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Post by Chris on Dec 16, 2017 0:16:06 GMT -5
SOME NOTES ON #323:
This issue really built tension and conflict. I read this back in spring of 1983, and while I had no idea what would eventually happen, I knew changes were coming. I had a strong feeling that there was no coming back from this, no return to status quo.
The writing is strong and compelling.I was anxiously waiting for another month to go by so I could find out what happened next. Cary Bates deftly played up the long and painful history between Flash and Reverse-Flash. Some dialogue is a bit stilted, but overall the reader personally feels Barry's anger and hatred toward the man who murdered his wife.
The art - Carmine Infantino gives a powerful sense of movement to many of the pages. Page 8 - the flashbacks speed by as Flash slices through the center of the composition, almost in a (reversed, heh) evocation of the Flash's own lightning symbol slashing over the field of white.
Silent panels are used well. The one of the Flash costume bursting from Barry's ring, for one. The scene on page 14, with Flash running across the water, desperately trying to solve Zoom's clue, then suddenly figuring it out and changing direction, churning up the waters is another. The silent panel of the water crashing all around is a good representation of Flash's ... shall we say, agitated.. state of mind, and that a major storm is looming very close on the horizon.
Rodin Rodriguez's inks bring an urgency to the art. At the time, I was really liking his work a lot. That cooled off a bit, but for this issue, he was the perfect choice of inker. Dennis Jensen may have meshed extremely well with Infantino's pencils, but this issue was better served with Rodin's frenetic linework.
The Allens' house being destroyed is symbolic of both the havoc Zoom played on their lives for years (and then one final time on Iris) and also of an era in the life of the Flash ending. This issue was the last chance to pull back and restore some kind, any kind, of status quo - that doesn't look likely.
Bits & pieces:
Notice that Fiona STILL does not know that Barry is the Flash.
On the last page, Flash's uniform is mistakenly depicted with a black circle behind the lightning bolt.
This post has quite a few run-on sentences.
The Creeper backup series by Nicola Cuti and Chuck Patton concludes this issue. I'm not sure if "concludes" is exactly the right word - it just stops is more like it. Still, it does rather thoroughly end the plotline. The final page shows the Creeper surviving, and is drawn by Keith Giffen. A caption at the bottom of the page says that the Creeper will soon return in a series by Giffen. I never saw it (but then I wasn't looking for it too hard), does anyone know if it was ever published?
I think from here on out, I will provide the summary of the issue, and then follow with a separate post with my comments on it. Hopefully that will be a cleaner reading experience.
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Post by Chris on Dec 18, 2017 14:17:02 GMT -5
A nurse is walking a baby in a stroller down an incline. she doesn't know any fairy tales, so she is telling baby Ronnie the current plotline of "Days Of Our Lives." The heat is extreme today, and the nurse suffers a dizzy spell, almost passing out. She loses her grip on the stroller and it starts speeding down the incline. A person with a pair of familiar yellow boots enter the scene, and is thinking how the old saying about being in the right place at the right time is often true... for a Flash. But not the Flash we know...  ![]()
The Flash #324 - "The Slayer And The Slain"Writer: Cary Bates Penciller: Carmine Infantino Inker: Credited to Dennis Jensen* Editor: Ernie Colon Kid Flash returns the baby to the nurse, and retrieves his tuxedo from a nearby police officer, thanking the officer for holding it during the rescue. Kid Flash, changing to his secret identity as Wally West, quickly arrives at the chapel, regretting that he overslept by four hours, and hoping he can sneak into a back pew and catch Barry and Fiona's "I do's.Wally quickly discovers that Barry never arrived for his own wedding. Ralph Dibny, aka the Elongated Man, tries to reassure people that Barry will surely arrive soon, but Wally can tell Ralph is very worried. Fiona is crying, wondering if Barry has jilted her. Barry's parent tell her not to give up on Barry. Elsewhere, in a faraway desert... Flash and Professor Zoom are speeding across the sand. Zoom has Barry in a deadly chokehold, on the edge of severing Flash's vocal cords. Zoom demands to know that even if Flash could speak right now, how could he possibly defend himself for leaving Zoom stranded in a hellish limbo dimension? Flash takes advantage of Zoom's soliloquizing to free himself from the chokehold. Zoom adeptly frees himself from Flash's own grip. Zoom tells Flash how many times he has played out this final fight while he was trapped in limbo, and that he has been looking forward to this. "We're barely out of the starting gate." The wedding guests have no idea why Barry hasn't shown up at the chapel. Captain Darrell Frye decides that it's time the police force got involved. Outside, Henry Allen tells Wally and Ralph that Barry went to get dressed that morning, and five minuites later, he was gone. The Allen theorized Barry switched to Flash and left, but have no idea why. Wally runs off, releasing his Kid Flash costume from his ring. Before the costume can finish expanding, a Guardian of the Universe appears before him, stopping him in his tracks and forcing his costume back into his ring. The Guardian explains the promise he made to Barry, that the Flash would fight the Reverse-Flash alone, win or lose. He tells Wally that if he knew who Barry was up against, Wally would completely understand. Atop the Himalayas, Zoom is creating an ice sculpture just as Flash catches up to him.  