The Flash #15 – Simon Spurrier, Writer; Vasco Georgiev, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This series was known for being incredibly bizarre in its first year, with Wally spending most of it in a strange cosmic void filled with cosmic beings. It’s still keeping that energy in year two, but with a slightly more human touch. Powers are scrambled, odd psychic energy is plaguing the world, and Wally has split himself into two to balance everything – trying to manage both superhero missions and a family vacation to Skartaris. Irey is the only one that knows – and is also the only one who knows the psychic toll it may be taking on him. While there are some fun moments in this, it’s also rather busy in terms of dumping a lot of speed force terms on us, and continues to have an odd undercurrent of surreal cosmic horror to it at times, with the way the powers work. I feel like it might be finding its groove in combining the many elements of a Flash book, but it’s still a rather odd run.
Power Girl #15 – Leah Williams, Writer; Adriana Melo, Artist; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: While this series has largely focused on the duo of Power Girl and Omen, this issue takes the bold choice of focusing almost entirely on the villain Ejecta. This tech-based villain has been targeting telepaths, but we know next to nothing about her. A flashback shows her as a young girl with strange psychic abilities who lost her parents in a car crash and was rescued by the mysterious Symbio – a strange lion-man with a secret. As people might remember, this is the twisted AI who tortured Power Girl when she was found in her pod after escaping from the other universe. This turns Paige from wanting to take out Ejecta to wanting to save her – but the other woman does not return her warm feelings. The flashbacks are nice and creepy, and this issue adds some important emotional stakes to a series that has sort of struggled to find a full narrative and place in the DCU for Power Girl so far.
Multiversus: Collision Detected #6 – Bryan Q. Miller, Writer; Jon Sommariva, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The final issue of this wacky crossover comic has two tasks. It has to set up the game – but it also has to tell a coherent story. With Avia possessed by a sinister intelligence and sending out drones to capture the heroes and trap them in the world of the tournament, the stakes are high, but there’s enough time for funny bits between the characters. It’s a little odd seeing Shaggy hero-worshipping Batman when they have a regular comic together, but there are some great team-up moments and Bugs gets to steal the show with a unique combat technique. My favorite moment? Steven Universe no-selling the Joker. The ending finds a way to have its cake and eat it too, creating a unique paradox that explains the game. This is a fun series overall, but even though Bryan Q. Miller delivered an entertaining story, it’s pretty clear that this story mostly wants us to go out and buy the game.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
