Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 07 - Generation X (vol.2) #7 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Seven

Generation X (vol.2) #7 (December, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Eric Koda

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Shan, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: October 18, 2017

It's the Hotpants Issue of Generation X - we've got a couple couples getting ready to start coupling... well, three couples I guess, if we count the Fenris Twins (let's not!).

A fun issue... and a promising start to the second half of this run!

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 06 - Generation X (vol.2) #6 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Six

Generation X (vol.2) #6 (November, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Eric Koda

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Shan, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: September 6, 2017

In which Quentin, Nathaniel, and Benji have a boys night out at a super-villain-infested auction house and Jubilee wonders what might happen to her if she loses herself to vampirism!

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 05 - Generation X (vol.2) #5 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Five

Generation X (vol.2) #5 (October, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Alberto Jimenez Albuquerque

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Shan, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: August 16, 2017

Spotlight on: Eye-Boy!

After being stressed to the optic nerve(s) by his supposed mentor, poor Trevor can no longer control his uncanny abilities!  Too bad he's been unwittingly drafted into a woodland critter mob war!  And, no... I'm not joking.

It's a story of beatboxing Rat Kings, and owl-based testicular trauma... you won't wanna miss it!

--

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 04 - Generation X (vol.2) #4 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Four

Generation X (vol.2) #4 (September, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Pencils - Amilcar Pinna & Martin Morazzo

Inks - Roberto Poggi & Martin Morazzo

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Ketchum, Shan, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: July 17, 2017

In today's issue, Call Me Jubes' kids hit the caves under Central Park to track down the entity who dunnit to Face.  Imagine their shock when they discover it's someone they already know!  I'd say that's a spoiler... if the cover of this issue didn't already spoil it!

Also: A focus on Bling! and why she's so adamant on becoming an X-Man - and Quentin Quire ducks out of a group hug!

--

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 03 - Generation X (vol.2) #3 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Three

Generation X (vol.2) #3 (August, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Amilcar Pinna w/Roberto Poggi

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro w/Nolan Woodard

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Ketchum, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: June 14, 2017

Getting to know you!  Getting to know all about you!

Welcome back, friends - to the issue where we finally start getting into the head of our Point of View character.  We find out why he's so worried about learning how to use his powers... and dare I say, begin to care about him!

A much stronger issue than I was expecting.  Not perfect - but, we're moving in the right direction!

--

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 02 - Generation X (vol.2) #2 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode Two

Generation X (vol.2) #2 (July, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Amilcar Pinna

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro w/Jay David Ramos & Chris Sotomayor

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Ketchum, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: May 31, 2017

The Purifiers have attacked... and the only member of our cast that seems to want to do anything proactive about it gets scolded!  That's just ONE of the "Chris Problems" I had with this issue... more on that if you decide to hit PLAY -- and I sure hope you do!

Agree?  Disagree?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue and overall volume of Generation X! 

--

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Generation X-Lapsed, Episode 01 - Generation X #1 (2017)

Generation X-Lapsed, Episode One

Generation X (vol.2) #1 (July, 2017)

Writer - Christina Strain

Art - Amilcar Pinna

Colors - Felipe Sobreiro

Letters - VC's Clayton Cowles

Edits - Robinson, Ketchum, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: May 17, 2017

Welcome friends to the new Sunday Special Series!

Today we're going to begin our look at one of the series' that caused your humble host to head for the hills back in 2017... the anachronistic Generation X!

Since the issue itself doesn't give us a whole heckuva lot to talk about, today's episode will feature a lot of me yammering on about my life and times as a Gen X Gen Xer who read Gen X back in the long ago.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the series and the show!  Please consider spreading the word if you enjoy!

--

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X-Men: Blue #1 (2017)

X-Men: Blue #1 (June, 2017)
Writer - Cullen Bunn
Art - Jorge Molina & Matteo Buffagni
Colors - Matt Milla
Letters - VC's Joe Caramagna
Assistant Editor - Christina Harrington
Editor - Mark Paniccia
Editor in Chief - Axel Alonso
Cover Price: $4.99

Something a little bit different today.  Still got the Blogger-image woes, and am not really in the right head space to reflect on some Chris and Reggie stuff at the moment... so, we're dipping back over into the From Claremont to Claremont project... where I had the intentions of writing semi-regular "capsule" reviews of some of the X-Books from around the time that I decided to drop the property.  I didn't get all that far... guess that might've been the step too far that made me realize I'm not just a blogging machine, or whatever.  Anyhoo... I started with X-Men: Blue #1 from 2017, and here is what I had to say about it.