Zoom speeds across the mountaintops, creating a series of sonic booms, triggering a massive avalanche. He muses that Barry shouldn't feel bad about being "cut down in his prime", since Zoom claims to know that feeling very well himself. Flash manages to save himself and resumes his fight with Zoom.  On the Florida coast, Zoom sets off a nearly tidal-sized wave, threatening the tourists. Flash stops to rescue them, giving Zoom the lead time to get to Cape Canaveral. By this time, Captain Frye and Detective Curtis strongly believe that Barry may have been victimized by foul play. Zoom grabs onto a launching rocket. Flash performs an agonzing jump and catches onto the rocket just in time. The first stage separates from the rocket, and Zoom rides it toward the ocean, when it suddenly starts shaking with super-speed vibrations. He is surprised that Flash managed to catch up in time, and decides it's time to move up to the masterstroke of his plan.      "...the angle of the neck..." Did Flash really kill Professor Zoom? Well, if the cover is to be believed...  Commentary and bonus stuff to come later today. * Inking is credited to Dennis Jensen, but this is clearly not his work. Speedforce.org suggested that the most likely candidate is Gary Martin, and I am inclined to agree. |
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Post by Chris on Dec 18, 2017 23:27:39 GMT -5
NOTES ON #324:Now this is how to do a comic book. Tight, fast paced, not padded out. I understand get that Cary Bates wrote much of Zoom's dialogue as exposition to inform the reader of what was happening throughout the story, especially newer readers who weren't familiar with the long history of the characters. Intentionally or not, Bates managed to use the dialogue to make Zoom sound like the obsessed maniac he is... the snide tone, the arrogance, the digs at Barry and comments about Iris. Bates doesn't forget Professor Zoom's background as a scientist, though. Zoom recollects how his favored method of murder was a theory he devised that he extrapolated from his powers, until he found a subject to carry out an experiment on. Carmine Infantino went all-out on the art. There may be a few stiff panels here and there, but overall the story is propelled forward at a breakneck (sorry) pace, loaded with innovative and energetic layouts and movement. Look at page 19, where Flash and Zoom descend through the atmosphere, Zoom extricating himself from Flash's grip and getting a running start on the water, all in one smooth motion. Then there's this panel of Zoom speeding through the mountains -  A little less impressive standing alone, but in the context of the full page, it definitely carrries momentum. Expressions and body language are handled well also. In this panel, all we see of Zoom is one eye behind Barry's head and his arm around Barry's throat, but one can clearly feel the murderous hate Zoom has for him. He seems to be pondering whether he should tighten his grip just a little more and kill Barry right here and now, or delay gratification and hurt Barry far worse by carrying out his much more devious plan.  And the smug, condescending look on Zoom's face here as he endangers hundreds of innocents -  And that scene of Zoom writing his "master stroke" in the sand, taunting Flash.... When I first saw that page in 1983, it was definitely shocking. Right up until the final pages, I really did not know if Zoom would succeed in murdering Fiona. This is the same writer who killed off Iris, after all. Extras: I found scans of the original art for a couple pages. They might lose a bit of kinetic energy without color, but they gain a razor-sharpness in black and white.   The second image, panel 4 - Once again, we see Zoom's mastery of super-speed as he escaped Flash's hold, fluidly - and quite literally - hitting the ground running. The inking is clearly not the work of Dennis Jensen. He was famous for being a very slow inker (amusing given the character he was working on), and required frequent fill-ins. He was popular with fans, but I'm not sure how editorial felt about his pace. From #324's letters page -  I am probably reading too much into this, but it almost sounds like the editor is trying to get Dennis to do less detailed inking in order to get the books completed on schedule. Not that I can fault the editor for this - books gotta ship when they gotta ship. Whoever inked it, most likely Gary Martin, didn't do a bad job. In fact, I would say that while his art is less defined and almost a little formless compared to Jensen, he was better suited to preserve the dramatic edge in the pencil art. Jensen had a softening, moody effect on Infantino's art. That said, I am a little curious how this issue would have looked if Jensen had inked it. Or Rodin Rodriguez, with his scratchy, zippier lines. I absolutely hated the cover. Not that there was anything really wrong with it, art-wise. But it lessened the impact of the story for me - I knew that either Zoom would die, thus ruining the surprise ending, or Zoom would live somehow, and the entire story was a cheap ploy for sales. This was not the only time during the Trial storyline that a major plot development was spoiled in advance for me. One of the biggest ones, perhaps THE biggest short of this issue, was ruined. That said, there are still plenty of surprises ahead, both good and bad. At the end, we're left with the question - did Flash really kill Zoom?
