Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong

Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong #1-3

by Jackson Lanzing (Writer), Collin Kelly (Writer), Vasco Georgiev (Illustrator)

Barry Allen is the Fastest Man Alive. Arthur Curry is a child of the land, but a king of the seas. As the Flash and Aquaman they're both trying to navigate their personal relationships and professional lives as superheroes. All the while, a clock is counting down to a collision course with an alien species that threatens to destroy everything they love.

Barry Allen, also known as the scarlet speedster, The Flash, is having a difficult time balancing all the things in his life. From forgotten errands for his family to battling his villainous cast of rogues, Barry's attention is being pulled in all sorts of directions. It's a feeling he shares with the king of the ocean depths, Arthur Curry "Aquaman," who's having the same massive-scale struggles.

As if that wasn't enough, an alien race known only as the Voidsong is inching closer to an invasion of Earth. Who are these mysterious aliens and what do they want with our planet? The Fastest Man Alive and the King of the Seas must embark on a quest to uncover the answers and save the world.

Genres: Dc Comics, Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes

168 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2023

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“My wife is under alien mind control and I’m thinking about Alfred. I really am getting tired.”

The Flash and Aquaman must team up to save the world after a mysterious alien race brainwashes the entire earth while draining its kinetic energy. Flash was in the speed force and Aquaman was in the deepest ravine in the ocean when they struck, meaning these two are the last line of defense to save Earth. And they must now quickly put their differences aside so they can save the people they love most…

Y’know, DC has really been killing it on these Prestige Format series’ this year. This, Superman: Space Age, and the Batman: One Bad Day one-shots have all been pretty amazing books so far. This one is a 3-issue series with each issue being about 56 pages. Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing script the story, while Vasco Georgiev brings it to life in stunning fashion. Rain Beredo also colors the work while Troy Peteri provides lettering.

Anyone who has read my reviews before probably knows I am not a fan of Barry Allen at all. I’m more of a Wally West kinda guy and I haven’t exactly thrilled with how he’s has been treated since Flash: Rebirth. But I actually quite liked Barry in this. And you wanna know why? Because he’s just written like Wally West. LOL. It’s actually crazy and it makes me wonder, why not just use Wally? But whatever, the book is still fun.

Kelly and Lanzing do a pretty good job with the story itself in this one, which makes sense since they both have decent voices for our main heroes here. The whole conflict with the Voidsong is actually well-done too since they do at least feel like unique alien beings, and the final fight with them in the last issue is beyond epic. The exchanges between The Flash and Aquaman here are also genuinely funny, and the duel narrations the writing duo does for them is pretty great. I particularly liked the one in the last issue too, even if Barry starting it off with, “My name is Barry Allen and I’m the fastest man alive”, was unintentionally hilarious.

The art by Georgiev is also good, especially during these epic splash pages or big action scenes. Sadly, it can be quite hard to look at times during the quieter moments, as some of the facial expressions can look a bit odd. The eyebrows in particular look super weird on our heroes' faces, especially the Flash’s because you can see them under his mask. But when the story pulls back and just lets the artist go draw crazy alien shit and big action scenes, it looks great. His layouts are also wild, with the third issue, in particular, having some insane page layouts and splash pages that just have to be seen to be believed. Some may find them crowded, but I thought they all worked well. Rain Beredo’s colors also pop on each page, and I hope to see more from her in the future. She’s a solid colorist but I’ve never seen her work before this.

This is a fun prestige DC book that I’d recommend to any fans of The Flash or Aquaman. Kelly & Lanzing write a stellar story that gives two DC characters a spotlight they really deserve, and artists Georgiev and Beredo bring so much life and energy to the book. I’d recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the characters or the creators involved. This is a fun team-up book that you just can’t go wrong with.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO GOOD OMG!

Okay so some new threat arises and well it makes people pause-d and like they are under alien control, so Barry and Arthur have to team up to stop this threat and I love the way the story explores their friendship and how different they are and then the betrayal and then the revelations of how this threat came to be and the fracture in friendship and then the unity and then the way they stop the threat was so awesome, I freaking loved it! Its so well done here and then the cameos by the league was so awesome, its one of those classic DC series that teams up two characters and then explores their friendship so well and I freaking loved it plus the art is just too good and each page is a marvel to look at! Highly recommending this!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

AKA THE FLASH AND THE SPLASH

Actual panels.

I'm a sucker for an unlikely pair up but this one fell a bit flat for me. The main characters act like they barely know each other, Barry is extra neurotic and Aquaman seems to have reverted to kind of an aloof, Behold the Might of Your King! kind of asshole- these guys write a lot for Marvel, maybe they just wrote him as Wife-Guy Namor?

Anyway, worth spending a lazy summertime hour on but not much else.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voidsong offers more complex storytelling and better character work than some of the recent Aquaman stories I've read, but it's ultimately overly ambitious with its villain. Due to well-explained circumstances, the Flash and Aquaman are Earth's only two heroes to be unaffected when a powerful cosmic entity entwines Earth's populace in a paralyzing choir. The unlikely duo must overcome their failings (Flash = too fast, Aquaman = too gruff) to defeat the entity.

