The Flash #23.1
Written By: Brian Buccellato Art By: Chris BatistaThe Flash #23.1 breaks the mold of many other Villains Month issues thus far, by setting the entire story in the present. Gorilla Grodd is showcased, in a story that for the most part, hits the same note over and over. It’s cool to see Gorillas attack each other, but it really adds nothing to the event or development of the characters.
A fun prospect for Forever Evil is the “replacement heroes” that will rise up to take down the villains. Solivar is hinted at as a glimmer of hope for Keystone City, and even more brief is Pied Piper. Pied Piper is literally knocked aside in one panel, never to be seen again in the issue. Is that all Keystone and Central City have to offer?
The battle between the Gorillas misses a lot of drama between the brethren, save for Solivar and Grodd. Every faceless Gorilla City citizen sides with Solivar, so there is no schism or sense of tension.
Batista draws some awesome pages that really stage Grodd as a fearsome threat. The full-page reveal of Grodd harnessing the speed force is a menacing visual, and the lettering for “Do you stand with me now?” carries the gravitas of his ultimatum.
The Flash #23.1 is a daring story with the bleak position it leaves Keystone and Central City, but a lot of what happens could be inferred from the events of Forever Evil #1. Save for the final page, the events of the comic carry as you’d expect, and don’t have enough of a resistance against Grodd’s rule.
