FLASH #200
Aug. 2nd, 2003 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenygalOnce upon a time I fell in love.
There was this cute, brave, mouthy speedster, see. And his wonderful, intelligent, competent beloved. And their gay-activist ex-supervillain friend--who could resist? So I fell in love, and followed them, and *their* friends, out into the wider DC universe. Years, and boxes full of comics, later, I'm grateful. And still hopelessly in love.
I guess I'm trying to say that FLASH is special to me. It's not just the nostalgia factor, though I'd never deny it's there. I love the characters, *all* the characters--no small matter, with a supporting cast as big and as varied as the one in FLASH. I've never quite gotten over my fascination with (and sheer emotional exhilaration at) the power of super-speed, and all the variable uses and limitations it's been given throughout the years. And, well, I'm a diehard romantic. Ask anyone. So the love story that's been a central part of the book for years is near and dear to my heart.
Perhaps most important, I love FLASH because I think it's been very, very lucky in its writers. Of the six runs on the book, two...weren't the best things those writers have ever done, but they *were* interesting and filled with ideas. Two--the longest--defined and redefined the character; one storyline therein is generally cited as the best Flash story ever. One isn't very well thought of, but it has a special place in my heart.
And then there's the one we're in right now. The run of Geoff Johns. I freely admit I was a little nervous when he came on; I've seen books I love run into the ground before, and while there was much to enjoy about his initial storyline, it dragged on well past the point where it should have stopped. (It reads better in one sitting, I think, but at the time I can promise you I was gritting my teeth.)
Then #170, the *real* start of Geoff's run, came out. He hit the ground running...and never looked back.
Me neither.
Geoff's run isn't perfect; some other time maybe I'll get into my complaints. But he's never given me cause to do other than eagerly anticipate the next issue of FLASH, or be anything but grateful that he's the writer.
But as the clock ticked closer to #200, I was getting very, very nervous. I knew something big was up, and I could think of a hundred disturbing possibilities what. What if he got it wrong? What if he wrote a brilliant story that still left me with a book I didn't want to read? I actually *put off* reading the book once I had it in hand, partly to let the anticipation build but mainly because once I'd read it I'd *know*, and I wasn't sure I was ready.
So now I've read the book.
I'll say first that absolutely none of the things I'd thought up happened; the only thing I saw coming had been leaked ahead of time, and if it hadn't it would certainly have come as a total surprise. I appreciate this, both in terms of not being able to see the plot twists ahead of time, and because, well, most of the things I was thinking of I desperately did not want to see happen.
What about what did happen?
Jesse. Oh, my Jesse. How does Geoff *do* this? I should be furious right now, I should be screaming, but I'm so *proud* of her. I'm so pleased that in a few lines he managed to somehow establish a view of her that's consistent with the horrors perpetrated on her over in TITANS, but is still something I can live with. And I'm just about dancing in the streets that Geoff didn't make her a victim, but someone strong enough, and brave enough, and smart enough to understand what needed doing, and do it regardless of the cost and over the objections of the people wanting to protect her, and then stand up straight and smile in the aftermath. The new costume (finally!) and the post as the JSA's business manager don't hurt any, either.
And Hunter. Damn it, Geoff, did I ask for this? Did I ask you to create a brilliant supporting character, that I fell for instantly, and then make him a crazed villain, and have him do an unspeakable thing, and terrify me about what Wally was going to do to him--first time in a *long* time I've really, seriously worried a hero was going to go there--and *then* leave me *crying* for him? I--I just--oh, *Hunter*. *long, painful sigh*
Linda doesn't have much to do here, but I expect that to change shortly, and what she did get was ache-true. I really did feel the sense of aftermath in this issue. (And then there's that last scene, in which they're awfully cute...)
Okay. So what about Wally?
Experienced Flash readers are actually pretty jaded, you know, whatever impression I may be giving here. Wally's gone to his death about every fifty issues or so (and a couple of times in between); we know how the story goes. It's hard to do something new and impressive. Does this measure up?
*shaky laugh* Yeah. Oh yeah. Geoff's found his very own new take on the cliche; Wally's fine. The Flash...is gone.
For now. I know it's just for now. It says FLASH in big letters on top of the book, for heaven's sake. But still. But still.
He was going to quit being Flash. He was going to *quit*. The thing that's so much him he doesn't even know who he *is* without it, and he wants to quit. And *Barry*. And *Hal*. And...and...
Okay, I'm not very coherent right now. No surprise. And the critical judgment has definitely gone south for the time being. Later I might be able to summon up opinions as to whether the ending is a deus ex machina, and stress about the sudden alteration of thirty years of history, and worry where all this is going. But not right now. Right now I'm pretty much stuck on "Wally doesn't know he's the Flash."
Is it a good idea? No clue. Ask me in a month, or maybe six months, when my brain's come back on line, and I've had a chance to see where this is all going. Is it a *bad* idea? No, I don't think so. It's certainly new territory. It's got lots of possibilities. It's likely to provide a look at Wally we haven't seen much of in a while, namely what he does when the costume is off. And it plays to Geoff's interests in the character.
Or maybe I'm completely off. I don't know. Tell you what, I'm going to stop babbling, and just...sit here and breathe. Yeah. That's good.
