Review Flash #10

Up at 6 in the morning reading yesterdays comics to cheer me up. Reading Flash #10. The Shade returns and they introduced what I'm sure will be a one issue wonder villain in Papercut.

I'd like to comment that the art was good this issue. It's the first issue of The Flash in a long time where the anatomy isn't wonky, people have distinct faces, the line work is clean.

The Shade has come back, gone from dapper and good to appearing creepy grotesque and has lost hope, which is what turned him into a bad gut and gaining hope and friends turned him good. Not a lot more has been revealed yet as it ends on a cliffhanger, but the shadow effects look great. If I had to guess, the stealing of years has either reset Shade back to square one without his connections and without them he's lost, or he has enough awareness to know that a higher power can rip your life away and despairs because of it.

Now on to Papercut. Other than the unfortunate villainous albino aspect, he has potential. To be honest I'm not sure if he's a white albino with dreads and that would be unfortunate, or if he's intended to be black albino. He does have a cool costume and a cool power. In fact the m.o. sounds like something I would have created. He makes origami paper weapons because he can control wood. I'd like to see this rogue go up against Alan Scott, if his old powers/weaknesses were restored by Rebirth.

Flash Facts are back! At least in dialogue. Between this and Psylocke's mention of Psychic Totality this is a good week for old acknowledged catchphrases.

The little shit who must not be named better stay out my comic. Don't care if Kid Flash is on his team.

Meena might be alive, but I'm not digging the explanation for her staying away. There's got to be more to it. It'd suck if she only came back once Barry and Iris take the next step. Wish they'd resolve things before that happens. I actually like Meena as brief lover interest unlike Patty in the books and show even though both Patty's seem like different people to me.

While I find some of young Wally's impulsive actions annoying, I got to keep in mind that he's a teenager and they rationalize things weird, or maybe that's off writing either way I can overlook it, because other times he gives me the feels whether it's his joy of his powers and helping people (even when he doesn't always think of that when he's showboating a villain), distrusting Flash, not wanting to disappoint Iris,being withdrawn, trying to prove himself (though looking for trouble seems iffy to me). I also want more development on his friendship with Chunk.

Even though I think Barry keeping his identity from Iris is stupid, I suppose in this lost time of his life he can justify it. I dig the fact that Iris protects him when they're in danger. It sort of reminds me of Diana in Steve over in Wonder Woman.

Review For Flash #9 And Flash Episode 4 The New Rogues

This was a great week for me in The Flash department. A great Flash episode with a competent Barry outsmarting the Mirror Master who've I've been wanting on the show since day one, forever annoyed the first series done it and the new series was dragging it's feet. I not a fan of Top being Mirror Masters girlfriend since I'll always associate Top with Golden Glider, but since they already botched that and had Glider be interested in Cisco, whatever. This Top also reminds me more of Golden Glider than the Golden Glider they cast as well. She just has that fun, gleeful vibe to her. Maybe that's just me. I'm not keen with either being metas, but that complaint left the station when they did it to Weather Wizard first season. I also thought it weird that this Mirror Master had an accent (which I don't think resembles a real world one) even though he was Scudder and not McCulloch who I could understand having an actor do a botch Scottish accent, but no excuses for Scudder whose traditionally States. There was a blink you'll miss it mention of Earth-2 McCulloch who gets mirror gun, but I'd have preffered main Earth Mirror Master had one.

Most importantly this week was the comic. In Flash #9, the two Wally's meet, we get the confirmation that young Wally's father is in fact Daniel West/Reverse Flash who've I've suspected for awhile. I don't know if this is new information since Barry knew as I didn't read most of the crappy previous run.

There's so much to unpack with this issue. I can't get into all of it, but each scene and dialogue was smartly paced and written.

I'm not going to go detail by detail, but Iris gets flowers from a secret admirer who unlike Barry knows they're her favorite flowers. The two Wally's meet. A possessed Barry reveals that Daniel West is young Wally's father. Chunk cameos. Older Wally reveals to Barry that Abracadabra's behind his disappearance. Older Wally is the one who's been sending the flowers as gratitude and knowing he can't reveal himself to her yet. Barry suspects there's more at work and that the culprit is bound to return to the scene of the crime. Barry sees one vision he wasn't supposed to see while he was possessed. Jay Garrick's helmet, y'all!!! And that vision filled Barry with hope!

I'll admit the issue made me emotional and not just because there's the hope that we'll get a proper reunion between Jay and the Flash family and perhaps more Justice Society members in other books. Please let Alan meet Simon and Jessica. Please. If not reunite with Hal and Kyle.

Quotes:

"You would never understand! My parents were taken from me…But you two…Both of you were abandoned by your parents. They left you." - possessed Barry

(I promise Barry's not all angsty except here.)

"Iris didn't just introduce me to you, Barry…She got me out of that house…Iris saved my life. The least I can do is give her flowers." -Wally