Writer: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Art: Vasco Georgiev and Jay Anacleto
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $6.99
Release Date: June 21st, 2022
They plummet unexpectedly from space, in enormous spacecrafts like drifting synagogues. Yet, they’re grazed by an evil impetus from beyond, almost speechless in their descent. However, this force only has one goal: to deplete the planet of all life soaking it up like a sponge. But alas, these beings never anticipated anyone could resist their voidsong… until now. Let’s dive into AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1 by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly as the FLASH and AQUAMAN, the two lone survivors saved through the Speed Force and a deep ravine respectively, come together in hopes of saving humanity before it’s too late. Can these two polar opposite heroes work together and save the planet? You’ll have to jump into the deep end and find out!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong #1 Review.
THE DISPATCH
If you can overcome the almost over-the-top, annoying, buddy cop comedy routine, AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1 has an excitingly fun and entertaining feel that’s reminiscent of the old JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED cartoon series. As team-ups go, AQUAMAN and the FLASH are like oil and water. Sure, they’re both in the JUSTICE LEAGUE but that’s about as close as they get. So, needless to say, my interest was piqued once I saw a team-up between these two.
And from that standpoint, the thematic elements of the tag team experience added some unique wrinkles and flair that created extra tension as well as enthusiasm within the story. Readers unfamiliar with the characters together will immediately notice a strong contrast that drives this series well. Nevertheless, the writers struggle to find a proper balance between the two that’s not too comedic or makes a ton of sense. For example, once AQUAMAN and the FLASH realize they’re all that’s left to save the planet, AQUAMAN develops an idea to stop this “invasion”. However, I’m still confused as to what exactly that idea was masked by the zingers and quips from Barry that were getting a bit too much before AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1 wrapped.
Furthermore, the story reveals very little about the invaders, who they are, where they came from, and why. Nevertheless, fans will become clear as to why AQUAMAN and the FLASH were not impacted by the invasion but everyone else was. So as story beats go, this creative team does provide logic that flows well and sets up these two heroes as the reasonable choice to save the day.
However, the biggest disappointment of AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1 came in the aspect of two sly individual character moments leading towards teaming up. As the story begins, the Rogues use a throwaway line directed at Iris that says “you’ve been reporting on Flashy for weeks.”, which would imply that the relationship between Iris and Barry is recent. Well, that would be fine if this story takes place before their relationship kicks off. Yet two pages later we see that Barry and Iris are married.
My point is that these throwaway lines to add humor either make the Rogues look more idiotic or fuel and misplace the writer’s backstory and clarity on the character. And, it doesn’t stop there. Further, once AQUAMAN meets up with the FLASH, Arthur is instantly blaming Barry… twice… asking him “what have you done?” Why would Arthur jump to Barry as the culprit? I feel like that’s a pretty harsh misplaced joke from Arthur as well and makes this reviewer wonder about the character study done before diving into this story.
ART
If you recall, one of the first comparisons I made in the review was the similarity and feeling of AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1 towards the JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED series. Well, the biggest reason for that comparison was the illustrious shine and vibrant color display from this art team. It’s almost as if Vasco Georgiev’s style melted together this nearly cartoonish style with a sense of realism that was crisp, clean, and incredibly bright.
Additionally, Georgiev had a great flow for panel progressions and conversations that made the issue easy to read and follow. Furthermore, the colors popped on land and in the boisterous sky however, they became dark and almost evil in the depths of the ocean as well as the outer reaches of space. Overall, it’s this art team that set the perfect balance that kept this reviewer locked into the story even amongst a few of the struggling conversational story beats and character missteps.
FINAL THOUGHTS
AQUAMAN and the FLASH are certainly as connected as night and day. And thus, Lanzing and Kelly do a fantastic job hammering that point across. However, it’s done at the expense of some character traits and key plot points about the overarching dilemma our heroes find themselves in. Too many attempts at comedic FLASH quips mixed with an over-the-top sense of arrogance from Arthur take away from the current story just to showcase the world of difference between these two characters. My wish is that Lanzing and Kelly spent more time commandeering the essential story beats surrounding the villain to provide fans with more behind the who and why especially with only two more issues to go.
Nevertheless, it’s Georgiev and this art team that saves the day furnishing fans with some wildly endearing illustrations that are truly reminiscent of the era dear to many DC COMIC fans. Should you snag AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1? Well, if you’re looking forward to the team-up, you won’t find much of one this week nor will you figure out much about the villain. It’s almost like two separate stories that barely connect in the end. Plus, I feel like the biggest plot points could be summarized in the preview synopsis causing fans the ability to skip the opener if need be and step right into issue two with ease. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!