Amazing Spider-Man #574 cover
I may not be the biggest Spider-Man fan or expert on the planet, but I know who Flash Thompson is. I knew Flash Thompson to be the bully of a certain nerd we all know and love to be Peter Parker, and that’s why I was shaky to buy this week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man. What I didn’t know was tidbits of Spider-Man’s past where this former bully from school became one of Peter’s closest friends, was a huge fan of Spider-Man, and that that same bully went off to war to fight some years ago.
This week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man focuses on that character for a full issue: Flash Thompson. I don’t know what it was but this issue was just plain good in the way that any story can be good–it has a great story even without any super heroes in it.
But let’s continue after the break and we can go into more detail…
I don’t want to really spoil this comic so much as I want to talk about how well written it was. Marc Guggenheim has delivered a comic that I respect in its entirety. The story this week focuses on one character and in this issue we see how important Spider-Man is to the world he lives in.
Flash in a rage with no fear
The story goes into how Flash decided after fighting some time ago and being a teacher that he would re-enlist when the government asked all recent fighters in the U.S. Army to rejoin to fight in Iraq. A general instigates Flash’s telling of how and why he did things to deserve a medal of honor. Flash tells his story as I would think any recent army returnee would with all the details of who sat where and when along with every little spec of every piece of machinery and artillery he used while in country.
Amazing Spider-Man #574 page 19. My favorite page this issue, easily.
Guggenheim writes a spot on depiction of things as he tells his tale of how his team was ambushed while in a I.C.V. crossing through and Iraqi town. When the general asks him why he became so heroic in that time of need, he explains that when times get tough you need to keep pushing through–flash an image of Spider-Man. This is a continuing theme throughout the issue as Flash tells his story. A lot of what he does is an exact reflection of some of the hardships and decisions Spider-Man has faced in the last decade.
I can’t say more than kudos to Marc and for delivering a great comic in its entirety. This could just be me being me, but this story was sad and hopeful at the same time and it just felt right frame after frame, all of which leads to a bit of a shocker ending for Mr. Thompson. Again, this story is a great one-off issue that worked perfectly right between New Ways To Die and next week’s Family Ties.
Rating: Excellent.
On a lighter note, the scene where Flash learns about his FBI file is pretty funny. He’s the founder of a fan club devoted to Spider-Man, a masked vigilante who may or may not be a criminal, and there are only 3 such fan clubs in the country, so OF COURSE he has an FBI file
[...] “This could just be me being me, but this story was sad and hopeful at the same time and it just felt right frame after frame, all of which leads to a bit of a shocker ending for Mr. Thompson.” – Mike Rapin [...]