The Classy Comics Podcast

A look at several comics that are great for kids.
Transcript:
Host:Today we take a look at 7 series of comics and graphic novels that are great for kids. Straight ahead.

Announcer:Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.
Host:When I was growing up, my dad didn't actually let me read superhero comics and I think that there was actually good reason for that. There’s a lot of comic material out they are that's dark and gritty and just not very appropriate for kids to read but if you're a fan of comics and you'd like to introduce that to your kids and you want something that's not going to expose them to a lot of dark, violent stuff as well as sexual content that you don't really want them introduced to, it can be a challenge. So today, we're going to go ahead and take a look at some comics and comic series that are good for kids and I should note in talking about this that in addition to comics that are really you know just not appropriate for kids, there are comics that are made for kids that also can be inappropriate in other ways, such as talking down to the kids and not really telling good stories. So, we're kind of looking for quality in both ways. So, I’ve got seven different ideas, six really for kids of all ages for the most part and 1 for slightly older kids. So, we'll talk about that. I also will mention one option which is to introduce your kids to Gold and Silver Age comics. In general, the comics did not tend to be nearly as graphic and certainly did not have the amount of sexual content that many modern comics will contain. However, you need to be aware that these were written for a different time, so a lot of the language in terms of actual dialogue may sound weird to kids. In addition, particularly during the Golden Age, some superheroes could be almost bloodthirsty in their reactions or callous, at the very least and some books contain material that could be, at the very least, racially insensitive if not, racist. So, it's something you need to use your judgment on.
Alright, well onto the ones that I would recommend and we're going to go ahead and start with Duck Comics and by Duck Comics, I mean the comics featuring Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck. If you’re like me and you grew up watching Duck Tales, many of the ideas for stories for Duck Tales came right out of the pages of these comics, particularly those by Carl Barks, talking about the adventures of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck. Now I mention some of the older comics being a bit dated. I really don't think that is a case with Duck Comics. They’re written very well, in a way I think holds up magnificently and doesn't depend on the time period. Certainly, kids will recognize the time period is different but I don't think it will make a huge load of difference. They're great adventure stories with a good sense of adventure and they are enjoyed not just in the United States but the world over. In fact, for many European comic fans, the real comics are Duck Comics, forget about all these superheroes. I wouldn't go that far but they are really enjoyable and they're great for kids. The Carl Barks library, which is being republished in 30 volumes, contains works from the 1940s to the mid-1960s and there’s also the Don Rosa library, containing his works with Scrooge and Donald and the boys from 1980s to 2006. They're both really good writers. They're good reads for kids and so I’d encourage you to check out the Carl Barks library or the Don Rosa library series, which are really just great collections of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck stories.
Alright, the next thing I want to mention is the D.C. Animated Universe comics. Now this is not something everyone knows because so many people grew up watching the...

A look at several comics that are great for kids.

Transcript:

Host: Today we take a look at 7 series of comics and graphic novels that are great for kids. Straight ahead.

Announcer: Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.

Host: When I was growing up, my dad didn’t actually let me read superhero comics and I think that there was actually good reason for that. There’s a lot of comic material out they are that’s dark and gritty and just not very appropriate for kids to read but if you’re a fan of comics and you’d like to introduce that to your kids and you want something that’s not going to expose them to a lot of dark, violent stuff as well as sexual content that you don’t really want them introduced to, it can be a challenge. So today, we’re going to go ahead and take a look at some comics and comic series that are good for kids and I should note in talking about this that in addition to comics that are really you know just not appropriate for kids, there are comics that are made for kids that also can be inappropriate in other ways, such as talking down to the kids and not really telling good stories. So, we’re kind of looking for quality in both ways. So, I’ve got seven different ideas, six really for kids of all ages for the most part and 1 for slightly older kids. So, we’ll talk about that. I also will mention one option which is to introduce your kids to Gold and Silver Age comics. In general, the comics did not tend to be nearly as graphic and certainly did not have the amount of sexual content that many modern comics will contain. However, you need to be aware that these were written for a different time, so a lot of the language in terms of actual dialogue may sound weird to kids. In addition, particularly during the Golden Age, some superheroes could be almost bloodthirsty in their reactions or callous, at the very least and some books contain material that could be, at the very least, racially insensitive if not, racist. So, it’s something you need to use your judgment on.