What or who or how the entity is, is never fully explained. Which is unfortunate, because most of the book involves Aquaman and Flash battling tentacles and clouds and computer brains (???) on Earth and in space (and maybe outside of reality?). The setup is good, the payoff is blah. But at least our heroes have compelling reasons to fight the battle (Flash = has to make it back to his fiancee to apologize for being a dick, Aquaman = has to make it back to Mera because love). The art's pretty good too, until the weird, cosmic fight scenes arrive and everything is zippy-zappy speed lines.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
This non-canon story explores how Aquaman and Flash would work together on their own if an alien invasion took out everyone on Earth, including all the heroes. The action works well and the kind of on/off friendship dynamic between them makes for occasional comedy.
I'm not sure why DC singled these two out, other than they aren't part of the "Trinity" (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), but I'd be game for another story with these heroes.
Recommend, but not an essential read.

[Will Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make no mistake, Flash and Aquaman are definitely not written like their usual selves. Barry is written more like the jokester Wally West and Aquaman sounds like a cross between Jason Mamoa and his counterpart from The Brave and The Bold cartoon. But if you can get past that, Voidsong is a surprisingly strong action adventure as two of DC's lower profile superheroes are forced to defend the earth from an alien invasion without the help of the Justice League. Anything beyond that is a pretty big spoiler, so if this sounds fun to you give it a purchase. I had a lot of fun reading this during the holiday.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jackson Lanzing e Collin Kelly são a nova dupla sensação da Marvel e DC Comics, que estão arrebanhando títulos a torto e a direito nas duas editoras em um curto espaço de tempo. Contudo, sem sempre produtividade significa qualidade. E este Aquaman & Flash: Canção do Vazio, é um belo exemplo disso. Tive a sensação de estar lendo um quadrinho ruim do Jeph Loeb, com uma porrada de splash pages duplas, splash pages normais e muito pouco texto, lendo rapidissimamente as cento e sessenta páginas do encadernado. Na trama, o planeta Terra é invadido por uma inteligência alienígena que deixa todos catatônicos, menos Aquaman e Flash por causa de suas habilidades únicas, logo após os dois brigarem com suas respectivas esposas. Este é um quadrinho que não é nada envolvente e que nem dá pra entender muito bem a trama e como os dois super-heróis lutam contra a tal inteligência alienígena. Um dos pontos bons são os desenhos de Vasco Georgiev, que me encantaram bastante. Fora isso, foi um desperdício de publicação e de dinheiro.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid team-up of the Flash and Aquaman. Although I wonder how many Barry Allen comics the writers have actually read. He has Wally West's personality. Barry is also married to Iris in this which hasn't been continuity since he gave his life during Crisis. Those issues aside, this was fine.

The premise is that everyone in the world but the Flash and Aquaman have been taken over by aliens and they all just shout black word bubbles. These two have to learn to work together to stop these black goo aliens from destroying the Earth. I do with the aliens had more form.

The art had very good action sequences and I liked the page layouts. It did fail some in the slower moments. The facial expressions were sometimes odd-looking.

[Viki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fastest man alive and the king of the oceans find themselves in an unlikely team-up with only two of them when Earth receives an alien invasion that leaves everyone and everything frozen and immobile, including every hero on the planet (and on the Watchtower).
Barry Allen and Arthur Curry have to find a way to work together even though they are incredibly different both in the way they think and in the way they look at problems.
Will they be able to?

The reason I immediately got my hands on this book when I saw it is because having Aquaman and The Flash team-up is a brilliant idea in my opinion. They are like oil and water, they absolutely don't mix. Arthur's territory is the ocean, and Barry literally goes everywhere where his feet can take him and that's usually not underwater. So, even if both of them are in the Justice League, I feel like they usually lean toward other members (Barry, being a scientist, is more likely to turn to Bruce or J'onn, while Arthur is the definition of a lonely wolf but I think Diana and Clark are more his cup of tea if he has to choose).

The storyline is perfect for the length of this book, it's not too short, not too long. Interesting enough but not overwhelming - and let's be real, the book is less about the alien invasion and more about how both Arthur and Barry have to take a look at the priorities in their lives, decide what's really important, and they both have to admit their judgment isn't perfect and they do make mistakes.

One thing I find an absolute shame is the way once again DC writers (and editors and whoever else approved the book) decided to give Wally West's whole personality to Barry Allen because the only reason Barry is popular nowadays is having Wally's personality. It's infuriating because I am a Wally West girl, and I think this is also very disrespectful to Barry Allen and his legacy. Barry was The Flash for a very long time, and even though Wally is the Flash in his own title at the moment, DC cannot seem to let him have his time properly (I'm fairly sure there are decision-makers at DC who straight up hate Wally, lol).

Otherwise, this is a very entertaining and funny read (there were amazing moments between Barry and Arthur) with a well-paced storyline, absolutely beautiful art (I owe you my life, Vasco Georgiev), and a really great decision to put these two heroes together.

