Onomatopoeia: CRASH!

CRASH!: It's common these days to regard Modern Age comics as more intensely violent or senselessly extreme than their esteemed predecessors, and not without cause. Anyone who thinks that modern superhero stories were the first to revel in violent imagery, however, clearly hasn't taken the time to familiarize themselves with the Golden Age adventures of Jay Garrick! Yes, the man we now regard as the elder statesman of speedsters was once a cruel, rambunctious, hotheaded bully. I offer this jaw-dropping scene--punctuated by a CRASH! and a YEEEEEOW!--as Exhibit A. Look how he delights in each imaginatively mean-spirited attack. That's not to say that these low-life crooks didn't deserve a bit of rough treatment but classic comics reveal how dramatically the tone of our action and our comedy have changed over the passing decades, and thankfully so has the original scarlet speedster!

Issue: Comic Cavalcade #9 (Winter 1994)

Onomatopoeia: KRRT

KRRT: Though the mustache-twirling Abra Kadabra might appear at first glance to be a mere comic caricature, this fugitive from the future is easily the match for some of the DC Universe's darkest villains. Beneath that showman's smile, behind tricks designed to dazzle and distract, seethes a twisted and terrifying psyche. In the hands of Abra Kadabra, even the most childish of magic tricks is made unforgettably macabre. Never was this more true than in tales such as "On the Run" by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo, one of a chain of stories during which Kadabra took a starring role among Wally West's recurring arch-enemies. Infuriated by repeated defeats, obssessed by the desire to reclaim perceived past glories, the perverse prestidigitator makes his sentiments and intentions clear to a captive Flash by adding grisly punctuation to that old, familiar sleight-of-hand involving a rabbit and a top hat. (Kadabra's diatribe, finishing with a slight but nonetheless sickening sound effect, is presented here in full for its full effect.) What happens to that poor little bunny is better left unspecified--indeed, it cannot even be illustrated! Suffice it to say, this is certainly the most troubling--and, perhaps, dramatically effective--of the onomatopoeia we've seen thus far. Abra Kadabra's is an ego to be reckoned with.

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #90 (May 1994)

Onomatopoeia: THWOK

THWOK: It's hard to believe that a technological magician possessing almost limitless power could be defeated with a simple left-hook to the jaw and yet, time and again, this is how the sultan of speed is able to topple his futuristic foe. With a swift blow--represented here but briefly by one of the myriad onomatopoeia variations used to represent hard-hitting punches--Abra Kadabra and his bag of dirty magic tricks are rendered inert. Of course, what makes the Flash such an exceptional superhero is the fact that he cares enough to speedily catch and cradle his nemesis following that blow, sparing Kadabra from an otherwise nasty fall. Again I ask you, is there a more kindhearted hero than Barry Allen?

Issue: The Flash #182 (September 1968)

Onomatopoeia: HA HA HA

HA HA HA: "Feel the strings... Feel the joints... Feel the wood... Feel the points..." With a sudden sparkle, Abra Kadabra performs what may be his favorite magic trick of all, transforming the ill-fated Chester "Chunk" Runk into a bulbous wooden marionette bound by string and rhyming incantation to the demented puppeteer's will. (Puppets, of course, have been associated with the villain ever since the publication of The Flash #133, featuring one of the Silver Age's most memorable classic covers.) Kadabra's so delighted by this trick, in fact, that the air is soon filled with the sinister onomatopoeia we most associate with the comic book supervillain. From an early age we're taught that these joined letters--"HA!"--equate to the sound of human laughter. The onomatopoeia is so ingrained in our consciousness, in fact, that we sometimes utter the word itself in place of actual laughter! None wield it quite so well as the supervillain, however. Where would the likes of the Joker, Sinestro, or Black Manta be without it? In this instance, Abra Kadabra seems only too happy to demonstrate. Is it any wonder Wally West fears for his sanity?

