OK, I know, all 100-Pagers are awesome, but this is truly a standout issue. The cover story is a team-up between Barry Allen and Jay Garrick as they take on the Rag Doll and the Thinker. I truly believe that the team of Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin is horribly underrated. There's a three panel sequence in which Jay and Barry are sitting on a park bench chatting that is absolutely beautiful. This is the return of the Rag Doll, an old Jay Garrick foe with a terrific design. For Infantino fans, this issue has a Golden Age Flash reprint from All-Flash #31 (1947), a fun back-up story from Flash #145 and an old school, old costume Kid Flash reprint. Gil Kane fans will be delighted to find the Black Hand story from Green Lantern #29. There's also some fun Flash trivia and a Flash word search. What more can you really ask for? Well, how about one of the all-time great Mort Meskin drawn Johnny Quick stories? This is a wonderful book, and remains one of my all-time favourite 100-Pagers.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Single Issue Hall of Fame: Flash #229
OK, I know, all 100-Pagers are awesome, but this is truly a standout issue. The cover story is a team-up between Barry Allen and Jay Garrick as they take on the Rag Doll and the Thinker. I truly believe that the team of Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin is horribly underrated. There's a three panel sequence in which Jay and Barry are sitting on a park bench chatting that is absolutely beautiful. This is the return of the Rag Doll, an old Jay Garrick foe with a terrific design. For Infantino fans, this issue has a Golden Age Flash reprint from All-Flash #31 (1947), a fun back-up story from Flash #145 and an old school, old costume Kid Flash reprint. Gil Kane fans will be delighted to find the Black Hand story from Green Lantern #29. There's also some fun Flash trivia and a Flash word search. What more can you really ask for? Well, how about one of the all-time great Mort Meskin drawn Johnny Quick stories? This is a wonderful book, and remains one of my all-time favourite 100-Pagers.
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3 comments:
I am glad to read of the high esteem with which you hold the Novick/McLaughlin team Scott. I share it. A while back I expressed as much over on the CBR Classics board, but was surprised to find that my my opinion was not more widely shared. I find the two complement each other so very well. And it's their work on the Flash, (more so than the Novick Batman I would say)that we see virtually a whole artistic era of Flash defined, an era that may not equal the classic wiry look of the Scarlet Speedster established by Infantino in the years preceding, but it sure fits well with the New Bronze Age look DC was developing. Flash #229... a great comic indeed.
I'm rather fond of them myself. They were the artists on The Flash when I began reading/collecting them, and I sort of hated it when Infantino returned.
As for Flash #229, I use to have that one a long, long time ago. It was always one of my favorites. Who wouldn't love the 100 page issues? I still miss those groovy covers, too.
For me my all-time favourite 100 Page Spectacular is a toss-up between Flash 229 and Shazam! 12. They were my two favourites as a 6 year old and still remain so for the mix of new material and well chosen old material. I give Flash 229 the advantage for the better new material, though I think I love Shazam! 12 more because of the old material. But in both cases the reprint and the new material blend together seamlessly
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