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Justice
League Unlimited
Flash and Substance
Original Airdate - 02/11/06
Note:
Goodson has a cold. So it's up to me this week while he
stays in bed wearing footie pajamas and smearing Vicks Vapo-Rub
all over himself. Not that that's any different than any
other week...
Justice League
Unlimited
began its last run Saturday night, so it's only fitting
that it did so with an episode focusing on The Flash. We've
had brief glimpses into his life before, but none that so
clearly defined who he is in this universe.
It's opening
day of the Flash Museum, but not everybody in Central City
celebrates. On the seedy side of town, costumed villains
stew in a bar that seems to cater just to them. We've met
one before, Captain Boomerang in "Task Force X," freshly
released from the government program and admitting that
his reformation lasted as long as it took to drop off the
radar.
Boomerang, Captain
Cold and Mirror Master plot revenge while ignoring The Trickster
in the corner of the booth. Voiced by Mark Hamill, The Trickster
seems older and definitely crazier than the others, and
is clearly the same character that Hamill originated on
the live-action Flash series, right down to the hair.
At the same
time, an oblivious Wally West finishes up some work in the
police lab, makes a big show of leaving as Wally, then beams
up to the Watchtower. Shyly (for Wally, anyway) he invites
Batman to Flash Appreciation Day, and somehow Orion ends
up tagging along.
Of
course, when villains want to kill you, there's no better
way to make yourself a target than make an announced public
appearance.
Luckily,
Batman got a tip from Amanda Waller that four members of
the Rogues' Gallery have dropped out of sight, and when
boomerangs rain down from the sky, he knows what's what.
And that goes
deeper than you might think. Though the Flash has had heroic
moments on the show, he mostly seems to annoy Batman. "Flash
and Substance" reveals the hidden respect that the Dark
Knight has for the Scarlet Speedster.
Unlike the other
seven core members of the League, Wally protects the people
of his city, not as anonymous citizens but as individuals.
Running to the ceremony, he slows down to talk to friends
in traffic. Just before the attack from Mirror Master and
Captain Boomerang, he reminds a woman in the crowd that
he will be painting her fence on Saturday.
Even his methods
of dealing with his enemies stands in sharp contrast to
his peers, much to Orion's dismay. The Flash knows where
they hang out, and rather than beat them, he joins them,
or at least joins the Trickster. It's a scene that demonstrates
what good actors both Michael Rosenbaum and Hamill can be;
heck, it's even sort of touching. After a reasonable heart-to-heart,
The Flash is ready to roll.
In that bar,
the JLU team makes sure we catch quick glimpses of
a ton of Rogues we'll likely never see in action. Among
those scattering when Batman and Orion walk in are Abra-Kadabra,
The Fiddler and The Top, reminders of a gentler time in
comics when we could be thrilled, not frightened, by our
favorite villains.
Wally gets a
good summation at the end of the episode, and even Orion
is moved to understanding, even if he's wrong in believing
Wally to be a tortured soul.
"We
beat the bad guys. Nobody got hurt. I'd say it's been a
good day." Any day we've got a new Justice League Unlimited,
I'd say has been a good day.
Derek's
Continuity Corner
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