in my rating because I don’t think the sins of that one story should bring down the rating for the rest of the material in this book from creators who weren’t a part of that story or those decisions. If I included it and averaged it out, I don’t feel like it would have been a rating that made sense with my general opinion of the book.

Would I Recommend?

If you’re familiar with this era or have the previous volumes then yes I would absolutely recommend it. If you don’t own the previous volumes then I don’t think there’s anything in here that’s so special that you need purchase the set or forego the other two and purchase this one.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thank you for reading my review! I appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you guys for all the upvotes, comments, and follows. My past few review’s I was feeling a little burnt out because of trying to make them while going through a hectic point in my life. Thankfully, I actually really enjoyed making this one. Maybe it’s because I got to let out my frustration but this one was a bit reinvigorating.

Check out my last review of The Flash by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque by clicking here

It was a big month for me and a terrible month for my wallet. The Target B2G1 was also very good to me. Hope y’all had a good month too!

Overview

The Flash by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque Omnibus

Omnibus Collects - THE FLASH #1-28, THE FLASH ANNUAL #1-3, MANHUNTER #8-9, SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #2, and pages from INVASION! #2-3

The Creative Team

Writers - William Messner-Loebs, Mike Baron, John Ostrander and Kim Yale

Artists - Greg LaRocque, Butch Guice, Mike Collins, Gordon Purcell and Carmine Infantino

The Pitch

After the death of Barry Allen, Wally West takes on the mantle of the Flash. Will Wally be able to live up to the legacy while also trying to figure out his own life? See what happens when a twenty year old becomes one of the world greatest superhero’s!

Recommended Pre Reading

This is the real start of the post crisis Flash era and it is very accessible. Everything you need to know is explained to you in the book so no pre reading is necessary.

Review of the Art and Story

The Art

The Art by LaRocque is overall pretty good besides some inconsistencies. Theres something that I really love about 80s era art and this really satisfied me. I also really enjoy Mike Collins art and think he did a really good job on the issues he was a part of. The other fill in artists did not do so well. On the side stories and in annuals when different artists would rotate in and out it would be extremely inconsistent.

The Story

So, I am a huge Flash fan. It’s a very important character to me. In different formats, I own most of post crisis Flash. I’ve also read all of it, some of it multiple times. I always find myself coming back to this character, almost as a comfort book. So to no surprise, I wanted to revisit some of the classic stuff again. This book is filled with ups and down but it’s fun to see how the early days of Wally developed.

The Good

Admittedly, this doesn’t include the best WML stuff. The second half is top tier and includes some of the best Flash stories IMO. This book includes some good stuff still. I think WML has a really good voice and feel for all the characters and it’s really fun to see him slowly develop the book into what would become the base line for Flash comics. The difference between WML and Baron is clear as day. As soon as WML takes over the book you can immediately feel a tonal shift that fits the characters way better. WML also takes time to flesh out and develop characters. Tina McGee, Chunk, and even Wally’s mom become way better characters. They actually gain some character urgency and motives instead of just being one dimensional characters that only serves to further Wally’s story.

Mike Baron and WML both mention in their forewords the task of writing Wally as this young man who’s hardheaded. Baron goes the route of writing him as a very stereotypical young guy who’s headstrong in his beliefs and basically just an jerk. WML uses those same stereotypes but also puts in the effort to slowly change Wally’s actions and beliefs into the character we know today. Wally stops treating Women so poorly (as much as he could for an 80s comic). Wally realizes how prejudice he is towards people who haven’t had the same fortune as him. There’s a whole arc where Wally treats a homeless man poorly just to end up in the same situation and for that man to treat him with kindness. He re-evaluates how he treats his friends. Is Wally changed into the Wally we know today by the end of this book? No. That will come later on in WML run, but you still get to see the beginning of how those core changes came about. It’s cool to see the building blocks.

The supporting cast is pretty good all around by the time we reach the second half, even if a lot of them have little time. Tina becomes a much better character with actual struggles and development instead of just being Wally’s older girlfriend. Chunk gets some really fun moments and brings a nice humor to the book. We even quickly get to see Linda Park!

My favorite issue of the book is where Wally goes to go the Rogue’s banquet. It’s a really fun issue where Wally ironically gets invited to a party hosted by the Rogues and actually shows up with his girlfriend Connie. Its an issue that really encapsulates a lot of the reason of love those early Flash stories. It doesn’t take itself to seriously and really puts a focus on the characters and the whimsy around them. There’s some really great character interactions here and gets to show off the Rogues in a really fun way.

