The Flash Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 11 - The Elongated Knight Rises

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

Barry Allen struggles to keep his optimism and survive in Iron Heights Prison, where the guards care for crooked cops only slightly more than the inmates. Meanwhile, as The Trickster returns to plague a Central City without a Flash to protect it, Ralph Dibny must find it within himself to be the hero the city needs.


Influences

The Flash comics of Geoff Johns (Iron Heighs settting, presence of Axel Walker version of Trickster) and The 1990 The Flash TV series (character of Prank, general tone of Trickster's antics.)


Goofs

Given his father's prominence as a local terrorist, it seems unlikely that the news of his father escaping from prison would have been hidden from Axel Walker.

If The Trickster is as big a deal as Iris says, why don't Vibe or Killer Frost go deal with him or at least give Ralph some back up?

Why is everyone so surprised Ralph doesn't know what Kryptonite is? He wasn't around for Crisis on Earth-X and it's not like STAR Labs is in the habit of dealing with Kryptonite on a regular basis.


Performances

Hartley Sawyer gives a wonderful comic performance as Ralph. A shame that most of the rest of the cast is in uber-serious mode, but that only serves to make Sawyer's performance stand out all the better.


Artistry

The opening sequence with the prison riot is well-executed, from Grant Gustin's silent acting to the slow-motion work on the camera and what little fight choreography we see.


Flash Facts

The title of the episode is a riff on the 2012  Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.

Ralph is depicted absorbing the blast of a bomb by wrapping himself around it. This is on par with how invulnerable Ralph is in the comics, where he can withstand concussive force and high velocity projectiles without injury.

Big Sir first appeared in The Flash #338 (October 1984) and was created by Cary Bates and Carmnie Infantino. Born to the unfortunate name of Dufus P. Ratchett, the man who became Big Sir had a malformed brain which left him mentally handicapped while accelerating his growth. The textbook gentle giant unless provoked, The Rogues fitted Dufus with a power suit that further increased his strength and protected him while giving him the power to fly but also made him more easily influenced. They set Big Sir upon The Flash while he was on trial for the murder of Professor Zoom, telling him The Flash had been mean to them, and worse yet, hurt a mouse. Big Sir later became a member of The Injustice League led by The Clock King, The Justice League branch in Antarctica and, finally, a member of The Suicide Squad, where he died.

Big Sir is played by Bill Goldberg, who is most famous for his career as a professional wrestler, where he most famously performed under the name Goldberg.

The DCTVU version of Big Sir is a big tough guy, but he is far more articulate than his comic-book counterpart and does not seem to have superhuman strength. His real name is apparently Dave.

The character of Prank is an interesting one historically. Originally created for The 1990 The Flash TV series, Zoey Clark was an insane groupie who became infatuated with the super-villain/terrorist known as The Trickster and broke him out of prison hoping to develop a relationship with him. She took up the nom de plume of Prank and joined him in sowing chaos in Central City. Given their similar background and roles, coupled with Mark Hamill playing The Trickster on The Flash before going on to voice The Joker in the Batman: The Animated Series, the character is frequently compared to Harley Quinn and often accused of being a rip-off despite having come first and Harley being developed independently of The Flash TV series.

Corinne Bohrer - who played the character of Prank in the 1990 The Flash TV series - returns to play the part of Zoey Clark/Prank.

It is confirmed that the DCTVU version of Prank is Axel Walker's mother.

The DCTVU version of Zoey Clark was heir to the Clarx Toy empire, which went out of business in the 1990s. She possessed Bachelors Degrees in Fine Arts and Applied Sciences and a Masters Degree in Chemistry.

Stills from the 1990 The Flash TV series are used in the newspaper reports talking about The Trickster and Prank's crimes.

One of the photos of Trickster and Prank shows them with a baby. This photo was a behind-the-scenes shot taken on the set of The 1990s The Flash, with Mark Hamill (Trickster) holding his daughter, Chelsea.

One of their The Trickster and Prank's bigger crimes was the destruction of the Gadzooka Bubblegum Company. Cisco makes a reference to how they went out of business in the 1990s. This may be a reference to Zooks Gum - a now defunct brand of chewing gum - mixed with the name of the more famous (and still manufactured) Bazooka Gum.

Cisco traces The Trickster's first bombing to the corner of Demeo and Bilson. This is a nod to Paul Demeo and Danny Bilson, who developed The 1990's The Flash TV series. They also co-wrote the 2006 The Flash comic's opening story Lighting In A Bottle.

In the comics, Ralph Dibny is usually portrayed as being resistant to corrosive substances. Apparently that does not apply to whatever makes up Trickster's "axid", though Cisco confirms that an ordinary human would have been dissolved instantly.

Ralph's new costume is a shade of dark purple. In the original comics, most of Ralph's costumes were some shade of purple and he identified his favorite color as purple. The costume also compresses into a small box with the STAR Labs logo, much like the ring Barry Allen uses in the comics to hold his Flash costume.


Technobabble

Ralph's cells are completely polymerized.

The Trickster makes use of exploding bouncy-balls, a mini-bazooka that launches throwing stars and a "hurty-squirty" gun full of "Axid" - acid with an Ingredient X that makes it painful to even Ralph Dibny's stretchy skin.

The super-acid Prank created has a pH level in the negative 50s, according to Harry. It's possible Harry is being hyperbolic or that Earth Two uses a different standard, as the standard pH scale on our Earth does not go lower than 0, with battery acid being considered the most acidic thing possible.

Theoretically, it is possible for a substance to have a negative pH rating, but current scientific instruments could not accurately measure it.

The Axid cannot melt galvanized steel.


Dialogue Triumphs

Bomber: Who the hell are you?
Ralph: Your friendly neighborhood superhero. You can call me... (freezes up)  Mister...?
(Ralph sighs)
Ralph: One second.
(Ralph touches his earpiece.)
Ralph: (frantically) Guys?! This is a huge moment for me! What's my name?!
(Cut to STAR Labs. Caitlin and Iris look at each other, shrugging before looking to Cisco.)
Cisco: I was wondering where you were going with that.

Iris: That bomb could have torn you to shreds.
Caitlin: Or Joe. Or any of the police outside.
Ralph: Relax, ladies! My cells are completely polygamized!
Caitlin: (makes a face) Polymerized?
Ralph: Yeah! That.

Cisco: Hey, how about you hook me up with some of that gum?
Harry: Why don't you Breach yourself?
Cisco: Sounds like an insult.
Harry: Kind of was.

Ralph: Nice suit, Fall Out Boy.
Trickster: Yuck. Yours could use some work.
Ralph: Ooh - look at that cutting wit. You wanted me? Here I am!
Trickster: Great! Do you want to play, uh, catch?
(Trickster throw a bouncy ball which Ralph easily catches and clutches. It explodes, making Ralph's hand expand like a cartoon character's before it goes back to normal size, completely unscathed. Trickster's smile fades as Ralph dusts his hands off dramatically.)
Ralph: You're really blowing this super-villain fight.
Trickster: Well, it's my Central City return party. And your death will make me a star!
(Trickster pulls out a small bazooka, which he aims at Ralph. Seconds later, five ninja throwing stars are embedded in Ralph's chest. He puffs his chest out and they fall down.)
Ralph: Child's play.
Trickster: (frantically patting his pockets) Okay.  All right.  Well... this is what I call The Hurty-Squirty Gun!
(Ralph just stares in disbelief as Trickster primes the pump on the over-sized super-soaker, though he does flinch when pink liquid comes out, raising his leg so it catches his knee. He has a moment to smirk before he starts screaming, as he looks down to his knee, where the liquid has already eaten through the suit and turned his knee a worrying shade of red.)
Trickster: Tricked ya!

Ralph: But you said my cells were polymerized!
Harry: Uh, no...
Ralph: You said said nothing could hurt them!
Harry: Disney, I didn't say that. I said your cells were bonded unlike anything I've ever seen. I'd never seen acid like this, and so, cannot be be responsible for things I have never seen.

Trickster: It's time for the exciting new game show, Wheel of Misfortune, with prizes so exciting you'll think you died. And if you pay your cards right, you just might! Here's your host - the murderous matriarch, Prrraaaaaaaaank!

Barry: Having the ability to help someone but do nothing - that is a far worse death than anything The Trickster has for you.  But rising above that fear and saving those lives - that is a greater life. All right, so rise up. I don't think it's a stretch for you.
Ralph: You really believe I can do that?
Barry: Yes. You just need to believe in yourself.

Vibe: Okay. Remember, anything in here that looks fun is probably lethal.
Killer Frost: Just like me.
Vibe: Nice.

Trickster: We thought you chickened out, Stretchy Man.
Ralph: Actually, I did. See, I thought I was pretty much invincible until you and your over-sized water pistol put the fear of God into me.
Trickster: You're welcome.
Ralph: And I was ready to throw in the towel. But then I visited a friend of mine. And he helped me remember that no one is fearless, but real heroes... they find a way to rise above that fear and make a difference anyway. Even if it kills them in the process. So this is me. Rising up. Hopefully without the dying part. Now... let my friends go!
(Trickster and Prank both applaud.)
Prank: First of all, great speech. So inspired. It melted my heart.
Ralph: Oh, thank you. I worked on it on the way over.
Prank: Now let's melt yours!

Reporter #1: Is it true that you took down The Trickster and Prank single-handedly?
Reporter #2: How long have you been a superhero?
Woman: Are you single?
Ralph: Yes. About an hour. Oh, hell yes! (To Reporter #1) Do you like shrimp?
Reporter #1: Noooooooo. But I'm sure the people of Central City would love to thank you, Stretchy Man.
Ralph: (wincing) That's not my name.
Reporter #1: Then what should we call you?  I mean, you do stretch.
Ralph: No, I don't stretch. I... contort. I elasticize. I... I elongate, man.
(Cut to a spinning newspaper, which stops to reveal a picture of Ralph and the headline THE ELONGATED MAN)


Dialogue Disasters

Ralph: It definitely hurts!
Harry: (unsympathetically) Mmm-hmm.
Iris: Well, now we know what your Kryptonite is.
Ralph: (confused) What the hell is Kryptonite?
(Everyone else makes noises of disbelief.)


