The Flash #1 - Eric's Review

I miss Wally West as much as anyone, but the writer/artists Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato do a good job of reminding you that Barry Allen—albeit a rebooted Barry Allen with few ties to his own distant or recent past—can be just as compelling.

The story follows a slightly younger Barry than we’re used to, juggling singlehood, his day job as a criminalist and his alter ego as the fastest man alive. His life is further complicated when an old friend appears to be complicit in, and to die during, a robbery attempt. Barry investigates. Unsurprisingly, all is not as it seems.

There’s nothing particularly special about the story, really; the magic’s in the telling. What we may – may – be witnessing here is the arrival of the next Frank Miller (and I absolutely need you to forget about pretty much every single thing Frank has said or done over the past decade when I say that). These are creators in full command of the comics page and all the visual invention made possible upon it, and they’ve been given license to tell the stories they want to tell. A few decades ago, Frank Miller, given the same freedom on Daredevil, turned that comic into a crime story. Here, Manapul and Buccellato have crafted a unique science fiction adventure yarn. The result, in either case, is a joy to behold. Along with Batwoman and Marvel’s Daredevil, The Flash is one of the most inventive comics on the market.

All-Star Western #1 - Eric's Review

The reboot here is a soft one, as the same Jonah Hex we’ve come to know and love arrives in Reconstruction-era Gotham City. The bounty hunter’s methods are ill-suited for, well, civilized Gotham, and so he partners with Amadeus Arkham, future namesake of the asylum, to solve a series of murders.

Since it’s a Western–although, since it takes place in Gotham, an analog for New York City, that’s subject to debate–here’s an appropriately quick and dirty review:

The Good: Writers Palmiotti and Gray have been writing Hex for years, and therefore understand the character intimately, and they've accepted the herculean task of revealing how this Gotham City will evolve into the kind of place, 150 years hence, that needs a guy in a bat costume to keep the peace.  The density of the story is a welcome relief from the flimsiness of other relaunch titles. Moritat provides fantastic art.

The Bad: The book has seemingly abandoned the done-in-one format that made its previous incarnation so appealing. Moritat replaces a rotating crew of artists that included such luminaries as Phil Noto, Jordi Bernet, Darwyn Cooke and others. The book has ties to current (pre- and post-relaunch) Batman titles, including references to the crime bible, which may be a distraction to those who are not deeply immersed in DC continuity.

The Ugly: Jonah Hex, of course.