The Neutral

This book is extremely wacky. A lot of early Flash stories lean into the goofy side and there’s time where it’s off the charts in this book. If you’re not into the more whimsical side of superhero’s, then this book isn’t for you. There’s a whole arc in this book where aliens invade Cuba and Wally has to go there to team up with Fidel Castro and his father who is a Manhunter to save the country. Later after dealing with those same aliens pretending to be Cuba liberators, Wally has to learn about the dangers of dictators and propaganda. Yeah, it’s very goofy.

The Bad

Mike Baron’s time on the book is rough. I’m happy that it’s included in here but the beginning issues can be pretty bad. His version of Wally is rough. Which would be fine if there was a purpose and development, but there really isn’t any. Wally’s a conceded jerk without any growth until later when WML takes over the book. Theres some interesting ideas for sure but most of it never breaks surface level in its execution which leaves the whole book feeling a little bland. I like the Chunk stuff but it gets dropped pretty quickly in order to wrap things up before he leaves the book. Baron’s run is one of my least favorite Flash runs of all time just because it doesn’t bring anything unique to the table and doesn’t progress and character forward in any meaningful way. The first 14 issues are by Mike Baron so consider that if you’re interested in getting the book.

The biggest problem with this book is that it’s constantly derailed by needing to tie into events and its overall feeling of disjointedness. This book is all over the place and every time it feels like it’s gaining momentum it gets derailed. There’s also tons of plots points that are popping in and out of the book so much that there’s a real lack of fluidity. The Invasion event especially derails the book. Not only did it have to tie into but it also had to tie into a crossover with Manhunter then deal with the aftermath of those events for the rest of the book. WML was doing good stuff, but he hasn’t found his footing yet in these early issues.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Good art

-WML’s writing is good and features a lot of character development

-Features the early stages of Wally forming into the characters we know today

-Fun supporting cast

-The Rogue’s banquet

The Cons

-Could be too goofy for people at times

-Mike Baron’s run is rough

-Constantly getting derailed and a severe lack of fluidity

Final Score

Overall - 6.7/10

If I let my bias take over then I’d probably rate it higher but using some objectivity then I think a mid to high six makes sense. There’s a lot to love but it doesn’t quite come together to reach its potential like it will in WML’s second half of his run, and Mike Baron’s section really brings the rating lower. The disjointedness is also a big factor.

Would I Recommend

For anyone looking to get into the Flash or see the early years of how he developed then this is a good place, but if you’re just looking for some great Flash stories then there’s other options that are better. WML hasn’t had the time to hit his stride yet in this volume.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thank you for reading my review! I appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you guys for all the upvotes, comments and follows. I definitely want to get revisiting more Flash stuff soon. Also, I accidentally deleted the complete second half of this review and had to quickly re do it. So I apologize if it’s more brief in some sections than others.

Check out my last review of Gotham Central by clicking here

Decided to show off my Flash collection today. Definitely one of the sets I’m most proud of. I’m so happy to have such a full collection for my favorite character. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Decided to show off my Flash collection today. One of the sets I’m most proud of. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there today!

Overview

Gotham Central by Brubaker & Rucka

Collects issues #1-40

Creative Team

Writers - Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka

Artist - Michael Lark & Stefano Guadiano

The Pitch

Gotham's Finest work around the clock to not only keep the world's most psychotic criminals off the street... but also cleaning up the mess left behind by Batman's one-man war on crime.

Recommended Pre Reading

No prior reading is required. There’s references to Batman War Games but it’s not essential enough to the story to need to read.

Review of the Art and Story

The Art

Most of the art is here is done by Michael Lark and it’s phenomenal. Lark was the perfect artist for this type of gritty book. He gives this book such a distinct look that fits the story so well that I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking the main lead besides him. Everything from character designs to subtle differences to how some character are depicted in different scenes. Everything is just so well done. the fill in art is fine, but doesn’t bring the same feel as Lark.

The Story

This book is so good. To the concept to the little nuances in each story, it’s so good.

The Good

Brubaker and Rucka do such a great job at creating a wide cast of characters and flesh them all out so they feel unique. There’s around ten different characters that all take on what could be considered main roles in the book and never did I feel like there were too many characters rotating in and out of the stories. The great lengths taken to add character depth to all these cops really pay’s off by making every character feel so substantial in the story that everyone feels important. Every character is so fleshed out with their personalities and motivations that you get attached and care about all of them even though it’s such a wide cast. The cast rotating between stories also keeps things fresh and gives everybody their time to shine. Montoya, Cris, Marcus, Romy, Josie, they all have their big moments through the book and the writers do a great job and building out these characters in the smaller moments so when we get to those big pay offs they feel earned. It’s a gritty cop drama, but it’s filled to the brim with heart.