Continuity

Barry Allen has scrawled "So was Barry" on the wall of his cell, next to where his dad wrote "Henry Allen was here." He is also counting the days he has been locked up.

This episode open on Day 7 of Barry Allen's incarceration.

Ralph is durable enough to absorb the blast of a bomb by wrapping himself around it. His skin makes a noise like a balloon deflating as he releases the smoke afterward.

Ralph is dubbed "The Stretchy Man" by Channel 52 news.

Ralph has contacts on the inside in Iron Heights Prison.

The Axel Walker version of The Trickster is seen for the first time since 117.

Barry is on the janitorial staff for the prison.

Axel Walker's mother is revealed to be Zoey Clark a.k.a. Prank - the former sidekick of the original Trickster, James Jesse.

Prank was heir to the Clarx Toy empire, which went out of business in the 1990s. She possessed Bachelors Degrees in Fine Arts and Applied Sciences and a Masters Degree in Chemistry.

Prank uses the alias Lindsay Fineheart to sneak into Iron Heights as a nurse.

Zoey Clark claims that James Jesse never wanted to be part of a family. She broke her son out of prison hoping they could start a new life together away from Central City.

The Gadzooka Bubble Gum Company went out of business in the 1990s on Earth One.

Harry Wells says they still have Gadzooka Bubble Gum on Earth Two.

Axel's date of birth is nine months after the last public sighting of Zoey Clark.

Killer Frost apparently has her own credit card.

Jesse James apparently escaped from Iron Height's prison a year ago and has not made contact with Zoey Clark or Axel Walker since then.

Big Sir helped save Barry from an attack in the prison gym because Henry Allen saved his life, recognizing the signs of a burst appendix and convincing Warden Wolfe to let him perform the surgery when the prison doctors were already gone for the night.

Zoey Clark was on some unidentified medication that kept her same. She goes off of her meds so that her son will accept her, becoming Prank once again.

Prank demonstrates the Axid Shower on a Beboo doll. The Beebo Doll was the hottest holiday toy in the Winter of 1992 on Earth One and figured heavily into the plot of L309 where The Legends had to fix the timeline after the first Vikings to settle in the new world began to worship a time-displaced Beboo doll.

Barry is Inmate #3562

Cisco and Harry have figured out how to trigger Caitlin's transformation into Killer Frost by saying the name of her childhood bully, Lexi La Roche.  La Roche was first mentioned in 106, when Caitlin was empathizing with Barry as he confronted his childhood bully, who became the villain, Girder.

Ralph Dibny does not own a wallet.

The mysterious waiter from S308 who approached Barry Allen before his wedding and told him to be sure to say "I do" makes another appearance in the post-stinger sequence for the episode. She pays for Ralph and Cisco's coffee at C.C. Jitters and is later seen writing in a strange language in her notebook.


The Bottom Line

Cisco asks Harry "Is there anything you can't suck the fun out of?" and that's a perfect summary of this episode, though ironically Harry's snark is one of the more fun elements of it. Everyone is in super-serious mode to make Ralph's joking seem all the more jarring, but Ralph doesn't come off until truly obnoxious until his sudden bout of cowardice.

The problem is that all the fun elements of the episode (Trickster and Prank, especially) really don't come off well when the rest of the cast is acting as sour as the extras on Arrow. Thankfully, once everyone relaxes and remembers that The Flash is supposed to be the fun show, it all comes together.

The Flash #17 - A Review

The Rogues just puled their greatest heist ever!  Naturally, The Flash quickly caught up with them as they were skipping town, but can he move fast enough to overcome Captain Cold's new and improved cold gun?  One which draws off the power of The Speed Force itself?!


The Flash #17 is a disappointing conclusion to what had been a promising return for The Rogues into the Rebirth universe.  The story here is predictable and nothing we haven't seen before. The only thing that makes it tolerable is Joshua Williamson's command of the characters and the fact that he writes great dialogue.

The artwork - provided by three artists this month - is similarly disjointed. I find Carmine Di Giandomerico's style disjointing at times but the general wild and untamed feel of it usually seems to fit The Flash on its own terms. Placed alongside more traditional artists as part of the same tale, however, it comes off as sloppy and scribbled-over.

The Flash #16 - A Review

The Rogues have divided and conquered, luring The Flash out of Central City just long enough for them all to rob multiple targets. Even The Fastest Man Alive can't be in six places at once! Can The Flash thwart his enemies' greatest heist ever?


The artwork is much stronger than its been in recent issues of The Flash. The uncharacteristic sloppiness that plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's recent output is absent. Fittingly, there is a continual sense of motion to Di Giandomenico's work that well suits this issue's high-action story. Of particular note are the effects used to simulate the variety of energies involved from The Flash's lightning to the fire of Heatwave's gun.

Despite this issue being furiously-paced, Joshua Williamson's script also contains a number of brilliant character scenes. No matter how fast his stories moves, Williamson always gives his cast a chance to speak and the scenes of Barry trying to reason with his enemies and show them a better way are powerfully written.

The Flash #15 - A Review

The Rogues have been in hiding for quite a while, which can't mean anything good. The Flash uncovered plans indicating they went to the island of Corto Maltese to steal a golden statue of the god Mercury. Even though it isn't Central City, The Flash isn't about to let them get away with it but have the ol' gang learned some new tricks?


Joshua Williamson spins a masterful heist story, showing a strong grasp of the individual Rogues as characters. Unfortunately, the sloppiness that has plagued Carmine Di Giandomenico's pencils in recent issues continues to be a problem. It's infrequent enough not to distract from the story completely but this issue seems rushed rather than fast-paced.

The Flash #14 - A Review

Master thieves armed with fantastic tools and led by the formidable Captain Cold, The Rogues are the greatest enemies of law and order in The Flash's town, despite their occasionally playing the hero. Absent from Central City since before The Speed Force Storm that changed so much, finding where they're hiding has become Barry Allen's first priority now that things have calmed down somewhat. What he uncovers, however, is evidence of a heist to end all heists in another country, suggesting that The Rogue's Reformation was short-lived...


This first issue of the Rogues Reloaded storyline is surprisingly slow-paced for a Flash comic. Joshua Williamson spends a little too long trying to establish the status quo of Central City.  While this may be a necessary evil given how much back-story there is regarding The Rogues, Iron Heights prison, the new Kid Flash and Barry's newfound romance with Iris West, this is still a case of telling rather than showing the story and we wind up hearing precious little about The Rogues in all of it. Hopefully the pace will quicken in upcoming issues.

Carmine Di Giandomenico is similarly off his game this time around. There is something inexplicably sloppy about the artwork in this issue, with several pages - particularly in the opening fight between The Flash and Papercut's gang - where the figures are disjointed and the inks muddy the artwork rather than enhancing it. The artwork doesn't look bad, as such, but it's a step-down from the usual level of quality for all involved.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 9 - The Present

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

It's the holiday season but Cisco is in a funk, seeing visions of his brother as he remembers the one time they truly bonded on a Christmas Eve past. Barry is in a similarly dark mood, unable to relax enough to enjoy his and Iris' first Christmas together as a couple with Savitar and Alchemy on the loose. It doesn't help when he and Joe learns about HR training Wally to use his newfound speed powers. A trip to Earth Three to ask Jay Garrick for his help may be just the thing to clear Barry's head, assuming he can survive an encounter with The Trickster of Earth Three. .


Influences

A Christmas Carol (the reoccurring theme of ghostly visitors mixed with visions of the past and future), the film Raiders Of The Lost Ark (The general pulp vibe of the opening, the box holding The Philosopher's Stone resembles The Ark Of The Covenant, Cisco name drops Indiana Jones), the Harry Potter books (the idea of The Philosopher's Stone being used to bring the dead back to life mirrors The Resurrection Stone) and The Flash comics of Mark Waid (character of Savitar, description of how Savitar was defeated in the future matches how he was defeated in the comics.) and Geoff Johns (mention of the villain Plunder).


Goofs

While the effort to tie The Philosopher's Stone into Hindu mythology is admirable, The Brahmastra is probably the worst artifact to parallel to The Philosopher's Stone. While being the signature weapon of Brahma - the god of creation - the Barahmastra could only be used to destroy and was meant to be used only as a last resort as it would completely annihilate the enemy it was used against. Worse yet, it was said that the use of the Barahmastra would blight the land in which it was used and cause infertility in the people and plants of the surrounding region.

How can there be Speed Force myths, legends and rumors about Savitar if Barry is the first speedster to encounter him, as Jay Garrick claims?

For that matter, how can Jay know that Savitar travels around and sends a herald to prepare the way for him to challenge other speedsters he sees as a threat to his power if no other speedster has seen Savitar before Barry?

It seems a bit odd that Joe's girlfriend's daughter isn't spending Christmas with her mom.


Performances

Mark Hamill's brief cameo as The Trickster of Earth Three is a delight.

The chemistry between Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes is particular fine in this episode, as Caitlin and Cisco bond over their mutual losses and Caitlin talks Cisco down off an emotional ledge.


Artistry

The special effects during the fight between Jay Garrick and Savitar.


Flash Facts

It is revealed in this episode that Julian Albert's real name is J. Albert Desmond. In the original comics, Albert Desmond was the name of the first Doctor Alchemy.

Like Julian Albert, Albert Desmond in the comics was not responsible for his actions as Doctor Alchemy. The difference is that Albert Desmond suffered from disassociative identity disorder and had an evil alternate personality who became Doctor Alchemy. Julian Albert, it is revealed, has been possessed by Savitar.

Cisco discover's Julian Albert's old college paper tying the legends of The Philosopher's Stone into the Hindu legends of The Brahmastra. In Hindu mythology, The Brahmastra is the signature weapon of the god of creation, Brahma. Described as a single projectile charged with all the power in the universe, The Brahmastra was meant only to be used as a last resort as it could utterly destroy an enemy, body and soul.

The Earth 3 version of The Trickster resembles a combination of two other comedic DC Comics super-villains - Batman baddie The Joker and Superman villain The Prankster. Like The Joker, he resembles a clown and has a primarily purple color scheme. Like The Prankster, he is an overweight older gentleman in a garish suit and a comically over-sized flower on his coat lapel.. The Prankster in the comics favored green checks, however, while The Earth Three Tricksters favors purple pinstripes. Both should be arrested for crimes of fashion.