It's formatted a little differently than how I usually do things... but, it was meant to be quite a bit "breezier" (if only I had the ability to make it breezy and concise!).  Enjoy... or, ya know... don't.

--

(Originally written March 29, 2020)

As the official launch of From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast draws ever closer, I am trying my darnedest to "get into" the current batch of books.  While, for the most part, I've enjoyed everything I've read... I can't help but to feel a little bit (okay, a lot-bit) lost.  After being an X-Men fanatic for over 30 years, it's a very strange sensation to suddenly feel like you're a "new reader".

And so, I decided to try and catch myself up on everything I'd missed over the past few years... starting with the books that drove me away from the franchise in the first place!  Those crazy "color" books... X-Men: Blue, X-Men: Gold... eventually X-Men: Red and that series of X-Men: Black books as well!

When these books first launched, even still being an avid X-Men reader at the time... I swear, I barely recognized any of the characters!  I probably read the first six issues of both Blue and Gold before finally pulling the plug... well, I stopped reading them anyway... it took me quite a bit longer to drop them from my pull-list.  Old habits, and all'at.

These "reviews", if we can call them that, are going to be pretty short... and, so long as I can help it: concise.  This is basically a means to an end... where writing about these books gives me more of a reason to actually read them.

--

Before I get started, I want to preface with the fact that I'm going into this a little bit biased.  I know this probably isn't a popular opinion, but, I find the writer of this title to be... rather dull.  I can only think of one Cullen Bunn book that I enjoyed even a little bit, and that was a Green Lantern Corps miniseries before Rebirth over at DC.  I've read my fair share of his work... in fairness it couldn't really be avoided, for a while there he was writing about 80% of mainstream comics' output.  I'm sure he's a nice dude... and, I'm hoping in revisiting these issues, I'll come out of this with a more favorable opinion.

Now, X-Men: Blue features the time-displaced Original Five... ya know, the ones Bendis brought from the past... which, wasn't the actual past, but a different past... but, still they were the same people... or something?  Yeah, them.  There are some differences between these and the originals... Warren's got glowing wings, Hank's taken up mysticism, and Jean looks as though she's developed the secondary mutation to give herself really bad haircuts.

The team has been tracking a Cerebro ping all the way to a sea vessel in the Mediterranean.  Jean immediately picks up some frantic psychic hoodoo.  One thing that catches me right off the bat is the pretty incessant "sass" in this dialogue.  I get that these are kids... and kids these days be sassy, but this is actually making me root against them.

Also, the "Fraptions"... I was hoping we were done with them when Matt Fraction left the book.  You remember those, right?  Those silly little add-ons in the introductory captions for each character?  Here's one from this very issue for Jean.

Turns out the baddie they're tracking is Black Tom Cassidy... who, after a bit of a skirmish, introduces his partner in crime... duh, Juggernaut (with wacky "fraption"!).  Now, I appreciate the attempt at making this feel "old school" by using some classic X-Villains, just the way we remember them... but, this feels more like the bad guys have been "frozen in amber", like plucked out of a comic from the early 90's, rather than having lived an actual life in the interim.  I mean, Juggernaut was an X-Man for awhile... I'm pretty sure Black Tom was on X-Force for a bit!

Juggernaut actually manages to prove that he is from "current year" by pouncing toward Cyclops for killing Charles Xavier.  They fight... and, outside the sassy banter, this is pretty well done.  The Blue team comes out on top after Beast uses his mystic abilities to open a portal, which sends Juggs to Siberia.  This ticks off Cyclops, suggesting that there might be a rift in the ranks oncoming.

The main portion of the story ends with, what I'm guessing is supposed to be a suspenseful scene where the team is checking in with their "boss".  It's... Magneto.  Which, ya know... maybe a little bit underwhelming, considering Magneto's been playing the hokey-pokey with the X-Men for the better part of five decades at this point?

The issue actually manages to pick up a bit with an epilogue which introduces Jimmy Hudson from the Ultimate Universe (Ultimate Comics: X) into the mainstream post-Secret Wars (2015) Marvel Universe.  Jimmy whups him a Wendigo... and a lot of people wind up dead.

