DC Comics clueless attempts to create comics in what they perceive to be the “Marvel style” continues with one more added element to last issue’s plotpourri. Goldface is introduced as a new villain and a mob boss from the West Coast who has come to Central City to branch out. He tries to recruit Mick Rory aka Heatwave to the crime cause but Mick takes a powder before he’s forced by Goldface to give up the identity of the Flash. As the story rolls out, it takes a moment to touch on each of the disparate plot elements introduced in the last issue (check out the previous post for the full list of all of the dangling ploticiples) without really moving any of the stories forward. Well, maybe one inched forward just a tad. Senator Creed Phillips’ doctor calls Creed and asks him to come into the office, and in the background we see an x-ray of a man’s chest with several bullets lodged in it. We jump away for a moment and when we return we see the doctor still examining the x-ray when the Eradicator shows up and murders him followed by a burning of the x-ray, leaving us to suspect that Senator Phillips is really the you know who. The, story such as it is, ends with Goldface knocking the Flash unconscious followed by a scene of Mick Rory crawling through a window into Barry’s apartment to hide out.
The editor (and here’s something new – the editor is now Ernie Colon) promises us that “one of the most amazing stories that any hero has ever been in” will soon be unfolding. Can’t wait. I should also mention that Infantino’s new inker is one Rodin Rodriguez. I’ve no idea who he is, but he does a very credible job with the ink slinging, which inkers were still doing back in those pre digital days. The coolest thing about the issue is that the final letter in the Flash-Grams letter col is from Paul Gambaccini, a longtime Flashcinado from twenty years down the road, who checks back in from where he has decamped in Hyde Park Sq, London. He’s pleased to see that Carmine Infantino is back at the artistic helm, and tells everyone to keep up the good work. Based on the mailbag time lag, I’m sure he was commenting on one of the issues from that sweet call back to earlier days. That was indeed good work.
