DC Universe Holiday Special '09 (Flash)
"Flash Before Christmas"
Writer - Amy Wolfram
Art - Daniel Leister
Colors - Nei Ruffino
Letters - Travis Lanham
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Before we hop into today's story, I just wanted to briefly follow-up on yesterday's pre-ramble, just in case anyone's interested. The Pug's surgery was a complete success... and although he had to lose 21 (!) teeth to fully take care of the abscess, he is back home... and running around on his wobbly legs like a pup half his age! So, yeah... finally managed to get a few hours sleep last night!
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We open as Linda is sending little Jai and Iris off to school. Wally sidles up hoping for some alone time, and winds up with the most festive Honey-do list a fella might wanna get. He's gotta do a whole bunch'a stuff before that evening's Christmas Pageant at the school... and, guess what? He's gonna take us along for the ride! First stop: The Post Office? Why in the world would the Flash ever need to mail anything? Well, one look at the line, Wally has that exact same thought!
While in Gorilla City dropping off that package, Wally gets a call from his mother about setting up her Christmas Tree. And so, our man heads to the nearest Christmas Tree Lot... only to learn that he's waited too long, the only trees left are tinder! Off to the woods, where Wally chops the nicest tree ya ever did see. He sets it up for his mother... however, before he can string the outside lights, he gets a call from the Justice League about a fight with Killer Croc. This is that weird pre-Flashpoint JLA, with Donna Troy and the Dick Grayson Batman, by the way.
They take care of Croc, and get to catching up. Dick asks Wally what he's getting Linda... to which he replies: Nothing! They agreed not to exchange. Dick suggests he think twice about that. Donna then chime in by giving the Flash his JLA "Secret Santa"... and it's Raven.
Off to the Mall of America, so Wally can pick up a Blue Rocket Ranger action figure for Jai. Dude behind the counter informs him that those things are selling out right as they hit the shelves! And so, Wally just runs to the factory in China to buy one fresh off the line.
He spends the rest of the afternoon finishing up the rest of the Honey-do list. We wrap up on Christmas Morning, where Wally gives Linda a brand-new... spellbook?! Well, that's a mistake. Quick as a Flash, Wally corrects his error... swapping the spellbook that was intended for Raven with the lingerie meant for Linda. Whoops. Jai opens his toy, and Iris proclaims this to be the Best Christmas Ever.
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Now, I had a wonderful time with this one! It was a lot of fun.
Before we talk any about the story, I just want to credit our creative team for their fantastic use of space here! I feel like we here at the Infinite Earths have become de-facto experts on "short stories" over the last little while, and I gotta say... this simple four-page piece, might be the most perfect use of "paginal real estate" that I've seen yet! The only downside to that (as a blogger) is, I feel like I want to include pictures of every single panel, as there is something relevant to the synopsis is all of 'em! What I'm trying to say is: Well Done!
Now, the story. It was a heckuva lot of fun! If you're a long-time reader of the site, you know Wally's my Flash... and any opportunity to chat him up, is one that I'll take! Again, if you're a long-time reader of the site, you'll know: I wasn't the biggest fan of the twins! Well, in general, I'm still kinda not... but, this was a Christmas story, so I'm down with it! Just like in real-life, Christmas only gets better with the addition of little ones (or so I've heard), this story too was enhanced by their inclusion.
This, taking place at the tail-end of what we know as the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe, makes it a bit of a bittersweet read. Naturally, that's not specific to this story in particular... but, it served as a retroactive reminder of everything we'd lost during the Summer of 2011. Looking at Wally and Linda... seeing the "graduates" era of the Justice League... for the first time in a long time, it felt as though the DC Universe was, I dunno "maturing". Maturing in the real sense, not the current Black Label "curse words and private parts" sense. It makes me sad every time I revisit this era... because it's a reminder of that cosmic toilet flush that was looming on the horizon.
Well, I certainly let this review portion get away from me, didn't I?
Ahem... anyhoo. This story was a blast, and if you're looking at adding any short-subjects to your regular Holiday comics reading routine... I'd highly recommend this one!
Tomorrow: I'll have a DOOMED Christmas without you...