--

In revisiting this for the first time in like three years, I really can't figure out why this was the "straw that broke me", so to speak.  It's certainly not my favorite take on the X-Men (time-displaced or otherwise), but there's nothing quite so bad here that I would actually end my three-decade long obsession with the property, ya know?  Maybe it'll become more evident as we move forward... or, maybe I'll wind up realizing that I was just way overdue for a break from the franchise?  Stranger things have happened...

I did not like the "sassy" dialogue, however, when he was able to rein that in, I thought Bunn did some great work here.  The post-fight argument between Scott and Hank was especially strong... and actually makes me want to read further, just to see if this does lead to an actual schism.

The Magneto reveal... as mentioned, was underwhelming.  Not that this issue was touted as having a "big reveal" or anything, but the way it was presented I get the feeling like I was supposed to have to pick my jaw up off the floor after seeing it.

Now, the epilogue... that was a lot fun.  I was never really a fan of bringing the Ultimate characters over... but, I can totally see why they did it.  The Ultimate books had been on life-support for years... no matter what sort of stunt Marvel pulled, it just never got back to the level of those exciting first few years of the line.  Seeing Jimmy Hudson here... it worked, and honestly... if not for the contrived nature of Marvel cramming all the notable characters from the Ultimate Universe into the 616 at once, may have actually resulted in my having to pick my jaw up off the floor!

The art here, and I feel like artists these days (maybe especially at Marvel?) don't get near enough credit, is really good.  Outside of Jean's very ugly haircut, I really dug the way this book looked.  The Art Adams cover, well... it should go without saying, but it's really very nice.

Green Lanterns #17 (2017)

Green Lanterns #17 (April, 2017)
"Darkest Nights, Part 2"
Writer - Sam Humphries
Pencils - Eduardo Pansica
Inks - Julio Ferreira
Colors - Blond
Letters - Dave Sharpe
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Mike Cotton
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

Yesterday, we discussed the first half of this Darkest Nights team-up between the Lanterns and Batman, and upon sharing it on the medias of social, I received a few (very few, this is still me) responses.  The issue was called it out as having weird characterization, rough dialogue... it really wasn't the reception I was expecting (despite mentioning issues with the characterization and dialogue in the piece myself!).

It made me wonder why I came away from the issue with a "net-positive" reaction... and then it hit me... did I really let the mere mention of Blackest Night (read: something from pre-Flashpoint) dull my more critical/analytical side?

As a fan of a certain ilk/age... am I willing to give a pass, consciously or not, to stories that might not be all that great... so long as they drop a few "continuity breadcrumbs"?

We'll put a pin in that for now... and meet back up after the spoilery synopsis.

--

We open with the Scarecrow rambling on about how much he loves and needs "fear".  I mean, this goes on for three pages, which is good in that it brings everyone up to speed on what happened last issue... but is kinda "ehh", in the fact that it took three entire pages to do it!  If you read yesterday's piece, you'll know he's got a bunch of Gothamites in cubicles watching fear-infused "Bad Batman" videos online.  Speaking of Batman, right now he's watching as his butler, who is also "infused wit da fear", holds a gun up to the dome of Green Lantern, Simon Baz!

Batman leaps toward Alfred, and spouts a "precautionary post-hypnotic trigger phrase" to diffuse the situation.  That might be up there with "Bat Shark Repellent" in the list of very convenient remedies.  Alfred is back to normal, though probably has a bit of a headache... and Batman glares at Simon for daring to bring a gun into his cave.  Now... I get that Batman really can't get Baz to "not carry" when he's out in the world... but, is there ever a situation where he'd allow a firearm into his own Batcave?  I guess if he hadn't, we wouldn't have gotten our cliffhanger, so there's that.

Batman doesn't even yell at Baz, which makes him feel even worse.  This is the one element of this whole "partnership" I'm actually liking.  Simon spouts out that he only carries the gun because he's scared the Ring won't be good enough.  Batman corrects him, claiming that Simon doesn't think he's good enough.  Then he (and we) look on while Batman does his thing, and it isn't long before he's deduced that these videos all have that one cubicle farm in common.

After staking the place out for a bit, the heroes decide to make their move.  Well, Batman decides, and the other two follow suit, but why split hairs when that's the way it probably ought to have been all along?  Inside, they see the spooked cubicle farmers... and their "supervisor", the Scarecrow!

