Birth of a Rogue
No Barry Allen, this is Captain Boomerang's show and does he ever earn the leading man role. Digger has questions and he intends to get answers from the one man who can answer them. But his drastic actions may put him at odds with his fraternity of fiends and have deadly, unforeseen consequences for The Flash.
The Good
There's a lot to like about this issue. For starters Scott Kolins artwork is a nice change of pace from Manapul. If Manapul was born to draw The Flash then Kolins was made to bring life to the Rogues. Captain Boomerang (and the Rogues in general) tend to look like jokes. I can't go on enough about just how silly they look, even in the world of hero comics. If the DC universe had a Jobber Squad these guys would be on the bench of it based on their getups alone. Kolins manages changes this and his pencil has Digger looking bad ass as he never has before. A particular two page spread really manages to lend him a menacing mystique I can honestly say I've never seen another artist give to any Rogue. One thing that Kolins particularly specializes in is drawing Diggers Black Lantern boomerangs. His take on them really makes them seem ethereal, otherworldly. And Brian Buccellato's colors truly makes them look like they're made out of pure, unstable and volatile energy.
Johns' writing on this series has been very good thus far. But this is the first time I can whole heartedly say that it's been great. This issue contains grade A level writing and really shows what Johns is capable of. I'm always a narrative over action guy, so I have a bit of admitted bias. I love stories that dig into the psychology of characters, those that delve into the why more than the how. And this story is very much so in that vein. This issue gives us a peek into the childhood origin of Digger and gives us some insight into the heart and mind of the man. A peek behind the mask so to speak. After reading this story I gained a new found respect for the character.
One of the best moments of this issue occurs during the end when Digger has a confrontation with one of he and the Flash's deadliest foes, Reverse Flash. The dialog here is deft and tight and really allows Digger to shine. The tension during this exchange is thick as London fog, and builds perfectly from one sentence to the next. I can stress enough how great the end of this issue's dialog is.
The Bad
I honestly can't find too much to complain about. I guess If I want to split hairs I'd say I don't like the energy effects around Reverse Flash, but other than that every thing here's on point.
The Verdict
This is a must read issue of The Flash, even without Barry present. I'm notorious in my circle of friends for refusing to take the Flash's foes seriously and with this issue Johns has managed to make me a believer. Captain Boomerang is one of the twelve resurrected, in this issue we see some justification just as to why it was worth bringing this character back.
