Some events are just inevitable, whether for here or villain.
What They Say:
FLASH QUESTION: Trapped behind enemy lines, will the Grayson family be able to help the Resistance, or is this their final performance?
The Review:
While it has a goofy title, I definitely found a whole lot to like in the opening issue of Deadman and the Flying Graysons. Keeping to its circus origins but expanding on it in a new way, hauling in Deadman, Dr. Fate and more as members of the troupe stuck in Eastern Europe trying to survive as the war escalates gives us a very different view of events as they unfold. It also worked well to give us a look at how Dick’s life would have turned out to some degree if his parents had lived, since it would draw him more into the circus life, the performance and the need to be around people. Sadly, some things just seem to be a given in some form and it doesn’t take long in this issue to start putting the screws to him, first with a tragic end to his mother and then the whittling away at his father.
The main idea of the book is a good one as it has the Amazons taking an almost Nazi style approach to the war by looking for items that can help them that are scattered about the world. The helm of Dr. Fate is one such big, critical piece that isn’t what they think it is, but is an easy object to go after. Especially since they have a general clue of its whereabouts which has lead to them razing various parts of Eastern Europe in search of the troupe. With the troupe unaware of it, it makes the attacks all the more confusing when it rips through the tent as they’ve just lost one member and then get to see so many other people gored and speared down. Putting them on the run in a different way adds a lot of tension to the air, especially since it’s just so chaotic.
The resistance itself rears its head here too, as Count Vertigo is on the scene to try and stop them, though it’s unclear if he really knows what the Amazons motive is. The Amazons don’t get a lot of time here, but when they are involved it’s quick and unpleasant as it should be. The attack on Kent himself is a rough one to watch and we even get the usual cryptic lines about it that does work considering the character. While it the book does have these big moments, it also manages to keep it pretty personal as well with the losses that are involved and the way Boston Brand just wants to get the hell out of Dodge since none of this has anything to do with him. His self interest is paramount and it’s pretty straightforward and expected as Dick’s dad starts to pressure him in a big way to change that.
Digital Notes:
This digital edition of Deadman and the Flying Graysons from Comixology features just the first printing cover of the issue with no additional extras included in the book.
In Summary:
Just by the name itself, this is not a book one should like. Yet it manages to work in its own way because it fits in with the kinds of things that happened back in World War II with people caught up in a huge war that tried to eke out a living only to have bigger things steamroll through their lives, causing their losses to be even worse because they can’t spend the time to grieve properly. The anger that courses through Dick as he suffers his losses isn’t huge, but it’s there and dealt with in the small amount of space they have to work with. This issue builds well off of the first and shows an interesting angle the Amazons are playing and the personal toll it takes on those that just wanted to live without getting involved.
Grade: B