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Post by comicsandwho on Dec 24, 2017 17:54:53 GMT -5
They only issues of this run that I owned when they were new, were the one you just covered, and the finale, I caught up on the whole thing years later. I remember that letter column you posted. Ernie Colon apparently didn't last long as editor, but a lot of 'tonal shift' in the title happened on his watch. Bates introduced more subplots into THE FLASH in the '70s, particularly in the months leading up to Iris' murder, but by '83, the book was a full-on superhero soap opera.
Colon seemed to like doing 'stream of consciousness'-style commentary in his letter columns, kind of like the way DC's lettercols were, in certain titles, in the late '60s and early '70s. He definitely was on another 'wavelength'...not unlike an overnight DJ on some FM radio station back in the day, identifying a record, and going off on a tangent about...things...Maybe drawing all those Richie Rich comics warped his mind.
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Post by String on Dec 25, 2017 12:20:52 GMT -5
#324, one of my all-time favorites, I was so lucky to find a copy many moons ago in the used book store that was also sold comics/back issues for a dirt cheap price. Infantino outdid himself here with the panel layouts and depictions of speed. The ice-slide scene and the beach writing scene are all-time classics.
One could argue that this was the culmination of the Zoom/Barry/Iris saga that Bates had begun some four years prior to this issue. He admits that sales were the main reason why Iris died in the first place, the title being a possible target for DC's implosion unless something happened to 'shake things up'. Using Zoom as the method, developing his fixation with Iris and Barry (and seeding a long-standing feud that lasts to this day), Bates thought that was a logical extension for Zoom based on some underlying elements he saw within the character in Broome's earliest R-F stories.
From the Flash Companion book: Bates' thoughts on killing Zoom: "I remember Ernie Colon being totally on board for it. Ernie wasn't a typical 'DC editor'...we both looked at the notion of having a major superhero commit manslaughter on his wedding day as a way of pushing the envelope".
On poor Fiona Webb: "As of the wedding, I don't think we had a definite timeline in mind with regard to Fiona's longevity, but I don't think we ever saw her as a permanent replacement for Iris".
