The Flash 212 - Johns, Cummings, Faucher
Mr. Johns, could you please delve back into the Flash's past instead of focusing on the now? I want to see more of his lame rogues gallery! Pleeeease? Oh thank you!
Okay, now that's out of the way. I jest a bit, the Mirror Master is one of the few rogues of the Flash I can stand. This issue entirely consisted of his backstory. Why he is the way he is. He was raised in a Scottish orphanage, almost raped by a fellow orphan, killed the boy who tried to do that to him, became an assassin, accidentally shot and killed his father (he knew it was his father, because he'd been dropped off at the orphanage as an infant with a picture of his parents. And despite never having met them, he knew from the picture what his father looked like....because people don't chnage in twenty or so years), leading to his mother's suicide. After that he was recruited by the FBI for some reason, and given the previous Mirror Master's clothes and equipment. Why?! Why would they do that?
"Why, hello young sir. We've been watching you, and have noted your a violent psychopath who recently killed your own parents. Would you like to work for us and have a score of incredibly dangerous weapons at your disposal?"
"I sure would, officer!"
Well, apparently the FBI wanted him to.... go after the Flash? I'm a little unsure of what exactly the FBI wanted, but that's not a big deal, as the Mirror Master pretty much got rid of the FBI agents who hired him by sending them to an alternate dimension.
And this is why he's currently on a cop-killing rampage. Oh, and snorts cocaine.
Come on, Johns! Tease me, toy with me, build up some suspense, some mystery, intrigue! The only thing I don't know about mirror master is whether he wears boxers or briefs. All because of one issue. Remember what made Gambit such an awesome character? No one knew a goddamn thing about him! He was almost as mysterious as Wolverine, which, or course, got us girls all hot and bothered (what? ...just me?), and made us come back every month the see if we find out something new. He has a wife?! Whaaaa?! I mean, that's good writing and character development.
Willingham sucks on Robin, but rocks Fables. I'm willing to believe Willingham's problems with character development in Robin are caused by the higher-ups, as he's demonstrated he can do good stuff with Fables. As every book I've read by Johns includes the same rushed elements (and I haven't always been biased - a lot of the times when I read a book, i don't bother checking who created it. It's only when the writing or art is really good or really bad that I bother to see who did it. And a lot of times I've finished a book going, "who wrote that crap?! Ooooooh. It all makes sense. Damn you, Geoff Johns!"), as well as the fact that, despite my opinions and feelings, Johns is the new "hot" writer, I believe there are looser hands on his reins, any problems with the writing I therefore attribute to him.
So in this book, it was just way too much, waaay too soon. Try to tie in a small facet into a real story. In a month or so, do the same thing, tie in a little bit. Do it gradually. Treat the readers to some foreplay.
Posted by Kaitlin Guzzi at August 7, 2004 12:42 AM