Critical Hits & Misses #326

• Forbes has a bit of snark for DC fans who claim that there is some mass media conspiracy against Zach Snyder and the DC movies: facts and numbers show that traditionally, critics have liked Snyder films more than actual movie goers have. 


• Marvel comics recently announced a secret surprise wedding in the comics, but like, more people cared about the engagement announcement between Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

For today's musical hit, we have rising artisti OMB Peezy and "Doin Bad"

Today's critical rolls: Are you curious about the secret Marvel wedding? Or maybe you're more excited about Prince Harry's pending nuptials? Or maybe you only care about the West-Allen/Ollicity weddings going on in the Crossover this week on the CW? Or maybe no weddings at all?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #324

Editor's Note: Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US and Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year (and a day off for us), so this is the last CH&M for the week. Wherever you are, we wish you a wonderful weekend! See you next Monday!

• Forbes has an in-depth analysis of what it might mean for the DCEU's future now that Justice League hasn't really lived up to expectations at the box office. 


• Uproxx discusses how the fallout of the sexual harassment plague in Hollywood should affect every man in the US, and how even "good" men need to stop trying to remove themselves from the implications. 

For today's musical hit, it's almost Christmas, so have Sia and "Santa's Coming For Us"

Today's critical rolls: If you're in the US, are you looking forward to Thanksgiving and Black Friday? If you're not in the US, what's on the agenda for the weekend?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #293

• The spoilers are out for Catwoman's answer to Batman proposing to her. Don't read this article if you wanted to be surprised by the actual issue. The article does discuss a little about superheroes being happy, so it's not just a giant spoiler alert. 


• Forbes discusses how going forward, the DCMU is going to start looking more like the MCU in how interconnected (or not) the films will be. Pretty interesting hypothesis, I guess we'll see how it pans out. 

For today's musical hit, we have Sam Smith and "Too Good at Goodbyes"

Today's critical rolls: What's your take on superheroes being allowed to be happy, and do things like get married? Yay, nay, don't care?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

The Flintstones #12: A Worthy Conclusion

With this issue, Mark Russell and Steve Pugh's landmark run on The Flintstones comes to a close. Over the past installment, they have routinely shown that it is indeed possible to turn a cheesy, pun-filled animated sitcom into a comic with a surprising amount of depth. Many articles have been written on the transformation, and I really have nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. On a personal note, I know what to say in regards to my own feelings.

Back when I first started reviewing The Flintstones, I felt skeptical. If you go back and read my review of the issue, you can see that I had misgivings about the premiere, finding it unnecessarily dark. Some of the other cosmetic changes also didn't gel with my notions of what a Flintstones series should be, such as the war plot and "yabba dabba doo" being changed into an anger management mantra.

After I promoted the review on Twitter, Steve Pugh actually responded, reassuring me of the world-building process. Over one year later, I can definitively say that he was absolutely right. The series manages to combine darker elements with ridiculous satire in a marvelous fashion.

This issue serves as a capstone to the series, embracing everything that we've come to love about the comic and tying up some of the loose ends in the story. From Gerald to the anthropomorphic animal appliances, the subplots are wrapped up in an efficient manner. I do wish that Mark Russell had more issues to flesh out some of the other concepts, Bam-Bam's origin definitely among them, but twelve issues and a crossover special is nothing to sneeze at.

It has been a pleasure to read and review this comic and I hope that Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Chris Chuckry, and Dave Sharpe can continue to produce quality work for years to come. Who knows, maybe the upcoming Snagglepuss comic will bring about a reunion.

The Flintstones #12 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian Review: Isn't That Lovely?

In the realm of Looney Tune antagonists, Marvin the Martian is something of an odd duck. While all of the other foes that Bugs Bunny has faced are fairly harmless, he's one of the only ones that can actually be considered a credible threat. Let's be honest, Elmer Fudd is a perpetually-clueless dope, and he's not even good at that. At times, you almost feel sorry for him. Yosemite Sam has more weapons and confidence, but he's easily tricked and almost all bluster.

Marvin, on the other hand, can actually pose a very real danger to Bugs. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he projects an aura of menace, but there's a reason that so many entries into the franchise have positioned him as the villain. For the most part, he wants to commit genocide by destroying Earth for his own petty reasons, the most common of which is that it "obstructs his view of the planet Venus."  He utterly enjoys hunting smaller creatures and mocks Earthlings for being primitive. He also has a soft-spoken and gentle nature, making the true nature of what he aims to do even more disturbing, as much as that word can be applied to a slapstick cartoon.

With all of this in mind, it comes as no surprise that Steve Orlando and Frank J. Barbiere manage to turn what could be a ridiculously mismatched story into a touching cosmic tale. The heart of the crossover comes from Marvin and J'onn's shared Martian heritage. Despite having completely different views of society and coming from separate dimensions, they still share a bond, as slight as it may be. J'onn even pronounces Marvin's name in the distinct Martian dialect, trying to connect with him.

I'm also glad that Aaron Lopresti kept Marvin's ant-like structure in the art. It enhances the contrast between Marvin's puny gladiator design and the Martian Manhunter's distinctly more humanoid look. If we ever get a DC Rebirth series starring J'onn, then I hope Steve and Aaron are retained as the official creative team. The story has an effective grasp on keeping the standard Looney Tunes comedy, while also portraying the humanity seen in J'onn's worldview. Even though the chaos caused by Marvin's actions cause the populace to mistrust him, he still puts his hope in the essential goodness of human nature.

All the while, Marvin just has this smarmy tone of voice, and it fits with his character. In a way, he also does care about the Martian race, but he'll gladly prioritize them over others. One other thing that I really appreciate in the story is the inclusion of Area 52, where Marvin finds weapons to use against Earth. I'm fairly certain that it acts as a reference to the theatrical film Looney Tunes: Back In Action, where Marvin actually shows up in that government facility, later playing a key role in a spectacular joint Duck Dodgers/Star Wars homage.

The short backup story features the standard Looney Tunes incarnation of the character and a stylized version of J'onn. It's a cute story and packs a lot of jokes into a small amount of pages. In a way, it's very similar to the main feature, but features more references to the cartoons, such as Marvin's assistant K-9 and Duck Dodgers cameos by way of shape-shifting. Plus, cookies!