There was this cute, brave, mouthy speedster, see. And his wonderful, intelligent, competent beloved. And their gay-activist ex-supervillain friend--who could resist? So I fell in love, and followed them, and *their* friends, out into the wider DC universe. Years, and boxes full of comics, later, I'm grateful. And still hopelessly in love.
I guess I'm trying to say that FLASH is special to me. It's not just the nostalgia factor, though I'd never deny it's there. I love the characters, *all* the characters--no small matter, with a supporting cast as big and as varied as the one in FLASH. I've never quite gotten over my fascination with (and sheer emotional exhilaration at) the power of super-speed, and all the variable uses and limitations it's been given throughout the years. And, well, I'm a diehard romantic. Ask anyone. So the love story that's been a central part of the book for years is near and dear to my heart.
Perhaps most important, I love FLASH because I think it's been very, very lucky in its writers. Of the six runs on the book, two...weren't the best things those writers have ever done, but they *were* interesting and filled with ideas. Two--the longest--defined and redefined the character; one storyline therein is generally cited as the best Flash story ever. One isn't very well thought of, but it has a special place in my heart.
And then there's the one we're in right now. The run of Geoff Johns. I freely admit I was a little nervous when he came on; I've seen books I love run into the ground before, and while there was much to enjoy about his initial storyline, it dragged on well past the point where it should have stopped. (It reads better in one sitting, I think, but at the time I can promise you I was gritting my teeth.)
Then #170, the *real* start of Geoff's run, came out. He hit the ground running...and never looked back.
Me neither.
Geoff's run isn't perfect; some other time maybe I'll get into my complaints. But he's never given me cause to do other than eagerly anticipate the next issue of FLASH, or be anything but grateful that he's the writer.
But as the clock ticked closer to #200, I was getting very, very nervous. I knew something big was up, and I could think of a hundred disturbing possibilities what. What if he got it wrong? What if he wrote a brilliant story that still left me with a book I didn't want to read? I actually *put off* reading the book once I had it in hand, partly to let the anticipation build but mainly because once I'd read it I'd *know*, and I wasn't sure I was ready.
So now I've read the book.
I'll say first that absolutely none of the things I'd thought up happened; the only thing I saw coming had been leaked ahead of time, and if it hadn't it would certainly have come as a total surprise. I appreciate this, both in terms of not being able to see the plot twists ahead of time, and because, well, most of the things I was thinking of I desperately did not want to see happen.
What about what did happen?
Jesse. Oh, my Jesse. How does Geoff *do* this? I should be furious right now, I should be screaming, but I'm so *proud* of her. I'm so pleased that in a few lines he managed to somehow establish a view of her that's consistent with the horrors perpetrated on her over in TITANS, but is still something I can live with. And I'm just about dancing in the streets that Geoff didn't make her a victim, but someone strong enough, and brave enough, and smart enough to understand what needed doing, and do it regardless of the cost and over the objections of the people wanting to protect her, and then stand up straight and smile in the aftermath. The new costume (finally!) and the post as the JSA's business manager don't hurt any, either.
And Hunter. Damn it, Geoff, did I ask for this? Did I ask you to create a brilliant supporting character, that I fell for instantly, and then make him a crazed villain, and have him do an unspeakable thing, and terrify me about what Wally was going to do to him--first time in a *long* time I've really, seriously worried a hero was going to go there--and *then* leave me *crying* for him? I--I just--oh, *Hunter*. *long, painful sigh*
Linda doesn't have much to do here, but I expect that to change shortly, and what she did get was ache-true. I really did feel the sense of aftermath in this issue. (And then there's that last scene, in which they're awfully cute...)
Okay. So what about Wally?
Experienced Flash readers are actually pretty jaded, you know, whatever impression I may be giving here. Wally's gone to his death about every fifty issues or so (and a couple of times in between); we know how the story goes. It's hard to do something new and impressive. Does this measure up?
*shaky laugh* Yeah. Oh yeah. Geoff's found his very own new take on the cliche; Wally's fine. The Flash...is gone.
For now. I know it's just for now. It says FLASH in big letters on top of the book, for heaven's sake. But still. But still.
He was going to quit being Flash. He was going to *quit*. The thing that's so much him he doesn't even know who he *is* without it, and he wants to quit. And *Barry*. And *Hal*. And...and...
Okay, I'm not very coherent right now. No surprise. And the critical judgment has definitely gone south for the time being. Later I might be able to summon up opinions as to whether the ending is a deus ex machina, and stress about the sudden alteration of thirty years of history, and worry where all this is going. But not right now. Right now I'm pretty much stuck on "Wally doesn't know he's the Flash."
Is it a good idea? No clue. Ask me in a month, or maybe six months, when my brain's come back on line, and I've had a chance to see where this is all going. Is it a *bad* idea? No, I don't think so. It's certainly new territory. It's got lots of possibilities. It's likely to provide a look at Wally we haven't seen much of in a while, namely what he does when the costume is off. And it plays to Geoff's interests in the character.
Or maybe I'm completely off. I don't know. Tell you what, I'm going to stop babbling, and just...sit here and breathe. Yeah. That's good.