It should be noted, because someone will complain if we don't, that Trickster actor Mark Hamill is considered the definitive voice-actor for The Joker.

Savitar manipulated both Julian and Cisco with images of dead loved ones and promises that The Philosopher's Stone could raise to dead. This is similar to a magical item from The Harry Potter books called The Resurrection Stone, which could summon back the spirits of the deceased albeit in a limited and temporary fashion.

Savitar says that he is seeking revenge on Barry now because of how Barry's future self trapped Savitar in eternity. This sounds similar to how Savitar was defeated in the original Flash Comics, where Wally West tricked Savitar into running so quickly that he was absorbed into The Speed Force.

Jay Garrick suggests that Barry can use his powers to siphon off Jay's speed to accelerate himself fast enough to throw The Philosopher's Stone into The Speed Force. Draining speed from other speedsters to act as a turbo boost to his own velocity is a common trick used by The Wally West version of The Flash in Mark Waid's comics.

In the future, Barry Allen overhears a TV report on the trial of a villain named Plunder a.k.a. Jared Morillo coming to a close. In the original comics, Plunder was an assassin whose real name was Jared Morillo. Strangely enough, Plunder was an alternate Earth doppelganger of a friend of Wally West's, who was an honest cop in the Central City Police Department during Geoff Johns' run on The Flash. Plunder had no powers, but was an expert marksman and tracker.

In the future, Barry finds himself standing on Infantino Street. This is a nod to artist Carmine Infantino, who co-created Barry Allen and drew a number of classic Flash comics, including The Flash Of Two Worlds story where Jay Garrick and Barry Allen first teamed up. He also co-created the character of Doctor Alchemy.

Stylistically, the story of this episode has a lot in common with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. There's the Christmas-time setting of course, and several characters in need of Christmas cheer (Barry, Cisco and Caitlin). There's the appearances of ghosts spurring the characters to action. Cisco dismisses the vision of his brother as a hallucination in much the same way Scrooge dismissed Jacob Marley. And Barry's speech at the end with Jay Garrick where he tearfully asks if the future he saw can be changed mirror Scrooge's plea to The Ghost of Christmas Future, "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?"


Technobabble

Cisco describes the Brahmastra as "a legendary ancient Hindu weapon." He also says it was capable of creating metahumans.

Dr. Alchemy attempts to use The Schults Building as a refractor to restore all the metahumans created in The Flashpoint Reality at once.

Cisco says the box holding The Philosopher's Stone is nothing and does not scientifically exist. He says that he ran it through an MRI, x-ray scanner, mass spectrometer and photon shifter and did not get a single reading off of it.

Barry theorizes that there is no alchemy based on the idea that Savitar and Alchemy had the same voice. Based on the idea that Julian is being used as a mouthpiece in much the same way that poltergeist requires a medium to manifest. Cisco comes up with a way to synch Julian's brain to The Philosopher's Stone so they can speak to Savitar directly.

Jay Garrick describes The Speed Force as "eternity itself... an endless void of time and energy."

Cisco says The Philosopher's Stone is full of gravimetric force.

Jay Garrick says that Barry can siphon off his speed and combine it with his own to throw The Philosopher's Stone into The Speed Force. The feedback from the explosion this causes knocks Barry five months into his own future.

Jay Garrick says that just as there are infinite Earths in the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities to the future.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Caitlin enters Cisco's lab to find him holding the open box. Blue light pours from it.)
Caitlin: Cisco?! Cisco, you have to close the box.
(Cisco turns around to look at "Dante". He sees him, smiles vacantly and turns back to Caitlin.)
Cisco: I'm going to save Dante.
Caitlin: That's not Dante! It's Savitar! Please! He's using your memories against you!
"Dante": You're a good brother, Cisco.
Caitlin: Cisco, we're running out of time. Please, just hand me the box...
(Cisco holds the box in his left hand and raises his right, like he's aiming a Vibe blast.)
Cisco: I can't lose him again.... I will NOT lose my brother again!
Caitlin: Cisco... Dante is gone. I'm so sorry but there is nothing you can do about it. But there are people that you can save right now. If you don't close that box, Barry and Wally will die!
(Cut to Wally and Barry, being thrown around like ragdolls by Savitar.)
(Cut back to Cisco and Caitlin. Cisco is turned to face "Dante".)
"Dante": If you do, then we can't be together.
Caitlin: Cisco, listen to me!
(Cisco looks at Caitlin as she gives him a pleading look only to glance back at the box.)
(Cut to Wally and Barry, both on the ground, as Savitar extends his wrist-daggers and drags them along the stone walls of the room, shooting out sparks as he does so.)
"Dante": Don't.
Cisco: (whispering) Lo siento, hermano.
(Cisco closes the box. In the other room, Savitar disappears.)
Barry: Thanks.
Wally: Are you kidding? That was awesome!

Joe: Hey. You put my son's life in danger. Again.
HR: And he saved Barry's life!
(Wally shakes his head and leaves the room.)
HR: Joe, why... why do you think I help Wally? Because I'm selfish? I get something? I don't get anything out of it. I help Wally 'cause the kid is special! He's extraordinary! His powers are extraordinary! I get it, I.. I'm not his dad and I don't have the same safety concerns as you, of course not... but one thing I do know- the longer you deny someone their potential, the more they're going to look for it elsewhere.

Savitar: None of you are on your knees. It's a smart move to bow before a deity.
Barry: You're not God.
Savitar: To be a god, you just have to make people believe you are.
Iris: No one believes in you.
Savitar: You should, Iris. I hold the power of life and death over all of you.
Caitlin: How do you know so much about us?
Savitar: I know you, Caitlin. Cisco. Joe. Wally.The fake Wells. I know your fears and I know your weaknesses. I know you better than you know yourselves. I know your destinies. One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death. This is the knowledge I have for you about your everlasting damnation.
Barry: Who are you?
Savitar: I am the future, Flash.
Barry: What do you want from us?
Savitar: Everything! Everything you took from me, I'm want it back!  And I'm going to take it back! Then, I will destroy you!
Barry: Then why haven't you, already? If you're all-powerful, then why don't you just go ahead and kill us all now and be done with it? Because you can't.
Savitar: You did this to me! You trapped me in eternity. Your future self. You did this to me, Barry! And now the age of my revenge rises. My freedom is at hand. You will feel my wrath! The wrath of Savtiar!

Barry: I've never run to the future. I've traveled to the past but I always came back to the present. I saw myself. And Iris. And Savitar... he killed her. That's five months from now. Is that actually going to happen?
Jay: ... I don't know.
Barry: You don't -
Jay: You shouldn't have seen that.
Barry: This - this doesn't make sense, we - we just got rid of The Philosopher's Stone! I mean, Savitar shouldn't have even been there! Oh my God...this is where the newspaper in the time vault changed. The byline... this is why it's not Iris. This... Iris didn't write that story anymore eight years from now because... she's dead.
Jay: Barry...
Barry: I just watched her die! I saw myself try to save her, but I wasn't fast enough. Jay, tell me that this isn't my destiny.
Jay: What you saw was one possibility of the future. What may be or what may not.
Barry: Okay. Then I can stop this from happening. I can run back there-
Jay: You can't go back there! Not again! Not ever!
Barry: All right. Then I'll figure out exactly how it happened. How we wind up on that street. And I'll just make sure that we don't go there. I mean, if we don't go there-
Jay: Barry! This is why speedsters don't travel to the future. Nobody should know this much about their own. Just as there are infinite Earths in the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities to the future. It's always bending. Always changing. Every decision you make creates another alternative.
Barry: I won't let Iris die.
Jay: The future isn't written yet. And it might not even turn out to be what you saw. You need to focus on the here and now. You have to live your life.

(Everyone stops to listen to the carolers, who are singing in the rain.)
HR: (chuckling drunkenly) Caroling in the rain... that sucks!
(Caitlin walks off to one side and slips off her power-blocking bracelet. Cisco turns around and notices.)
Cisco: Hey! What are you doing?
Caitlin: It's okay -  I've got this. We may not be able to have a perfect Christmas but we can have a white one.
(Caitlin sticks a hand toward the partially cracked window and the rain slowly turns into snow.)


Continuity

It is revealed that Julian Albert used his family fortune to lead an expedition to search for The Philosopher's Stone in India in the summer of 2012. In December 2012, he found it and fell under the influence of Savitar, though he had no memory of this and suffered black-outs for the next few years.

Earth 19 celebrates Christmas in the same fashion as Earth One, according to HR.

Julian Albert attended Oxford University and wrote a dissertation on The Philosopher's Stone.

According to Julian, The Philosopher's Stone was the first object in recorded history that bestowed super powers on people. He also notes that Savitar was said to be the first metahuman to gain speed powers.

Earth Three apparently has blimps as a commonplace means of transportation.

There's a Trickster on Earth Three. Though not identified by name, he resembles James Jesse from Earth One.

Jay Garrick has heard stories about Savitar on Earth Three. He claims Barry is the first speedster to have seen him.

The stories say that Savitar was the first man given speed powers. Over time, he became the god of motion. Before Savitar visits an Earth, he sends a predecessor to prepare the way for his arrival. Upon arrival, he battles any speedster he sees as a threat to his power. Jay learned this through "Speed Force myths, legends and rumors."

HR says "Run, Wallace, Run!' while training Wally, in the same way other Wells have said "Run, Barry, Run!"

While no exact speed is given, Wally is confirmed to be faster at this point in his time as a speedster than Barry was.

Cisco recalls one Christmas Eve he spent with his brother sharing a bottle of whiskey. He says it was the only time they ever really felt like brothers.

Caitlin recalls the last Christmas she spent with her father - they sat inside and watched old movies during a blizzard.

According to Iris, four colleagues of Julian's died on his expedition to find The Philosopher's Stone.

Jay Garrick never had a sidekick in all his years as The Flash on Earth Three.

Barry reveals his secret identity to Julian Albert.

Julian Albert had a sister named Emma who died when he was 20. Visions of her telling him about The Philosopher's Stone having the power to bring her back from the dead inspired his quest to locate it.

