Hey there comic readers,It would not be a new year without a visit from one of the many maladies that tend to break out with the arrival of winter. The past couple of days I have been victim to one such outbreak, localized within my household, a nasty cold/sore throat combo. I work outdoors a lot so I suppose this was just a matter of time, but luckily using a combination of Nyquil, gallons of green tea, and hours of gaming, it subsided just enough to make the trip to my local comic shop today to pick up some new reading material. Let’s take a look at what I grabbed this week:
Comic Pull List Jan/25/12
DC
All Star Western #5
Aquaman #5
Batman The Dark Knight #5
DC Universe Online Legends #22
Green Lantern New Guardians #5
Justice League #5
The Flash #5
Teen Titans #5
Yes it was an all DC week for me, but it did keep me entertained. I caught up on All-Star Western because I was curious to learn more about 1800s Gotham, so I grabbed All Star Western 1-5. I am definitely intrigued with it so far and plan to move forward with it. For the review this week I was stuck between three issues, but decided to choose one because of the interesting revelation at the end of the issue. This week I will be reviewing The Flash #5!
The Flash #5
Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul
Issue #5 marks the end of the first Flash story arc, and the conclusion of the fate of “Mob Rule”. The new Flash villain created at the beginning of the title was not something that grabbed me initially but after thinking it over I have had a change of heart. In my opinion, it’s always interesting to see a villain that has a personal history with the hero. This is exactly what you get with this villain, someone with a history with Barry Allen, and with that history comes all the baggage that follows. The nature of his powers combined with the training he received in his military career, gives “Mob Rule” the potential to be a big threat to Barry, the fact that he has the potential to figure out his identity only adds to this. Manapul and Buccelatto have definitely created a character that can go along way in the New 52 used properly, and this first story arc gave him some needed motivation moving forward. At the end of this issue we also get a glimpse of the consequences of Barry tapping into the Speedforce, which poses some serious risk to everyone around him. I really enjoy the focus Manapul and Buccellato have taken into fleshing out the nature of the Speedforce and the limitations of Barry’s powers as the Flash. For me the Speedforce has grown into this vast unexplained energy within the DC Universe and it is cool to see Barry’s manipulation of the Speedforce being explored since the relaunch. After issue #5 I can safely say that I will be staying current on the Flash, and I recommend others do the same, especially with what looks to be ahead. Two words, Captain Cold. When it comes to art on this issue, I am still enjoying Manapul's pencils on the Flash. I feel that his take on Barry Allen makes the character look and feel like a young Barry paired with the writing. I know some people who will disagree with me, but one thing I love is Manapul’s facial expressions, as they really bring the panels home for me. Overall, not a bad conclusion to the first story arc, considering they brought a new character in to the picture. Look forward to the upcoming issues.
Cosmic Rating 4/5
Good
- Explores more of Barry’s powers and manipulation of the Speedforce
- Good introduction for a new villain with a lot of potential
Bad
- The conclusion to “Mob Rule” was too obvious, not much suspense to what was going to happen
That is it for the Cosmic Comic Review for this week. I have been reviewing a lot of DC titles lately so next week I will make it a point to do a Marvel title for the Marvel readers out there. Hopefully my pull list will be able to provide but if not I am willing to grab some extra Marvels to make up for it. That’s the kind of comic blogger I am folks, always ready to please the masses. Until next week, take care and happy reading!
Luca “Joriko” Baldassarra
Follow me on Twitter @Lucacosmic AND Check out my fan-page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Lucacosmic!
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