The battle is on and the odds are highly stacked against Barry. Not only is Grodd messing with his mind…Grodd has taken over the minds of both Wallys, along with Avery, August, and Meena! Barry may have learned an important lesson too late, and Grodd may finally have his ultimate victory. What’s a Scarlet Speedster to do? To find out more follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Barry is doing all he can to keep Grodd out of his head. Problem is, Grodd is more directly connected to the Speed Force than ever, and he now controls all the other speedsters as he battles Barry. What brought us to this? Barry’s insistence that only he could stop Grodd, that only with his powers back could he make a difference.
It was in the desperate search for the return of his powers that Barry made that critical mistake, and Grodd has turned that choice against him. Barry deals with the consequences of his choices…and returns to the better qualities in his nature that made him who he is.
Barry will not fight his friends.
He brings the original Wally out of Grodds control for a brief moment, but Grodd regains control and pits all the other speedsters against Barry. They continually beat him down at super speed, but Barry will still not fight his friends.
He has a better plan…finally.
While Grodd chastises Barry for now using his power to heal him, and mocks Barry for not using his speed to gain raw power over the world, Barry has been gathering things. Even through all the beat downs by his friends, he has been gathering things.
He gathered parts to change the frequency of the lightning rod. And for what purpose?
To heal Grodd.
You read that right. Barry decided to heal Grodd. Of course, in doing so Grodd’s connection to the Speed Force is gone, completely gone. Everyone is now free of Grodd’s control. He may have mental powers still, but without that connection to the Speed Force the rest of the speedsters are able to shake off his control.
So, easy win, let’s go home, right?
Not so fast…there is still that nasty little Negative Speed Force out there, and Grodd connects to it in order to exact revenge on all the speedsters. That’s where we leave things, with Central City still in dire danger and Negative Speed Force energy crackling all around!
NOTES: This was an excellent chapter of THE FLASH, bringing Barry back to his better nature. He has at least recognized the harm his earlier actions brought, and has managed to rely on his heart…and his friends…rather than going it alone. As for Grodd? Gorilla Grodd continues to be at his most powerful and intimidating. Josh Williamson has done a terrific job with this very powerful foe.
The artwork was fantastic – the digital effects added to the action without being overdone, and the action was well done throughout the issue. I have become a big fan of Carmine Di Giandomenico’s artwork, and the colors by Ivan Plascencia are amazing.
I’ll give this one a 9/10 – but that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!