It also does a great job of showing you the relationship between the GCPD and Batman. We’ve always been shown one side of that relationship through Batman, so it’s really nice to have a perspective from the other side. It’s interesting to see how some cops still mythologize Batman while others hate how much they rely on him. In the first arc this is displayed perfectly by Marcus realizing that Batman saved the day by capturing Freeze but still damns him because he understands how much of a dependency the GCPD have on him. Batman is also used so little in this book that you’re almost given a glimpse of how a lot Gotham is supposed the view him, this lurking creature that you see very rarely. I think that’s was the perfect way to use him in this story.

Something else I think is really cool is how Batman is depicted to different cops when he does show up. When he shows up in tandem with most cops he’s shown as a shadowy figure that you can’t see well but when he shows up around Montoya, he’s more fully displayed in the light and not as reserved. I love this small detail that shows how he’s seen by regular people vs someone he’s already had a relationship/partnership with. it’s a small detail, but it’s one of my favorite parts.

The storyline composition is also so good in this book. There’s some big arcs, there’s some short arcs and there’s some one offs. In those stories, sometimes it’s dealing with super villains or sometimes it’s dealing with normal people doing bad things. It really does keep you guessing on what is going to come next. It shows you the brutality of living in a crime filled city and how regular people can do terrible things, but it doesn’t shy away from the city it’s set in. In the first issue it shows you that this is Gotham and it’s not gonna shy away from the wild set of characters that inhabit it. The moments Freeze pops up on the page, you know you’re in for a wild ride. We see cops get hurt and much worse all the time in Batman comics, but what the aftermath? Well we get to see that here and what those repercussions are. Seeing what’s going on in the police force while Batman is out doing his own investigation adds so much depth that transcends this book. It’ll change how you view Batman comics in general.

While I love all of the cast, I have a special place in my heart for Montoya. Throughout my time reading comics I’ve always really enjoyed her character both as a cop or as the Question. While I loved Montoya during the 90s, a lot of the stuff that really made me come to love her either happened in this book or was set up by this book. It’s a weird thing to say about a character you love, but this book does a great job of breaking Montoya. The stories centered around her are so emotionally impactful and deal with some very heavy stuff that could be relatable to a lot of people in one way or another. It shows how much she struggles with not only her job, but her personal life and how much those two intersect in a lot of ways. After this, Rucka will take Renee into 52 and have her go on her journey as The Question and that’s directly set up in this book, so it’s a nice piece of fluidity.

The Neutral

The one issue I didn’t love in this book is the Shazam/Cris issue where the seven deadly sins are out into the world and Cris has to try to make it home. I understand both the points of this issue but I think it would’ve been better the separate these two issues. Have an issue that shows off the wider DC universe and how a city police force handles a big event, then have a separate issue centered on Cris and his family that sets up the final arc. It’s not a bad issue, but I didn’t love it like I did every other issue. Didn’t feel like it fits as the third to last issue of the series for me narratively.

Overall Score and Final Thoughts

The Pros

-Great cast and character development

-Handles Batman really well

-Uses Gotham and its villains really well

-Phenomenal art

-Great story composition

-Great ending

-Handles Montoya’s character very well

The Cons

-The Shazam issue

-Fill in artist doesn’t have the same spark as Lark

Final Score

Overall - 9.8/10

Would I Recommend?

Yes. It’s doesn’t matter if you’re a Batman fan or not, this book is phenomenal. I would recommend this to everybody. It’s one of the best crime drama’s ever made.

The Afterword

If you’re seeing this, thanks for reading my review! I really appreciate all the support I get on these. Thank you guys for all the upvotes, comments, and follows.

Please check out my last review of New 52 Earth 2 Omnibus Vol. 1 by clicking here

After the recent hype around the 007 Franchise with the game and the announcement of casting starting, I decided to revisit the Craig era. While Quantum of Solace and Spectre are low points, the other three are fantastic.

Everything after Eva Green shows up in Casino Royal is phenomenal. The confrontation between Bond and Le Chiffre will always be a highlight across the whole franchise.

Skyfall is my favorite. I’ve seen this movie so many times and Silva’s slow paced introduction in a rapid paced Bond film never fails to capture my attention. Plus, it looks stunning. The opening sequence, the silhouette fight in Hong Kong, the entire final chunk at Skyfall. It’s so good.

No Time To Die has a perfect first hour. Yes, it could’ve been much tighter narratively, but I think it more than made up for it in emotion. It also delivers IMO the perfect ending and send off for Craig’s version of 007.

I love these films, and I’m also very excited to see what Denis Villeneuve is gonna bring to the series. What are your thoughts on this era? And what do you want to see from the next installment?