Wally West is able to see Savitar.

Savitar apparently has powers of telepathy and illusion projection, even when The Philosopher's Stone is contained within its box. This is how he was able to send Julian an image of his dead sister and Cisco an image of his dead brother.

It is clear, based on Caitlin's reaction when Cisco opens the box, that she does not see the ghostly Dante that Cisco does.

Savitar delivers three prophecies about the people assembled in the room. "One shall betray you. One shall fall. One will suffer a fate far worse than death."

The camera focuses on Wally when betrayal is mentioned. Cisco is shown when it is said one will fall. Caitlin is shown when Savitar says one will suffer a fate worse than death.

Five months in the future, Barry hears a news report about a criminal named Plunder a.k.a. Jared Morillo - whose trial on charges of theft and assault just ended.

Five months in the future, Barry sees Savitar kill Iris West.

Jay Garrick returns to Earth Three before the Christmas party starts.

Caitlin invites Julian Albert to the West family Christmas gathering. He says he prefers to spend Christmas alone, but does eventually show up for the party.

Joe West and Cecile Horton finally kiss.

Wally is given a gift of a yellow Kid Flash costume like what he wore in The Flashpoint universe.

Julian Albert gets Barry his job with the CCPD back.

Caitlin uses her powers to turn the rain over The West House into snow.

Barry signs the lease on a house for himself and Iris as her Christmas present.


Location

The Indus Valley - December 2012.
Central City on Earth Three - December 2016.
Central City on Earth One - May 2017.


The Bottom Line

A solid and satisfying mid-season finale that - for once - answers more questions than it raises and doesn't leave our heroes looking like complete idiots.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #18 - A Review

The partnership between The Trickster and Bizzaro comes to a sudden and violent end. Now, as Bizzaro turns to the only other friend he has seeking a way to save the funny man who introduced him to cheeseburgers, Superman scours the globe looking for his "evil" counterpart.


Much as I want to grouse over just how the heck The Trickster could ever fall to his death (Air-Walking shoes, anyone? It's his main gimmick!), I still enjoyed this issue. Brian Buccellato draws off of both Frankstein and Of Mice and Men in his portrayal of Bizzaro to rich effect. And the artwork by Tom Derenick and Rex Lokus is equally impressive.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #17 - A Review

The Trickster may have gotten himself into a mess even he can't fast-talk his way out of. He's befriended the Bizzaro Superman but keeping the big guy under control is a tricky task even for him! Still, he's managed to steer the big guy in the direction of doing good. Well, sort-of.


For the most part, this issue is a perfect palette cleanser after several weeks of darkness. The relationship between Trickster and Bizzaro is oddly sweet once if you look past the fact that Trickster is only making nice with Bizzaro in an effort to gain an advantage or, at the very least, not die. The ending of the issue, however, sparks an odd parallel with the conclusion of last week's issue, begging the question what is worse - a mad god or a vengeful one? Or is there even a difference?


Tom Derenick's artwork for the issue is impressive. Derenick boasts an exaggerated style which well-suits the cartoonish nature of this issue. And the color art by Rex Lokus is as wonderful as ever.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #11 - A Review

A Superman impostor is on the loose and The Regime is desperate to bring him to heel quickly. As Superman questions Lex Luthor about his involvement, The Trickster finds himself in the unenviable position of befriending this bizarre clone and instructing him as to what Superman should do to save the world.


There s a grand irony to Brian Buccellato's script for this issue, in that The Trickster has become a hero in his manipulation of Bizarro, though his motives for setting him on the real Superman are hardly noble. In this, the rogue among The Rogues remains the only honest villain among them. And yet he has inadvertently accomplished more good than the likes of Weather Wizard and Heatwave, who were honestly trying to go straight!


I wish I could be as generous in describing the artwork this week. There's a number of forced poses, elongated bodies and odd perspective shots that leave this issue looking awkward throughout. It's not bad as such, but this is not Mike S. Miller's best work.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 9 - Running To Stand Still

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 




Plot

The Weather Wizard returns to break Captain Cold and The Trickster out of Iron Heights and The Flash will run himself ragged trying to stop them from wreaking havoc on The Holidays. Meanwhile, Iris and Joe West prepare themselves to meet Wally West - the son and brother they never knew they had.


Influences

Too many The Flash comics involving The Rogues Gallery teaming up to count.


Goofs

Apparently Joe still hasn't explained Harrison Wells' being alive to Patty and she hasn't asked any further questions since she shot Harry last week in 208.

Even for comic-book science, the magnets explanation for how sending one bomb through a breach can attract the rest of the bombs in the city like it is totally ludicrous.

For that matter, what happened to the idea that only speedsters and the people they carry can travel through the breaches?


Performances

Jesse L. Martin's reaction to being told about Joe's long-lost son is one of the best bits of acting he's done on the show. And that's saying something giving how generally amazing he is!


Artistry

The opening with Zoom chasing Wells is nice and suspenseful, grabbing your attention immediately.

The dreidel scene is one of the most unsettling in the show's history.

The scene of Barry jumping onto a moving helicopter blade while chasing Weather Wizard looks amazing.


Flash Facts

The Flash toy that Iris picks up while shopping is an actual Flash action figure based on the TV show.

Wally West is a familiar character to long-time fans of The Flash comics.  Indeed, for comic fans of a certain age, he's more familiar than Barry Allen!  Originally the nephew of Iris West, Wally gained super-speed powers after an incident which replicated the accident that gave Barry Allen his powers. Wally went on to partner with Barry as Kid Flash and went on to take over his mentor's title after Barry's death in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

This hasn't changed in the New 52 universe, save that Wally is of mixed heritage (half African, half White) is now a juvenile delinquent Iris hoped Barry might be able to positively influence.  Wally has yet to become Kid Flash in the current Flash comic but a future version of him, who adopted the name of The Flash, showed up to help Barry during one fight.

The DCTVU version of Wally West is Joe West's son and Iris West's brother, raised apart from them after Joe's wife left him.

The music that plays when we first see The Trickster sounds a little bit like The Joker theme from Batman: The Animated Series. Mark Hamill, who plays The Trickster, was also the voice of The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series.

The Mister Jiggle Wiggle doll is made by Okumara Toys. This is a nod to Hiro Okumara - aka Toyman. Not to be confused with the Superman villain, this Toyman was a hero - a Japanese child prodigy who used his fortune and gift for electronics to fight crime with a variety of robots. Most of these robots featured designs inspired by Hiro's favorite anime and manga.

Weather Wizard is now able to fly, as in the comic books.


Technobabble

Jay Garrick suggests that they could inject an unstable neutrino burst into the individual breaches and they might seal on their own.

There was an unexpected drop in barometric pressure as Weather Wizard came back into town.

Most weather phenomona are marked by changes in electrical charge and pressure in the atmosphere. Cisco theorizes they can locate Weather Wizard by mapping those changes. He further postulates that they can remove all the electricity from his immediate surroundings the same way that a lighting rod draws in electrical energy to one spot.

Cisco is able to detect the atmospheric pressure dropping 200 hectopascals when Weather Wizard begins using his powers in Central City Square.

Cisco says that Weather Wizard is able to fly by using his powers to alter the air pressure around him to create pockets of updraft .  Harry says he's just able to fly.

Cisco is able to track down one of The Trickster's bombs by cross-referencing credit card statements, toll-road usage and families with children under ten.

Magnets of opposite poles attract one another. Harry says that by changing the dimensional frequency of one of Trickster's bombs before sending it through a breach, it will drag all the rest of the bombs with it. They use a STAR Labs drone to deliver the bomb through a breach a quarter-mile over Central City.


Dialogue Triumphs

Caitlin: It means a lot.
Jay: What does?
Caitlin: You looking after Barry. He's... been through a lot the last few weeks.
Jay: Well, Barry's not the only person here I want to keep safe...
Cisco: Oh dear Lord, just kiss already!

(The doors to Iron Heights are blow inward by a strong wind and the snow begins to blow into the building. Enter Weather Wizard.)
Weather Wizard: Let it snow!

Patty: I'm sorry. I don't have time to bring you up to speed.
Barry: (to himself) That's ironic.

Weather Wizard: I didn't break either of you out because I was looking to make new friends.
Trickster: That is not the holiday spirit, Marky-Mark! Christmas is a time for togetherness! And what says togetherness more than mass graves, hmmmm?
Captain Cold: So why DID you break us out?
Weather Wizard: Well, I owed you one. And this guy? (motions to Trickster) He's just crazy! It's a complement.
(Trickster nods in acknowledgement.)
Weather Wizard: And we all want the same thing.
Captain Cold: Fashion advice?
Weather Wizard: To see The Flash dead!
Trickster: Well, that was more of a New Years' Resolution, but hey - I'm flexible!

Barry: Why are you here, Snart?
Captain Cold: I got the Noel spirit. Wanted to give you a little gift. Mardon broke Jesse and me out to kill you. Jesse's on board, of course. He's shaking with excitement. Me? I'm going to pass.
Iris: Why? You grow a conscience?
Captain Cold: Mardon wants revenge. Jesse wants chaos. I'm just not... invested like they are.
Iris: You mean there's no money in it for you!
Captain Cold: I was never much for non-profit work.
Barry: If you're not in with them, then tell me where they are.
Captain Cold: Nah. Consider me more of a Secret Santa. Besides, you and your friends love to solve a good mystery.
Barry: You are full of it, Snart! I think my friends and I saved your sister's life and you just can't stand to owe me a marker. I hate to break it to you, but that - that right there is called Honor.
Captain Cold: Go on. Make your pitch. I can see you're dying to.
Barry: Help me stop them.
Captain Cold: Sorry. I'm not interested in being a hero.
Barry: Well... (laughs) ...you're doing a pretty lousy job of being a villain this week.
Captain Cold: Merry Christmas, Barry.

Trickster: We can't let Christmas hog all of the holiday fun!  Happy Hanukkah! (singing) Oh, Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel... I made you out of C-4! Ho ho ho!

The Flash: You know even if you get this guy that wronged you, that doesn't always make things better.
Patty: It has to be better than this!

