Art: Marcus To, Brian Buccellato
Publisher: DC Comics
The Weather Wizard. I’m sorry, but I’ve always felt that was kind of a lame, cheesy name. But then, comic books are full of colorful characters with silly names, so I don’t know why that one always sticks out to me. In any event, the Weather Wizard is in Flash #10, an issue that reads in parts like it wants to be some sort of Godfather story. The other parts deal with Flash trying to figure out if he should reveal his secret identity to someone he really cares about. The whole of all of this felt pretty average to me, but then, I haven’t been following the series, so that may play a part in it.
So apparently the Weather Wizard and his brother are part of some sort of crime family. Boy, does that word get used a lot; family. Everything that’s done is done for the family; to help the family, to protect the family, to save the family. Of course, the great irony is that much of what’s done only serves to destroy the family. What do you call it when everything you do is for one reason but what results is the exact opposite? Oh yeah, irony. There’s plenty of irony in this issue, and I think it should have had more of an emotional impact, but as I said, I haven’t been following The Flash, so that impact is lost on me. Or maybe it just doesn’t exist, I’m not sure.
On the flip side, Flash is trying to figure out if he has any family that he can rely on. Being the Flash is a heavy burden, and he thinks that perhaps if he had someone he could trust and rely on to help shoulder that burden, perhaps life wouldn’t feel like it’s constantly spinning out of control. Eventually, however, Flash realizes that perhaps his secret and his life is too much for anyone else to share with; it’s a burden that would just be too heavy and cause too much pain. Perhaps it’s a burden that he’ll just have to learn to shoulder all on his own. Again, it should probably be an emotional moment with meaning, but as I haven’t been a regular on the series, I didn’t sense much of that.
If nothing else, this issue shows that family can be complicated. Our good intentions can sometimes backfire. Our openness can sometimes cause pain to the ones we love, while trying to bear our own burdens can slowly wear us down and make our loved ones feel shut out. Family isn’t easy, but few things are as precious (and even that concept can get twisted around into something sinister, as we see with the whole “crime family” drama in this issue). Sometimes, when it comes to God’s family, all people see are the hurts and the pain and the fighting and the complications. It’s true that Christians and churches don’t always get along, and can even do some really stupid things for “the good of the family.” However, being in God’s family also has many pluses; the grace, the forgiveness, the love, the fellowship, the comfort, the support, the joy that all come from being one of God’s kids. Family is complicated, even true for God’s family, but there are some cases where the benefits far outweigh the negatives; and that’s especially true in the family of God.
Again, it may just be because I haven’t regularly followed this series, but I found The Flash #10 to be pretty ho-hum. It’s not for a lack of stuff going on, it’s just the impact of what takes place is lost on me and therefore all felt rather mediocre. Plus, I just have trouble taking the Weather Wizard seriously. I mean, it’s just not that intimidating of a name.
Score: 4 of 7
A big thanks to Astro-Zombies for providing the material for this review. Learn more about them at astrozombies.com.