Batman and Scarecrow wrestle around a bit, when the baddie turns his attention toward the Lanterns... he fills them both with fear, which appears to be especially tough on Simon (as compared to the girl with the crippling anxiety, of course).

Simon must act, and naturally goes to reach for his pistol.  Ya see, he's scared the Ring will flake out on him in the best of times (though doesn't appear to have much of a problem letting it carry him through space...), now that he's been infected with fear, he doubts the ring (and himself) even more.  Batman calls out to him to fight his temptation, and to use the ring instead.

And he does!  Simon uses the ring to take down the Scarecrow and his machine.  Jessica wraps the baddie in a construct somethin'r'nother until the police can arrive.  Batman checks in with the folks who were watching the videos and assures them he's here to help... he's always here to help.

We jump ahead to the crew closing out their mission atop the GCPD Building with Commissioner Gordon.  He thanks the Lanterns on behalf of the city... but tells them to get their weird rings outta there just as soon as possible.  That seems a bit extreme considering the stuff Gordon must deal with on a daily basis... why would Green Lantern Rings be a "bridge too far"?

Jessica wonders aloud about what ought to happen to Crane... Batman excuses the baddie's behavior by stating that he's an addict.  That seems a bit "off".  Anyhoo, Simon uses this moment as an opportunity to announce that he's off the "gun habit"... he'll never carry again.  He goes to hand his piece to Batman... who doesn't want it, Gordon winds up taking it.

Before parting company, Batman asks Baz to stick around for a minute.  While he normally doesn't like Lanterns (he and Hal never saw eye-to-eye, and Guy is... well, Guy), but he can see himself working alongside Simon again in the future... and so, he prepares him to be ready for that eventual call.  Gotta ask... Batman has met John Stewart, right?  Also, Jessica is like right there, and she's been nothing but helpful during this adventure!  This is like Gerry Conway-writing-Firestorm levels of "Veteran Hero Endorsement" here.

We wrap up with the Lanterns being called away by... a rather gaudy Guardian!

--

Alright, so Gotham City is saved... and, most importantly, Simon Baz gets his Bat-Endorsement.  All told, as much as I'm telling myself I shouldn't dig this (and I did have a bit of fun with it during the synopsis), I come away from this with another "net-positive" reaction.

Now, that's not to say it was perfect... or, honestly, even all that great.  That said... I'm left sitting here, wondering to myself whether or not I'm giving this little arc a "pass" because it refers to pre-Flashpoint continuity?  I mean, I'm the idiot who spent hundreds of dollars on Convergence back in 2015 simply based on the "promise" of pre-Flashpoint stories being told.  No joke, I bought the entire thing!  I even weighed it!

So, to the question... and it's a question I wanna pose to anybody who might happen across this blog, present and future.  Do fans of a certain age or ilk maybe give a pass to lackluster stories if they adhere to (or even hint toward) our idea of proper continuity?

I'm not a fan of "number scores" when it comes to reviewing comics... I've seen too many "retweet baiters" (they know who they are) toss their analytical integrity away and dispense with 10/10 scores willy-nilly, but if this were a book I was reviewing for a site that used a number-system... would the briefest mention of Blackest Night bump my score up?  Ya see... I'm kinda scared to answer that, because I'm not sure.

We, those fans of a certain age and ilk, have been dragged along so such a long time by the "big two", through reboots, relaunches, and restarts... that we hardly know which was is up.  I feel like we react to things that are "comfortable"... and for me, if we're talking about DC Comics, "comfort" comes in the form of the pre-Flashpoint status quo.  Since the Fall of 2011, everything has been so nebulous... some months Doomsday did kill Superman, other months it never happened... some months Blackest Night happened, other months it didn't.  Hell, I might be giving them too much credit when I say "some months", I'm sure there were probably contradictions in the same week!

So here... it's confirmed (at least for cover-date April, 2017), that Blackest Night was a thing that happened.  Ya know, it's not like I'm asking for an All-New History of the DC Universe or anything... I just need breadcrumbs like this every now and again.  Besides, a book like that would probably be a terrible idea, because I guarantee within the first couple of months it'd be contradicted six-ways to Sunday... and any fan who dares point it out will be mocked by the pros (and those fans desperately seeking pro-retweets) for caring.