(The Flash runs up to the top of the building where Weather Wizard is looking down on the square)
Weather Wizard: Oh. Glad to see you!  Maybe you can help me?
The Flash: Help get back to a jail cell?  It'd be my pleasure, Mark.
Weather Wizard: No. No. See, I'm trying to decide if I should kill everybody down there with a deadly hail storm or - little trickier - with acid rain! What do you think?
The Flash: (sarcastically) Ah. Let me think ... umm... how about neither?  Do you see this wand here? Guess what?
(Suddenly, Weather Wizard spreads his arms and tumbles backward off the ledge of the building.  Barry walks to the edge and looks down... to see Weather Wizard flying off!)
The Flash: Umm... guys?  (voice cracking) He's flying!

(The Flash looks at a present next to his feet)
The Flash: What is this?
Weather Wizard: That is a box with a bomb in it.
Trickster: Yup. I've handed out about 100 of them today. It feels so good to give.
Weather Wizard: You see, right now there are 100 random children who have each taken home a box just like that one. And are shoving it under their Christmas tree. There's no way for you to get to all of them. Even if you knew where to look.
The Flash: Oh, no. Please don't do this.
Weather Wizard: What? Me? Kill 100 families? (chuckling) No. That's up to you. I'm happy just to take your life. So this is how it's going to be. You will stand there and let me end you. Very publically. And very painfully. And I'll let everybody live. But if I see even a little flicker of electricity on you? Casket makers in this town are going to have a very merry Christmas. So, Flash - what's it going to be?
(The Flash wordlessly hands over The Weather Wand to Weather Wizard)

(Harry knocks on the door of a suburban home. A small boy answers it.)
Harry: Your toys? Give them to me.
Boy: Mom?!


Dialogue Disasters

Cisco: How do you like the magnets, bitch?


Continuity

Iris refers to Eddie Thawne's death in 123.

Joe's watch was a gift from his father. He said that one day he would give it to his son. At the episode's end, he gives it to Barry.

Barry refers to Eobard Thawne's message to him about never really being happy from 201.

Iris tells Barry what she learned from Francine in 204 about having a brother.

They celebrate Christmas on Earth 2.They also have a tradition of hanging mistletoe and kissing underneath it.

Weather Wizard was last seen in 122.

Captain Cold was last seen in 203.

The Trickster was last seen in 117.

We're reminded that Weather Wizard killed Patty's father - a fact that we learned in 202.

Weather Wizard refers to The Flash's defeat at the hands of Zoom in 206.

Barry tells Cisco about the Weather Wand that he build in the alternate time-line in 115 to negate Weather Wizard's powers.

Earth 2 also has the movie The Godfather, complete with a reference to sleeping with the fishes.  According to Harry, all Earths have The Godfather.

Francine named her and Joe's son Wallace. This was the name she and Joe agreed upon for a son, when the first had Iris.

Captain Cold modified his cold gun to explode if he lets go of his grip on the handle.

According to Jay Garrick, there is no Trickster on Earth 2.

There are, however, Mister Jiggle Wiggle dolls on both Earth 1 and Earth 2.  Harry bought one for his daughter Jessie when she was six.  Patty's father also bought one for her when she was young.

Barry is able to achieve limited levitation by spinning his wrists fast enough to create focused tornadoes that allow him to achieve lift-off.

Patty reveals that she blames herself for her father's death, as she skipped work to goof off with her friends on the day that her father had to drop off the deposits for his store at the same time Mark Mardon was robbing their bank.

Harry refers to how they sent Grodd away using a breach in 207.

Patty traps The Flash to the ground using one of the guns Cisco designed back in 201.

Caitlin and Jay finally share a kiss.

Barry and Patty are now officially a couple.

Wally West introduces himself to Joe and Iris.

Harry figures out that Zoom is trying to push Barry to become faster before stealing his speed. He agrees to help Zoom do this in exchange for his daughter Jessie being spared.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode and a heck of a Christmas story. The Wally West reveal is somewhat understated as is the revelation of Harry's treachery. And I personally would have liked to have seen The Trickster return in a solo-story rather than sharing the stage. Still, one can't argue with results. And it's nice to not have any major cliff-hangers to fret over for a month.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 17 - Tricksters

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

When a costumed criminal calling himself The Trickster bombs a playground with exploding packages on parachutes, Barry and Joe seek the advice of the original Trickster, James Jesse, who is currently imprisoned in Iron Heights. At first Jesse seems all too happy to help the police catch this upstart impersonator... but can be trusted?  Or is The Trickster plotting his greatest trick yet?  And can Barry truly trust Harrison Wells to help him?


Influences

Silence of The Lambs (James Jesse is kept in a special cell like Hannibal Lecter and is consulted in order to catch another criminal) Speed (referenced when The Flash is fitted with a bomb that will go off if he runs under a certain speed), Star Wars (James Jesse's "I am your father" speech to Axel Walker as well as Wells' speech to convince Barry to give himself over to a mysterious force he barely understands), The Flash comics of Geoff Johns and the 1990's The Flash TV series.


Goofs

James Jesse identifies the poison he used on the guests at Mayor Bellows fundraiser as trimethylmercury 32.  But when we hear him speaking to the crowd through Iris' phone later on, he calls the poison trimetyhline 32.


Performances 

Mark Hamill, unsurprisingly, steals the show as James Jesse.

Despite not getting as many great lines as Hamill, Devon Graye holds his own alongside Hamill in their scenes together and manages to go over the top in the right ways as Axel Walker.

It's a brief moment, but Joe West's pep-talk to Barry is one of Jesse L. Martin's finest moments yet on the show. And considering how many great moments he's had, that's saying something.


Artistry

The slow motion sequence in which we get to see the fight between The Flash and The Reverse Flash in the Allen home is very well executed.


Flash Facts 

The first Trickster was originally a circus acrobat named Giovanni Giuseppe. Afraid of heights as a boy, he crafted his first trick as a teenager - a pair of "air-walking" shoes that allowed him to levitate with a click of his heels.  Giovanni built a number of other ingenious devices and used them in his act until he became inspired to become a costumed criminal after learning about The Flash. Adopting the alias of James Jesse, the Trickster was an oddity even by the standards of The Rogues Gallery. He didn't care about money -  he just liked the idea of outsmarting The Flash and making him look silly.

The Trickster would later reform at the behest of the superhero Blue Devil, who pointed out that Jesse's tricks could make him a fortune as a special effects artist. The two became friends and supported one another's careers in Hollywood afterward.

James Jesse has the notable distinction of being one of the people people in the DC Universe who can honestly be said to have single-handedly saved The Earth.  This occurred during the Underworld Unleashed storyline, where Jesse was able - with an assist from Captain Marvel - to pull a con on The Demon Neron.  Unfortunately, nobody - save Neron and possibly Captain Marvel - has any memory of the incident.  This incident inspired Jesse to become a con-artist for the forces of good and for him to start collecting the gadgets and weapons of imprisoned super-villains to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and led to Jesse becoming a special agent for the FBI.

It was one of these caches of gear that was found by Axel Walker, who crafted a new costume and began committing crimes in Keystone and Central City as the new Trickster. Axel was more blood-thirsty than James Jesse and quickly became a person of interest to both The Flash and James Jesse. Despite this, Captain Cold still took Axel on as a potential recruit for The Rogues Gallery and - to his credit - was able to keep Axel relatively under control.

Mark Hamill played the James Jesse version of The Trickster on the 1990s Flash show, though the character was quite different from James Jesse in the comics.  This Trickster was much closer in personality to The Joker, being more violent than the original Trickster.

Mark Hamill also played The Trickster in one episode of Justice League Unlimited. There, The Trickster was portrayed as a mentally unbalanced but good-natured man who only put on his costume and caused trouble because of an unspecified mental condition that required medication. He was quite happy to turn himself in after The Flash politely pointed out he was wearing his costume again.

Ironically, Mark Hamill would find success playing The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series not too long after The Flash was canceled.  Indeed, the voice Hamill used as The Trickster is not too far from his voice for The Joker. Hamill uses a similar tone of voice in this episode.

Oddly, the 1990's The Flash show foreshadowed the creation of Harley Quinn, who first appeared on Batman: The Animated Series. The Trickster had a similar female sidekick called Prank, who - in one incarnation - was a disturbed Trickster fangirl whom he alternated between barely tolerating and outright abusing. The other incarnation of Prank was a doctor with whom James Jesse became obsessed, whom he abducted and forced into the Prank costume.

This episode mixes various aspects of the many versions of The Trickster across different media. This version of James Jesse draws heavily off the version created for the 1990s Flash TV series in terms of personality.  The explanation for how Axel Walker got a hold of The Trickster's equipment is taken directly from the comics. And Jesse's attitude regarding someone taking his name and gear is pretty much the response James Jesse had regarding Axel Walker in the comics, though he was more intent on schooling the upstart and taking his gear back than killing him.

James Jesse and Axel Walker never worked together in the comics.

James Jesse did have an illegitimate son in the comics, but it wasn't Axel Walker.

The conceit that James Jesse is Axel Walker's father is also a nod to Mark Hamill's other most famous role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films - albeit with Hamill now playing the role of the father turning his son to a path of evil.

Devon Graye's costume as the new Trickster is fairly close to the design for Axel Walker's Trickster suit in the comics.

Production photos from the 1990's Flash TV show are used to show off James Jesse's past crimes.

In the flashbacks, we learn that The Reverse Flash somehow lost his connection to The Speed Force during the battle with Barry Allen.  In the comics, some speedsters manifested a power to manipulate the relative speed of other bodies in motion, either slowing them down or using their velocity to fuel their own speed.  Some even possessed the ability to drain the speed powers from other speedsters. It's possible that Barry Allen did this by accident, in this case, to depower The Reverse Flash.

Mark Hamill wears a long-haired wig in his scenes in prison that resemble his haircut when he played Luke Skywalker.

Joe comments that it looks like nobody has been in The Trickster's hideout since the 90s.  This was, of course, when Mark Hamill played The Trickster on the 1990s Flash TV series.

Mark Hamill's Trickster spandex suit from the 1990's Flash TV show can be seen on a mannequin in the background when Barry and Joe investigate The Trickster's hideout.  However, the costume also seems to have a blue cape that resembles the one worn by The Trickster in the original Flash comics.