As for the scene itself, very well-executed (pun intended). We don't have any definitive Gwen Stacy neck 'snap!' to indicate what really happened, all we see is Barry's raw emotions (that Zoom had been preying upon this whole time) on stopping Zoom and saving Fiona. Also, should we take notice of the photographer with the video recorder who just happened to show up at the right time, hm? But it's also sad to see how this event has already begun affecting Fiona, traumatizing her without her having any real knowledge of what just happened and who really just saved her.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Dec 25, 2017 12:23:19 GMT -5
The Creeper backup series by Nicola Cuti and Chuck Patton concludes this issue. I'm not sure if "concludes" is exactly the right word - it just stops is more like it. Still, it does rather thoroughly end the plotline. The final page shows the Creeper surviving, and is drawn by Keith Giffen. A caption at the bottom of the page says that the Creeper will soon return in a series by Giffen. I never saw it (but then I wasn't looking for it too hard), does anyone know if it was ever published? Giffen's 1983 Creeper series failed to materialise. Jack Ryder made a cameo appearance in an Ambush Bug story in Action Comics #563, then Giffen drew the Creeper in DC Comics Presents #88, which was written by Steve Englehart, and used the character in a few of the early issues of the bwa-ha-ha Justice League run. Giffen wrote a new one page Creeper strip drawn by Eric Canete in the Wednesday Comics collected edition in 2010. |
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Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2018 21:15:05 GMT -5
 The Flash #325 - "Dead Reckoning"Writer: Cary Bates Penciller: Carmine Infantino Inker: Dennis Jensen Editor: Ernie Colon Cover - Carmine Infantino and Rodin Rodriguez   After Professor Zoom's body has been loaded up and taken away, his intended victim (and Barry Allen's bride-to-be) Fiona Webb is still inside the chapel with the Flash, who just saved her life by killing Zoom before Zoom could kill her. Fiona is visibly shaken by both the attempt on her life, and the fact that her fiance, Barry Allen, never made it to the wedding, not knowing Barry is standing right next to her. Fiona suddenly feels unsteady, saying she does not feel at all well. Outside, police captain Darryl Frye and officer Frank Curtis confiscate the wedding photographer's video camera, saying there's a chance, however small, that the camera recorded Professor zoom's death, so the camera must be held as evidence. Flash and Fiona emerge from the chapel, immediately blinded by flashbulbs from questioning reporters. Flash speeds himself and Fiona away from the press. He starts to tell Fiona he will take her to a doctor, but she passes out before he can finish saying it. The doctor diagnoses Fiona with an acute anxiety attack at the very least, and cautions Flash that the intense trauma may have Fiona on the verge of total emotional collapse. Fiona is kept at Centrex Hospital for monitoring. Elsewhere... An anonymous "John Doe" is being wheeled into the morgue. When an unsuspecting attendant pulls back the sheet, he sees Captain Cold lying underneath, smiling. Cold demands to know which drawer contains the body of Eobard Thawne, aka Professor Zoom/Reverse-Flash. At the police station, the Trickster finesses his way into the confiscation room in his own unique style, searching for Zoom's uniform.   Seventy-six miles west of Central City, at an outdoor circus, the Flash is containing a runaway elephant on a stampede. Two counties over, a youthful motorcyclist is heading for a dangerous curve and loses control, but is yanked back from the cliff by a speeding Flash. And almost simultaneously...   Somewhere else, a strange meeting commences...    Fiona is still hospitalized, and only immediate relatives are allowed to visit. Flash speeds into Centrex Hospital undetected, and switches to his Barry Allen identity, complete with the tuxedo from the wedding. He talks to Fiona, comforting her and reassuring her that everything will be fine. He gives Fiona his solemn vow that Barry will never disappear from her life again. Fiona is happy, but passes out. Barry overhears a nearby janitor's portable TV announcing a special bulletin - the police are requesting that the flash immediately report to headquarters for a matter of utmost urgency. Barry dons his Flash uniform and runs over the police HQ. The mini-TV then switches over to reporter Sue Stanton, with an as-yet-unconfirmed update regarding something shocking happening at police headquarters. Fiona wakes up, to see Dr. Hale instead of Barry, and asks why Barry was made to leave...  *********
An 8 page Kid Flash story follows the lead story. "Warning: Danger Ahead!" is written by Cary Bates and drawn by Alex Saviuk and Frank McLaughlin. If I recall right, this is the last Kid Flash story (or any backup story) to ever appear in Flash.