Oh, yeah... we were talking about Green Lanterns, weren't we?  I had the same issues with this chapter as I did the first... characterization is unsubtle to the point of perhaps being a bit "severe", and the dialogue comes across as unnatural.  I see no reason why Batman would choose Baz as "his" Lantern, when Jessica was right there... really feels like a hollow and forced endorsement.  That said though, I kinda enjoyed it... and whether that's because something about the story resonated for me... or the callback to the pre-Flashpoint DCU, I suppose at the end of the day... we oughta just chalk it up as a "win" and leave it at that.  Available digitally (at full price).

I'll throw this two-parter up on our Collected Editions Page too.

--

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Green Lanterns #16 (2017)

Green Lanterns #16 (April, 2017)
"Darkest Nights, Part One"
Writer - Sam Humphries
Pencils - Neil Edwards
Inks - Jay Leisten & Keith Champagne
Colors - Blond
Letters - Travis Lanham
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Editor - Mike Cotton
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

Ya know, being a "content creator" (if you were to call anything I create "content") sometimes has its disadvantages.  For one, I'm often too busy working on a post or a show to actually read new books as they're coming out.

Being a completionist (read: really bad with my spending money), I've bought upwards of 90% of DC's offerings since DC Universe Rebirth... and I might've read, a few dozen of 'em?

And so, in an attempt to... I dunno, familiarize myself with things going on "these days", and maybe get a little bit of a "return" (in enjoyment/entertainment) on my "investment"... let's take a look at a series I'd collected in its entirety... but never even bothered to look at!

--

We open in Gotham City, where this one fella appears to have lost his mind.  He's wildly swinging a baseball bat, fearful that "he" is coming to get them.  The "he" he's worried about is... Batman, and wouldn'tcha know it, he was right!  Batman swoops in, and tries to calm the situation.

Just then, Green Lanterns, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz burst onto the scene (though, if you were to ask Batman, they're late).  They snare the mad fella in a construct glob so he can cool his jets... and not get his butt beat by the Bat.

After the dust settles, Commissioner Gordon pops in to expound on Gotham's present crisis.  It would seem that the most recent crime wave is rooted... in fear.  People would go from even-headed to maniacally panicked... as though they'd just had the stuffin' scared out of 'em!

Simon's all "Psh, okay... let's go get the Scarecrow!"  However, Batman's not so sure... actually, he's pretty much convinced it's not the Scarecrow they're after.  He thinks this is more rooted in the Sinestro Corps (he references the yellow rings from Blackest Night... so, I guess that means Blackest Night was still a thing that happened now?).  I guess the supposed Sinestro-ness of it explains why Batman enlisted the aid of a pair'a Lanterns.

As the Bat and Baz bicker, Gordon takes note of Simon's sidearm.  He's not sure why a Green Lantern would ever need to pack heat.  Simon explains that it's his "backup", just in case his ring were ever to fail.  He calls it the "Robin" to his "Batman".  Batman does the whole "Not in my town" thing... and before we know it, we're waist-deep in another argument.

Baz points out that so many of Batman's toys and gadgets are dangerous... and finds it laughable that a pistol would be the "bridge too far".  He then suggests that Batman might just have a "problem with guns".  Wait, we're not really gonna go there, are we?  Oh, c'mon.

Yeah, we really went there... the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne.  Uh, they were shot dead, just in case you didn't know... and if you didn't know, how in the world did you wind up on this site?  Anyhoo, Jessica turns her attention to the laptop the mad-fella was looking at before losing his marbles.  After using her ring-a-ling to work out his Windows password, she discovers that he was watching a "Bad Batman" video on a YouTube-alike.  Not sure if this is a commentary on all of those "Bad Cop" videos that pop up... whatever the case, these videos depict Batman as a threat.

The ring detects a disturbance in the Emotional Spectrum... coming from the laptop itself.  Batman suggests that this could be useful information... especially when the screen begins to glow yellow.

We jump ahead to the Batcave, where Simon and Jessica act like kids in a museum.  Batman continues his research, when suddenly Alfred (who is seeing one of the Bad Batman videos over Bruce's shoulder) goes nuts!  He smashes a coffee cup into Baz's dome and sucker punches him in the much!

Simon's sidearm flies out of its holster... which really doesn't say much for the holster, now does it?  Alfred picks it up and holds it against the Lantern's head.  He says if he sees even a flicker of emerald energy, he's going to pull the trigger.  He demands no one get in his way of... killing the Bat!