"Best Intentions" is written by Steve Orlando and Frank J. Frank J. Barbiere, drawn by Aaron Lopresti, inked by Jerome Moore, colored by Hi-Fi, and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual. "The (Next To The) Last Martian" is written by Jim Fanning, drawn by John Loter, and lettered by Saida Temofonte. Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian is available at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular Review: DC Reprints 'Superman & Bugs Bunny' For A New Generation

Back in the Silver Age, DC Comics had a title called DC Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular that featured reprints of select comics, typically those related to special events that were going on. The issues had a diverse array of handpicked titles, ranging from the contemporary adventures in Young Love to the more standard Superman and Flash tales, with a splash of Batman thrown in for flavor. The nineteenth edition even had a selection of Tarzan newspaper strips. This week, the colorful characters in the Looney Tunes join in as DC reprints Superman & Bugs Bunny to promote the upcoming crossover specials.

To start off, I have read this miniseries before, many times. It holds particular nostalgic value for me because I first discovered it at my very first trip to a local comic shop. In my return visits to Argo's Books, I discovered the joy of reading comics and vintage books. The visits were brief, but I happen to go to a college that is a short walk away from the store. Getting the opportunity to officially review the special is a joy, and I'm delighted to share my thoughts with you.

The story starts off with a fitting pair of villains, Mr. Mxyzptlk and Yoyo the Dodo. In case you haven't heard of Yoyo, there's no need to fear. The Dodo himself describes his backstory, even including a recreated scene from his debut cartoon, Porky In Wackyland. Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Dodo soon bond over their shared love of the art of annoying people and conspire to help each other out. You see, DC's premiere imp (Sorry, Bat-Mite) is tired of superheroes and wants to go to a world where he doesn't have to deal with them, especially Superman. As for the Dodo, he wants to annoy people again. Society has gotten too weird for him in the Looneyverse. The Dodo agrees to send Mr. Mxyz to the world of the Looney Tunes.

You fool, don't look a gift rooster in the mouth! Wait...

The sequence that follows is utterly brilliant. Along with showing Mister M tangling with some of the weirdest characters that the universe has to offer, it's also something of a character study into how his mind works. For once, he's on the receiving end of some slapstick, and has a bit of a temper tantrum, unable to handle it. For all his talk of loving to annoy Superman and cause a bit of mischief, he can't even handle a pie to the face or an anvil to the head. At one point, he even says that this must be how Superman feels when he travels out of the fourth dimension. He's so petty that he can't even handle someone turning the tables on him.

This dovetails into the actual crossover, when Mr. Mxyzptlk decides to transport the Looney Tunes into the DC world, causing mass hysteria and talking cats and talking dogs living together. Or, more accurately, hurling cartoon sticks of TNT at each other. Once again, Mark Evanier, the author, takes this opportunity to create the best character combinations that are possible, used to maximum pun-filled effect. Take, for instance, Batman hunting Cobblepot and coming across a certain Playboy Penguin or the Flash having two separate encounters with Speedy Gonzalez and Road Runner.

It only gets weirder as Mxyzptlk and Yoyo start betraying each other, swapping characters into even more dimensions and combining various characteristics. This part does get slightly confusing if you don't know that Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern or that Connor Hawke briefly took the mantle of Green Arrow at the time of the book's publishing. I wasn't confused when I first read it, but, then again, I had no idea that multiple people inherited the same title. On a similar note, some of the pop cultures make it clear that the comic is a product of the very early 2000s, but it doesn't hurt the book too badly.

Words can't describe how much I wish that we could have actually seen that happen.

Also, the running joke of Connor Hawke attempting to show people Michigan J. Frog's singing ability does wear slightly thin. It's still funny, but it does get a bit tiresome. It doesn't really adhere to comedy's rule of threes, instead sticking to the unknown 'rule of sixes.' Interestingly, now that I'm older, I actually recognized an alcohol joke in one of the sequences. Green Arrow first accuses and then gets accused of being drunk by a random person on the street. Still, seeing Batman gain the personality of Daffy Duck definitely makes up for it.

"They're called m-m-m-male rompers or something, I dunno!"

The best part of the story, by far, comes in when the Looney Tunes characters and the DC superheroes actually team up to stop the Toyman and get everything back to normal. The sheer absurdity of seeing the Looney Tunes fight crime alongside iconic heroes is something so wonderfully, dare I say it, loony and amazing. I definitely recommend reading the special or the miniseries, if you can get your hands on it. It's a joy to read and behold.

DC Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular (otherwise known as Superman & Bugs Bunny) is written by Mark Evanier, layed out by Joe Staton, finished by Tom Palmer and Mark DeCarlo, lettered by Phil Felix, and colored by Trish Mulvihill. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Feel the Wonder: the Wonder Woman Review

As the superhero movie genre has gotten bigger, the absence of Wonder Woman has only gotten harder and harder to bear. I mean, the dearth of any real female leads pisses me off, but Wonder Woman especially sticks in my craw. Not just the most famous superheroine, but one of the most famous characters in the genre, period. And yet she remained absent while much smaller, less famous characters got their time in the limelight. You wanna tell me how Ghost Rider got 2 movies or Daredevil got a movie and 2 seasons of a TV show, while Wonder Woman is still waiting in the wings?

Which makes her film adaptation finally arriving in theaters a goddamn miracle all on its own. Unfortunately, its attached to the increasingly terrible DCEU, Warner Bros' attempt at creating a cinematic universe that has, thus far, only succeeded in creating some of the worst the genre has to offer. And while Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was easily the best part of Batman v. Superman, overcoming being attached to such a toxic franchise is a lot for one hero to overcome. Even a hero like Wonder Woman.

Our plot is devoted to the titular character, Diana of Themyscria (Gal Gadot), an Amazon living on an island of only women, who grows up being trained in being a warrior by her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright), despite the objections of her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen). She grows up to be a strong and powerful warrior, who everyone seems to know a mysterious secret about. Oh and they also talk about how humanity was created by Zeus to be good but Ares corrupted them and he's disappeared, and it's the Amazons' duty to track him down one day.

But her idyllic life is interrupted when Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands near the island, pursued by German soldiers. Turns out World War 1 is on outside the island and Steve stole the notes for a super weapon planned by German scientist Islabel Maru (Elena Anaya) and General Ludendorff (Danny Houston). So Diana has to leave the island and team up with Trevor and a small team of misfits to find the super weapon, although Diana is much more interested in finding Ares, who she believes is responsible for turning humanity against itself.

In case you were one of the 20 people who haven't heard yet, Wonder Woman is really, really good. It's not perfect, but frankly, it doesn't need to be. It's far and away the best thing DC has put out in years, and probably the best superhero movie of 2017 after Logan. It's the first real step in the right direction for DC and it gives me hope that the 2017 blockbuster season will be one to write home about.

"Alright, I'm gonna go over there and f**k everyone up."