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #23 (February 1989)

Onomatopoeia: SSSCREEE

SSSCREEE: The outcast magician Abra Kadabra makes his escape from the distant year 6363 A.D. in "The Case of the Real-Gone Flash" by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. It's not magic that provides the means for his travel across centuries, of course, but science. Launching a stolen rocket through a time portal developed by the enterprising scientists of his era, Kadabra must first endure a harrowing plunge through the screaming torrents of the time stream, visually represented for us in beautiful flowing style by Infantino's use of an appropriate onomatopoeia. This is one of those ideal instances in which the sound effect itself is artistically integrated with the composition of the panel--which is, perhaps, more than we can say for the timeship's subsequent "PLOP!"

Issue: The Flash #128 (May 1962)

Onomatopoeia: FWAM

FWAM: Another attack delivered at astonishing super-speed, this particular blow carries added weight for we are witnessing the one and only Jay Garrick assault his esteemed successor! Given the great energy of Greg LaRocque's artwork, given the shocking display involving two such classic characters, a single four-letter onomatopoeia, artfully placed, is all that's required to leave the reader reeling. This may be our most powerful instance of onomatopoeia yet. Of course, as this panel is taken from the climax of Mark Waid's mind-bending "The Return of Barry Allen" storyline, there's more to this scene than meets the eye...

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #78 (July 1993)

Onomatopoeia: WHROOO

WHROOO: When we refer to the exploits of the fastest man alive as whirlwind adventures, we're not always speaking metaphorically! Here, the Flash attempts to counteract a threatening tornado with his own crimson cyclone, creating an incomparable cacophony in the process. In the evocative verbiage of John Broome, "The roar of a thousand freight-trains slashing across broken rails is but a whisper compared to the roar of the tornado." (Sound familiar? That'd be because this particular effect seems to be something of a trademark of the era, the sort of sound Mr. Broome associated with the scarlet speedster's superpowers. It's the same distinctive device discussed in our very first installment of Onomatopoeia, from The Flash #182!)

Issue: The Flash #190 (August 1969)

Onomatopoeia: Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z

Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-Z: There are few real life heroes in our society more selfless than the firefighter. Even when tragic circumstances prompt Jay Garrick to step into the role of a volunteer firefighter, the fleet-footed hero displays undeniable respect for the helmeted heroes he's working alongside. Manning a fire hose in an effort to douse a deadly blaze, the fastest man alive fights fire with a shower of hyphenated zeds. This might not be the most imaginative or evocative of comic book onomatopoeia but, like the Keystone City Fire Department, it gets the job done!

Issue: All-Flash #6 (September-October 1942)

Onomatopoeia: TAPTAPTAP

TAPTAPTAP: If I were to suddenly find myself in the four-color world, writing this blog entry from within the pages of the crimson comet's comic book, this is the string of letters that would be etched upon the air somewhere above my keyboard. I can just see it now. It is the onomatopoeia that has echoed throughout the mind of every writer since the invention of the typewriter. Of course, as I return to regular blog updates after nearly a month away from the keyboard, scenes such as this serve to remind us that the fastest man alive could write and maintain this blog far more quickly and efficiently than I can! (To make up for some lost time, this week's Onomatopoeia comes with a pair bonuses! Enjoy BEEP and WHRRRR, too!)

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #82 (Early October 1993)

Onomatopoeia: SCREEEECCH!

SCREEEECCH!: Here we have a classic piece of onomatopoeia, the high-pitched squeal of a car's wheels grinding against asphalt as it careens out of control at high speed. In this case, the scream has been caused by the scarlet speedster slapping the getaway car's tires! "The rubber will get so old--instantly--that it'll become brittle and shatter!" Next time you happen to hear a similar sort of screech whilst happily motoring, just be glad you're not trying to escape the fastest man alive!

Issue: The Flash #146 (August 1964)

Onomatopoeia: SLAP!