We shift scenes to a Call Center located in some abandoned retail/office space.  A bunch of folks sitting in cubicles are being given the "Batman is a threat" treatment via their computer monitors, and it looks like their Supervisor... might be a little overqualified for this job.

--

Alrighty... this was pretty good!

Fear has come to Gotham (again)... but this time, there's something more to it.  Excellent callback to Blackest Night... and more importantly (to me), the confirmation that the event even happened in the first place!  I'm still not sure where it fits in the miasmatic flow of DC Continuity... but it's there somewhere, and sometimes that's all it takes for me to call it a "win".

The Scarecrow as an "agent of fear"... almost makes too much sense.  Never cared for the Scarecrow on his own, seemed kind of a one-trick pony, but this could be interesting.

My only complaint, and I suppose it might just be me... but, the dialogue feels a bit, I dunno... unsubtle?  The argument between Batman and Baz is almost so blatantly passionate that you could mistake it for a pair of old friends pretending to be mad at one another.  Just struck me as unnatural... I've been in plenty of arguments, with friend and "foe" alike... and, in my experience, they're never "zero-to-sixty" situations like it is here.  I mean, these two just lit into each other... and it didn't feel genuine in the slightest.

Also... did we really need the callback to the gravesites of Thomas and Martha Wayne?  Did we really?  I mean, it was a tiny little sliver of a panel, and I'm sure any writer working at DC (or with aspirations of ever working at DC) gets goosebumps at the idea that they'll be able to write "Panel 1: The gravesite of Thomas and Martha Wayne", but... c'mon.  If you don't know Batman's origin, chances are you're not going to be reading a Green Lantern spin-off book, right?  An unnecessary refresher, which actually managed to pull me out of the story.  It might've actually made me take notice of how unnatural the back and forth between Bat and Baz was too!

While I'm kvetching... can we get a "style guide" on what these oft-depicted tombstones even look like?  Feels like they're different shapes and sizes every time we see 'em... and, as mentioned, we see 'em a lot.

The art here was pretty fantastic, though Edwards' Alfred does look a tad on the spry side.  I get being maddened by fear, but that ain't gonna turn a frail body into an Olympian.

Overall, had fun with this... and I feel like this issue could be a really good "gateway issue" if you were interested in getting to know the new Lanterns, but weren't sure whether or not you wanted to dip your toe in on the series.  This issue is available digitally... though, still at cover price!

--

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Flash (vol.5) #23 (2017)

Flash (vol.5) #23 (July, 2017)
"The Color of Fear, Part One: Hello"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colors - Ivan Plascencia
Letters - Steve Wands
Associate Editor - Amedeo Turturro
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99

Hey everybody, I come to you today... one-year older... one-year wiser?  Ehh, one-year older.

For yes, today is my thirty-coughth birthday... and to celebrate, we're going to take a look at an issue featuring Barry Allen's Birthday Blowout!

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We open in the 25th Century, at the Flash Museum.  A voice is narrating over a visual of some familiar-looking costumes... and when it gets to Eobard Thawne, it reveals that the future remembers him as the Flash's best friend!  Well, we know better than that.  Back in the present, Barry is in the S.T.A.R. Labs Morgue, where he stands over the crunchy and dehydrated corpse of Thawne.  Remember he was zapped by some baby-blue energy during The Button.  Barry's convinced that Thawne isn't dead... just severely slowed-down.  His little monologue is interrupted by a pair of lab techs... and so he leaves.  That's okay though, he's actually got somewhere else to be anyway!

Like his Birthday Party!

After getting the big Surprise!", the guests seem to all go back to their business.  Forrest approaches Barry to talk his ear off, during which he can't help but flash back to the recent The Button arc.  The man with the tin hat... Batman's Flashpoint letter from Thomas Wayne... ya know, all that stuff.

Barry watches Wallace walk by, and mentions that they're not on the best of terms at the moment... he wants Barry to tell Iris that he's the Flash.  All he can think about though, is how much danger that might put her in.  With folks like Thawne in the Universe, anyone who knows the secret is put at risk!  He imagines Zoom busting through this very Birthday Party... and murdering everyone there in a matter of microseconds.

Singh and Hartley head over to snap Barry out of his daydream... but can't get him to reveal what he'd been thinking about.  Henry Allen makes an attempt, which is just as unsuccessful.