The big central element, the one that anchors the whole movie is Gal Gadot. She was already really solid in Batman v. Superman, an incredible physical presence that effortlessly turned the garbage she was given to deliver into gold. Here she manages to do the same work with a much better script. Walking a line between Diana's warrior persona and her naivete, which gives her not just a great screen persona, but also an arc to go through. Gal Gadot is incredibly engaging as both though, and she never ceases to be a joy to watch on screen.

The rest of the cast isn't quite up to her level, but they all put in good work. Chris Pine hasn't been this engaging and likable...well ever, and while their band of misfits (Said Taghmoui, Ewen Bremner and Eugene Brave Rock) don't get a lot of screentime, they all do good work with the time they get. Even the villains, as cliche and silly as they are, are a lot of fun, hamming it up or just generally giving off intense vibes.

Of course the plot isn't the most unique (it's basically a cross between Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, with the plot shunted back from WW2 to WW1) but that's not so much of an issue. I wish I could say that it's kind of subversive to have the most important superheroine have some cliches in her movie, now that it has finally arrived to show these young whippersnappers who's boss, but that doesn't feel like the intent. Instead, the intent feels like it was to simply go with a proven, rock solid foundation, and build the movie on top of it, focusing on a good script, engaging characters and solid action setpieces.

"Can I please participate in the action scenes? Please?"
"No. Now sit down."

That script is another one of the film's minor miracles, subtly acknowledging the madness and cruelty on all sides of the war it takes place during, while also never losing track of Diana's character arc. It also manages to slot in those solid action setpieces naturally, and they're all pretty excellent too. The standout is Diana's crossing of no man's land, but all the beats are well realized and they actually manage to advance the plot and tell us more about the characters, which is getting kind of unusual in superhero films (which are trending towards having action scenes for their own sake).

That's not to say the movie is without its flaws. Its opening act is a little on the long side, and I think it could have been cut down a little. It also can't resist turning into a CGI heavy, action showcase in the third act, which isn't a dealbreaker, but does feel a little disappointing, given that they kind of lose track of their human drama at the core of their story. Neither of these really hurt the film, but they do keep the movie from being perfect.

I'd complain they're still over-designing everything, but at least it's not like Superman's outfit with all the lines pointing at his crotch.

But not every movie needs to be perfect, and I'm just happy that a movie that could have been so very very bad turned out to be so very very good. The DCEU has been in a tailspin more or less from the moment it started, but now it finally has something good to lead the way forward. And more than that, it's fantastic to finally see Wonder Woman hit the big screen.

Do not miss Wonder Woman.


Elessar is a 27 year old Alaskan-born, Connecticut-based, cinephile with an obsession with The Room and a god complex. 

The Flintstones #11 Review: Beware The Neighborhood Association

As demonstrated by the issue's opening scene, there are some issues that humankind might not have been meant to meddle with. Whether due to arrogance or a misguided urge to help, attempting to improve on some areas of nature has the potential to negatively impact everyone involved. The opening panels depict a peaceful gathering of birds, enjoying their time in the trees. It's interrupted when Bam-Bam, Barney's adopted son, abruptly yanks the metaphorical rug out from under their feet and chops down the tree to create an ineffectual bird house.

Either that, or maybe he's just watched the movie Stone-oa one too many times. ...I never said my puns were good.

The vignette at the top of the issue is paralleled by the issue's main conflict. Two stories, one short and the other long, both about one species thinking that it knows what is best for another based on their superior intelligence and technology. Just as Bam-Bam destroys a bird's home to craft something out of the remains, the other aliens on the Great Gazoo's homeworld are debating the use of the Earth. Who better to judge them than the Neighborhood Association? So, do they just offer friendly advice if they see something that they deem unsuitable?

Darn it, stop responding to my jokes!

If you're a particularly litigious reader of DC Comics and someone who happens to be involved in a neighborhood association, don't worry. A more conventional version does appear in the issue, trying to possibly censor a gift from Barney to Fred just because they don't like it. To be fair, Fred doesn't exactly like having a gigantic statue of the two of them in his yard, but he doesn't want to hurt his pal's feelings. As always, the comic brings up some fascinating ethical and moral issues. I would recommend it. This might not necessarily be the best starting point, as the next issue is the last one, but the first collection recently came out. Why not also give that a try?

The Flintstones #11 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Booster Gold/The Flintstones Annual #1 Review: Featuring A Jetsons Backup Tale!

When you have a DC character who can travel through time at a whim, what better cartoon family to meet than the Flintstones? Well, I suppose you could say the Jetson family, but Booster is already from the future. A future, it turns out, that is surprisingly dystopian. Most of Earth's animals, including bats and cats, have been extinct for years, only one police officer is on patrol in Gotham City, and a background joke touts that the air is only "mildly toxic." Worst of all, the area where Batman's parents were killed has been turned into a cheesy tourist attraction, in one of the best jokes in the comic.

You might be wondering, how is Booster Gold going to fix any of this? Will he use his time-traveling skills to save the planet? Actually, he pretty much just lives a normal life, only springing into action when aliens invade and kill the one police officer. Going back in time to solve the problem coincidentally takes him to Bedrock, where he meets up with Fred Flintstone to help. It's a little too convenient, but I can excuse it in this case.

Fittingly, the true villain of the story simply turns out to be a time paradox. When Booster traveled back in time to find out the cause of the invasion, he killed their messenger of peace, Gorax. The issue is very funny, and it has a lot of jokes about time, naturally. Some highlights include other time residents being stationed in some very deadly places and the shenanigans that result from someone from a technologically advanced future ending up in the cave era.

The backup story features an eight-page teaser for an upcoming Jetsons reboot, led by the current creative team behind Harley Quinn. It's fairly short, so I don't have too much to say about it, but I already like the new twist that they're putting on standard concepts in the show. Similar to Mark Russell's work, it seems like a series that will put as much focus on current issues through a satirical lens. It bodes well for the future of DC's Hanna-Barbara line-up.

Booster Gold/The Flintstones Annual #1 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Rick Leonardi, inked by Scott Hanna, colored by Steve Buccellato, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. The Jetsons backup, "Eternal Upgrade", is written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, drawn by Pier Brito, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by Michael Heisler. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Flintstones #10 Review: @#$% Their Ferns!

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for the issue.

This month's issue of The Flintstones has a refreshing return to Wilma's art career, some new developments in the ongoing saga of Clod the Destroyer, and musings on cinema. Who would have thought that something based on The Flintstones could have eloquent commentary on the differences between art meant to, ahem, titillate, and "true" art? Also, I'm sad to report, this issue contains the death of Vacuum Cleaner, one of my favorite recurring characters. Then again, should I have expected anything else from the issue that guest-stars Werner Herzrock?

