We’re back to focus in Keystone City now (not to mention the clever
artwork of Kolins, which is perfect for the current style of the book),
and the focus this time is on Wally West’s sexy wife Linda, who quit
her job as a TV journalist a few years ago to attend medical school
instead. And it seems that she’s got to deal with a suspicious
classmate named Cliff, who turns out to be none other than Brother
Grimm, the other-worldly villain from a kingdom called Eastwind, who
wants to claim Linda as his own bride and conquer Keystone as well,
unleashing a horde of dragons upon the city to aid him in his conquest.
Luckily for Wally, who should happen by in an airship at that moment
other than Hawkman!
Sometimes a team-up between two crimefighters can yield some very good
storytelling, and here too, it shows, with Carter Hall, as Hawkman
calls himself regularly, helping Wally to fly up past the beanstalk
that’s sprung up in the city center which rumbles to prevent him from
ascending it himself, and arrives to rescue Linda from the unkind
attentions of Brother Grimm.
(Not to worry, Linda’s already taken a pretty good measure of her own
to rescue herself, in this case, by dealing Grimm a nice good slap on
the face, just like a woman, one of the parts that I liked the most.)
Once again, Johns gives us another good tribute to the Silver Age with
relish, and the revelation about Grimm’s disguise turned out to be a
very good left fielder, very honestly done. The dialogue between Flash
and Hawkman was sharp and right on, and the part where Hawkman tells
him “They say you’d make your uncle very proud,” was a highlight of the
issue.
I do hope that there’ll be another team-up between these two superheros
again someday, and this one was quite a treat for fans of both
characters.
So until the next issue, let’s all relish this smart little gem here,
and enjoy a good homage to the adventures of the Silver Age.
Flash #191 Vol 2:
The Brave and the
Beaten