Then, a very special guest arrives, with a regifted model plane under his arm... Hal Jordan!  The Hard-Travel... er, wait, that's not them.

Hal is introduced to Iris, and does that whole "You're too good for this guy" routine, before she starts to harangue Barry about being distracted during his party.  An uncomfortable Hal actually wishes for an alien invasion (under his breath) in order to interrupt this discussion... 

... and he almost gets his wish!  Though, instead of aliens... it's just a whole lotta Multiplex!

Barry and Hal rush off to change into their "work duds".  On the way, Barry asks Wallace to bring Iris home right away.  Wally puts up a struggle... and reminds me of the way he's depicted in the Teen Titans book... as one of the worst characters ever!  Just punch this little goof, Barry!

After a pretty lazy two-page spread of Flash and Green Lantern in costume (I mean, it's just the two of them in front of a flare-y computer background... did we really need to waste two pages?), we find out that Multiplex is there looking for a girl he's fallen in love with.  She insists that they've only had a single drink together at this point... so, our man Danton's what we in the biz call a "fast worker"... or, a "damned creep", either descriptor works.

Flash and Lantern show up and start cleaning house.  Unfortunately, Multi-plex won't quit multi-plying... until finally, he becomes like... just a mass of multies.  Like, ya know when someone shines a light in a cave, and something like a billion spiders scatter away?  Like that.

While Hal and Barry deal with that... Wally brings Iris back to the "safety" of her home.  Only one problem with that... somebody's waiting for them!

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Ya know... I really wanted to be "all in" on the post-Rebirth Flash book, but it felt like every time I cracked open an issue, I'd see some evil speedster staring back at me.  Felt like every time out, Barry would have to fight someone who might be faster than him... which isn't a bad idea, but... feels just so overdone at this point.

I remember this issue in particular.  When I get my bundle of books from DCBS every month or so, I enter them into my obsessive-Excel spreadsheet.  Part of that is getting issue titles (which more books need to use these days!) and the writer and artist.  Upon flipping to the last-page (where too many books now put their credits) I'm faced with Eobard Thawne.  C'mon... again/still?  And, I gotta say... I was so damned excited for this issue to see how they'd follow up The Button.

Is this some sort of "thing" from the Flash TV show?  Is it just Barry fighting an "evil speedster of the week" every time out?  Because, lemme tell ya... this is getting tiresome!

Let's talk Thawne for a bit.  I swear, the only time I was able to make sense of/differentiate between what a Professor Zoom and Reverse-Flash was, was during the middle-part of the Geoff Johns run.  I'm so far removed from all that, that I couldn't, with any authority, speak to who's who and what's what.  I could've sworn they were two different guys... but, now they're not?  Can't really hold this against them, not having read as much of the recent stuff as I perhaps should.

I mentioned a "lazy two-page spread" during the synopsis.  Now, I hate judging art... not being much of an artist myself, I feel weird about giving an opinion one way or another.  Though, Di Giandomenico really ain't one of my favorites.  I recall his work making All-New X-Factor over at Marvel rather a chore to read.  Though, if I'm being honest, the story wasn't exactly great shakes in that book either.

That "spread" though... just feels so unnecessary.  I can only assume that Di Giandomenico really wanted to draw a big image of Hal and Barry in costume... or, the writer assumed this would look a lot better than it actually did.  I'll include it below... 

We discussed a post-Rebirth issue last week as part of the Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths.  During that piece, I mentioned how much better nu-Wally was written here than in Teen Titans... where he is often the worst thing on the page.  Well, that's all changed here.  It's not quite as bad as in Titans, but he's really so very annoying here.

It must sound like I hated this issue, huh?  Well, no... I thought all of the Barry stuff was great.  Loved how he was so lost in thought that his own narration boxes were cutting off other peoples' dialogue balloons... that's a great little detail that I appreciated.

Also, the Barry stuff is just the most interesting... especially coming off The Button, lackluster ending and all... it was still (supposedly) the "next step" in the Rebirthening of the DC Universe.  Well, hopefully Doomsday Clock will be done within the next 2-3 years so we might finally see what the "next step" could be.

Overall... a fine issue, though disappointing if you were expecting any concrete follow-up to The Button.  The art is a bit distracting and Wally is a little jerk.  Other than that though, this could be worth a look.

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The Two-Page Spread:

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