This issue also puts an end to Clod the Destroyer's incompetent reign of wrath, hopefully for good. In a sequence that I hope real life chooses to imitate in some fashion, he's essentially kicked out of the office, left to stay in a position where he's fairly harmless. Wilma's wonderful artistry skills come into play here, producing a fake cave set for him to stay in.

The most heartbreaking aspect comes from the demise of a longtime supporting character in the comic, Vacuum Cleaner. Possibly the most innocent of the anthropomorphic gang, he meets his end in a horribly ironic way. Earlier, I mentioned the "artistic" films that Fred Flintstone discovered. He ends up taking many of his friends to go see them, under the cover of disguises, so no one would recognize them. Vacuum Cleaner develops a fascination for the art and also takes multiple trips to the theater. Unfortunately, the increased amount of visitors leads to an increased amount of dust and muck, causing a worker to grab V.C. and use him to clean it up. This, of course, proves to be too much for him.

It says a lot about Mark Russell's long-term writing that I can get attached to what amounts to a household object, only to get my heart broken when he dies. I also think that Steve Pugh's art for the particular scene is equally poignant, showing the heartbreak on all of the various appliances' faces at the improvised funeral and subsequent montage. Combined with the eulogy, it's a potent scene. It's been hard writing my review for this issue because it's so hard to read.

The Flintstones #10 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Annual #1 (And The Snagglepuss Backup) Review: Combining Sweetness And Sourness Leads To A Hit

The Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Annual #1 special is a boatload of fun, from start to finish. What more could you expect from a group of singing animals teaming up with a group of deadly assassins? I admit, I've never actually watched the original Hanna-Barbera show, but that wasn't necessary to enjoy the story. Even if I hadn't done some research on the characters beforehand, the introduction would have caught me up almost instantly.

"And if you thee the Muppets, tell them to thtep off or Stompy will thow them just how he got his name!" "HONK!"

Most of the humor comes from the sheer absurdity of a band of singing animals and the sheer zaniness that ensues. Some of it satirizes modern situations, such as the aforementioned picture. Obviously, the police officers don't react well to them and draw fire, leading to the comment "It's open season on Animal-Americans!"

Some time spent in Belle Reve adds to this, with a group of animal-themed metahuman criminals urging the Banana Splits to stay with 'their own kind' and join up with their gang. Unfortunately, the jovial band doesn't really understand what they're talking about, and the resulting chaos leads to Amanda Waller recruiting them as a backup Suicide Squad. Most of the best jokes just come from the Squad and the Splits interacting.

"Please don't kill us, Waller said we're expendable! Wait..."

It's a wonderful story. If I had to make one criticism, it would be that the revamped look of the Splits at the end isn't very interesting. I preferred the bubblegum pop edition, if only for the novelty. Also, there was no song during the final battle. If you want to read an amusing, unlikely crossover event, I definitely recommend it. Also, I present this image with zero context. Enjoy!

As for the backup feature, it's a fairly short teaser for Mark Russell's next DC Comics project, a Snagglepuss tale. It stays completely true to the original tone of the character while also giving a powerful lesson on ethics and morality. It's also hilarious, with Snagglepuss giving snarky answers to a group of grumpy politicians. The Flinstones may be ending in June, but Mr. Russell will still be writing wonderful stories for years to come.

Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Annual #1 is written by Tony Bedard, drawn by Ben Caldwell, inked by Mark Morales, colored by Jeremy Lawson, and lettered by A Larger World's Troy 'N' Dave. "House Fires" is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Howard Porter, colored by Steve Buccellato, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Make a Solicit Check - Best of June 2017 Comics Solicitations

There are many comics coming out every month, it’s easy to lose track of promising new releases. That’s why we here at Critical Writ have started "Make a Solicit Check" — a monthly column devoted to the most interesting announcements.

This month: non-compliant ladies, ice-controlling superheroes and Lovecraftian eldritch monstrosities from beyond time.

10. Hush, Little Baby

Babyteeth #1 - Donny Cates, Garry Brown (Aftershock)

Oh, this one can go really good or horribly wrong. Thus far, Donny Cates had a winning string with Buzzkill, Paybacks, the amazing God Country and the upcoming Redneck; taking the fantastic and looking at it through a more human lens. For instance, God Country is Thor/Kirby's New Gods from the perspective of a family taking care of a member suffering from Alzheimer's, now cured thanks to a Mjolnir-like magic weapon.

This, though, will require more from Cates particularly; it's a Rosemary's Baby-style horror, told from the perspective of a pregnant teenage girl, whose baby will be the Antichrist. This type of horror can be already exploitative of fears and anxieties related to pregnancy, and taking an underage mother's perspective can turn it into a interesting story — or make it even more exploitative, depending on how it is written. Fingers crossed that Cates manages to make it work.

9. One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest

The Unsound #1 - Cullen Bunn, Jack T. Cole (Boom! Studios)

Cullen Bunn's Marvel output is mixed, but his creator-owned stuff, especially of the horror genre like Harrow County is top notch. This time, he's trying his hand at a horror set in a psychiatric hospital, which could turn out interesting, or tread old grounds by demonizing people suffering from mental illness. Our protagonist, Ashli, starts her new job in one of the aforementioned hospitals, only to find a new, darker world set in its bowels. I'll say this: even if the writing turns out to be disappointing, at least the art is going to be amazing. Just look at this cover.

8. Ice, Ice, Baby*

Iceman #1-2 - Sina Grace, Alessandro Vitti (Marvel)

The reveal that Bobby Drake of the X-Men is gay was met with trepidation. On the one hand, yay for increased diversity in mainstream comics! On the other hand, the handling of the reveal is commonly considered to be awkward, making the person responsible for the reveal –Jean Grey– look invasive and unconcerned with the privacy of Bobby's thoughts. There's also the fact that Iceman's had a sizable list of female love interests, so identifying him as gay is a bit weird when other orientations like bi or pan seem more fitting. Regardless, it's a new world for Bobby Drake, with his first ongoing solo ever. Sadly, yet in line with Marvel's other picks for RessurrXion (ugh), it will not be written by a gay man (or even a bi or pan one), but a straight man. Of course. Let's hope it's at least enjoyable enough.

*Oh like you wouldn't have done that yourselves.

7. It's Not Easy Being Dead

September Mourning, Vol. 1 - Mariah McCourt, Emily Lazar, Sumeyye Kesgin (Image)

So here's a weird thing: generally the word "volume" is reserved for collected editions and graphic novels that are part of a series. Even Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire's A.D.: After Death, despite each of its three parts being extensively longer than a regular issue, refers to each of them as an issue. So this new series, using the word "volume," should be a graphic novel and thus noticeably more expensive, right? Except it's only twice as long as a regular issue and it costs only a dollar more than any other new Image series.

