Weekly Comic Review for 7/29/15
This week was a real shocker for me. I went up to the counter at the comic store to have my pulled books passed to me. They checked and there was actually nothing there. I went to the back wall where all the new stuff is put out and there definitely wasn’t any regular titles for me. Thankfully, there were annuals for a couple of my regulars (I guess they don’t come up on the computer since Annual is part of the title.) so I grabbed those. This is going to be a short entry.
Flash Annual #4 – The title on the cover is “The Acolytes of Zoom”. This doesn’t sound very promising for Barry right from the start. The story starts in 1520 in South America with a girl who has the power over aging. From amongst a band of soldiers out to kill the girl walks Eobard Thawne, but he’s not the one we remember. He is very old and wrinkled with very long fingernails and long white hair. He promises to save her if she de-ages him which she does. He then kills the army at super speed before they can kill the girl. Then, he starts telling her of this very evil being called the Flash. (Yeah, he isn’t the most honest person in the comics, is he?) Next, we see them in 1883 Africa where he recruits a man who can turns 2 dimensional and teleport after his wife is killed. In 1957 Australia, a sideshow woman who is strong and immoveable. She almost reminds me of the Juggernaut without the cheesy costume. Finally, in 1982, we meet a young boy with whirlwind powers. Each of these people were saved by Zoom and recruited to take on the Flash whom they believe is evil but it turns out that Zoom was the cause of their problems in the first place. Given what’s been happening in the main title, it’s no surprise to see Zoom so conniving. Now, why was he an old man back in the 1500s in the first place? And is he using his speed to time travel to each of these people? He must have picked each of them for some specific reason. According to the last page, we’ll start finding out in Flash #43. It was a very interesting story and it makes me wonder how soon they will find out that Zoom is lying to them and what they will end up doing.
Lobo Annual #1 – We start off with Lobo trying to capture a yellow lantern ring. He has some inside information as he’s able to be present to kill the intended wielder right before he takes the ring and then chases after it to catch it before it finds a new source. He’s captured a few but it hasn’t gotten him what he wants — Sinestro. He goes back to his information peddler and get some more information that ends up leading him to a bunch of captives from Korugar. He frees them only take them hostage as a lure to get Sinestro. He doesn’t get Sinestro though. A few of his corps arrive instead and end up killing him. (Well, as much as you can kill him.) But that was part of his plan and he follows them back to Sinestro where he can collect his bounty. This leads to a big battle ending when Sinestro cancels the bounty. It turns out he was testing Lobo. Sinestro has some of the other rings and a plan for something nefarious. (When doesn’t he have nefarious plans, though?) The one bad part of this is the announcement that this leads into a crossover between both Lobo and Sinestro’s titles. I really hate all the tie-ins trying to get people to read Sinestro. It makes me wonder how good the title is. I might pick up the Sinestro one if it won’t be a lot of issues because this storyline does show some promise.
These are both some good books. I can’t do a top 3 with only 2 comics, but I would definitely recommend both of them.
