Writer: Geoff Johns Artists: Scott Kolins (p), Doug Hazelwood (i)
Publisher: DC
Plot: As a company called the Cage Factory arrives in Keystone City with its new containment technology, we see the first display of their wares is a transport truck capable of bringing the super powerful Gorilla Grodd to Iron Heights. However, when this prison of wheels is secretly sabotaged by the new Rogues Gallery, we see Gorilla Grodd is able to escape, and enraged by his captivity, Grodd is on the warpath. As Grodd tears a path of destruction through Keystone City, we see the Flash is far too busy saving the lives of the people endangered by Grodd's actions to concentrate on stopping Grodd. However, after evacuating a collapsing building, the Flash is able to bring down Grodd in a flash. However, we see that Grodd's rampage has left a lasting impact on Keystone City. We also see that a member of the book's supporting cast confesses to a truly horrific crime, and that he's taken into custody.
Comments: In a weird bit of useless knowledge that I thought I'd share with you, I had just finished watching the 1949 version of the film "Mighty Joe Young" (a delightful film that I highly recommend, in case you were wondering), before I sat down to read this issue. The parallels between that film, and this comic were quite striking, with Joe's drunken rampage in the nightclub being the most noticeable example. Gorilla Grodd is one of the more bizarre creations to emerge out of DC's Silver Age, but he's also one of the few that has been successfully transplanted into the modern era, as I have no trouble accepting the idea of a talking gorilla who uses telepathic powers to attack his enemies. This issue Geoff Johns plays Gorilla Grodd deadly serious, as we see him lash out ay humanity with a viciousness that sends chills down the spine, especially in light of recent events. A very unsettling, but highly engaging issue, that makes great use of Grodd.
While Grodd's horrific rampage will capture the attentions of most readers who come across this issue, it's the secondary details that attract me to this material. I mean, first off the role that the new Rogues Gallery play in Grodd's escape is a clever twist, and it had me wondering if union boss Goldface is working with them, as he certainly benefited from their actions in this issue. Second, I love the role that Goldface plays in this book, as he plays an almost Jimmy Hoffa clone, and this further reinforces the blue collar mood that Geoff Johns has infused this book with. Third, I guess I should also mention our hero, as while Geoff Johns hasn't really touched Wally's highly likable personality, he has made highly inventive strides in how he portrays Wally's powers in use, whether it's showing Wally evacuating a collapsing building, or the quick manner Wally takes down Grodd when he puts his mind to it.
Scott Kolins deserves just as much credit for this book's latest creative upswing, as before his arrival on the title I wasn't overly impressed by the material, but now everything Geoff Johns delivers seems to be coming up roses. Take this issue. Now on the surface it's basically Gorilla Grodd going on a rampage in the middle of Keystone City. It's an exciting idea for sure, but in the hands of Scott Kolins it becomes a genuine masterpiece of destruction & mayhem. I mean in my decades of comic reading I've seen hundreds of rampages in the middle of a city, I've seen the cars, trucks & the buses tossed about like toys, and the buildings reduced to rubble. However, this issue is one of the first times an artist has delivers such a powerful final image where we see the aftermath of this rampage upon the city, and if that final double-page spread doesn't send a chill down your spine then you must've been living in a cave for the past couple weeks.
Final Word: A rather chilling issue in light of recent events, as Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins turn in an issue that was designed to play up the threat potential of Gorilla Grodd, and end up with an issue with a truly disturbing link to real world events. Oh, I realize that this issue was finished before the events in America, and that any links I'm making are purely coincidental, but still this issue's big message about how a destructive rampage in the middle of a city, can & does have a lasting impact on that city is given even greater weight in my mind. With this said, I also understand the difference between fiction & reality, and while I can't help but see the line blurred a bit on this issue, I did find this issue entertaining, which is a label I would never attached to the real events, and there in lies the difference.