In any case, the series sounds pretty interesting. Created by an all-female team, it'll tell the story of an amnesiac girl turned into a human/grim reaper hybrid by a former Reaper of the lonely, injured and abused. Left in charge of the souls of the "worthless", she aides them in remembering and finishing the last thing they left undone in their lives.

September Mourning, Vol. 1 is set to be released on June 14.

6. Heartbreak Hotel

Heartthrob Season 2 #1 - Christopher Sebela, Robert Wilson IV (Oni Press)

I really like Oni Press's seasonal model of releasing its original comics; on the one hand, it allows creators to test the waters, to see if readers like the concept. It allows them to release shorter and easier to produce regularly stories, with breaks between seasons allowing them a manageable production schedule. On the other, readers get a chance to test new stories from new creative minds and see if they can provide a satisfying payoff without needing to invest in a long-running title that can go off the rails before reaching the destination that might not even be worth the journey. Everybody wins.

Heartthrob is proof it works. Its first season, released in 2016, told the story of Callie Boudreau, a terminally ill woman saved by a heart transplant (at the time when this procedure was revolutionary), who discovered that along with a stranger's organ she also got his soul in the deal, sharing her mind. What followed was a story of love, crime, Fleetwood Mac and the eventual breakup. Now Callie's in hiding from the FBI in Canada, trying to live a normal life. Except Mercer is still inside her mind, waiting for his chance at payback.

Heartthrob Season 2 #1 will be released on June 7.

5. Fghtan! Fghtan! All-Ages Fghtan!

Calla Cthulhu - Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Erin Humiston (Dark Horse)

H.P. Lovecraft is a touchy subject in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror fandom. On the one hand, he create possibly the world's first and most enduring modern mythology that influenced many works in ways big or small. On the other... the guy was a horrible racist prick with questionable writing skills. Luckily, you don't have to enjoy him or his work to enjoy anything influenced by it, including this all-ages comic. Calla Cthulhu (quality pun) is a regular teenage girl except for the fact that in her veins runs the blood of the Great Old Ones. When others take summer jobs at McDonald's, she has to battle otherworldly threats, like her uncle, the King in Yellow. And this time, she also has to stop a terrifying Dread Dead One from awakening in the ruins of R'yleh. Written by Evan Dorkin (Beasts of Burden) and children's author Sarah Dyer, it's promising to be a fun read, with a subtle smattering of scares.

Given that it's an advance solicit, you'll have to wait until August 16 to read it.

4. Lon the Professional

Beautiful Canvas #1 - Ryan Lindsay, Sami Kivela (Black Mask Studios)

I love how exciting and unpredictable Black Mask's output is. This time, we have a story of a hitwoman named Lon Eisley, hired to kill a little boy—only a few days after finding out her girlfriend is pregnant. She spares the kid and together they hit the road across the dystopian world, which sounds like it's influenced by the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas aesthetic.

3. Heroes We Need

Secret Weapons #1 (of 4) - Eric Heisserer, Raúl Allén, Patricia Martin (Valiant)

I honestly feel bad for not covering Valiant often enough in those columns. This indie superhero publisher has built itself a nice niche, and I can only compliment its release strategy. Knowing full well it isn't as big a fish as either of the Big Two, Valiant doesn't overstretch its capabilities, only releasing generally about a dozen titles (ongoings and miniseries) and primarily investing in quality by hiring talents like Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Fred Van Lente and Jody Hoser.

Sadly, few releases means not every character gets their chance to shine. And out of all its characters, few have been as underutilized as Livewire. This African American female technopath has been part of the universe since its reboot in 2011, and a key member of Unity; the publisher's Avengers/Justice League equivalent. Well, in June she'll finally get her chance to shine. Written by the screenwriter behind the Oscar-nominated Arrival and upcoming Valiant superhero movies (Harbinger and Bloodshot), this comic will see Livewire build her own team from people ignored by the universe's greatest villain, Toyo Harada, in his quest to build an army that would turn his vision of a utopia into reality. Where he saw disappointments, she sees talent that can be utilized. Secret weapons, if you will.

Secret Weapons #1 will be released on June 28.

2. The B Is Back

Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #1 - Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Andrew Aydin, Conley Lyons, Maria Fröhlich, Joanna Estep (Image)

There hasn't been a new Bitch Planet issue for a while now, and the store shelves are poorer for its absence. To make up for it, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentino DeLandro are bringing a special anthology special issue for this feminist sci-fi satire comic. Written and drawn by creators hand-picked by DeConnick and DeLandro, the three stories featured promise to provide us with the series' trademark revolutionary rage and biting criticism of real life patriarchy. This series has been deeply missed, so it's fantastic to see it return with a bang.

Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #1 is set to be released on June 14.

1. It's Just Another Freaky Friday

Crosswind #1 - Gail Simone, Cat Staggs (Image)

She may be taking a break from mainstream comics, her hit Vertigo horror series may be on hiatus, and her all-ages Wonderfalls book may be still in development, but there's still one title by comics queen Gail Simone to look forward to. Announced in late 2015, her ongoing  that mixes body-swapping and mob stories will finally see the light of day. Ever since her exclusivity contract with DC ended, Gail has been on a roll, releasing quality series one after another, so this especially worth looking forward to.

Crosswind #1 is set to be realeased on June 21.

TRADE-SPOTTING - JUNE 2017 EDITION

(NOTE: many of the below trade solicits are advance solicits and won’t be released until August or later.)

Boom! Studios: Mega Princess (August); Namesake (August); SLAM! Vol. 1 (August)

Dark Horse: Dead Inside Vol. 1 (August 2)

DC Comics:  Clean Room. Vol. 3: Waiting for the Stars to Fall (July 12); Deathstroke. Vol. 2: Gospel of Slade (July 5); Frostbite (July 26); Midnighter and Apollo (July 19); Mother Panic. Vol. 1: A Work in Progress (July 26); Shade, the Changing Girl. Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy (July 12)

Image Comics: Descender. Vol. 4: Orbital Mechanics (June 21); Monstress Vol. 2 (June 21); The Wicked + The Divine. Vol. 5: Imperial Phase (I) (June 7)

Marvel: Ghost Rider. Vol. 1: Four on the Floor; Hulk. Vol. 1: Deconstructed (July 12); Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Vol. 3: The Smartest There Is; Ms. Marvel. Vol. 7: Damage Per Second (July 19); Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat! Vol. 3: Careless Whisker(s) (July 19); The Totally Awesome Hulk. Vol. 3: Big Apple Showdown (July 12); U.S.Avengers. Vol. 1: American Intelligence Mechanics (July 19)

Oni Press: Angel City: Town without Pity (August 16)

Dominik Zine is a nerdy demisexual lad from northeastern Poland and is generally found in a comfy chair with a book in hand.