Alright, well onto the ones that I would recommend and we’re going to go ahead and start with Duck Comics and by Duck Comics, I mean the comics featuring Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck. If you’re like me and you grew up watching Duck Tales, many of the ideas for stories for Duck Tales came right out of the pages of these comics, particularly those by Carl Barks, talking about the adventures of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck. Now I mention some of the older comics being a bit dated. I really don’t think that is a case with Duck Comics. They’re written very well, in a way I think holds up magnificently and doesn’t depend on the time period. Certainly, kids will recognize the time period is different but I don’t think it will make a huge load of difference. They’re great adventure stories with a good sense of adventure and they are enjoyed not just in the United States but the world over. In fact, for many European comic fans, the real comics are Duck Comics, forget about all these superheroes. I wouldn’t go that far but they are really enjoyable and they’re great for kids. The Carl Barks library, which is being republished in 30 volumes, contains works from the 1940s to the mid-1960s and there’s also the Don Rosa library, containing his works with Scrooge and Donald and the boys from 1980s to 2006. They’re both really good writers. They’re good reads for kids and so I’d encourage you to check out the Carl Barks library or the Don Rosa library series, which are really just great collections of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck stories.

Alright, the next thing I want to mention is the D.C. Animated Universe comics. Now this is not something everyone knows because so many people grew up watching the...

A look at some later Lois Lane adventures as part of a celebration of 75 years of Lois Lane.
Affiliate link included.
Transcript below:
Graham: I look at some more modern day Lois Lane comics as we continue our look at Lois Lane, A celebration of 75 Years straight ahead.

Announcer:Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.
Graham:Well the first comic featured in part 3 of this book, is actually from Man of Steel Number 2. It is the John Byrne mini-series which relaunched Superman post-crisis and provided new detailed origin stories for Superman and his world. And I will say this, while John Byrne can be criticized for some of the elements he introduced for Superman, I think both this and also the story for Lois Lane that he plotted in Action Comics 600, which is also included in here, is really a grand story and does quite a bit of justice to Lois. The story does have some comedy to it, as she is just desperately trying to find Superman, get an exclusive and be able to hunt down this big story and you just appreciate how hard she worked and it's not like she is humorous for trying to pursue the story. You almost feel for her because she goes to all this work to track down this story and nothing seems to work out but you do see the strength of her character even while she tries, which gives it a really good feel.
The Action Comics # 600 story is a backup feature featuring Lois that first has her tracking down a big story and getting it shoved to the inside of the paper because of a Superman story, which shows some of her professional frustration and then we get some personal frustration as she is dealing with rumors of a relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman; something that makes sense to a lot of comic book fans. That you have the strongest man, strongest woman; why don't they get together and I think there certainly are people in comics who have tried that angle but it shows how it affects her as it just makes her feel like, well of course how could Superman be interested in a normal woman, how could you possibly compete with Wonder Woman.
Taken together this is a short story that just really works well. Even though it's 8 pages long, it gives you some insight into Lois’ character. You see her as the hard-nosed reporter but you also still see a sort of vulnerability that makes her relatable. Action Comics #662, first of all, is a good comic. It's a good story about Superman battling Silver Banshee and the conclusion of a multi-issue story involving Silver Banshee and it's also where Superman reveals the truth of his identity to Lois Lane, and of course that's a significant moment. The problem with this book is that the reveal of his secret identity comes right at the end of the issue and it's advertised on the cover so it's not a surprise to anyone. I guess other than it's a surprise that they didn't do a fake out, as often happened in previous ages of the comic but as a Lois Lane story it's a bit dubious decision to include it because she doesn't get to do a whole lot other than worry when Clark runs off and we don't even get to see her reaction to this big revelation.
Then we get Lois Lane #1 and this was just a special issue. D.C. Comics was doing a series called Girlfriends, where they took female characters particularly, romantic interest who didn't have their own comic book and gave them their own adventure and this is one where Lois goes vacationing, extensively with Clark, who arrives as Superman but then has to fly off in the middle and she stumbles into a mystery. It's not an amazing comic by any means, but it's a fun read where Lois gets to adventure and save the day and have some fun. Generally, this wouldn't seem like the sort of thing tha...