*********
TECHNICAL STUFF -
Coloring error on pg 14 - the body of Reverse-Flash is colored as the Flash, but the black circle around the lightning bolt is the giveaway (as if the dead body lying in a crater wasn't). The Kid Flash story appears to be from 1978. During the "DC Explosion" of the time, DC's 35 cent comics went to 50 cents and added 8 more pages. Most comics, including Flash, used those pages for a backup story. This lasted for three months before page counts were cut back to 17 again. Kid Flash was supposed to be the backup series in Flash, but only two installments were published before the title reverted to the smaller page count. This is the last cover inked by Rodin Rodriguez. |
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Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2018 21:19:06 GMT -5
SOME NOTES ON FLASH #325:The Flash #325 was a great read for me back in 1983. The story is fast-paced (as befits the title character) and gripping. The Flash, one of the most morally upright, solid, straight-laced characters in comic book history, has killed an enemy. That isn't new, but it was rare at the time. And not only that, but he is going to stand trial for it. Not just a one-issue trial that ends with the reversion to status quo - see any number of Silver Age comics with Superman on trial - but a real, full-on court trial. I really had no idea what was going to happen next after this, but I knew something had changed permanently. There was no going back from this. The art - Carmine Infantino did some wonderful work here. Check out page 7 with the Rogues running wild in the morgue while the officers gear up to confront them. Page 8 with the boomerang escape, arcing over the city (whoever was responsible for the effect of the nighttime sky in the center panel, good job). The silent, small panel at the top of page 14 with Reverse-Flash's tattered uniform wafting away in the breeze was a masterful touch. Dennis Jensen did outstanding work here. His lines are clean and bold, but able to convey a sense of atmosphere and darkness as well. he manages to mold Infantino's hard-edged pencils into a softer, more photorealistic type of style while still (mostly) maintaining the hyperkinetic energy of the action. It's not quite as energetic as pure Infantino, but it's close. The final page is a thing of beauty, especially the center panel of Flash in the dark room, handcuffed, a myriad of emotions on Flash's face in just one panel. Not all was perfect, though. Right on page one, there is the comment from Wally West that "Kid Flash would have done the same." I know it's a wink to the readers, or at least just a way of establishing his identity (which was done just a few pages later anyway), but it was really irritating. Too cutesy and "wink-wink-nod-nod." As much as I've always liked Cary Bates' writing, he was all too prone to this type of thing. The coloring error on page 14 was ridiculous. A key character, in a key image, is totally looking like someone else. Still, there's no way to know whether it was the fault of someone at DC or their production department, or a mistake at the printing press, or whatever. Given the similarity of Flash and Reverse-Flash's costumes in black-and-white, it's understandable, if annoying. Why has Barry not ever told Fiona he is the Flash?  Ok, it worked out all right for him with Iris, but does he really expect lightning to strike again? Oh wait.... Jokes aside, there's really no excuse other than comic book convention that Fiona doesn't know Barry is the Flash. And if he had told her earlier, the current mess with her may have been avoided. The Kid Flash story was ok, not great but readable enough. This comic has achieved Internet Epic Legendary Status with page 8 and the first and only appearance of "Li'l Eobard" on the comics page. Take that, Batman and X-Men. Overall, a great comic for 60 cents.
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Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2018 21:21:25 GMT -5
The little "WTH?" face in the post above was an accident. I just wrote a series of "?"s and somehow the forum turned it into the shocked face. I'm gonna leave it that way because it seems appropriate somehow.  |
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Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2018 21:32:16 GMT -5
Doing something different with this review thread - letters! Starting now, there will be occasional FlashGrams posts with letters from the comics. Let's see what people reading The Trial of the Flash thought about it at the time it was published. First, a couple letters just for fun... Usually I block out the names, but with a last name like "Mercury" in a Flash comic can't be passed over. But it looks like there's some serious Fiona hate out there. And it's shown that editor Ernie Colon is leaving the title. The tone of the series definitely changed once he took over as editor, especially on the letters pages. There were a couple times when I wasn't quite sure what was going on in the lettercolumns. Of course, I was in junior high at the time, so Zeno's paradoxes were new to me... A letter about the Kid Flash story, confirming that it was indeed an older story - A challenge! Anyone want to guess which page was changed to match Wally's status 35 years ago? And we'll close this first installment of FlashGrams out with an interesting thought - Imagine THAT pop quiz! |
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Post by Chris on Feb 20, 2018 21:40:32 GMT -5
They only issues of this run that I owned when they were new, were the one you just covered, and the finale, I caught up on the whole thing years later. I remember that letter column you posted. Ernie Colon apparently didn't last long as editor, but a lot of 'tonal shift' in the title happened on his watch. Bates introduced more subplots into THE FLASH in the '70s, particularly in the months leading up to Iris' murder, but by '83, the book was a full-on superhero soap opera. Some of that tonal shift was with Ross Andru, who was editor during the "Death of Iris Allen" storyline. I think Len Wein took over after that, and the book largely went back to how it was. Ernie Colon did bring his own tonal shift, though. While it was similar to Andru's, in that there were more subplots, bigger stakes, etc., the feel of it was his own. Colon seemed to like doing 'stream of consciousness'-style commentary in his letter columns, kind of like the way DC's lettercols were, in certain titles, in the late '60s and early '70s. He definitely was on another 'wavelength'...not unlike an overnight DJ on some FM radio station back in the day, identifying a record, and going off on a tangent about...things...Maybe drawing all those Richie Rich comics warped his mind. My young self wasn't quite sure what was going on in some of those lettercolumns. Looking back now, they're pretty interesting, even if sometimes the subject is anything BUT The Flash, but at the time it was all new to me. The "overnight DJ" comparison seems about right to me. I think I wanna be an overnight DJ and talk about .. stuff.... in between whatever records I feel like playing. |
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2018 16:05:43 GMT -5
The Flash #326 - "Shame In Scarlet!"Writer: Cary Bates Penciller: Carmine Infantino Inker: Gary Martin Editor: Ernie Colon Central City Police Headquarters. An unseen person is reading off Miranda rights. A reporter tries to bull his way into the building, but two officers forcibly eject him. Inside, officers look dejected, even saddened, at what is happening in the booking room...  