Mark Russell Discusses The Flintstones

Editor's note: This interview was conducted before the release of Booster Gold/The Flintstones Annual #1.

Critical Writ: Were you ever concerned about the potential for public backlash based on the more politically-inclined tone of the new Flintstones comic?

Mark Russell: No, because you simply can't write looking in the rear-view mirror like that. I assume there will be backlash regardless of what I write. That liberates me to say what I really want to. I've written books and I've written comics and the big difference is that when you write a book, people will wait to read it before deciding they hate it. Most of the backlash from The Flintstones came immediately after the project was announced, before I'd even written a page of it. Some people imagined that their childhoods were being tampered with. Others thought a Flintstones reboot just sounded like the worst idea anyone had ever had. The irony is that I've written a book about the Bible and people weren't half as upset about that as me messing with The Flintstones.

Critical Writ: If you had the opportunity to go further with the series, what would you have liked to introduce in future issues?

Mark Russell: One storyline that I kept cutting out of the final draft was Bamm-Bamm falling in love and having his heart broken. Most people spend years preparing themselves to have the sex-talk with their children, but nobody ever speaks to their kids about dealing with heartbreak and it's far more traumatizing. If your kid is having sex, that at least they're doing okay socially. Feeling unwanted and rejected and not having lived long enough to put it into context is a really painful reality most of us have had to deal with. And deal with alone, for the most part.

Critical Writ: Do you have a favorite cut joke or deleted idea from the comic?

Mark Russell: I had written a scene with a cocaine-addicted rat at the Science Cave, but they made me cut it.

Critical Writ: Next week, the Booster Gold/The Flintstones Annual #1 special will arrive. What was it like to mix the goofy tone of a Booster Gold story with the more socially-aware Flintstones cast? Did you have trouble combining the two or did it come naturally?

Mark Russell: It felt surprisingly natural. I still wrote about the same sort of subjects, but from the perspective of Booster Gold, who is over-confident despite being largely inept and for whom things just sort of seem to work out anyway. I relate to him a lot, actually.

Critical Writ: Steve Pugh's work on the series has been consistently fantastic, especially with including small background jokes, such as the standard Flintstones parodies of modern-day stores and restaurants. How close was the collaboration on that? Did you think of some of the jokes or did Steve just let his imagination run wild, so to speak?

Mark Russell: I come up with a lot of the puns and background jokes and then Steve adds even more, trying to top me. It's weird when there is references I don't get in my own comic.

Critical Writ: On that same note, The Flintstones has been praised for having a sense of social justice in a similar vein as Prez, one of your previous projects. Did working on Prez help to prepare you for this?

Mark Russell: To me, this is the fundamental mission of comic books. To identify what is wrong with the world and create characters who can set it right. This is what the really good superhero comics do. They're about the power needed to address the deficit between the world as it is and what it should be. I know that, in reality, superhero comics often end up being more like professional wrestling. Good guys matching up against colorful villains they haven't fought for a while occasionally forming tag-teams with other heroes. But at their heart, I feel like superhero comics are meditations on power. The Flintstones tries to do that, too, albeit without people in capes who can fly.

Critical Writ: Finally, the last issue of The Flintstones is scheduled to arrive in June. Can you offer any kind of hints as to how the series will end?

Mark Russell: The Great Gazoo has to make his final report to the gambling authorities on his home planet of Las Vega. He struggles over how to set the odds on the survival of the human race. Oh, and there's a bowling tournament!

The Flintstones Vol. 1 is now available for purchase. You can find it online or at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

"Duet" Hits the Right Notes - The Flash & Supergirl Crossover

That sound you heard last night was probably the sound of me squeeing in absolute delight for a solid hour of television.

Also, possibly, it was the sound of the tremendous amount of musical talent that you might not have realized exists in the Berlantiverse. And maybe even the sound of tap-dancing. Because, you guys, there was tap-dancing in this episode!!!!

Spoilers over the fold.

As with the previous crossover episode this season which involved all four Berlantiverse shows, it's probably worth noting right off the bat that the plot of "Duet" was very simple, and if really want to be critical, kind of silly. Music Meister, who appears at the end of Monday's Supergirl episode and "whammies" Kara unconscious, shows up on Earth-1 and whammies Barry as well. Later, Music Meister tells both our intrepid heroes that he's just there to teach them a lesson, and oh yeah, don't die in the dream world because you'll die in the real world too.

The "lesson" for Kara and Barry to learn is about love, which, if you're not interested in the silly romantically-contrived drama this season, may cause you to roll your eyes. Certainly I hit The Flash hard for it's CW-soap-opera-esque decision to play the "will they/won't they" game, with an honorable mention going to Supergirl for the same predictable melodrama between Kara and Mon-El. I will say that at the very least, Supergirl didn't drag the drama on for very long. We all knew the melodrama was going to happen, but it didn't happen until this past Monday's episode, wherein Kara discovers that Mon-El has been lying to her about his real identity as Prince of Daxam all this time, so she decides she simply can't be with him, or have anything to do with him. Meanwhile, Barry decided last week that he couldn't be with Iris because reasons, and that was after she had called off the engagement the week before that, because reasons.

I would be remiss if I didn't link to a post (again) at the Fandomentals blog about the problematic nature of the Mon-El and Kara romance. It's worth a read for sure.

Okay, so what all of the criticism out of the way, let's get real here about musical episodes. Unless you're Glee, the only reason to have a musical episode is a) because the fans would love it, and b) because it's fun, and c) because if your cast has the talent, it would be wasteful not to. Sometimes it doesn't work out (looking at you, Grey's Anatomy), but sometimes it goes down in history as being one of the most memorable things about a show (full confession: I still sometimes play the soundtrack to "Once More With Feeling," the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, in my car).

Considering all the musical talent present in at least some members of every Berlantiverse cast, maybe the real surprise is that a musical crossover didn't happen sooner. Either way, and despite the simplistic nature of the plot, "Duet" delivered in a big way. It was visually gorgeous, between all the costumes and hair, and of course it was such a pleasure to hear the pipes on some of these actors, in all their full glory.

Costuming and hair, especially for Iris and Kara, were on-point here!

So basically, Music Meister traps Kara and Barry in a dream world where they are in fact in a musical, and they don't have their super powers. They have to play along with the plot and see it through to its conclusion if they want to get out. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Mon-El and J'onn crossover into Earth-1 to seek the help of Team Flash, bringing an unconscious Kara with them.

There is a little bit of action out in the real world, as J'onn, Kid Flash, and Vibe team up to capture Music Meister. There's a small sideplot involving Kid Flash being freaked out now about the superheroing thing after Savitar messed with his head, and Music Meister even taunts him about being scared, but ultimately, bolstered by his teammates, Wally gets it together.

