This issue wraps up the Flash’s fight with Captain Cold, while swiftly moving into the hero’s next conflict, all of which is tied to his growing problems with the Speed Force. The story flows into its next movement quite naturally, making the fact that the Cold battle wraps up in the middle of the issue less noticeable. The battle scenes are sold on their visuals and 
sheer energy. Manapul and Buccelato have an endless array of visual and storytelling innovations – Flash rushing to save Patty as the debris forms the “DC Producly Presents” logo, the breakdown of Flash’s actions by the second, the opening splash of Patty falling. The action is frenetic and fun. I also love the colouring – the book has embraced brown and yellow hues, but Buccelato throws in a crisp blue sky to contrast with the red costume and columns of snow, and it looks radiant. The story swiftly moves into Flash trying to get into the Speed Force, as his misdeeds with it caused Iris to disappear during the fight. I like the stakes here – Barry’s making mistakes that innocents pay for. His troubles with the Speed Force aren’t surmountable. In fact, trying to fix them only gets him into more trouble in this issue. Flash’s trip into the Speed Force is a dazzling visual segment, with a series of circular flashbacks and softer colours. This sequence starts off more reflective and takes a turn with a dangerous cliffhanger, and I loved the contrast. I was caught off guard and thought the final page really worked. The only element I’m less convinced of is Patty’s turn against superheroes, after the Flash saved her. I’m willing to see where it goes, but it seems a little fast here. Regardless of that, this is another great issue. Full of energy and exciting on every page.
Justice League Dark#7 - Peter Milligan/Admira Wijaya, Daniel Sampere
I planned on buying I, Vampire#7, the next part of a crossover that starts in this issue, but it was sold out at my store. I’m kind of happy that happened, because I think I’m going to just sit this story out until Jeff Lemire joins with #9. This isn’t a slight on Peter Milligan at all. He 
has built an interesting world for these characters in the first six issues. This issue just doesn’t fit that vibe though – the team is acting too much like a team and the mission they go on for the purposes of the crossover does feel forced. I think the problem is that I don’t see this group as one that charges off on to missions. The other issues of this title have felt methodical in their pacing, and this one is an action issue with less of that nuance. Guest appearances from Batgirl and Batman in the midst of the action don't really help that feeling. And I can't help but feel that something is lost in the team dynamic this issue. That doesn't mean there aren't strong points - this may be the best issue for John Constantine, who defies the magic used by the other characters, and just goes at the vampires with an axe. This is particularly funny when Zatanna is concerned her magic isn't working, and Constantine just throws an axe at a flying vampire from off-panel. But overall, I just didn't find this issue as compelling as the rest. The vampire conflict wasn't interesting - an army of vampires are attacking Gotham. It just doesn't have the softer quality of the book's other issues. I will say the events of I,Vampire were easy to follow here, even if I'm not as interesting in them. Two artists pitch in for Mikel Janin here, both attempting to ape his style, but not really reaching the heights he does. The book looks good overall, but it lacks the sharpness of Janin’s visuals. There are many times when the figures look good, but they also appear a bit static on the page. I do feel bad laying in to this issue. I have generally really liked this title. But I think I'll wait for this crossover to end before returning to the book.
FF#16 - Jonathan Hickman/Nick Dragotta, Steve Epting
And so this marks the end of my time with Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four. I know he has a handful of issues left, but, for all intents and purposes, the big story he came on to tell is over. It looks
like the coming issues will deal with loose ends and some fun side plots. I’m sure they will be enjoyable, but I’m reading enough these days and I do feel like the story I invested in has ended. This issue acts as an epilogue to the concluding chapter, and it’s perfectly good stuff. It dwells on the end of the conflict and lightly teases at the loose ends that remain. It's divided into two chapters, with the bulk of the issue focusing on clean up from the battle, told from Valeria's perspective. It's fitting Hickman focus in on her, as she has been at the centre of many of his stories. Her portrayal here is fun - completely disaffected and cynical about everything going on around her. She hates the future Val, she hates that her room has been destroyed again (and all of her possessions lost), and she is generally bored and annoyed when the family tries to talk to her about all of the trouble she caused. Hickman brings some fun concepts in here, most notably the human toll that having your home destroyed so many times would take. For all that, this opening section is fluff through and through - the team get new uniforms and space hq, and a couple minor subplots are touched on (future Franklin and his Galactus, Johnny and Spider-Man move in together). It feels like things are winding down, and I'm ok leaving here. There is an epilogue showing what happened to Doom, drawn by Steve Epting, that is a bit out of place. I have a feeling it was intended for the previous issue's extra-sized conclusion. Nick Dragotta handles most of the art here, and remains a strong fit for the book. He captures the youthful energy and wonder of the main cast. He really draws on Kirby and Buscema's influences, to great effect. Epting’s pages are up to his usual strengths, full of darkness and grime, even if the tonal disconnect with Dragotta’s pages is high. It's a fun issue. I feel a bit sad to be leaving, but I didn't see a huge hook here to keep going. I feel like Hickman's big story is over. I enjoyed it while it lasted, and this feels like the right time to stop.