A look at some later Lois Lane adventures as part of a celebration of 75 years of Lois Lane.

Affiliate link included.

Transcript below:

Graham: I look at some more modern day Lois Lane comics as we continue our look at Lois Lane, A celebration of 75 Years straight ahead.

Announcer: Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.

Graham: Well the first comic featured in part 3 of this book, is actually from Man of Steel Number 2. It is the John Byrne mini-series which relaunched Superman post-crisis and provided new detailed origin stories for Superman and his world. And I will say this, while John Byrne can be criticized for some of the elements he introduced for Superman, I think both this and also the story for Lois Lane that he plotted in Action Comics 600, which is also included in here, is really a grand story and does quite a bit of justice to Lois. The story does have some comedy to it, as she is just desperately trying to find Superman, get an exclusive and be able to hunt down this big story and you just appreciate how hard she worked and it’s not like she is humorous for trying to pursue the story. You almost feel for her because she goes to all this work to track down this story and nothing seems to work out but you do see the strength of her character even while she tries, which gives it a really good feel.

The Action Comics # 600 story is a backup feature featuring Lois that first has her tracking down a big story and getting it shoved to the inside of the paper because of a Superman story, which shows some of her professional frustration and then we get some personal frustration as she is dealing with rumors of a relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman; something that makes sense to a lot of comic book fans. That you have the strongest man, strongest woman; why don’t they get together and I think there certainly are people in comics who have tried that angle but it shows how it affects her as it just makes her feel like, well of course how could Superman be interested in a normal woman, how could you possibly compete with Wonder Woman.

Taken together this is a short story that just really works well. Even though it’s 8 pages long, it gives you some insight into Lois’ character. You see her as the hard-nosed reporter but you also still see a sort of vulnerability that makes her relatable. Action Comics #662, first of all, is a good comic. It’s a good story about Superman battling Silver Banshee and the conclusion of a multi-issue story involving Silver Banshee and it’s also where Superman reveals the truth of his identity to Lois Lane, and of course that’s a significant moment. The problem with this book is that the reveal of his secret identity comes right at the end of the issue and it’s advertised on the cover so it’s not a surprise to anyone. I guess other than it’s a surprise that they didn’t do a fake out, as often happened in previous ages of the comic but as a Lois Lane story it’s a bit dubious decision to include it because she doesn’t get to do a whole lot other than worry when Clark runs off and we don’t even get to see her reaction to this big revelation.

Then we get Lois Lane #1 and this was just a special issue. D.C. Comics was doing a series called Girlfriends, where they took female characters particularly, romantic interest who didn’t have their own comic book and gave them their own adventure and this is one where Lois goes vacationing, extensively with Clark, who arrives as Superman but then has to fly off in the middle and she stumbles into a mystery. It’s not an amazing comic by any means, but it’s a fun read where Lois gets to adventure and save the day and have some fun. Generally,

