I was a tough sell on this “Rogues” miniseries. If there’s one thing I have plenty of, it’s gritty stories of superheroes getting old. I can get that at the movies. I can get that on TV. I can get a whole lot of that in monthly comics. But damn if Joshua Williamson and Leomacs aren’t the guys to make this work. “Rogues” may have a tired premise but it’s impossible to argue with a comic this effortlessly good.
Written by Joshua WilliamsonCover by Sam Wolfe Connelly
Illustrated by Leomacs
Colored by Matheus Lopes
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-ElhaouTen years ago, the Rogues disbanded and went their separate ways. But time hasn’t been kind to the former blue-collar super-criminals. Caught in an endless cycle of prison, rehab, dead-end jobs, broken relationships, probation, and endless restitution fees, the Rogues are sick of paying for their crimes. Luckily, Captain Cold has a plan. One last job that will leave them all richer than their wildest dreams and free from their past…if they can survive. This is the Rogues as you’ve never seen them before, reimagined by the incredible talents of master storytellers Leomacs (Basketful of Heads) and Joshua Williamson (Batman, The Flash, Infinite Frontier). DC Black Label presents Rogues, a neo-noir heist that will make your blood run cold…
“Rogues” is a miniseries about the eponymous team of Flash villains. Where most superheroes fight unaffiliated psychopaths, the Rogues are more like a shady union. They’re a long-time stick-up crew, what Dominic Toretto might call his familia. The Flash, who doesn’t really appear in this story, does have his share of unaffiliated nemeses, and it is one of them who serves as the target that the Rogues are trying to take down. I can’t claim to be the most knowledgeable about deep-cut Flash lore, but this was a setup that I had never seen before and seems so obvious to me now.
What makes this comic so successful? First and foremost, the characterization. Nothing brings me more joy than a well written Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, and Williamson’s character voice is spot on. Every member of his main team has a moment in the spotlight including Trickster, Golden Glider, Bronze Tiger, Magenta, Heatwave, and Mirror Master. This is a heist story, so the individualized talents of the different members of the crew are half the fun, and Williamson blends the genre with superhero stuff nicely.
A lot of it is pastiche, which was an obstacle the book had to overcome. There is not a deficit of comics that treat its characters like they’re in a prestige drama, or a Scorsese movie. So when Captain Cold is getting the gang back together and every scene opens with, “I thought I told you I never wanted to see your face again,” it’s a something you’ve seen a million times before. I think it also doesn’t help that this is a Black Label comic, which means anything goes. It’s a little incongruous to be asked to take Snart’s struggles with his awful parole officers deadly serious as you’re looking at his little square goggles. The cartoon tone and the crime tone don’t always go well together.
But the success is mostly owed to artist Leomacs. Williamson’s script is cinematic, and he often steps out of the way to let Leomacs sell an expression. The design of the older characters feels right; you’ll believe who got plastic surgery and who started losing their hair. In Leomacs’ style you can see elements from Sean Phillips and Steve Dillon. Both those artists worked in a heightened, violent setting in books like “Sleeper,” “Preacher,” and “Fatale.” Leomacs shares their talent for moody lighting, which helps set the mood, and he retains a cartoonist’s ability to exaggerate a character’s features.
Matheus Lopes’ colors have the sickening quality of a bruise. This is a compliment. The nauseating lighting shows a Central City in decline. This is a comic where the clowns, literally and figuratively, are sad. Before I read this comic, I would have told you I was done with sad takes on fun characters. I don’t need to see Len Snart be humiliated at his dead end job. But it’s so clear which parts are genre pastiche, it’s kind of nice that no one has to hang a lampshade on what’s going on. It’s just a crew of miserable Rogues trying for one last score, for real this time.
I don’t know if I would call DC’s Black Label a success, but it’s definitely given creators the space to tell the sorts of stories they want to tell. Joshua Williamson has been writing good superhero comics for a while, but perhaps none have felt as vivid and well realized as this. If you have trouble believing me, I don’t blame you, but “Rogues” #1 is excellent and I will be counting down the days until issue #2.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Pitch perfect writing and art infuse a new life into a tired premise.