Teen Titans: Year One #1 (March, 2008)
"In the Beginning... Part One"
Writer - Amy Wolfram
Penciller - Karl Kerschl
Inker - Serge LaPointe
Colorist - Steph Peru
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Here's one that's been lingering in the library for a decade! For whatever reason, I bought... but never read Teen Titans: Year One. It's not unusual for me to buy something with the intent of reading it "eventually"... but, for me to leave a Titans book lay... that's kinda odd.
Maybe I was subconsciously trying to rob myself of reading a great story... or, maybe it was out of self-preservation. Guess we're about to find out which!
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We open in the Batcave, where young Dick Grayson is trying to get a hold of all the "teen superheroes" in an online chat room... hmm, that kinda thing might get you investigated, pal. Anyhoo, Batman arrives... and boy howdy, he's ticked off. He tells Robin that he's wasting his time... and that they need to go. Just as they do, we see that Kid Flash has responded to the call of duty.
And so, we shift scenes over to Wally's Blue Valley bedroom, where he's borrrrrrrred. So bored, that he decides to run to France for some French Fries (get it?).
Meanwhile, unduh-da-sea... Aqualad seems to be scared of just about everything. He also seems kinda sickly... which is likely just artistic license. Anyhoo, Aquaman clops up riding a seahorse... and gives Garth a disappointing look.
Then... to the Big City, where Donna Troy seems to be looking for Wonder Woman. In a neat nod to the past, we see that The Flips will be playing live that weekend. Not paying complete attention to her surroundings, Donna walks smack into the chest of a... I dunno, high school/college student (who appears to be dating his mother). She immediately expresses her love for him... which is, ya know... weird.
Back in Gotham, Batman and Robin have been surveilling an alley for several hours in search of a cat-burglar. Batman is depicted as... well, an ass. No nicer way to put it. Thinking he's found his baddie, he swoops into action... and beats the holy Hell out of a delivery guy.
The next day, Wally pays Dick a visit at his school... and they talk about how parents just don't understand. Robin gets a text on his bat-phone (it actually has a bat on it) about some trouble going down at a jewelry store... and he heads that way. He finds Batman getting pretty aggressive with a thief... and, of course... we get a reference to the pearl necklace (we tired of that imagery yet?).
Batman proceeds to pummel the perp... so much so that Robin intervenes to try and pull him back. Batman responds with a backhand to the Boy Wonder, and a warning that their "team" is no more.
We wrap up with the owners of the jewelry store tending to Dick's bloody lip.
In a strange epilogue piece, the fish around Atlantis are warned (via Morse Code) that they are under attack.
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Um...
Well...
This is a very pretty book! The art is wonderful... really eye-catching and engaging.
Soooo, see ya tomorr-- oh, we probably ought to talk about the story, huh?
Uhh... not the best. This really wouldn't be the book I'd give to a new-to-the-Titans reader. I'm not sure if this is supposed to supplant the Titans original origin, or run alongside it... so, I really can't get mad at it for mucking with continuity... yet.
Still though, not a fan of some of the characterization here. Let's start with Batman... I gotta figure there's some sort of mind-control or a top-secret plan he's formulating in order for him to act the way he's acting here. I mean, he's hyper-violent, not acting very detective-like... and Hell, he backhanded Robin. There's gotta be something amiss here, right?
Then there's Wonder Girl. I mean, I get that we're seeing that she's never seen "a b-b-b-b-b-boy" growing up on Paradise Island... but her reaction here is a bit much. Here she is, walking through the "Big City", are we supposed to believe this is the first boy she's seen? Why isn't she running up to every fella on the street and pronouncing her love for them too? Just really off-putting... and seemed to only exist to facilitate the joke of the dude nervously telling his girlfriend that he'd never seen this girl before.
So... um, no bueno. The art, as mentioned, is fantastic... a real treat for the eyes. It's too bad that the story doesn't really live up to it. To be fair, I'm just one issue in... so, this might all come together beautifully at the end... but, after reading this... I really don't much care to stick it out til then. If you're interested, this is available digitally for only a buck!
Be sure to come back tomorrow, when we celebrate TWO-YEARS of DAILY posting at our humble blog-home.
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