Brief Analysis: DC Universe #19 and Reverse Flash

I want to take a moment to discuss the upcoming issue of DC Universe Presents #19, hitting the shelves on April 19^th for $2.99.

Written By: Tony Bedard

Art By: Jesus Saiz

Cover By: Jesus Merino

So far, DC has given is a preview of the cover and a description. Both are below. 

“In this final issue, what time displaced-hero has arrived on our world—and is the destruction he brings the herald to a great disaster?”

This cover is striking. At the center, we see the Flash (Barry Allen), impaled from behind with a sword coming out of his abdomen, laying in what remains of city. Is it Central City? Metropolis? It could even be Keystone City. Behind him, we clearly see Superman, crushed by car. 

Irony?

Back to DC Presents. In the bottom right hand corner of the cover, we see a pair of battered green legs. I believe those legs belong to Aquaman. 

Right above horrified civilians is either a destroyed cape (Batman?) or burning debris. Either way, this cover hints at possible Justice League involvement with the rise of the New 52's "Reverse Flash."

It has already been revealed by Flash's creative team that "Reverse Flash" will make his/her appearance in Flash #17 this February  That story arc begin running in issue #20, when the other half of Flash's creative team, Francis Manapul, returns from his brief break. 

"I'm Back!" ---Sorta.

Given the description provided by DC, there is very little room to doubt an incarnation of "Reverse Flash" is appearing in this issue. The question is who is the Reverse-Flash?

Brian and Francis made it clear in an interview that while this character is returning, it'll be different than any previous version. Gateway to the Interview

The creative team discusses the costume changes to "Reverse Flash", it is evident that we probably won't be seeing much of this yellow costume any more. 

Buccellato also drops the hint that the new "Reverse Flash" could also be a female. A. Female. Reverse. Flash. That would be simply bad ass. The potential there cannot be ignored. 

But there's even more else where. 

At the start of the New Year, Dan Didio hinted at the possible return of Wally West via Twitter. Did You Miss it?

Imagine, the beloved Wally West as the new "Reverse Flash".

Most fans of Wally will hate this idea. This is not how they want their favorite hero to return. Personally, I'm torn between my love for the character of Wally and the idea of this new direction for him. There's a lot of emotion tied up there. The effect of all this emotion is exactly why this idea will be such a phenomenal one. Emotions make the story real. It would also be a beautiful way to juxtapose Wally against Barry. If the story line goes this way, I'll be heart-broken, but in a good way. 

---Sushi

Justice League #15: Throne of Atlantis

Art: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Written: Geoff Johns
Price: $3.99

A tad late, I know, but I wanted to post the beginning of the JL event, so that the entirety of Throne of Atlantis will be covered.  Besides, many of Justice League's fans grew used to waiting on their monthly book by now, so one late review shouldn’t be completely inexcusable [no offense to the prior creative team].

The Good:

Let’s jump right in.  Master penciller Ivan Reis makes a splash inside and out as he takes the reins from former monthly pencils Jim Lee.  Never did I think I would ever say removing Jim Lee from a book would make it better, but man did it do the League some good.  Team Reis/Prado kill it in every category, and while I feel for Aquaman’s solo title, it isn’t like Paul Pelletier or Mr. Art Thibert are slackers in any form of the word [more on that later].  So I’m quite comfortable with Aquaman’s loss being Justice League’s gain. 

The cover is simple, but aggressively eye-catching [albeit misleading. Yes, I’m looking at you Shazam] and every panel is as mesmerizing as the last.  I found myself staring at pages upwards of five minutes examining the gills and wrinkles in the fish, the intense detail in the tsunami splash-page, and the actual differences in male faces from all of our leaguers.  Okay, that was a little dirty.

Not to be outdone by his art team, Johns crafts an engaging scenario:  A missile explodes in the mid-Atlantic, a strapping Atlantean is cruising about at the time on his seahorse...

"Neptune’s beard!"

Everyone knew it was game over that second.  Retaliation was definite.  Now maybe it’s the critic in me reading a tad too deeply, but it seems Johns uses the Surface-dweller/Atlantean tension to highlight the tense and unstable relationships among his characters.  And boy are there plenty of those.  We catch a brief conversation between Cyborg and his father, Silas, who haven’t had the nicest of relationships even before Cyborg became half computer.  Their conversation is strained and neither of them seems to want to talk, but Cyborg’s father has taken a new found interest in his son now that he’s everything the scientist has dreamed of since he graduated from high school.

Then there are the humorously pleasant moments between Wonder Woman and Superman that actually ranked up there with my favorite panels.  The writing and colors bring out the unsure but light atmosphere of their new relationship.  It’s nice to see real effort behind their sudden, amorous affair.  At first it felt forced, a “publicity stunt” if you will.  I even thought it wasn't going to last long.  Personally I’m not opposed to it [no disrespect to Lois Lane] but this change of pace is definitely refreshing and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

"Hey I’m still relevant!"

