Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Writer(s): Jeff Parker
Artist(s): Sandy Jarrell, Richard Case, Evan Shaner, Jordie Bellaire
Release Date: 27th August 2014

Marking the beginning of the the second arc chronicling Flash’s adventures on Mongo, this issue promised to introduce us to perhaps most memorable of his allies, the Hawk-men of Skyworld. Indeed, Mark Laming’s trippy cover entices us with images of Flash and company engaging in a bout of sky-based swashbuckling. However, we are afforded only a glimpse of Evan Shaner’s retro-futuristic Hawk-Men, appearing briefly in the final panel of an issue that was, on the whole, a little disappointing.

The real strength of the run so far has been the lightning pace of Parker’s storytelling in tandem with the artistic talents of Shaner and colourist Jordie Bellaire, but additions to the creative team and a drastic drop in pace have robbed the series of its momentum. Firstly, the issue is split into two chapters, the reasons for which are unclear. Perhaps it’s to capture the episodic nature of the original serials, or simply to make a distinction between the artwork of Sandy Jarrell in part one, and Shaner in part two, I don’t really know. Which brings me neatly to my second gripe. The art in the first half, whilst reminiscent of Shaner and Bellaire (and certainly not bad by any stretch), just doesn’t have the same subtlety, depth, or grounded reality of the dynamic duo’s work so far. Bellaire’s colouring in particular is superb here, striking a delicate contrast between bold primaries and pastels to bring Shaner’s Laputa-esque vision of Skyworld to life.

From a story perspective, Jeff Parker takes a risk by relegating Flash to the background in the first half, shining the spotlight instead on Zarkov and Dale as they attempt to navigate their way to Skyworld. The chapter takes place exclusively in the ship’s cockpit and centres on a protracted encounter with a hallucination-inducing biomass, a plot point that takes too long to resolve. Unfortunately, without Flash propelling the narrative forward, things quickly become uninteresting, sadly.

I was really looking forward to this issue, which is probably why my feeling of disappointment is so strong. However, it was tempered somewhat by the second half of the issue, giving me hope for the next instalment.

Gordon’s barely conscious!

Rating: 2/5

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PREVIEW ARTWORK.

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The writer of this piece was: Martin Doyle
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You can check out more of Martins reviews and thoughts on random retro things over at Retromuse

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