Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Written by: Geoff Johns
Penciled by: Steven Cummings
Inked by: Wayne Faucher
Colored by: James Sinclair
Lettered by: Pat Brosseau
Assistant Editor: Harvey Richards
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
Geoff Johns’ work with Flash’s Rogues Gallery has been utterly mind-blowing. Geoff has taken every opportunity to build up the villains that face Flash, turning them into something more than brainless brutes and one-dimensional cads. Helping the characterization of these baddies have been the one-shot “Rogues Spotlight†issues that have popped up semi-regularly. Previously we’ve seen the Pied Piper and Captain Cold get the entirety of an issue to shine, with little to no involvement of Flash. I wouldn’t regularly be a proponent of Flash not appearing in his own book, but seeing some of the best villains in comics finally come fully to life, makes it well worth it.
The original Mirror Master, Sam Scudder, was killed way back in Crisis on Infinite Earths, while it’s been great having his replacement, Evan McCulloch, running around in the famous green and yellow suit, I’ve never really had much of an affinity for the character. That is until this month’s Rogue’s Spotlight on Mirror Master!
Johns’ script is a powerful look at the tragic road a man took down the path to super-villainy. While it’s hard to feel sorry for a heartless killer, Geoff Johns succeeds in painting a picture of a man that had one too many ironies kicked up in his face. Evan McCulloch has been around since 1989 and after fifteen years we’ve been shown a fully-realized and realistically-motivated character. He’s not just a merc turned super-villain any longer.
The story is told through the McCulloch’s narration as James Jesse, formerly the Trickster and now a government operative, sends out a group of MIBs to take the Mirror Master down. The story unfolds with the current entanglements allowing MM to show his stuff, while at the same time we’re given the backstory of McCullough’s life in an orphanage, on to his time moving up the ladder as one of Europe’s top contract killers, leading into his time working for the US government, and, of course, how he got those fancy duds. Along the way, we find out why McCulloch fits in with the Rogues and of a nasty little habit that makes perfect sense for the man that’s so often gone through the looking glass.
Regular series art team Howard Porter and Livesay take this issue off. Filling in admirably is the tandem of Steven Cummings and Wayne Faucher. This isn’t your typical over-the-top superhero action-fest, and Cummings and Faucher capture the cold world of McCulloch superbly. The flashback scenes are especially well-rendered and lent extra power by the somewhat muted color palette used by James Sinclair.
The Flash continues to maintain its high-quality, and this is one of the best issues in recent months. You absolutely don’t need to be a fan of the title character to enjoy this month’s offering. If you want to delve into the psyche of a realistically-portrayed super-villain then give the book a shot. If you already are enjoying The Flash then I’m fairly certain you’ll love this issue too!
