Enter: Captain Cold!
That's right! I'm back to review the second appearance of Barry Allen!
The Art
In my review of Showcase #4 (review placement, anyone?), I talked about the writing (and how impressed I was with it), so instead of repeating myself, let’s talk about the art instead! It’s quite different from the art I am used to seeing in comics (no glossy finish on top of it!). There was no Photoshop to make the art jump (back then, Photoshop might have just been…well, you know…a shop you sell photography equipment at), so it all had to be done by hand. I actually really like the art (it’s a style which I would choose if I was looking for a series to pick up), it pretty good. No complaints about the interior art from this reviewer!
The Cover
However, I do have a complaint about the cover. Perhaps it’s just me, but I was not impressed by the cover of this issue. I mean it’s impressive that someone can beat him with one finger, but cover in general is just not impressive to me. My reprint volume does not include the story which is connected to this comic (if there is one), so I don't know what the story is on that hand. Perhaps, there is a story which might change my mind! If I could be transported back to 1957 I really would have liked to have Captain Cold on the cover like punching Barry (that way they didn't have to change the expression on his face...just have to change the hand to Captain Cold!).
Captain Cold!
Speaking of this comic’s major villain, this is the first appearance of Captain Cold (I bet you already knew that, but I was testing you!). Last flash issue, we saw the appearance of Turtle and the only appearance of Mazdan. Neither seem like adversaries which could be a threat to Flash (in their current form at least). However, this issue’s major villain is most definitely a threat! Captain Cold is cool in this issue (pun not intended, but welcomed anyway), because he is just so well developed. I mean, there are not really any cheesy bits to the story; it is actually pretty good. I can really tell why Captain Cold has become such a big adversary of the Flash! His origin story is....well...well...reasonable!
Iris
Another thing which I like about this issue is that the writers expanded the role of Iris West. In her first appearance she had like two lines in the whole comic and she had only a page of “screen time” (if I can use that term in comics). In this issue, they actually used her and she got to talk a lot! They even told us what profession she was and where she worked (a reporter at Picture News). I like how they did that and I look forward to reading about her more.
Conclusion
I really like this issue. I think this is better than #4 in several ways (better villain for one thing), but that’s just me. Please note: I have NEVER read a flash comic before (other than #4 or the times he’s appeared as part of a team), so this is a new experience for me. I don’t know what future stories hold (don’t tell me!), so all this will be new to me and I look forward to reading them! Cheers.
