No Flash in the Pan: #13 ends one chapter

Sometimes big events in the world of comics get leaked and spoiled by the various comics news outlets. On a slow news day, they sometimes even break into mainstream news. (Like the recent Captain America hoo-haa.) But, every once in a while, the companies manage to keep the big surprises to themselves. They let it sneak up and kick readers in the pants when they least expect it. Even though a metaphorical kick in the pants can be fun, it stinks if you miss a key issue because you didn't know it WAS a key issue.

Such is the case with The Flash #13 by Marc Guggenheim and penciller Tony Daniel. It's not easy to surprise readers nowadays, what with the new-fangled internets, text messages, and cellular whatnots the kids are all using today. Information spreads fast (in a flash, you might say), so DC had to put some real effort into hiding the fact that this is the last issue of the current Flash series. They had phony solicits for future issues and writer Marc Guggenheim went around discussing plans for the book that he knew he wasn't actually writing. Oh, those cheeky monkeys!

So what actually happens in Flash #13? I won't be such a stinker as to give it away! I will tell you that it is an appropriately fast-paced finale to the current series. Guggenheim's story wastes no time getting down to business, and Tony Daniel's art is up to the occasion. He does a great job moving the action along apace, and in dealing with the more emotional moments of this tale. Of course, there will be a new Flash title soon, but it will clearly be very different from the current incarnation of the series.

So, if you care about The Flash at all, you need to read this book. If you like to have key, turning point issues in your collection, you need to read this book. If you enjoy a good, cathartic cry from time to time, you need to read this book! Pull on your running shoes and dash to Four Color Fantasies now, while The Flash #13 is the guaranteed Book of the Week! (No pouting if you miss it, you've been warned!)

Not to be trifled with: Sub-Mariner #1

Imperious Rex! You know, people think of Wolverine or the Punisher as the Marvel Universe's ultimate bad dudes, but, seriously, no one can hold a candle to Namor the Sub-Mariner. He fought with Captain America in WWII, he's the ruler of Atlantis, the protector of the entire undersea realm, takes no crap from surface-dwellers or sea monsters, and he has the best abs in the Marvel U. By comparison, Aquaman is a whiny little girl.

It's been a while since Namor had his own series, so this new limited series is really long overdue. Sub-Mariner #1, written by Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson, makes Namor especially relevant by tying him to recent events in the Marvel Universe AND making some serious connections to real-world politics. This series is clearly high-stakes too, in the first pages we see Atlantis laid waste and an American town leveled. No messing around here!

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Namor has cut most of his ties to the surface world. Unfortunately, many Atlanteans feel that isn't enough. They want to see the surface-dwellers punished and wouldn't mind a full-fledged war between Atlantis and the human world. As Namor is quick to point out, his realm is NOT a democracy. He expects his people to do what he says, simply because he says so. He does not expect to be questioned, and he certainly doesn't expect to be defied. Too bad some of his subjects have ideas of their own.

A small sect of Atlanteans, without Namor's knowledge, begins launching terrorist attacks on the surface world. As you can imagine, Tony Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the U.S. government, are all less than happy to see 900 American citizens killed in an Atlantean attack. This politically charged story is a serious page-turner, and Namor's regal character has been captured spot-on by Cherniss and Johnson. Artist Phil Briones also creates a dynamic Atlantis that seems more "real" than any version I can remember. This is no Little Mermaid fantasy land!

Do not disappoint the scion of Atlantis! Pull on your swim trunks (no Speedos, please) and your water wings, and head to Four Color Fantasies this week to pick up your guaranteed copy of Sub-Mariner #1. (Also guaranteed completely dolphin safe!)

A Movie-quality launch to the (new) New Warriors

Everybody loves a rebel. C'mon, you know it's true! We love folks who go their own way, do their own thing, and don't care how much they get hassled by "the man." It doesn't even matter what they're rebelling against. Conformity, censorship, unfair laws, burdensome taxes, expensive tater-tots, whatever ya got (to paraphrase James Dean)!

Marvel's latest super-group, however; HAS a cause. They're rebelling against fascist, jerk-face Tony Stark and his conformist Superhuman Registration Act. If you think about it, people who put on costumes and go fight crime are always likely to be an independent lot. Just because Stark and his government lackeys have all happily signed up to be good, government-supporting hero boys and girls, doesn't mean everyone is going to go along for the ride. There are bound to be those that operate outside the new law, doing good on their own terms and making rude gestures towards authority.

That's where the (new) New Warriors come in, in the first issue of their ongoing series. Of course, the original New Warriors were the team that inadvertently caused the Stamford disaster and brought about the whole SRA mess in the first place. In the Marvel Universe, the Warriors have become reviled. Their name is synonymous with death, destruction, and irresponsible heroics. Unfortunately, the team has been largely unable to defend themselves and their actions, what with most of them being dead and all.

In this first issue, we discover a new team, whose members are still a mystery, that has taken on the New Warriors name. These Warriors are operating from the shadows, snubbing their nose at Stark's Registration Act, and spreading the word through actions and, in proud rebel tradition, graffitti. Stickin' it to the man and fighting crime! It's the perfect combination!

New Warriors #1 is written by Kevin Grevioux with pencils by Paco Medina. Grevioux is primarily known for his film work (he was a writer on the Underworld movies), and that background shows here. The character's dialogue has a very snappy, movie-like quality and scenes move with a brisk pace. Medina's clean artwork also has a very "filmic" look, and his style really captures the "disaffected youth" vibe that runs through the book.

Don't bow down to authority! Stand up and be heard! Read New Warriors #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week. (And fans of the old, dead New Warriors won't want to miss the issue's cliffhanger ending. Someone may not be as dead as you think...)