A look at Lois Lane's early appearances beginning at Action Comics #1.
Affiliate link included.
Transcript:
Graham: Today we salute Lois Lane and as we take a look at Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years straight ahead.
[Intro Music]
Announcer:Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.
Graham:D.C. Comics has, several times, created cross decade collections focusing on a single character. Probably the first time was in the late 1980s where they released The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told and The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and they also released similar compilations for the Golden Age and Silver Age in imaginary stories. And then the early part of the 21st century, they revived the Greatest Stories Ever Told line but this time with more characters: Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Shazam, but many of us question these. I say many of us, at least me and several reviewers online. We took a look at Shazam: The Greatest Stories Ever Told and said are these really the greatest Shazam stories ever told and a lot of them ran into that problem. So, they started doing something different with a celebration of a certain number of years. Generally 75 years for a given character. So, they're not saying they're the best stories ever told featuring that character but they are stories about that character and you can't really argue with that though it is a fair question as to what the quality is.
One thing that D.C. did with these new celebrations of milestone years was they didn't just focus on the main heroes. They have several villain collections mostly from Batman's Rogue Gallery. I believe that there's one for the Joker, there's one for Two-Face and Catwoman. As far as I know, Lois Lane is the only character who is essentially known as a supporting character, who has her own collection in these milestone lines. So, we'll take a look at these Lois Lane based stories and probably one of the big challenges is that most Superman stories, which is where the majority of her appearances occurred, came where she is not the main character. So, it's a question of do we get stories that are really about and connect to Lois even if she's not the focal point.
The book begins with the Golden age and probably one of the most oft reprinted stories ever Action Comics #1 and #2, which is of course Superman's first story but it's also Lois Lane’s first story. So, it's fair game to include it. It's an iconic story and in many ways it, even in this first issue from the Golden Age, forms a lot of the key characteristics of what would make Lois Lane, Lois Lane at her best. Even though it was mostly just Superman flying around doing his heroics, she still played a part. Then they also reprint Action Comics #6, which is one of my favorite comics of the Golden Age because essentially what happens is that there are people who are merchandising Superman and they're talking about making a Superman radio show and Superman movies and of course none of this had happened in 1938 and Superman toys and there is some nefarious goings on behind the scene, which Lois actually figures out and really does shine through here but it's just a great story. Probably my favorite part of the book is the Lois Lane, Girl Reporter back-up scripts. These were features that appeared in The Adventures of Superman and they were 4 or 5 page stories but they were really good. She would be given some task by some guys who were kind of condescending towards her and she would manage to save the day. Sometimes she would end up calling in the police to help which isn’t unreasonable, but she essentially led the way and I think that scripts like that makes some of her behavior in Superman stories make more sense,

A look at Lois Lane’s early appearances beginning at Action Comics #1.

Affiliate link included.

Transcript:

Graham: Today we salute Lois Lane and as we take a look at Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years straight ahead.

[Intro Music]

Announcer: Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.

Graham: D.C. Comics has, several times, created cross decade collections focusing on a single character. Probably the first time was in the late 1980s where they released The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told and The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and they also released similar compilations for the Golden Age and Silver Age in imaginary stories. And then the early part of the 21st century, they revived the Greatest Stories Ever Told line but this time with more characters: Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Shazam, but many of us question these. I say many of us, at least me and several reviewers online. We took a look at Shazam: The Greatest Stories Ever Told and said are these really the greatest Shazam stories ever told and a lot of them ran into that problem. So, they started doing something different with a celebration of a certain number of years. Generally 75 years for a given character. So, they’re not saying they’re the best stories ever told featuring that character but they are stories about that character and you can’t really argue with that though it is a fair question as to what the quality is.

One thing that D.C. did with these new celebrations of milestone years was they didn’t just focus on the main heroes. They have several villain collections mostly from Batman’s Rogue Gallery. I believe that there’s one for the Joker, there’s one for Two-Face and Catwoman. As far as I know, Lois Lane is the only character who is essentially known as a supporting character, who has her own collection in these milestone lines. So, we’ll take a look at these Lois Lane based stories and probably one of the big challenges is that most Superman stories, which is where the majority of her appearances occurred, came where she is not the main character. So, it’s a question of do we get stories that are really about and connect to Lois even if she’s not the focal point.

The book begins with the Golden age and probably one of the most oft reprinted stories ever Action Comics #1 and #2, which is of course Superman’s first story but it’s also Lois Lane’s first story. So, it’s fair game to include it. It’s an iconic story and in many ways it, even in this first issue from the Golden Age, forms a lot of the key characteristics of what would make Lois Lane, Lois Lane at her best. Even though it was mostly just Superman flying around doing his heroics, she still played a part. Then they also reprint Action Comics #6, which is one of my favorite comics of the Golden Age because essentially what happens is that there are people who are merchandising Superman and they’re talking about making a Superman radio show and Superman movies and of course none of this had happened in 1938 and Superman toys and there is some nefarious goings on behind the scene, which Lois actually figures out and really does shine through here but it’s just a great story. Probably my favorite part of the book is the Lois Lane, Girl Reporter back-up scripts. These were features that appeared in The Adventures of Superman and they were 4 or 5 page stories but they were really good. She would be given some task by some guys who were kind of condescending towards her and she would manage to save the day. Sometimes she would end up calling in the police to help which isn’t unreasonable, but she essentially led the way and I think that scripts like that makes some of her behavior in Superman stories make more sense,