Flash is led away after his mugshot is taken. The Weather Wizard is being taken to a cell and passes Flash in the corridor. He gloats about Flash's arrest, welcoming Flash to the reanks of major felons. As WW is pulled away, he taunts that Flash is not in the Rogues Gallery's league yet, but he shows definite promise.
Weather Wizard sets off a thunderstorm gimmick and breaks out of his cuffs. At the far end of the corridor, Flash and the officers see W.W. fighting with the police who had been escorting him. Flash speeds past the Wizard, and Frye demands that someone subdue Flash, thinking Flash has lost his mind from stress.
Flash attacks one of the police officers, who transforms into an unconscious Weather Wizard. Flash begins to explain how his speed-geared vision allowed him to see through the Wizard's illusion, and Frye comments how Flash has saved them yet again.
For whatever that's worth...
An inmate asks Flash why he is allowed to keep his mask on. Others shout back that Flash is something special.... instead of a small-timer like them, Flash is a killer. At Centrex Hospital, Fiona insists that her fiance Barry visited her the previous night. The staff insists there was no way Barry could have gotten in. the doctors are concerned that Fiona might be displaying early signs of schizophrenic delusion. In his cell, Flash realizes that he never would have made that visit to Fiona if he had known he was about to be arrested. In a courtroom, a judge is deciding the case against a young fellow who stole an elderly woman's pocketbook. Detective Frank Curtis asked the court for mercy on the boy, which the judge does by handing down a suspended sentence on this first offense. He calls the next case... Afterward, Curtis warns the boy, Angelo, to stay on the straight and narrow, but Angelo just waves him off. Flash is released on his own recognizance. Not surprising, given his service to Central City, but the question of what happens should Flash be indicted is looming. The grand jury is expected to indict Flash on a manslaughter charge, and then Flash will have to announce his plea - guilty or not guilty. In Barry's apartment, Flash realizes that no matter how he pleads, it makes no difference to Barry Allen. He can't resume his career as a police scientist with a manslaughter charge hanging over him. He can't resume Barry's life without Fiona wanting to go through with the wedding, and Barry ultimately hurting her again. After eliminating all the alternatives, Flash is left with one path open to him...  Barry neighbors, Mack and his song Troy, investigate the ruckus, finding nothing but Barry's trashed apartment.
On the steps of the courthouse, a Mr. Harvey tells reporters that he expects the grand jury to rule against Flash, stating that no one is above the law, especially these "daredevils in long underwear." Even a hero like Flash must answer for taking a life.
Flash overhears this, and speeds off, finding Angelo running into the street as an older woman shouts that Angelo stole her pearl necklace. Angelo runs right in front of a moving car, causing the driver to swerve right through a department store window.
 Flash catches up to Angelo, telling him to hand over the necklace. Angelo claims he didn't steal it, and was chasing the person who did. Two police officers walk up, with the real thief in custody. Flash offers Angelo an apology, but Angelo doesn't want to hear it and walks off. One of the officers tells Flash that the force is pulling for him, and offers Flash a card for his brother-in-law, a defense attorney. Flash takes the card and promptly bleeds all over it. Flash races off to the emergency room. While getting his hands wrapped in bandages, Fiona passes by in the corridor... |
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2018 16:24:27 GMT -5
What did readers think of Flash #326? Here's a couple thoughts on it...  I agree. The police should be sympathetic. They've worked with the Flash many, many times, and he has never been anything less than the utmost in help and cooperation. The police know as well as anyone, and probably better than most, just how much Flash has done for the city, and the type of extreme criminals he has faced on behalf of the city. Flash has probably saved any number of them in the past, at great risk to himself.