SLAP!: There is an art to onomatopoeia, a poetic blending of the verbal and the visual that is capable of instantaneously conveying great power and emotion. And, like any art form, onomatopoeia has its nuances. Simply presenting the literal term for a given comic book action in a bold font and bright colors would be missing the point completely, of course. There's no doubt about that.

Issue: All-Flash #28 (April-May 1947)

Onomatopoeia: WAAAK, etc.

WAAAK, etc: WAAAK. WOK, WOK, WOK. THOOK. KRUNNCH. These are the brutal, stomach-churning noises of a life-or-death struggle taking place at inhuman speed. Given that no less than five speedsters are engaged in the attack, to an eyewitness of this battle pitting the Flash, Lady Flash, and the Kapitalist Kouriers against the Soviet super-soldier Proletariat, those grim sounds would likely be all that could be discerned of the event. This chaotic panel also goes to show that, despite the necessity for onomatopoeia in comic book storytelling and the inherent fun in such wordplay, you can definitely have too much of a good thing!

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #51 (June 1991)

Onomatopoeia: KRAM!

KRAM!: That curt, clipped, tremendously bold-faced four letter word, accented with a mere exclamation point, used throughout the issue to announce the arrival of the villainous Dreadnought, demonstrates that even the simplest of onomatopoeia can be potent when backed up with appropriately evocative narration. I'll leave the description in the capable hands of Mr. Len Wein: "Thunder in the afternoon--the deafening roar of an awesome machine as it churns its way through the cluttered streets of Central City. This is the Dreadnought--pile-driving juggernaut of crime--which appears from nowhere and vanishes with equal agility--leaving crumbling devastating in its wake--yet no trace of a trail to follow!" There is, without a doubt, a profound poetry inherent to these comic books.

Issue: The Flash #217 (August-September 1972)

Onomatopoeia: BZZ-ZZZ-ZZZ

BZZ-ZZZ-ZZZ: During the Golden Age of comics Jay Garrick, in spite of his astonishing super-speed powers, regularly found himself in some classic pulp scenarios, including this unfortunate incident involving the Three Dimwits and a buzz saw. Just imagine the humiliation of being killed by a cliffhanger cliche. Add this blaring bombilation to the list of distinctive noises that you don't want to hear just before you open your eyes in the morning!

Issue: All-Flash #5 (Summer 1942)

Onomatopoeia: KRA-KAAASSH

KRA-KAAASSH: As the decade wanes, it's only fitting that we end the year with a bang. And what a bang! Apparently, an exploding laser turret will provide a more than sufficient festive pop. So colorful, too! Supervillains, if your own high-tech weapon of mass destruction emits a similar sort of sound, do consult a repairman--and be sure to search your lair for superhero saboteurs!

Issue: The Flash (v.2) #99 (March 1995)

Onomatopoeia: WHROOO

I would like to introduce a few new recurring features here at Crimson Lighting. Though I very much enjoy our weekly Fast Talk feature, poking fun at the pseudoscience that fuels the scarlet speedster's whirlwind adventures, I do feel the need to introduce a bit more variety to our blogging schedule. Like their predecessor, the new features being added to the rotation will simply provide us with an excuse to pore over some classic comic book panels and have some fun with their colorful contents. Thus, today begins Onomatopoeia, spotlighting that often silly, occasionally stunning poetic device that is so intrinsic to the medium. Admittedly, in the realm of comic book blogging this is not the most original of features but it is one that should provide us with plenty of fun. If there's a graphically-rendered sound effect on prominent display in one of the crimson comet's adventures, you'll see it in Onomatopoeia.


WHROOO: Could there be any better example of a sound effect rendered visual to start with? Not dissimilar to the gusting of a sudden wind or the reverberations of a speeding semi, this is a sound with which the citizens of Central City are no doubt intimately familiar, a reassuring resonance that signals their unseen protector is racing into action at super-speed. "A tornado whips through nighttime Central City--but to its law-abiding citizens the racket is music to their ears! They know the Flash is on the move--hunting down law-breakers!"

Issue: The Flash #182 (September 1968)