The Flash #0 Review

I’ll say this much: you won’t find a poorly drawn issue of The Flash. Francis Manapul never ceases to deliver impressive layouts to tell his and Brian Buccellato’s story. The page showing how Flash designed his costume looks incredible with the way the panels seem to spring from his costume-springing ring. It looks great, but the lack of a compelling narrative that matches the quality of the art continues to leave this series in the dust.

An origin story in every sense of the word, The Flash #0 details how Barry Allen got his powers and his motivation for becoming a hero. While the tender subject of Barry’s relationship to his parents and the life-changing impact of his mother’s murder attempts to form the heart of this story, the superhero aspect gets glazed over. The result winds up being a story that fails to connect on a deeper emotional level or infuse the reader with the same inspiration that Barry supposedly felt that made him put on the red and yellow duds.

The dialogue sounds generic, the character motivations are cookie cutter, and the mystery feels more confusing than compelling. The narrative structure features a lot of flashbacks put in at add points here and there, but they never amount to anything worth the effort it takes to read them in such a way. If you want a kick ass story told in fragmented flashbacks, then check out Matt Fraction and David Aja’s outstanding new Hawkeye series.

Joshua is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter or IGN, but only if you are prepared to hear more about Darth Maul, Green Lantern, and Doop than you would ever care to know.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hoffman Talks Catching Fire Role

In a recent interview, Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman discussed his upcoming role as Plutarch Heavensbee in Francis Lawrence's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

"It's a great group of actors," Hoffman told EW.com. "It's a great environment. And the character was something I was attracted to. It was just an interesting role. [WARNING: Book Spoilers] He's somebody who's part of the revolution, but you don't know it. The idea that somebody would be risking themselves in such an extreme way to join something that's that dangerous because he thinks it's the future... That's interesting stuff, you know?" [End Spoilers]

Hoffman admittedly didn't read any of the books by Suzanne Collins before accepting the part, but he did watch the first movie. He's now reportedly halfway through the second book. "It's good," he says. "I've read the script, which is true to the book -- I kinda ruined it for myself. [Laughs] But I'm reading it anyway, because I really want to find out everything I need to know about this guy."

When asked if he was worried about joining one of Hollywood's most closely scrutinized franchises, the actor noted, "Things always pass over, you know? I don't know what it will be like. But, you know, I'm not playing Katniss. [Laughs] I'm not in high-profile movies in that way too often, so it usually passes. I'm 45. I think it will be all right."

Production begins later this year, with Catching Fire set to hit theaters November 22, 2013.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com