Dick Grayson goes through relationship problems, which are far worse than Nigthwing having to battle a boatload of supervillains.
Affiliate link include.
Transcript:
Host: Nightwing takes on a ship full of supervillains, from stem to stern, and then faces his former espionage colleagues in a battle for his life but could the worst thing going for Dick Grayson be his relationship problems? We'll tell you all about it next as we look at Nightwing volume 4 Blockbuster straight ahead.
[Into Music]
Announcer:Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best Comics in the universe from Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.
Host: During the New 52, Dick Grayson went through an era where he was no longer a superhero or Nightwing but rather a secret agent for Spyral because spies are known for their very punny use of names. However, with D.C. Rebirth, Dick Grayson returned to the role of Nightwing at the first book better than Batman. It’s really good but in current adventures you can probably start reading with Nightwing Volume 2 book, Back to Bludhaven. In that book he came to Bludhaven, got a job at a community center and came upon a group of washed up young super villains who were trying to avoid falling back into the life of crime and also were a bit phobic having been defeated by Batman and Robin in the past so they moved to Bludhaven for a fresh start. Among them is Shawn, who as a super villain operated as the Defacer. Dick fell in love with Shawn and she is actually kidnapped at the end of the 2nd volume and rescued in the 3rd volume. During that period, it was thought that Shawn was pregnant, but her pregnancy test was not confirmed. So, with that history in mind we take a look at the Volume 4 of the D.C. Rebirth Nightwing Blockbuster and we'll talk about the two arcs as action pieces and then talk about the relation stuff that went around it
Nightwing Blockbuster; This one focuses on Roland Desmond, who is actually the brother of Mark Desmond, the original Blockbuster. Tiger Shark is the big fish, if you will, in Bludhaven, the boss of the city and does not like Nightwing’s presence and wants Blockbuster to take care of him. However, Blockbuster appears to Nightwing offering him a chance to take down the villain, Tiger Shark and really this is a case of Blockbuster trying to play both sides against the middle and it's an interesting maneuver. He actually ends up leading Nightwing into a trap where he is aboard a ship full of supervillains who have been brought on by Tiger Shark and are supposed to turn the tables on Nightwing.
I actually like a lot about this storyline. One thing that I will highlight; I think the Blockbuster character is interesting in the way that that character develops in his plan plays out is kind of fun to watch. I also think that I like how Tim Sealy, the writer of the book, handles this guest supervillain or I should say all the super villains on the boat because a lot of them were somewhat obscure, particularly if you weren't expert in every aspect of the D.C. Universe and sometimes when you have a book it gets kind of overloaded when you have so many supervillains stars where you've got to explain who this super villain is and all of their background. However, you don't really have that with Nightwing and the idea advanced by Seeley is that Nightwing was required to learn very basic sketches of the various supervillains that he and Batman might encounter so that they would be prepared and so you just get this very quick thumbnail sketch. What's the nature of this villain? What's the nature of the threat that he poses? Cool, let's fight and it's just handled very quickly in a way that doesn't bog down the story. So, I really like that aspect of this and I also like how it shows Dick's heroism when it's revealed that all of the supervilla...

Dick Grayson goes through relationship problems, which are far worse than Nigthwing having to battle a boatload of supervillains.

Affiliate link include.

Transcript:

Host: Nightwing takes on a ship full of supervillains, from stem to stern, and then faces his former espionage colleagues in a battle for his life but could the worst thing going for Dick Grayson be his relationship problems? We’ll tell you all about it next as we look at Nightwing volume 4 Blockbuster straight ahead.

[Into Music]

Announcer: Welcome to the Classy Comics podcast where we search for the best Comics in the universe from Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.