Writing: ★★★
Characters: ★★★
Art: ★★★★★
Coloring: ★★★★★
Lettering: ★★★★
Entertainment value: ★★★★★

[Jamie Revell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise here is a good one: a mysterious alien force takes over all the people of Earth, but the two title characters are fortunately out of its reach at the time, leaving them as the only ones able to fight back. The focus is on comparing and contrasting the heroes, with their thoughts often displayed side by side to show how they either differ or are more similar than they realise. There's also quite a bit about Mera and Iris, and how important they are to the lives of the male leads, although they're there more as inspiration than as active participants - to be fair, much of the story is just a two-hander with little room for other participants.

In order to work, however, the story has to play up the contrast between the leads, and it does this by making Arthur seem a bit dim, thinking with his muscles while Barry is more flippant - and, arguably, like Wally West rather than himself). Plus, Arthur does get some quite corny dialogue and there's an over-reliance on puns. We're basically getting a buddy story with an exaggerated dislike of the two characters for one another being pushed towards mutual respect through mutual adversity. Again, not a bad idea, but it's arguable how well it fits with what we've seen of them before. (Then again, I don't generally read Justice League comics; maybe they're always bitching about each other and I've just not noticed).

So not without its flaws, but it's fun with an unusual and often interesting enemy. And, if you're after a superhero chalk-and-cheese buddy story... yup, it's certainly got that.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alien invasion paralyzes the entire planet, leaving only the Fastest Man Alive and the King Of The Seven Seas to handle it. But betrayal rocks the duo, and they must put their differences behind them to end the Voidsong once and for all.

I didn't have much in the way of expectations for this series if I'm being honest, but it was a pleasant surprise. The characterisation of both Barry and Arthur rings true, even when they're yelling at each other, and the expanded page count per issue gives us plenty of time with both characters to see how the developments are affecting them both. Aquaman and the Flash aren't two characters you expect to have much in common, but they're much more similar than at first glance, which Kelly and Lanzing dig into nicely.

On art we have Vasco Georgiev, who I've never heard of but will definitely be keeping an eye on. His art's very kinetic, perfect for the Flash especially, and some of the double page spreads are something to behold, and never sacrificing detail in the process.

Voidsong is a little one-off story about two unlikely partners with surprising amounts of depth to both the storytelling and the character work, with some top notch artwork to go with it. Worth a look for sure.

[Athena Stamelou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly very enjoyable. Although, I'm not a big fan of Aquaman, I do love the Flash -Barry most of all. I was hesitant when I became aware of the crossover because I don't think those two characters work well together. They are night and day. But surprisingly, I truly enjoyed this issue. In the end, they balance each other. On top of that, the alien threat is interesting. I can't wait to see them truly work together in the next issue.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of song saves the day?

This was about 90% better than I expected. There were only a couple things that were jarring. Barry Allen is entirely too chipper in this story. His personality is more like Wally West. He's also married(?) to Iris West in this story, something that hasn't happened in DC since before the New 52 reboot.

Bonus: Yet another Justice League member stealing Speed Force? (That's Batman and Aquaman on the list, so far)

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad, but I've been reading a lot of Cosmic DC material lately so I think I may be a little burnt out.

Alien invaders are stealing kinetic energy from the Earth, and everyone on the planet is in a trance and singing a weird alien song. Everyone, that is, but Aquaman and the Flash. It's up to them to save the day, of course.

There's some funny interactions between the two, and also some cool character development. Art's not bad, either. A fun read overall.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great setup and first issue leads into a mid-section that wavers and wobbles as it struggles to up the stakes, before racing to a forgone conclusion with increasingly silly dialogue. Despite its flaws, it was an enjoyable read nonetheless with some cool art and colour work to make it lovely to look at. 3.5 stars.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun! So glad I picked up the galley. It was Better than I expected and a different team up than you normally see in the comics. I laughed out loud at some parts and can’t wait to see the continuation of this.

[ISMOTU · Rating 4 out of 5]

A team up of two of my favourite superheroes though they don’t get together often. Some of the interpersonal conflict didn’t quite ring true to me but it was a beautifully illustrated story with an interesting premise.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusual hero team up but I wanted to give it a try. The two personalities could not be more different and while Barry makes mistakes, so does Arthur with a secret on why the Void comes to Earth. I did like their dynamic after they find similarities.

[Bardo 彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, las personalidades de Flash y Aquaman no me terminaron de convencer. Barry era demasiado bromista y Arthur un poco insufrible. La historia tampoco fue la gran cosa, aunque el último capítulo lo disfruté mucho más que los primeros.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent standalone romp featuring classic versions of its lead characters. Of course, with Barry doing more of the talking, it's hard for this not to feel more like a Flash book, but Aquaman has some great moments as well, particularly near the end.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great self-contained story for someone who doesn’t often read DC (like me).

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the team up and art, the idea was good but it dragged on for three double sized issues.

[Saskia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drift compatible flash and splash

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept, but did not love their antagonistic relationship. Feels like the stakes were high enough without them needing couples counseling.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine buddy story as the two get to know each other. Typical comic story.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book! It had a couple of lines that made me chuckle but the theme of forgiveness there at the end was also good. I loved this unlikely team-up.

[Eric Burroughs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might be a reason Aquaman doesn’t have that many suggested comics. He’s not that compelling.