The Flash (1987 Series) #210

May 22, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Reconnected

The Flash hangs out with his oldest friend, while some of his oldest enemies put schemes into motion.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Howard Porter
Inks: Livesay
Colors: James Sinclair
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Art: Michael Turner
Publisher: DC Comics

The Flash continues his whirlwind “Sorry I got your memory erased, here’s my real identity” tour, this month paying a visit with the Teen Titans and Nightwing. No matter what identities the two heroes are wearing, the Wally West/Dick Grayson friendship is one of the classic comic book pairings. Johns makes a comparison in this issue that I’d never thought of, but that sums it up perfectly – their relationship is like that best friend you never see anymore, the one you grew up with, the one you try to keep in touch with, but whose path doesn’t cross yours as much as you like. That’s really what these two have evolved into, but when they do get together, they’re a fantastic team.

Between a flashback scene of the two as youngsters sneaking into the Batcave and a modern-day scene of them sneaking into the Flash Museum you see what these two mean to each other and what they’ve meant from the beginning. If that sort of characterization doesn’t do it for you, their conversations also add a few tidbits that seem to indicate where Johns will go with the upcoming Green Lantern relaunch – not as blatant as the seeds he’s planting in JSA, but the clues are definitely there.

As Wally and Dick get a little male bonding time, the bad guys are all on the move. Ashley Zolomon has a heart-to-heart with her ex-husband, Zoom, several former enemies who have signed on with the FBI prepare to take out a current rogue, a few baddies hook up with an antagonist from Gotham City and a recent sparring partner of Nightwing drops by for a surprise visit. There are a lot of villains in this issue, but rather than feeling crowded, Johns manages to balance them against each other, showing how different each of them is but still making them all seem threatening.

Howard Porter still shines on the art for this book. He’s got a great handle on all of the heroes, and light inking by Livesay on the flashback sequence, as well as the scene with the Titans, help to set off those segments, visually indicating that this is a different part of our hero’s life. The coloring could be stronger – in bright scenes Sinclair’s colors look somewhat faded, whereas in darker scenes he foes not quite monochromatic. Both techniques can and have worked well in the past, but don’t quite cut the mustard in this issue.

This continues to be one of the best-written superhero comics on the stands, and it ends with a great cliffhanger that promises plenty of action next issue. There’s no doubt, this is a book you should be picking up every month.

Rating: 8/10