Disjointed but deadly.
What They Say:
FLASH QUESTION: Will Central City’s greatest hero be able to stand against the Rogues?
The Review:
The opening issue of Citizen Cold had some interesting things to offer with this version of the character being something of a hero, but more of a cutthroat thieving type who just landed a a good gig. The pursuit of it is two fold in that he wanted the money and fame, but also wanted to get closer to Iris in a good way since he can’t see anything but how beautiful she is (even if Kolins artwork doesn’t exactly capture it). Setting things up with a look at who this Cold is and then assembling the Rogues to go after him as they’ve all suffered because of him was pretty nicely done, though some of it just felt off with the way it was structured in the telling. The first issue didn’t wow me, but I like the different look at Central City and its hero that the general populace liked and adored.
With this issue, the focus shifts towards the plans of the Rogues as they’ve landed on a juicy bit of info about who Citizen Cold really is, and they’ve used it to find out that he has a sister. Now try saying those last few words in your best Darth Vader voice. With the group of very unhappy villains acquiring Lisa Snart, they’re able to draw him into their trap. Cold’s confidence is fairly justified at this point considering what he’s accomplished so far and who he’s actually taken down, but there’s something to be said about taking on a group of very angry villains like that. Of course, Lisa hasn’t a clue why she’s being held or why these guys are after her, making it an even scarier time for her. When you look at the group assembled, there’s no way you couldn’t be afraid as a normal person just from their looks alone.
There’s a decent fight that happens here and because it’s not a mainline continuity piece, they play it for all it’s worth. The action is decent if a bit too talkative when you get down to it, but it’s done to reinforce all the issues that each of them has with Cold. And they’re almost all related to people that he’s killed that were close to him, so the group as a whole does work together in a way that’s not overly forced. What’s unfortunate about this issue is that it does again point towards the way that DC Comics is treating the character of Wally West. While his getting killed in the previous issue was one thing, just showing his head on the ground here feels like overkill in making a point. It just seems crass and unnecessary in the long run to do something like this, even in a re-imagined timeline like this one.
Digital Notes:
This digital edition of Citizen Cold from Comixology contains the only cover available for it as of this writing with no additional extras.
In Summary:
Citizen Cold certainly isn’t high art, but like the first issue I definitely found myself enjoying this one about just as much. The way he’s almost obsessive about Iris is amusing and points to his personality and when combined with his confidence and the way he’s just trying to make as much money as possible gives us an interesting character to watch that’s in the public eye. He’s basically pulling off a shell game here and has annoyed more than enough people with things that he hasn’t been able to kill yet that it’s all coming back home to roost. Cold has some potential to him and I’m curious to see how it will all unfold. Part of you just wants him to get the girl. Part of you just wants to see him totally iced.
Grade: B-