Host: During the New 52, Dick Grayson went through an era where he was no longer a superhero or Nightwing but rather a secret agent for Spyral because spies are known for their very punny use of names. However, with D.C. Rebirth, Dick Grayson returned to the role of Nightwing at the first book better than Batman. It’s really good but in current adventures you can probably start reading with Nightwing Volume 2 book, Back to Bludhaven. In that book he came to Bludhaven, got a job at a community center and came upon a group of washed up young super villains who were trying to avoid falling back into the life of crime and also were a bit phobic having been defeated by Batman and Robin in the past so they moved to Bludhaven for a fresh start. Among them is Shawn, who as a super villain operated as the Defacer. Dick fell in love with Shawn and she is actually kidnapped at the end of the 2nd volume and rescued in the 3rd volume. During that period, it was thought that Shawn was pregnant, but her pregnancy test was not confirmed. So, with that history in mind we take a look at the Volume 4 of the D.C. Rebirth Nightwing Blockbuster and we’ll talk about the two arcs as action pieces and then talk about the relation stuff that went around it

Nightwing Blockbuster; This one focuses on Roland Desmond, who is actually the brother of Mark Desmond, the original Blockbuster. Tiger Shark is the big fish, if you will, in Bludhaven, the boss of the city and does not like Nightwing’s presence and wants Blockbuster to take care of him. However, Blockbuster appears to Nightwing offering him a chance to take down the villain, Tiger Shark and really this is a case of Blockbuster trying to play both sides against the middle and it’s an interesting maneuver. He actually ends up leading Nightwing into a trap where he is aboard a ship full of supervillains who have been brought on by Tiger Shark and are supposed to turn the tables on Nightwing.

I actually like a lot about this storyline. One thing that I will highlight; I think the Blockbuster character is interesting in the way that that character develops in his plan plays out is kind of fun to watch. I also think that I like how Tim Sealy, the writer of the book, handles this guest supervillain or I should say all the super villains on the boat because a lot of them were somewhat obscure, particularly if you weren’t expert in every aspect of the D.C. Universe and sometimes when you have a book it gets kind of overloaded when you have so many supervillains stars where you’ve got to explain who this super villain is and all of their background. However, you don’t really have that with Nightwing and the idea advanced by Seeley is that Nightwing was required to learn very basic sketches of the various supervillains that he and Batman might encounter so that they would be prepared and so you just get this very quick thumbnail sketch. What’s the nature of this villain? What’s the nature of the threat that he poses? Cool, let’s fight and it’s just handled very quickly in a way that doesn’t bog down the story. So, I really like that aspect of this and I also like how it shows Dick’s heroism when it’s revealed that all of the supervilla...

The Flash's power is out of control and the wonky artwork isn't helping.
Affiliate link include.
Transcript below:
Another volume of The Flash is out. Does that mean more sorrow, suffering and anguish for Barry Allen. Find out as we look at The Flash: Volume Five Negative, straight ahead.

Welcome to the Classy Comics Podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.
The Flash is the comic series that I've been reading the longest. It was actually the only series I regularly read during DCs New Fifty-Two era, and I liked a lot of the ideas Josh Williamson came up with in the early Issues of the series. But it seems like the series has taken a slightly more negative turn with Kid Flash breaking away from Barry. Of course, Kid Flash – in this case the the younger Wally West – and in the last volume he faced Reverse Flash and ended up winning, but Iris learned his secret identity, feels very betrayed and at the same time he received powers from the Negative Speed Force – thus the title of this volume and of the first Two-Issue story. Barry Allen's life has been off kilter – in fact, all he needs is to have a dog that dies and he's a country music song.
I was hoping that this volume would mark a turn for our hero, a sort of recovery from all of the negativity. But that doesn't happen in the first two Issues in this book, Issues Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine Negative, which focuses on his inability to control his powers and his increasing frustration with it. There is a certain grittiness to the story that some people will like, but this is a case of should The Flash really be gritty? And the answer is, not on a regular basis. Plus Barry's kind of the focus of this is, you've got these villains – The Road Ravers – who are not much of a challenge at all, which whether you're looking at comic books or you're looking at television a popular tactic with The Flash is when you want to focus on a character you give a real lead-a-lot white super-villain. bBut the problem with this book is it's not so much character-focused as navel gazing and Barry, I'm sorry to say, comes off as a bit whiny as the story progresses. He and his team at Central City P.D. are also tasked with looking into some theft of blood evidence from the evidence lock up, though little progress is made on that until the next story, Bloodwork, where he does find the villain behind the lab thefts after a scene where he just absolutely blows up at his team. It's a real prima donna moment and not really fun to read as it's just totally the antithesis of the character.
But I will say that in Bloodwork there is a sort of turning about for Barry as one of his coworkers, Kirsten, confronts him and tries to calm him down and is concerned because she had a friend who went through a bad breakup and committed suicide. And even the super-villain fight here – I will give Williamson some credit because the fight really does create a situation where Barry has to confront his own demons, because much of what the super-villain who is behind this or who is created by this is doing calls to mind a lot of Barry's issues. The super-villain isn't the greatest but I think it's clever and it does give this character a relatable origin story.
The series also features the young Wally West stepping up and offering to put aside his differences with Barry to help train Barry to balance out the Negative Speed Force powers so that Barry can use his powers without them ripping apart the city, which had been kind of a problem with his inability to control them. So, I like that and I like the general direction that they're taking the young Wally West character. The final Issue in the book, The Full Story,