The real action is happening in the dreamworld, of course. We start with Barry entering the dreamworld just as Kara is pulling off a beautiful number on stage at a nightclub set in the roaring 20s. Music Meister appears to tell them how the game is played, and there is another musical number that features Carlos Valdes (Cisco) and Jeremy Jordan (Winn) and Music Meister himself (Darren Criss).

I did not know this, but Jeremy Jordan (Winn) is a young broadway star. The hell is he doing playing the dork on Supergirl?

Then you've got the actual stage legends in the form of Jesse L. Martin (Joe West) and Victor Garber (Martin Stein on Legends of Tomorrow), who play the two dads of Iris' in-dream character Millie. Yes that's right, The Flash just slipped in a gay romance we didn't even know we freaking needed, but we so totally do. Anyway, Martin and Garber belt out "More I Cannot Wish You" from Guys and Dolls, along with the third stage legend in this episode, John Barrowman, who plays the rival father and gangster.

I accept this new head cannon

Millie, aka Iris, is secretly in love with the son of the night club owner, and that son is played by Mon-El. So yeah, we had Iris West and Mon-El in love, and neither Barry nor Kara were very happy about it. But they had to move the romance plot forward if they want to get out of this West Side Story knock-off.

Guys. GUYS. There's a tap-dance sequence, which Grant Gustin freaking nails. I was sitting on my couch literally squeeeing with sheer joy. This sequence featured Barry and Kara singing a silly Rachel Bloom (of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) piece called "Super Friends," and it was super fabulous.

Photo credit: Vanity Fair/CW

Ultimately, when Barrowman, Martin, and Garber get into a gangster shootout because they don't want their kids dating, Barry and Kara get caught in it and get shot, despite Music Meister's warning that they can't die in the dream world. Prodded along by Music Meister, Iris and Mon-El have to go save their sweeties by vibing into the dream world and giving the kiss of true love. I swear to God I'm not making this up.

Hokey as hell? Yes! All the yes! But it was so... joyful. 

The lesson Kara and Barry learn has something to do with love and forgiveness (I told you the plot was kind of thin). Music Meister, who apparently has channeled all of us in being sick of the will they/won't they, is pleased that they seem to be in love again, and so his job is done.

I mean, it remains to be seen how Kara and Mon-El will fix things, although Kara was probably on the right track when she threatened to geologically drop a mountain on him if he ever lied to her again. But Barry and Iris have fully resolved their differences here, because at the end of this episode, we get one final musical number, this time in the real world. Barry serenades Iris with a beautiful piece written by La La Land's Benj Pasek and Justin Paul called "Runnin' Home To You" as he presents her with the engagement ring once more.

If you're not into romance or musicals, the final scene was probably way too sugary-sweet for your tastes, and the rest of the musical numbers probably annoyed you. But then again, maybe not. My husband is no fan of musicals (how did I marry this man, when I adore them?), but he wasn't greatly bothered by this episode. It will probably never be his favorite episode, but it didn't cause him to leave the room.

But if you're like me, and you love musicals and think that Kara and Barry are the most adorable superheroes ever, then this episode will probably make you as happy as it made me. Because while it did nothing to move the Savitar plot, or any of the other story arcs in The Flash this season, "Duet" was nothing but sheer, golden joy. I walked away from it feeling happy and delighted, a feeling I remember from watching The Flash back in season one. After a dark season two, and an even darker season three, it's nice to know that this cast and these writers can re-capture it... once more with feeling.

The Flash airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.

Ivonne Martin is a writer, gamer, and avid consumer of all things geek—and is probably entirely too verbose for her own good.

Into the Speedforce: The Flash Recap & Review, Plus a Romance Soapbox

After the beatdown I gave The Flash for last week's idiocies, it was nice to see the show bounce back with a fairly strong episode this week... with some caveats.

"Into the Speedforce" has Barry running back to the Speedforce to rescue Wally, who is now trapped there thanks to Savitar's trickery.

But I still have reasons to get up on my soapbox, so read on and find out why The Flash, and the CW in general, continues to exasperate me.

Spoilers beyond the fold.

So let's get the recap out of the way first.

Barry decides he has to go into the Speedforce to bring Wally back from whatever hell he is in. Iris is still belly-aching about the whole marriage thing, and Jesse wants desperately to accompany Flash into the Speedforce, but is told, as usual, that she needs to stay behind to protect Earth-1 while Barry is gone.

Meh. Rehashed excuses to keep the female speedster down are rehashed.

Jesse is, not surprisingly, pretty frustrated and feeling useless. Apparently idiocy is part of a speedster's superpower, because she decides that she has to take on Savitar on her own, despite everyone telling her it's a bad idea. After HR is a jackass and tells her to wait for "the real Flash" to get back (and THANK YOU Jesse for clocking him on the chin, he 100% deserved it), Jesse uses the armor piece they obtained last week to track down Savitar.

Okay, so far, despite the fact that I know it's dumb for her to face Savitar on her own because he's clearly a superpowered badass, I am 100% with her up to this point. She had a bunch of dudes just tell her that she can't do this on her own, that she's not "the real Flash," and that she needs to stay behind because reasons. I mean, she rightly points out that on Earth-2, she was the only Flash, and she had to face baddies down on her own, so why would this be any different?

Yeah, it's different. Because Hindu god of speed or something. 

I was with this plot up until the moment that HR gets on the commlink (where the hell was everyone else? Dinner break?) and ends up being the one that tells Jesse how to temporarily defeat Savitar. HR points out that there's no reason to wear armor if you're immortal, so find a weak spot in the armor.

This is pretty logical and I'm surprised that it's take like 16 episodes for anyone to figure this out, considering all the geniuses operating on Team Flash. A team of geniuses, I remind you, that includes Jesse Wells herself, because we have been told since the beginning that she's her father's daughter, and she knows science.

Tell me again why it's the clueless fiction writer that has to tell her that people don't wear armor if they are invulnerable?

Anyway, she stabs Savitar with the piece of armor, which causes him to run off yelping in pain.

Meanwhile, back in the Speedforce, Barry does not find the warm welcome he got in last season's "The Runaway Dinosaur." Not surprisingly, the Speedforce is slightly pissed that immediately after it helped Barry get over his mother's death, he went back in time to save his mother and caused Flashpoint. This time around, the Speedforce tells him that he needs to learn to deal with stuff on his own, instead of being babied by everyone else.

Totes Magotes! This show has spent three seasons babying Barry Allen, and the only reason he's even remotely successful is because of the people around him. I go back once again to Jesse pointing out that she was the sole Flash on Earth-2 and she had to fight things on her own, probably only with the help of her father.

