Geoff Johns' Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Formerly Known as the Justice League

Flash 207-225, ½

What a difference an artist makes.  Howard Porter takes what might have been a wonderful closing arc from Geoff Johns with the ambitious, epic Rogues’ War and muddies it up with art that’s generously average.  I can only imagine how good this could have been if Scott Kolins had stayed on.

Deathstroke has all the dynamism of a He-Man action figure.

Literally.

Winding up (awkwardly) with the left.  Punching with the right.

It happens a lot, but bait and switching w/ a Michael Turner cover seems especially rude.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Starts Nice, diminishes to Fine as I get more and more sick of Porter’s art.

Rogues’ Revenge 1-3

I also know it’s not because Johns lost something on his fastball, because three years later, he reunites with Kolins for this really fun romp with the Rogues.  Reading it back to back with the previous Porter issues magnifies the difference in quality like you wouldn’t believe. It also makes me realize that maybe it’s Johns’ portrayal of the Rogues that kept me interested in Flash for so long, not Wally West.  (This isn’t a small revelation.  I always thought he was a great character, but reading him for the last hundred issues or so has really put a dent in how much I like him.  Still love the power set, though.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Flash: Rebirth 1-6

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve since learned that Ethan Van Sciver is a complete tool, but his Bolland-esque art just didn’t impress me as much this time around.  I don’t deny the technical brilliance of it, but maybe the Flash requires something a little more stylized to truly pop.  

Or maybe I just find Barry Allen a complete bore and not worth the adulation that he got for the twenty years that he was dead.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Flash 1-2

I forgot that Geoff Johns wrote the follow up Francis Manapul-drawn series as well.  Past me stopped buying this because as gorgeous as Manapul’s art was, Barry really was a drag to read about.  Present me fully agrees.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Formerly Known as the Justice League 1-6

I missed the Bwah-ha-ha era of the Justice League in the 80s, when Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire ruled the roost with their irreverent take on the premier superhero team of the DC Universe.  (I read a couple of issues, but nothing more.) I picked up this reunion series on sale for six bucks, and I’m kind of sad that I did. (Though not enough to go buy all those back issues.)

This is basically like any number of the reunion TV shows that you see nowadays (Gilmore Girls, Full House, Will and Grace, etc…), a cash grabbing exploitation of a nostalgia for glory years gone by.  But the creators lean into it, and the result is a hilarious little tale that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire are at the peak of their powers here, and unlike many reunions, they’ve only gotten better with time.  A welcome surprise from a title I was sure I was going to cut going into the re-read.  

Love Mary's expressions on the right.

So hard to do a funny Batman.  They succeed.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good