X-Men: Legacy#264 - Christos Gage/Rafa Sandoval
If the current story in Uncanny X-Men feels like blatant filler to help lead in to AvX (Avengers and X-Men team up), this story appears to just be plain old filler before that crossover. Mimic crashlands in Westchester with Michael Pointer, who is overloaded with energy and on the verge of death. Rogue’s team proceeds to help. I can’t 
say I have much interest in this issue’s guest stars, and the repeated references to the dreadful Dark X-Men story doesn’t bring back good memories of them. On the whole, this is a decent issue, and Gage seems to be working out the tonal problems, but it doesn’t exactly excite. Subdued character moments were what Mike Carey brought to this book. Gage is still struggling with that. The opening scene with Cannonball and Rogue has its heart in the right place, but I can't help but prefer a discussion that is a bit more subtle. Gage throws everything on the table. Still, it's better than a later scene where Rogue reaches out to Gambit at the first sign of crisis. The strongest character-based scene is an amusing one of Chamber teaching a class. The rest of the issue is filled with the team dealing with Pointer's crisis, wrapped around a few fight scenes as his powers go out of control. The ideas introduced here are interesting, but I had trouble getting invested in the story. I don't care for Pointer or Mimic and a whole issue devoted to the X-Men struggling to help them wasn't hugely engaging for me. It feels like a two-part filler story before a crossover, because these guest stars come out of nowhere. Still, this is a better issue than Gage's last few. There are no egregious character moments. It's just that the plot needed to be stronger. On the art side, I actually really like Sandoval’s work. There are moments of unevenness, but, on the strongest pages, the figures are crisp and powerful. He is expressive and dynamic on most scenes, and, overall, the book looks sharp. It's a decent issue. I'm still looking for Gage to take this title to the next level, though.
Astonishing X-Men#48 - Marjorie Liu/Mike Perkins
As usual with Astonishing, I give each new creative team at least one issue before deciding if I'm sticking around for their tenure. So far, everyone since Warren Ellis (who didn't exactly do such a great job, but I was more loyal then) has flunked that test. But I saw some promise in this new creative team. Liu has always had good buzz around her, and the cast 
selected seemed interesting. I still see absolutely no purpose for this book to still exist, particularly at the $3.99 price point, and don’t think so many “core” X-books are needed, but I enjoyed this issue. It didn’t blow me away, and certainly had its problems, but it was also kind of fun. The drawback here is that nothing happens. There are a few fun scenes of very natural character interaction, then a hasty battle scene begins. No big story gets underway (we don't even get a hint as to why the villains are attacking) and it contributes to this title still feeling like an unimportant side project. But Liu gets points for what she tries to do with the characters. She tries to completely remove Northstar, his boyfriend Kyle, Gambit, and Cecilia Reyes from the X-Men world and have them speak about their lives and relationships naturally. The scenes work well, even if they have their annoyances (Gambit and Cecilia, good friends? Cecilia's never-ending griping about the X-Men). The gathering of characters is good - Gambit has been sorely underused lately, Northstar and Kyle's relationship is treated realistically, and Cecilia is a fan-favourite. However fun their scenes are, they do contribute to the book feeling thin, as no story gets started until the very end. Wolverine, Iceman, and Warbird enter into these domestic situations and disrupt them with a battle against helicopters and Chimera. I have no idea what the potential of this story is because nothing resembling a real story gets underway here. Mike Perkins is the artist for this issue, and I'm not really sold on his art. There’s a photorealistic element to the people that he never quite pulls off. As a result, the faces and body language don’t click. In a conversation-heavy issue, the acting doesn't really work. I can't help but think what a simpler style could have accomplished with those scenes. The issue, on the whole, is too dark, as well. To Perkins' credit, he is much better on the action scenes, depicting the destruction and helicopter fights quite well. The big problem with the issue is the number of times Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) is referred to as Jean-Claude. He goes by both names in the issue and it's a big editorial flop. Still, I can overlook that. Liu put enough here to get me to try out the next issue. Don't know if I'm in for the long haul, but I enjoyed her approach to this issue.
The New Deadwardians#1 (of 8) - Dan Abnett/I.N.J. Culbard
I decided to pick up this new Vertigo mini series on a lark, having read a recent interview where the premise sounded quite fun. I’m happy I did. This one moves at its own pace – leisurely, thoughtful, with bits of humour sprinkled through the dialogue. The premise has a great hook to it as well. It's certainly a fresh take on vampires and zombies. Both
concepts are squarely set in this world of England in 1910, with rules, societal conventions, and issues of social class tied to their use here. It's a premise that has the potential for depth, but Abnett knows how to play it a bit lighter in this issue. The class issues are touched on here in an intelligent way, never thrown out too blatantly for the reader, making me excited to see how Abnett continues to explore them. There's an array of characters introduced here, from co-workers to domestic servants of our lead character, Detective Suttle. Even in their brief appearances, Abnett sketches each of them out quite well and adds humour to their appearances. Suttle himself is an engaging character, one who is fairly dour in his approach to attacking zombies and solving murders. And I like the hook of the murder case he is investigating - in a world of undead zombies and vampires, how has a conventional murder been committed? On the art side, I.N.J. Culbard is a name I’m completely unfamiliar with, but his sparse, strong style is a great fit for this story’s tone. He has elements of Dave Lapham and even Paul Smith to his minimal lines, but also brings the appropriate grit and supernatural elements to the story. This is a comic depicting a very restrictive culture, one that has become more and more restrained in an effort to protect itself from the looming threat. Culbard creates a very strict, restrictive society for the lead character to navigate through, but brings in more grisly moments and visuals as appropriate. The art reflects the pace and story beats of this world very well. This was a great start for a new mini series - funny, smart, and engaging, while developing a tone and a pace all its own. I'm in.
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