The Flash #83 // Review
The Flash #83, written by Joshua Williamson, with pencils by Rafa Sandoval, inks by Jordi Tarragona, and colors by Arif Prianto, continues the "Rogues' Reign" arc, but still somehow leaves most of the Rogues out of the story. Previously, Lex Luthor managed to...you know, unless you've been reading Justice League, it's kind of unclear what Luthor has managed to do. Bottom line, the sky has gone black, the world is coming to an end (or, so the readers have been told), and Lex has somehow boosted the powers of a massive number of DC's villains, including the Flash's Rogues. To make matters worse, Captain Cold and his comrades have taken over Central City, leaving the public to think that the Flash is dead. Unbeknownst to even his closest allies, however, Cold has Barry Allen locked away in a secret vault. Now, Flash's only hope of rescue rests in the hands of the Captain's own sister, Glider, who has turned against him for the sake of saving the world.
On the surface, this sounds like a fun enough story. It has elements of a dystopian future, the Flash is powerless and forced to team up with an enemy to save the day, and the Rogues have finally been granted all of their wishes. Unfortunately, those ingredients still only add up to a "middle of the road" arc that comes off as more filler than anything. This story's heavy ties to the "Year of the Villain" event dominating most DC books right now, hinder some enjoyment, of course. Unless you're reading Scott Snyder's Justice League, there are a few head-scratching moments that leave Williamson's story feeling less than whole.
The title of this arc, "Rogues' Reign," would have you believe that it's a story about the Rogues finally becoming the men they've always believed themselves to be. Instead, and disappointingly, Williamson has chosen to dial in almost exclusively on Captain Cold. Normally, a Cold story would be more than welcome, as he is easily the fan-favorite of the group, and arguably the most complex. The name of the arc, however, might make some readers feel cheated. An examination of all of the Rogues, and what happens to them when they're finally given a chance at happiness, could have been an infinitely richer, and more rewarding, story. Instead, we're given a fairly straightforward "Captain Cold is power-mad, and a sell out" narrative that has offered no real surprises two issues in, minus the somewhat interesting conclusion to this week's book.
Even Sandoval, a normally fun and flashy (no pun intended) penciler, seems to be bored with this story. Forced to draw nothing but ice, and people in coats in the dreary kingdom of Cold, there's not much for him to dig into. The color and inks of Tarragona and Prianto suffer the same dullness, as most pages are dark and filled with different hues of blue. Everyone on this art team is capable of much more exciting work, but the story holds them back.
Overall, two issues into this arc, it's just not delivering on its potential. It's been a while since there has been a Rogues story where they were actually a big threat. Unfortunately, any sense of real danger is lost to the "who cares" feeling of its connection to an already-exhausted crossover event. Hopefully, Williamson will use this story to launch into something more meaningful for the Rogues in the near future, or it will be a mighty big waste of these great characters.
