The Flash, Annual #2

“The Quick and the Green”

Writer: Brian Buccellato

Art by: Sami Basri 

As far as friendships between superheroes goes, it’s surprising that it’s taken this long to see Barry and Hal in their own story. The wait certainly paid off: Brian Buccellato and Sami Basri delivered an excellent “origin” story that will make fans smile. Hal Jordan is leaving Earth to take on his new duties on Oa and is spending some quality time with his buddy, Barry Allen. The two are transported to Arena World to honor a deal they made several years ago, when they first met. Both were investigating the mysterious disappearance of children. Their search leads them to the planet Agon where the missing children are being trained to fight. In exchange for their safe return, Hal agrees to return (with Barry) to participate in Arena World.

Green Lantern and the Flash are two of my absolute favorite DC heroes. When I initially heard that their origin story would be told in the second Flash annual, I immediately marked it on my calendar. In fact, I bought it on Comixology the moment it was available and then again in print. That’s how badly I wanted to read it and how much I enjoyed it. Together, Barry and Hal have this natural comedy to their relationship that’s been present since the beginning. Buccellato nailed this perfectly. The first three pages of their meeting are gold. Conversely, he also nails the genuine concern the two have for each other. When they’re fighting in the end and Hal is in trouble, Barry’s reaction looks, feels and reads completely natural. Buccellato makes you care about this characters from the start and that’s the sign of a great writer.

From the cover, you’d think this book was illustrated by Francis Manapul but no, he takes a break. Sami Basri is the penciler and he did an amazing job. Not only can this man draw superheroes, emotion and backgrounds well, he sets up some excellent panels. They’re exciting and I had no trouble following the flow of dialogue. His style was the perfect choice for helping to tell this story.

Now that Batman/Superman have their own book together, and Superman/Wonder Woman will be getting theirs, the real question is how long until these two get theirs? If you’re a fan of either The Flash or Green Lantern, you need to rush to Comixology or your nearest comic book store to pick up a copy of this book. It’s like comic book candy! If sales of this book are through the roof, maybe fans can convince DC to add Flash/Green Lantern title to their lineup.

Review Score: 7 (of 7)