Speedforce Eddie does not approve

So color me giddy at the Speedforce being super ornery and telling Barry he needs to grow up! It takes the form of Eddie Thawne, pointing out that Barry has never really had to sacrifice all that much to deal with stuff. Eddie, on the other hand, gave up his future with Iris and his very life, in order to save the world because Barry couldn't defeat Reverse-Flash on his own. And then the Speedforce turns into Ronnie Raymond, Caitlin's dead fiancee, another man who gave up his future and life in order to do what Barry couldn't do.

Speedforce Cold is best Speedforce!

But the best part was totally when the Speedforce manifested as Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, who sacrificed his life to save the Legends team. We are told here that Snart was inspired by Barry's heroism to make that sacrifice. Which okay... umm... what? I would never have credited Barry Allen with being the reason that Leonard Snart makes the hero's journey. Snart made his journey with the other Legends, and ultimately learned to be part of that team. He cared about those people, and specific to the moment of sacrifice, he cared especially about his partner, Mick Rory.

The hell does Barry have to do with that?

Okay, whatever. Having Wentworth Miller back, even for this briefest of moments, made up for the iffy reasons. As usual, Miller delivers his lines with a certain pizazz and bored intonation that just makes everything he says better. He could be reading the phone book and his sarcastic drawl would make that worth watching for hours. My favorite part was his bad Golden Age pun that he shoots at Jay Garrick.

Lolz look at me, Jay, I'm Captain America!

Yeah, Jay Garrick shows up. To save Barry of course. Don't get me wrong, I freaking love Jay and I was glad to see him. But the sacrifice that Jay makes--taking Wally's place so Barry can take Kid Flash home--seems to really go against everything the Speedforce was just trying to tell Barry. Yet another hero has sacrificed his life so that Barry can move on. I kind of wish Speedforce Snart had rolled his eyes and been like, "aww geez, not this shit again" and disappeared in a huff.

 So yeah, Wally and Barry get back home, Jay is now trapped in the Speedforce, and Barry has learned that he can't schlep the responsibility of saving Iris onto Wally... that it is his battle to fight and his alone. Jesse randomly decides that she is moving to Earth-3 to replace Jay there, because to hell with Earth-2, I guess, and there are apparently way too many speedsters on Earth-1 so screw it, let's get rid of the female speedster because of course.

K.

Time to get on my soapbox. Don't get me wrong, overall this episode wasn't bad. I probably sound really sarcastic and ornery about it. The Speedforce scenes were well done overall. But as I mentioned last week, I am a little bit tired of Barry and Co. having to relearn the same lessons, over and over again, and that seemed to be part of what the Speedforce was trying to tell him.

But whatever, because we need to talk about Iris.

Guys... seriously?

If this episode was pretty decent, it was ruined by the last scene, because we get what I have to call the "CW Melodrama Moment." This whole thing feeds the ridiculous and tired trope of Superheroes being incapable of keeping stable romantic relationships and ultimately settling down and having happiness. This is known as the Superheroes Stay Single trope, and the CW is particularly awful about it.

The romantic drama in The Flash this season can be boiled down to the following:

Barry: Will you marry me?
Iris: Yes. Wait, you asked me to marry you because reasons? I can't marry you! Because reasons!
Barry: But I love you! *goes off and does something heroic*
Iris: Ok while you were gone being heroic, I thought about it and changed my mind. I can marry you!
Barry: That's great! But I can't marry you. Because reasons!

Arrow did the same crap last season with Felicity walking out on her engagement to Oliver, and it was some of the worst characterizing and writing I've seen on a television show in a long time. Legends of Tomorrow's first season was plagued by the constant will they/won't they junk between Hawkgirl, Hawkdudebro, and Ray Palmer, and the best thing to happen to that show was when the Hawk people buggered off to wherever at the end of the season. See, they get to be happy and have a life together because they ditched the superheroics. Good riddance!

We're going to go be happy together. See ya, bitches! This is us exiting stage left!

And Supergirl, oh my goddess. Other than silly tension between Kara and James in the first season, Supergirl on CBS mostly avoided this kind of nonsense. Mostly. But the minute the show came to the CW, suddenly the black guy was shoved aside so he could be replaced by a hot white dudebro from Daxam. Like, don't get me wrong, I ship Mon-El and Kara simply because of the chemistry the actors have together, but the writers really needed to do a better job of making Mon-El worthy of Kara's love, because he isn't. And despite the fact that for whatever reason Kara is putting up with his crap, we can all bet on this: in the next episode or two, Kara will discover that Mon-El has been lying about his identity, so she's going to kick him to the curb. Which is logical and right, but it goes back to that Superheroes Stay Single trope I mentioned before. The Fandomentals blog has a fabulous analysis of why the Supergirl/Mon-El romance is problematic, to say the least. Worth the read!

Trumped-up romantic drama ruins these shows. Even Supergirl's lesbian romance between Alex and Maggie has been plagued by stupid drama. Both characters, despite being grown-ass women and professional badasses, sometimes act like they have the emotional maturity of children. Like, I can't believe they spent an episode recently with all the drama centered around Maggie hating Valentine's Day but Alex wanting to celebrate it. There were lots of tears. Good lord, I don't care. But at least they are staying together. Then again, neither of them are actual superheroes, so it's okay for them to stay together.

I can't believe I am going to write the following sentence, but here goes. Possibly having learned hard lessons from all the fan hatred over Olicity and the Hawkpeople last season, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow have been the most mature in terms of relationships and romance of all the CW shows this year. Like seriously, Arrow has been mature about it. And "mature" is not a word I would normally have ever associated with Legends of Tomorrow. But there you have it, folks. Instead of hooking up long-term and trumping up more relationship drama, people on these shows have slept with other people, and acted like adults about it. Well so far; I guess the season isn't over yet. I hope they don't decide to have Adrian Chase kill Susan Williams on Arrow. Oh my god, please don't do this, Arrow.

Susan Williams: Look, I'm just here for the solid action in bed. Y'all can keep your crappy romance AND your superheroics...

So we are probably going to be plagued by at least another two, three, four seasons of Iris and Barry dancing the dance of the miserable and alone superhero.

And by the way? Candice Patton proves why she is better than the writers of this show give her any credit for. She believes that given Iris' fairly strong development this season, the only real answer on who can save Iris from Savitar is this: Iris has to save herself.

Well, that's the best idea I've heard from Team Flash or Team Flash in a long time.

The Flash airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on the CW.

Ivonne Martin is a writer, gamer, and avid consumer of all things geek—and is probably entirely too verbose for her own good.