The door to The Trickster's armory is decorated with a stylized likeness of The Trickster's face that bares more than a passing resemblance to Bruce Timm's design for The Joker - another nod to Hamill's voicing The Joker in various Batman cartoons and video games.

In another reference to the number 52 (a number of some significance in DC Comics lore), The Trickster says he planted a bomb between 52nd Street and Avenue B.

Actor Vito D’Ambrosio played a police officer named Tony Bellows in the 1990s Flash TV series. He appears in this episode playing Central City Mayor Anthony Bellows.

Strapping a speed-sensitive bomb to The Flash is a time-honored gimmick from the classic comics.

Vibrating his molecules to pass through solid objects - or phase - is another classic Flash trick.

Dr. Henry Allen notes, as he looks around STAR Labs, that "half of this stuff didn't even exist when I was practicing."  Dr. Allen is, of course, portrayed by John Wesley Shipp, who played Barry Allen in the 1990s The Flash show and also worked out of STAR Labs in the B.I. (Before Internet) age.

Presumably, the technology Eobard Thawne uses to become Harrison Wells was originally intended to be used on a young Barry Allen.  In the original The Flash comics, Eobard Thawne's ultimate goal was to replace Barry Allen in some form or fashion.


Technobabble

The explosives used by Axel Walker have the exact chemical compositon as the bombs used by James Jesse 20 years earlier. It is later revealed this is because Axel Walker was utilizing the armory in James Jesse's hideout.

Axel Walker uses a "Felicity-level" scrambler to hide the origin of his video blog uploads.

James Jesse poisons the crowd at the Mayor's event with champagne laced with trimethylmercury 32. It is described as relatively fast-acting poison and we see one person die one hour after drinking it, foaming at the mouth and suddenly dropping dead.

Trimethylmercury 32 is not a real substance. Presumably it is an even more lethal form of dimethylmercury, which is one of the most lethal mercury-based compounds known to man.

Dimethylmercury is so toxic that it is hazardous if present in sufficient quantities as to be detected by odor. Dimethylmercury is particularly noteworthy in that it can pass through latex, PVC and butyl within seconds, making it unsafe to handle in all but the strongest of protective gear. It is not fast acting, with the symptoms sometimes taking months to show.

Barry is revealed to be able to phase - or move through solid objects - by vibrating his molocules at the natural frequency of air.


Dialogue Triumphs

Trickster: Tricked ya!  (laughs) Look who's back!  My tricks. My treat. But I'll give you something good to eat!  Today's special?  A city in ashes.  The Trickster proudly welcomes you all to the new disorder!
Cisco: Talking in the third person. That's never a good sign.

James Jesse: You know, when I was free and at my height, a day without casualties was like - well, like The Cubs winning the pennant. It just never happened!

James Jesse: I ask only one thing. When you find this shtick stealer, gimmick grabber, this pathetic wannabe FAKE... make sure your safety's off.

Axel Walker: So what's next?  In your last letter you said you had something big in mind for when you got out.
James Jesse: I've had 20 years to come up with the perfect trick. It's going to be my masterpiece. My Mona Lisa. My Breaking Bad Season 5.
(Axel gives James a questioning look, as if wondering how he could have seen so recent a show)
James Jesse: They gave me cable in prison so I'd stop killing the guards.
Axel Walker: (nodding as if that explains everything) Right.

Axel Walker: There's just one thing I've been dying to ask. Why did you choose me?
James Jesse: Because... I knew you had the strength to fulfill my legacy.  Besides... it was in your blood.
Axel Walker: What do you mean in - in my blood?
Jame Jesse: The real reason I tracked you down and groomed you to be the best you could possibly be, Axel?  I am your father.
(Axel laughs as James kisses him on the forehead)

Joe: Look, whatever else he is, he's Harrison Wells. You love science!  He is science! It's like you made best friends with Einstein!
Barry: You're saying I wanted to be tricked?
Joe: You always want to be the person who sees the best in people.  I've been a cop for 25 years.  All I can see are the flaws. The lies. The dark thoughts that people think I don't see...  I wish I could be you.  As fast as you are, that is your real power. Don't let Wells take that from you. I don't know why he's helping us. All that matters is that he is.

Dr. Wells:  Listen to me, Barry. Breathe. Breathe. Feel the air. Feel that wind on your face. Feel the ground, your feet... lifting you up, pushing you forward and the lightning... Barry... Feel the lighting! Feel its power.  Its electricity. Pumping trough your veins,.crackling through you, traveling to every nerve in your body... like a shock!  You're no longer you now.  You're part of something greater. Part of the Speed Force. It's yours.


Continuity

James Jesse killed 10 civilians and 2 cops during his reign of terror as The Trickster 20 years earlier.

James Jesse  has his own special wing in Iron Heights prison. He was put in it five years earlier after he talked his psychiatrist into committing suicide.

James Jesse shows a fondness for red licorice twists and anyone who meets with him is given a package of the candy to keep him cooperative.

Harrison Wellls' original name for his independent science lab was Technological Engineering Scientific Studies or T.E.S.S. - in honor of the love of his life, Tess Morgan.  She suggests Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labratories or S.T.A.R. Labs, because she sees Harrison Wells as the only star in her sky.

Iris West still has a key to the coffee shop she used to work at, despite being a full-time reporter.

Barry phases through solid matter for the first time.

Barry officially unmasks himself before his father, Dr. Henry Allen.

At the episode's end, Barry reveals his secret identity to Eddie Thawne.  Eddie lies to keep Iris from investigating Mason Bridge's death, though he is unhappy about it and says that he and Joe will have a long conversation about this after the three of them figure out what Wells is up to.

The flashbacks for this episode reveal a fair amount of information regarding Eobard Thawne - the biggest revelation being that the Reverse Flash who fought Barry Allen on the night of Nora Allen's death did not resemble Harrison Wells.

Before The Flash and Reverse Flash showed up, the wine in Nora Allen's glass was defying gravity, much like the liquid in the containers in Barry's lab just before he was struck by lightning.

An adult Barry Alllen was responsible for carrying his past self to safety during the battle with The Reverse Flash.  This is how a ten year old Barry Allen wound up in the middle of the street some distance away from his home.

This Reverse Flash somehow lost his connection to The Speed Force during the battle with Barry Allen and became stuck in the past.

Eobard Thawne tracks down Harrison Wells and causes a traffic accident that kills Tess Morgan.

Thawne uses some kind of futuristic technology to kill Wells and take on his appearance.  This device apparently works on a molecular level, actually changing Thawne into Wells physically.  This would explain why the second blood sample found by Joe and Cisco 15 years later did not match that of Harrison Wells!

Eobard Thawne's actions change the timeline in one major respect.  He says that originally Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan activated their particle accelerator in 2020.  He is unwilling to wait that long, kills Morgan and replaces Wells, stepping up the time-table to get the accelerator activated in 2014.


The Fridge Factor

Caitlin doesn't get much to do in this episode except offer hugs.  But that's better than Iris, who only gets to ask male characters to investigate Mason Bridge's disappearance for her before being taken hostage.


The Bottom Line

A brilliant episode that manages the neat trick of being self-referential and self-aware without being too annoying about how utterly goofy and  silly it is.  Hopefully we'll be seeing more of The Tricksters later on.

Come out upon my seas, cursed missed opportunities...

They say the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist

The greatest trick James Jesse ever pulled was convincing the Devil that he wasn’t a threat.

It’s the big secret that most of the mystic heroes deny the truth of and most of the mundane heroes aren’t aware of; that a simple con-man and sometimes super-villain named James Jesse (a.k.a. The Trickster) managed to single-handedly save the world by cheating the demon lord Neron out of his due.

For the most part, the fact that hardly anybody knew what he’d done suited James Jesse just fine. Having your face broadcast on the news does wonders to kill your career as a con-man. And he certainly wouldn’t want to be a superhero, even if most of the community had been as understanding as The Flash regarding the many shades of grey in the world and the fact that there are Heroes, Innocents, Villains and Rogues. James was quite definitely a Rogue.

Still, The Trickster decided it would do his soul some good to try and play the side of the angels a little more often. So James Jesse became something of a Robin Hood; using his wits and his cunning to take money from The Villains then turning it around and using it to make things better for the Innocents.

It was this new desire to do good that lead James to top himself and defeat Neron a second time. With Neron chasing after all of The Rogues following their escape from Hell (long story) James sent the rest of The Rogues after a holy artifact called The Sun Disk of Meshta. Meshta was an obscure but powerful god of Light and his Sun Disk was said to have the power to repel even the most powerful of demons. The Rogues thought the plan was to steal the disk to protect themselves. But as always, The Trickster had an angle.

James had been contacted days earlier by an old girlfriend, Mindy, who told him about the Meshtan religion and explained that her son Billy was the new Majee – a holyman who is selected by Meshta once a millennium to usher in a new golden age. Billy and the rest of the monks of Meshta had been kidnapped by a warlord who sought to use the legend of the Majee to subdue the populace and to convince them to surrender the region without fighting.

To make a long story short, James’ plan to save Billy AND The Rogues worked, although not quite as he had intended. Most of the warlord's followers scattered following a “manifestation” of Meshta that was created by a mixture of Trickster illusions and Pied Piper sound effects. Neron manifested only to be struck down by a true manifestation of Meshta that Billy summoned forth. Neron was injured severely, forcing him to make a deal with James to forget about the Meshtan Monks, Billy and all the Rogues … except James, who said “I want you to remember the guy who fed you two plates of crow!”

Neron did remember. He remembered the name of James Jesse well. So when James Jesse died after being unceremoniously shot in the head AND heart, he was not at all surprised to find that Neron was waiting for him and had lain claim to his soul by Right of Insult. (Ever read Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits? Same thing.) James was however, somewhat surprised when Meshta appeared and said that the beating Neron received before would be nothing compared to what would happen that day...

...Unless Neron was ready to make a deal.

For not only did James put himself in Meshta’s good books by saving his Sun Disk, his temple, his monks and his chosen one; James was the biological father of The Chosen One. In going to help out an old girlfriend, James inadvertently wound up saving his own son and – through Billy – developed a direct line to The Powers That Be Upstairs. Who, it turns out, have a pretty good sense of humor.