 I prefer Jensen's inking myself. More on that below. So, let's get into my "letter to the editor" here... Flash #326 got off to a strong start. ...until we got to this - As the legendary Robert Ingersoll* pointed out in his comics-related column, "The Law Is An Ass", there's no way Flash would have NOT been unmasked. The page with the Flash's mugshot was striking, no argument there. But not gonna happen.
I suppose we could really stretch and speculate that on DC-Earth, known superheroes like Superman and Flash were trusted enough that there may have been some leeway - perhaps a special law was passed, requiring an actual conviction before Flash had to be unmasked. Or that he could prove his identity by demonstrating his powers in court or something. But those are just straws for the grasping here.
And also, if the creative team was really planning to do a major, this-is-for-real shake-up in the comics, why NOT have Flash be unmasked and mugshotted? Now that is something that no comic had tried up to that point, not on a permanent, ongoing basis. In fact, I'm not actually sure if it's even been done since then. Imagine the reaction of the police to know that they were jailing not just a superhero, but also police scientist Barry Allen, one of their own.
Not to mention the drama from learning that Flash is Barry, and the man he killed had murdered Barry's first wife. So many missed opportunities here.
On the other hand, I read this when I was 13. I don't remember if I realized Flash couldn't have a mugshot in his mask or not, but I do remember thinking that page was pretty awesome.
Most of the rest is interesting enough. Setting the stage for the actual trial, Flash released without bail on the strength of all his good deeds for the city, etc. Flash deciding that his Barry Allen identity had no use to anyone. He's got a point there. Why resume his secret identity just to get arrested?
Note that Barry STILL has not told Fiona that he is the Flash. It can perhaps be argued at this point that revealing his secret identity could be damaging to her mental health, but a case could be made just as strongly (if not stronger) that if he had told her earlier, she wouldn't be in this state. Still, the situation is teetering on the edge of "better left alone" now.
The sequence with the broken glass was pretty good, but suffered from a couple flaws. One is the first signs of the coming "why does everything go wrong for me?" angst that would soon entrench itself in the series, in an attempt to catch that Marvel feel (and, presumably, that Marvel audience). The other is the "scrappy-kid-with-an-attitude-but-a-heart-of-gotld" trope that starts here. I don't know about anyone else, but I always hated that kind of crap.
Besides, kid, can you really blame Flash for thinking you stole the lady's necklace... when you were just in court for snatching an elderly woman's purse??? Don't blame him for your bad profile.
The ending bit with Fiona was a little weird. Just toally came out of nowhere for some forced dramatic effect. Still, it worked, at least somewhat. Will Flash's secret identity be revealed to the world... by the woman he loves? (That sounds so soap opera! Which seems to be what they're going for here.)
So, the art. Carmine Infantino did some impressive work here. The opening pages including a handcuffed Flash being booked, thesideways page with Flash's mugshot, the long march into a cell, the trail of blood on the street from Flash's bleeding hands... all well done. The issue overall is not that amazing, especially compared to the last few issues, but it's solid enough, and the above examples did stand out.
Gary Martin's inks, however, are somewhat... pedestrian. Not bad, just... ok. He does maintain more of Infantino's frenetic energy a little better than Dennis Jensen, but overall I would say the inking is a net loss compared to Jensen's issues (or even the guest inker on issue #324, which may well have been Martin himself).
* Robert Ingersoll wrote a long-running column called "The Law Is A Ass" for The Comics Buyer's Guide during the 1980s. I did not include a link to the column discussing Flash #326 because there is a kinda sorta vague-ish spoiler. Instead, I will provide some excerpts from the cloumns as the trial progresses, and some links when it's finished. Dude got a LOT of mileage out of this trial thing.
** If "mugshotted" isn't a word, it should be.
So what do you all think of this issue?
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Post by Chris on Mar 13, 2018 16:26:56 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, feel free to use the "FlashGrams" logo at the top of your posts when posting replies. Might as well have fun with it and make it seem like actual letters to the comics. Heck, could even sign at the end of the posts with some fake address or something like that. |
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Post by mrbrklyn on Nov 5, 2018 22:39:33 GMT -5
I'm not certain I understand what you are getting at with this thread, but just to say it, I HATED this run and held a grudge against Carmen Infantano for turning Barry Allen into a soap opera!!!
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Ok, it worked out all right for him with Iris, but does he really expect lightning to strike again?
