Any comic that begins with giant apes parachuting into a prison is okay by me. Johns has done a few riffs on this story before, showing off the terrible power and psychosis of Flash's villains as well as the warden who tries to contain them, but instead of feeling overly familiar, this issue feels like it uses those previous patterns to establish that this is something new. I make no secret that Grodd is one of my favorite Flash villains, and Johns is one of the few writers of late who seems to write the character the way I want to see him written. "Run Riot," the return of Grodd to the pages of Flash, is off to an impressive start.
One thing I'll say for Johns, he didn't waste any time with this issue. Within a couple pages, Iron Heights Penitentiary was under siege, both from without and within, and things had gone from status quo to crisis in seconds. Given that the Flash's strengths lie in his speed, I like that Johns has countered that with numerous foes and with foes whose mental state make them hard to predict, even at superspeed. I also like that Wally's narration gives the reader a sense that even he is somewhat afraid of the Rogues, giving us a pretty good indication of how powerful and frightening these villains are.
Scott Kolins and Doug Hazlewood are as much a part of my enjoyment of this book as Johns, and they do a fantastic job here. The two-page spreads, both the paratroop gorillas that open the issue and the long shot of the escaped villains that sort of closes it, are phenomenal. And I thought the work on the battered Iron Heights really showed off the chaos that was going on. In that regard, I must also mention James Sinclair, who manages to convey the change from brightly lit to emergency lighting with ease.
The situation at Iron Heights is one that has been built up in the background ever since the introduction of the prison, and I find Warden Wolfe to be frightening and vicious. However, while he makes an effective foil for Flash, it does seem like his more hard-line activities and power use is becoming a little too flagrant, and I'm starting to wonder why there hasn't been any sort of formal inquiry, perhaps spear-headed by a tip from Wally or Hunter Zylomon.
However, as frightening and cruel as Wolfe is, he pales beside Grodd, and that's conveyed very well in art and writing in this issue. The build-up throughout the issue is that Grodd is everywhere by means of his mental powers, and combining that kind of insidious power with an animalistic personality and drive for power makes him truly frightening. The final page of this issue promises a lot more Grodd in issues to come, and with this creative team, that's never a bad thing, at least where the readers are concerned.