The short version is that James Jesse is now free of Neron’s clutches and no longer has to worry about his past deeds taking him into the fire. The bad news is that Meshta, who has need of agents on Earth, now owns him... body and soul. This does beat the Hell out of the alternative (the alternative literally being Hell, of course) but James Jesse is too wild at heart to like the idea of owing anyone a favor and having to follow orders all the time. Luckily Meshta is understanding about this and finds amusement in James’ token efforts at rebellion.

Regardless of how he feels about it, James Jesse is now a man with a mission from (an aspect of) God. Basically, the mission is a rather vague standing order to keep doing what he was doing; steal from the thieves and give to the poor. But, and this was a pretty big but, be ready to move if your son calls and says you need to do something.

James hasn’t made contact with any of his old buddies in The Rogues – he’s moved past them and he’s not too sure how they’ll feel about his new mission. Besides, being legally dead is rather useful in most circumstances for somebody who makes a habit of pretending to be other people. In fact, the only piece of his old life that he’s accessed recently is his collection of “procured” super-villain weapons, which he was studying to make some new “tricks”. And that’s where he was when Billy called him and said that he needed to get Walker Gabriel’s old watch out of the safe it was locked in.

And that was how James Jesse came to the rescue of our time-lost heroes and set everyone on the road to restoring the time-stream. James was rather relieved to see Ollie (such as he was) and noted that he’d have been glad to have helped them out with this even if he weren’t “getting orders from the boss” to do so. “I owe Ollie a big one,” was all James would say on the subject.

Ollie was confused by this but accepted James at his word and agreed to dismiss any debt that James owed him.

So why did Meshta care about so much about restoring the time stream, apart from the obvious reasons any deity/demigod might wish to ensure that reality stay intact? Believe it or not, it was because of love. Above all else, Meshta is a being of pure love and one of the few times he is able to take a direct hand in matters in the Earthly realms is when great destruction would result due to the death of a true and noble love.

Ollie and Dinah’s love is such a love. A love forged in destiny the destruction of which would have dire consequences for the world at large.

(Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a romantic sap at heart….)

There is one problem though; Per Degaton saw this coming and has an army of his Red Morgue soldiers waiting. And in their current state, none of Team Arrow are in fighting shape...

Except Cissie King, who in this moment finds the purpose she was seeking and the connection she’d longed for as the Arrowette of this world became a real hero.

The basic end result is that the timeline will “settle” into something very much like what we have now. Some of the fine details will be changed (i.e. retconning away the stuff that doesn’t make sense) but for the most part everyone will show up back in front of Ollie’s brownstone. Including The Trickster, who will ask if Ollie or Dinah have any objection to him relocating to Star City. He needs a new place to start a base of operations and he’s pretty sure – given the city’s history with demonic invasions – that they could use the help of someone who has some experience in thinking his way around the boys downstairs.

They agree to give it a shot - after all, it’s not this is first time anyone in the family has made arrangements with a semi-reformed villain who has settled into the city, after all - Deadshot’s ex and daughter are still around somewhere and Catman is still on the Christmas Card list.

So James begins to set himself up as The Shade to the Arrow family’s O’Dares; a rogue but an honest rogue who will help them with the trials to come. And Oh Brother, are there going to be trials to come…


***


I freely admit - this one is just for me. Because I don't think anyone did him justice after what he did in Underworld Unleashed and I HATE the way he died like a punk in Countdown.

Still, I think I've done a fairly good job of giving him a reason to be the savior at the end of this story and a supporting player in a Black Canary/Green Arrow book I'd write.

And yes, I do plan to tell the story of why he owes Ollie one. Later.

Another Awesome Quiz...

This one from Marionette!



1. A current obscure title that nobody else has heard of, which goes to show how cool you are for being aware of it. - Ex Machina. Some may say that it isn't obscure, but I have it on the good authority of Philadelphia Daily News comic critic Jerome Maida - whom I took to task for calling the concept of Green Arrow as a superhero mayor unique and original - that he can't read every obscure title that comes out. Of course I don't consider a book that's first issue won multiple Eisner Awards to be obscure... but hey, what do I know?


2. A title that everyone has heard of but doesn't think is that special, but for which you have a cunning argument for why it is cool. - Green Lantern Corps.... because Green Lantern is awesome... so a book about lots of them should be even more awesome!


3. A title that everyone already knows is cool, just to show that you have some common ground with the rest of comic fandom. - Green Lantern. Because Green Lantern is awesome.


4. A golden age title that nobody else has heard of (you can make one up if you like as there are lots of short lived golden age comics that sank without trace). - Madame Fatale. Because if there is one thing this world needs, it's a comic about an actor who fights crime by disguising himself as an old woman and then beating criminals up. He'd scare criminals straight because... well, would YOU keep mugging old women if there was a chance of getting beat up? :)


5. An indie comic that nobody else has heard of because only 5 copies were ever printed. - Here Come The Big People. Maybe not a comic with only 5 copies... but it is hard as hell to find... appropriately enough for a comic written by the original Crow T. Robot.


6. Some outrageous kitchy light-hearted silver age element that could only be reused today with heavy-handed symbolism or knowing self-reference. - Any story featuring the original Trickster, James Jesse.


7. A comic, or particular run of a comic that has been out of print for at least twenty years, which you can lobby for collected reprints of. - Mike Grell's Green Arrow.


8. A title you think must be very cool because you completely fail to make any sense of it. If it's a manga, you can't even work out whether to read it left to right or right to left because it makes as little sense either way. - The final issue of Chuck Austen's Superman run. I defy you to make sense of it!


9. A hideously expensive deluxe collection of some title . I mean if people are going to pay hundreds of dollars for it then it must be good, right? - The Starman Compendium Vol. 1. I already have all the single issues - but I must haves it!


10. A comic so obscure that it was never actually published. Or even written. - A Red Sonja/Tyris Flare fan comic I drew when I was 12. The less said about the contents the better.

James Jesse: The Man Who Sold The World

It was a disaster of biblical proportions. Quite literally. Metahuman villains, newly powered by the demon Neron were spreading chaos on a global scale. The mightiest of all the heroes gathered together, and led by Blue Devil, entered Hell to confront Neron. About half a dozen survived the journey to Neron's lair. But upon entering, all the heroes became possessed by the dark sides of their nature and thus, susceptible to Neron's commands. All the heroes but Captain Marvel, that is. Ordering the other heroes to attack The Big Red Cheese, Neron hoped to enrage him enough to get a handhold on Captain Marvel's very pure soul; an item that would make Neron omnipotent. There was only one man who save the world and maybe the Universe… a man in bright yellow-striped clown pants.

Kind of hard to believe, isn't it? But it happened. For in that instant a sinner turned saint… a sinner named James Jesse. Hand-picked by Neron to be his right hand man, James Jesse had long been an antagonist to the Barry Allen Flash and to Blue Devil. Known for being a master con man and using toys as weapons, James went by the name The Trickster. Neron appreciated James's skills as a con artist, saying they were much alike, in that Neron made promises but never quite gave what was expected, like the Devil in Faust. He even told James that he couldn't refuse any deal that anyone made him.

It was this secret that James exploited to save Captain Marvel, explaining to him his plan to stop Neron. It was then that Captain Marvel asked Neron for a bargain: his soul in exchange for the promise to leave the world alone. True to what he said, Neron was unable to refuse the deal and tried to claim Marvel's soul. But since James was able to stop Captain Marvel from killing the other heroes, his soul was still too pure for Neron to touch. Neron jumped back from the Captain; his hand burned. He was unable to claim his prize and worse still, he was bound by his deal to restore the world as it had been. So in the Earth's darkest hour, it was not the World's Finest who came to the rescue, but an ordinary man in really loud pants…a man who outsmarted the devil.

Now, this really impressed me when I read Underworld Unleashed. Most recent DC crossovers have followed the same three-step formula. Step One: Big bad guy comes out of nowhere and threatens the Earth. Step Two: All the heroes in the DCU get together and unload seven kinds of whoop-ass on the bad guy. Step Three: We all waste 20 bucks collecting all the "special" issues and feel very disappointed. Here, the traditional "let's throw the heavies at the bad guy until he screams for mercy" plan is tried… and fails. It is a fitting end to this story, which was written mainly as a way of giving exposure to some little used characters that the person who beats the devil is a Z-list villain who has often been referred to as a "poor man's Joker". I've been a big fan of Trickster ever since, having always loved heroes and villains who used smarts over strength as well as a fondness for characters with a silly attitude.

With Underworld Unleashed having been very well received by fans and critics alike, a strong future for James Jesse seemed certain, what with his being the narrator for most of the tale. But as James lamented after conning Neron "…I engineered the greatest sting of all time… and nobody saw me do it". Indeed, with the exception of Neron and possibly Captain Marvel, nobody knows that it was the Trickster who saved them all. In an eerie parallel to the DC world, James seems to have been nearly forgotten by comic fans and writers after having made such a great showing in Underworld Unleashed.

In the four years since then, James's appearances have been very few and far between. Aside from a mention in Flash and an issue of Impulse I have yet to track down, James has in fact disappeared off the map. But when James HAS shown up, it has just shown what great potential there is and what a waste it is to keep him in Limbo.

James's most notable recent sighting came in "The Rogues" one-shot during DC's "New Year's Evil" week ; a book that covered the post-UU exploits of Flash's Rogues Gallery. The curtain rises on the just-saved-from-Hell Rogues (Captain Cold, Boomerang, Heatwave, Mirror Master, and Weather Wizard) breaking into the Holy Temple of Meshta in Zhutan. We find that they are at this temple, because The Trickster told them that the temple contains the Sun Disk of Meshta- a large holy object reputed to have great evil-banishing powers. Since the Rogues are all nervous about Neron coming after them again, they figure having the disk will be good protection.