 It’s reminiscent of Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come for me, and I can’t help but chuckle at the memory of the most dangerous man in the universe asked to be godfather of the most powerful fetus in existence.  Think about it: Superman and Wonder Woman have a baby.  It’s invulnerable to everything, stronger than everything, can incinerate you with a look, and oh…IS PART GOD.  Now send that baby to Uncle Batman over the summer to be trained in the arts of theatricality and deception, so that it will easily become the sneakiest, most dangerous being to ever exist on any Earth, in any dimension for all time.

"Alfred, draw up custody papers." [JL #14]

I’m getting ahead of myself though.  Before we can fathom the possibilities of power spawning, we have the ever-pleasant back and forth between Batman and Aquaman.  With Green Lantern absent, the two alphas have no one to unite against in their mockery and have reverted to their power struggle. Aquaman is so confident his trident is bigger, he’s cocky even while asking for Batman’s help because the fish aren't listening to him [trust me, it’s more serious than it sounds...I think].

Google Translate: "Get the fuck out Gotham."

There isn't much more to be said.  After the rocky Cheetah arc - which I figure was to cement the WW/Supes relationship - Throne of Atlantis is shaping up to be the most interesting JL issue[s] thus far.  Throw the Shazam backup feature in there and you have a solid winner.  It’s fun to see Billy work through his powers and rapid growth through his child-like lenses.  Johns is really batting three-hundred in the creativity department. 

-It must be all that milk he’s drinking.-

The Bad:

There really is no “bad” this issue.  Cyborg doesn't get his airtime and Flash is busy in his solo series, but I prefer they not have characters standing around taking up panel space a dangerous but common problem some team-ups are susceptible to.  If they have “reasons” for being occupied that’s even less of a reason for me to be worried.  It’s not like it’s Renee Montoya we’re missing.  Or Cassandra Cain.

The Nitpicky:

Because sometimes nitpicking is important.  Once upon a time [literally right before reboot] DC said “Drawing the line at 2.99.”  This is what my poster says.  I’m staring at it right now.  So JL was $3.99.  Ok maybe I can get over that, because I love the Shazaam backup feature.  But then Batman’s $3.99.  And Detective Comics.  See the problem here?  I’m not exactly complaining, but I am saying not all backup features are as golden as Shazam, and a little freedom to choose would be nice.

Pencil Rogue Says:

Why are you even still here?  Go grab this comic if you haven’t already!  5/5

Superboy #16

Intro

Before we jump into Issue #16 of Superboy, I'm going to introduce myself. I'm Sushi, one of two creating these reviews. My goal will be to focus on the writing content, with an emphasis on character design and development. But you'll probably see me jump to cover other things that tickle me. 

Creative Team

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Thumbnails: Ron Frenz
Pencilers: Iban Coello & Amilcar Pinna
Inkers: Rob Lean & Amilcar Pinna
Colorists: Richard & Tanya Horie
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Chris Conroy
Cover: R.B. Silba with Rob Lean & Java Tartagila

Meat of the Story

Issue 16 of this title continues the “H’el on Earth” story Arc. Personally, I’m a fan of Superboy, but I have not been a fan of this story arc.

In this issue, the Justice League shows up to help with the “H’el” situation, since Superman can’t clean up his own mess.

Immediately, my eyes are drawn to the fact that Batman has a fur lined cape.

 That could make some sense, as they are trying to break into the Fortress of Solitude. However, I don’t see what good a fur cape will do anyone in the Antarctic.But if anyone needed a fur cape, it’s Wonder Woman, she didn’t even get a pair of pants.

 While we’re on the subject of Wonder Woman, the “neck-line” (if you can call it that) of her costume varied, depending on how much Wonder-boobs the artists wanted us to see. Compare the image above to the one below. 

Another inconsistency I'm going to harp on a bit involves Superman's hair style. 

I'm alright with the fact that they did not go with Superman's trademark hairstyle. But I wish the artists tackling this issue would of picked one style and used it, instead of changing it on us a page or so later. 

There are some really nice action sequences in this comic. The first Wonder Woman picture I showed you is an example. Here's two more:

These two panels allow us to get into the character's minds while they are exerting their powers to an extreme condition. In my opinion, you can't ask for much more. 

Even though this issue is part of "H'el on Earth", by the time I finished, I'm left feeling like not a lot happened in this issue. The Justice League helped Superman get back into his Fortress. Superboy continues to acknowledge that he's a weapon, and he takes a back seat the the Justice League. We get a glimpse of H'el with Supergirl and his plans. But this felt like a bridge to the next story. I suspect a bigger story lies in issue #16 of Supergirl.

I like the moment of H'el and Supergirl together. It paints her weakness better, we the reader understand a little more while she is with H'el. However, I really wish that this wasn't a moment of "girl running into the arms of the bad boy." It happens too often. 

I'm intrigued to see what the fate of Superboy is, after he suffered at the hands of H'el. I hope he'll be able to wear his own costume soon.  

At the end of this issue, we see the appearance of a new baddie and the mention of another:

Verdict

I'll give this issue a 3/5, I'm looking forward to seeing some improvements in the Superboy Annual next week. 

---Sushi