The Flash’s power is out of control and the wonky artwork isn’t helping.

Affiliate link include.

Transcript below:

Another volume of The Flash is out. Does that mean more sorrow, suffering and anguish for Barry Allen. Find out as we look at The Flash: Volume Five Negative, straight ahead.

Welcome to the Classy Comics Podcast where we search for the best comics in the universe. From Boise, Idaho here is your host, Adam Graham.

The Flash is the comic series that I’ve been reading the longest. It was actually the only series I regularly read during DCs New Fifty-Two era, and I liked a lot of the ideas Josh Williamson came up with in the early Issues of the series. But it seems like the series has taken a slightly more negative turn with Kid Flash breaking away from Barry. Of course, Kid Flash – in this case the the younger Wally West – and in the last volume he faced Reverse Flash and ended up winning, but Iris learned his secret identity, feels very betrayed and at the same time he received powers from the Negative Speed Force – thus the title of this volume and of the first Two-Issue story. Barry Allen’s life has been off kilter – in fact, all he needs is to have a dog that dies and he’s a country music song.

I was hoping that this volume would mark a turn for our hero, a sort of recovery from all of the negativity. But that doesn’t happen in the first two Issues in this book, Issues Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine Negative, which focuses on his inability to control his powers and his increasing frustration with it. There is a certain grittiness to the story that some people will like, but this is a case of should The Flash really be gritty? And the answer is, not on a regular basis. Plus Barry’s kind of the focus of this is, you’ve got these villains – The Road Ravers – who are not much of a challenge at all, which whether you’re looking at comic books or you’re looking at television a popular tactic with The Flash is when you want to focus on a character you give a real lead-a-lot white super-villain. bBut the problem with this book is it’s not so much character-focused as navel gazing and Barry, I’m sorry to say, comes off as a bit whiny as the story progresses. He and his team at Central City P.D. are also tasked with looking into some theft of blood evidence from the evidence lock up, though little progress is made on that until the next story, Bloodwork, where he does find the villain behind the lab thefts after a scene where he just absolutely blows up at his team. It’s a real prima donna moment and not really fun to read as it’s just totally the antithesis of the character.

But I will say that in Bloodwork there is a sort of turning about for Barry as one of his coworkers, Kirsten, confronts him and tries to calm him down and is concerned because she had a friend who went through a bad breakup and committed suicide. And even the super-villain fight here – I will give Williamson some credit because the fight really does create a situation where Barry has to confront his own demons, because much of what the super-villain who is behind this or who is created by this is doing calls to mind a lot of Barry’s issues. The super-villain isn’t the greatest but I think it’s clever and it does give this character a relatable origin story.

The series also features the young Wally West stepping up and offering to put aside his differences with Barry to help train Barry to balance out the Negative Speed Force powers so that Barry can use his powers without them ripping apart the city, which had been kind of a problem with his inability to control them. So, I like that and I like the general direction that they’re taking the young Wally West character. The final Issue in the book, The Full Story,