Actually, James is just using the other Rogues as a distraction, for while the Rogues break in, James watches from afar along with a woman named Mindy. In a discussion that sounds like it came from an Indiana Jones movie, James notes the main beliefs of the religion that worships Meshta (Saavistranism) and how he is exploiting them in his plan. In short, the people of Zhutan believe that every thousand years, a child is picked by Meshta to be the Majee: a special agent who observes and judges mankind's progress. If the Majee gives Meshta a good report, then five elemental angels (Yavatis) appear to usher in a new Golden Age of Peace and Enlightenment. (This isn't nearly as hokey as it sounds) Mindy, who is an ex-girlfriend of James', is the mother of the current Majee and is being held prisoner by the Warlord who rules Zhutan. The warlord is using the Majee is a shield against any uprisings by the religious folk of Zhutan who obviously don't want to see their Golden child get hurt.

With the exposition out of the way, we see the Rogues try and make off with the disk when Heatwave notices a carving depicting five men who are controlling the forces of fire, ice, weather, light and curved sticks. (You mean you didn't know that Boomerangs were the Fifth Element?) The Rogues pause long enough to wonder what the heck it means when members of the warlord's army and the Warlord himself burst in and capture the Rogues. The Warlord is about to have them shot when his nephew/adviser tells him of the legend of the Yavatis. He suggests the Rogues might be convincing substitutes for the real thing. With the temple, the Majee and the Yavatis under his command, the Warlord should be able to conquer the entire mountain region.

Trickster and Mindy walk down to the temple and surrender themselves; James reassuring her it's all part of the plan. Once inside the temple, James chants some stuff and the room lights up and a deep booming voice orders the guards to let everyone go. Of course, it's just Pied Piper using a light board and a microphone, but the effect is convincing enough to get the nephew into chanting a real chant that will summon Ahrnyu (Meshta's devil). His body turns into that of a giant snake man and he gets ready to tear everybody in the immediate area to shreds. In a scene that will either make you laugh or groan, depending on how much you love classic Silver Age material, Trickster single-handedly fights Ahrnyu by running around him in mid air (while doing a plug for his Air Jesse shoes) squirting him with seltzer. At the same time, the other Rogues cut down the Sun Disk and use it to protect everyone in the area, albeit after some prodding from Heatwave. After taking several taunting squirts in the face from Trickster, Ahrnyu reveals himself as a masked incarnation of Neron. Neron grabs James and is about to eat him when the Rogues and the Majee attack. Of course the ice and fire guns have no effect upon Neron, but they do keep him distracted long enough for the Majee to summon up an angel of vengeance. After getting cut up pretty badly by the angel, James makes Neron a deal: forget the Majee and the Rogues and he won't die. Neron asks James if he wishes to be forgotten too, to which he responds "Nah. I want you to remember I'm the guy who fed you two plates of crow."

"The Rogues: One Shot" didn't do very well compared to the other New Years Evil one-shots, despite being a rather good story. Admittedly, the story was a little hokey in some place but it was in a good, Silver Age way (like most Waid-written Flash stories). But after that one-shot, James disappeared again despite some major revelations in the end of the book, like the Majee being his son and the notion that he was going to become a full time hero. It looked like James was going to be trapped in Limbo again. That is until the news came out that he would be part of a three-story arc at the conclusion of Devin Grayson's run on Catwoman. Now, I've got to admit that despite loving Grayson's work, I was a little nervous about the announcement. After all, the last second stringer to do a guest shot on Catwoman, Nemesis, got killed. So it was with deep dread that I read through Catwoman 69-71.

To sum up previous issues, after Gotham was sealed off Selina left Gotham for New York and decided to steal the city. She gets a job for a major corporation and through a scam too complex to describe, she manages to cheat on the stock market and makes a few billion dollars for the company. An impressed Board of Directors decides to make her CEO after only a few days on the job. With a company and a new reputation as a master businesswoman, Selina decides to run for mayor of NYC. The local Mafia is not too thrilled about this, since the current mayor is in their pocket (no comments about this suggesting anything about Gulliani). So they hire various assassins (the Body Doubles and Lady Vic among others) to kill Selina Kyle, but Catwoman stops them. It's at this point (the beginning of #69) that Carlino, the head of the Mafioso hires Trickster to find some way to stop Kyle besides killing her.

Now right after reading that I became worried. After all, working for the Mafia to derail an election isn't exactly the type of thing likely to build good karma. And when we last saw James, he was definitely leaning towards the light side of the scales. It seemed to be a complete and total 180 on everything that has been done with the Trickster's character for the last half a decade. My fears turned out to be rather groundless, for as James explains later, he figured his reputation as a con man was too good to give up so he just uses it as one more tool as he does good things while everyone thinks he's a bad guy.

Trickster and Catwoman meet by "accident" on the roof of Selina Kyle's hotel room. Trickster is setting up a spy camera, which Catwoman offers to set up inside the room for him. James turns around to for a second after he hands Catwoman the camera, at which point she disappears. It's not much of a surprise to us, but not much of a surprise to James either, as he responds by grinning and saying "Cute, but predictable".

The next day, we see Trickster moving around New York in a suit. First, James intercepts an S.E.C. (Security Exchange Commission-the guys who regulate the Stock Market) agent who has just frozen the assets of Selina's company so that they can investigate the stock market tampering Selina did. Posing as an old classmate, James switches briefcases with the man after running into him. He then makes several calls to various media whores, spreading a rumor that Selina Kyle is Catwoman. Finally, he goes to Selina's campaign office, which is in total chaos due to the rumors. He introduces himself as James Jesse and tells Selina he knows who is responsible for spreading the rumors and how to find him. The name he gives for the responsible party is "Trickster".

Sometime later, Catwoman shows up at the bar where she finds Trickster. She starts beating him up and asks, "How did you know?" He says he doesn't know what she is talking about and asks if he's upset that he mentioned her in the rumors. Catwoman goes with this suggestion, accepting that Trickster didn't discover her secret identity and it was just a coincidence that he decided to use a "Selina Kyle is Catwoman" rumor to cause a scandal that would force her to stop running for mayor. She completely forgets about one thing though: why would Trickster finger himself in the first place? Because he told Selina Kyle who started the rumors, but not Catwoman. So the fact that it was Catwoman who came after him told him one of two things: either Catwoman worked for Kyle… or was Kyle.

Catwoman goes to Carlino and tells him to call off the other assassins and hired villains and SHE'LL kill Selina Kyle for him. One well-placed whip crack later, he agrees. As she's leaving the hideaway she runs into Trickster. She tells him he might as well go since the contract on Kyle is all hers now. Trickster agrees to go since he has found something more profitable than discrediting Kyle anyway. He shows Catwoman the papers he took from the briefcase of the S.E.C agent. It turns out the agent who froze Selina's assets used paperwork that would allow the funds to be redirected anywhere if it was found that she had done something illegal like insider trading. After a brief struggle, Trickster suggests they work together and split the funds for the assassination job and the thievery 50/50. Catwoman reluctantly agrees, as she tries to figure out a way to lose Trickster, get the papers and fake her death.

To stall for time, she leads Trickster into a fight with the Mafia, claiming that Kyle is in with them and that they might be able to find something suggesting where she is hiding. Trickster, of course, doesn't buy this, asking why the Mafia would have a hit on someone they are protecting. But he is distracted long enough in the fight, for Catwoman to "find" two fake ID's that belong to Kyle and to find out the frequent hangouts of those identities. She suggests they split up and each cover one of the ID's. James disguises himself as a photographer and goes to an Italian restaurant that "Alida Bennet" frequents. He spots her easily (it's Selina in a blond wig) and he tries to get her to come with him by threatening her with a gun built into a camera. They get into a fight during which Selina steals the envelope with the papers that James is carrying on him. The chef/owner and his son break up the fight, asking why James is trying to kidnap the woman. James tries to explain his actions by saying the woman is a crook. The owner says this is impossible, since the woman is his daughter. Apologizing profusely, James leaves the café. A relived Selina removes her wig and pays the owner for playing his part well. She goes off, changes into her costume and opens the envelope that holds her money… to find a note written in purple crayon that reads "BAD KITTY".

Catwoman tracks Trickster down. She tries to take the real envelope from him, but it turns out he has several on him. He offers to play Three-Card Monte for the papers, but Catwoman just whips the three envelopes out if his hand. Trickster says he's disappointed that with all her reputation and all the bragging Catwoman has done to Carlino, that she's going to settle for stealing Selina Kyle's bank account. He also says that Carlino is very upset that Catwoman hasn't killed Kyle yet and that he is going to do the hit himself at her bank the next morning, figuring that Kyle will be there trying to stop her accounts from being liquidated. Trickster then escapes, noting that he still has the paperwork. This puts Catwoman in quite a bind. She can show up at the bank as Kyle and try to save her money from Trickster. Or she can show up as Catwoman and salvage her reputation as a master criminal by somehow killing Kyle.

Catwoman chooses to save her reputation. Finding a body that looks a lot like her (usually you don't see morgue break-ins outside of a Vertigo book), she dresses it in her clothes, throws it over the side of the building and shows Carlino and his gang that Selina Kyle is dead. Tipped off by Catwoman, the police show up just as Selina sees Trickster walking out of the bank, holding a bank-book. She jumps down to confront him and the two get caught in a cop/mob firefight. Barely escaping into a dark alley, Trickster says he admires the scam although he'd rather not think about how she got the body. Catwoman starts to ask what he is talking about, when he tells her how he figured out she was Selina Kyle. (Basically a combination of them having the same body language and the fact that he isn't a complete idiot) He also explains to her how he's stopped stealing for himself and how he didn't take her money, but funneled into charity. He then hands her the book, noting that he was going to give it to a wildlife foundation but that he finally decided on giving it to Gotham Relief. With tears in her eyes, Selina kisses James and they both go their separate ways.

A marvelous story arc, although a bit convoluted, this story was everything I've been wanting to see since Underworld Unleashed. I was a bit worried about the story while reading it, because it makes no sense unless James knows or suspects Selina Kyle is Catwoman. But once you get to the final chapter and find that is the case, you realize how really wonderful the story is. Hopefully James will poke his head up somewhere else soon. In fact, it's pretty much a given. After all, for a man who can contest with Catwoman, think faster than the Flash and then out deal the devil, it is very difficult to sit idle. In fact, rumors already are circulating that Trickster will have big parts in the upcoming "Hell on Earth" story line and possibly even the conclusion of No Man's Land.

Well, I for one cannot wait to see Jesse James: The Man Who Sold The World again.