The further misuse of Capt. Boomerang
The third issue of the new Flash volume is coming out, and if my estimates are correct, Digger Harkness stands to be forced into yet more dismal dreck:
Gee, that sure was "innovative" there. Giving the Top a power that could cause Wally such a headache he threw up (one can only wonder how many other people coughed up on the dock that very day)! How childish. And why did Wally leave himself open to attack like that? Under better scriptwriters, even Barry and Jay would've greeted Roscoe Dillon with a big stallion's kick before allowing him to just cause them such a gross encounter of the crude kind.
If that's Johns' idea of how to write the Rogues', he's not taking them very seriously. No, he's just desperate for ideas to draw attention. And I guess that could be what'll happen with Capt. Boomerang. One of the comments on the Flash topic even says:
Let's also not forget that he's still guilty of slaying Jack Drake, father of Robin, and even devouring children in Blackest Night. It doesn't matter if he was under control of whomever the main villains were there; that was still militantly embarrassing. And as long as that's going to remain in place, George Harkness will not be able to function as a tasteful supervillain.
...if what’s seen here can be taken at face value, I’m not sure it’s necessary. It seems like a second attempt (after Owen’s super-speed) to give a villain who throws weaponized boomerangs an extra edge. It’s an odd choice for Geoff Johns, who managed to revitalize the rest of the Rogues simply by taking them seriously.Too seriously, I'm afraid, if his throwaway depiction of the Top in the older volume (issue #195) was any indication. In fact, I've got some scans available right here, taken from an old back issue I once had access to:
Gee, that sure was "innovative" there. Giving the Top a power that could cause Wally such a headache he threw up (one can only wonder how many other people coughed up on the dock that very day)! How childish. And why did Wally leave himself open to attack like that? Under better scriptwriters, even Barry and Jay would've greeted Roscoe Dillon with a big stallion's kick before allowing him to just cause them such a gross encounter of the crude kind.If that's Johns' idea of how to write the Rogues', he's not taking them very seriously. No, he's just desperate for ideas to draw attention. And I guess that could be what'll happen with Capt. Boomerang. One of the comments on the Flash topic even says:
the 12 who were resurrected in BN#8 have been displaying signs of their former Black Lantern abilities. Aquaman, Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, and now Captain Boomerang each have one of their BL powers. In the case of Digger here, he’s making Black energy boomerangs seemingly out of nowhereHe's also not being allowed to develop anything without being tied into what's clearly another crossover.
Let's also not forget that he's still guilty of slaying Jack Drake, father of Robin, and even devouring children in Blackest Night. It doesn't matter if he was under control of whomever the main villains were there; that was still militantly embarrassing. And as long as that's going to remain in place, George Harkness will not be able to function as a tasteful supervillain.
Labels: crossoverloading, dc comics, dreadful writers, Flash, violence
