Grodd is dying, and his only hope begins with reclaiming the Speed Force from the Flash! Seemingly nothing can stand in his way, as he traps all of Central City in a single moment. And, Grodd believes he knows the deepest, darkest secret Barry Allen holds…a secret that he can use to defeat the Flash! This arc is bringing a lot of elements together from the very beginning of Josh Williamson’s run on this series…and it is getting more intense (and amazing) by the page! Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Grodd has been behind Black Hole all along, using them to build up to this fight. Grodd has a brain infection, and feels he cannot survive with full control of the Speedforce. He feels that the Speed Force is his birthright, and he has come to Central City to reclaim it all! While Barry and Grodd battle, Grodd gets farther and farther in to Barry’s brain, distracting Barry, attempting to weaken him emotionally.
And while that goes on, Avery (the Flash of the Justice League of China) and Kid Flash race in to help. They grab the lightning rod that can cause so much trouble, but that doesn’t end the battle. Grodd reveals that darkest secret…
…and that secret is both simple and powerful when you think about it. The secret is…
That Barry believes that he is truly nothing without his powers. Not just nothing…but unwanted, unsuccessful, unlovable…truly and absolutely nothing. Every accomplishment, every person he has saved, was only because of his powers. His father was freed because Barry was able to use his powers to catch his mother’s real killer. His best friends, all made because he has those powers. His life was changed, not just for the better, but to something worth living because of his powers. His hopes and dreams, only possible because of his powers.
…
…
…
…and now those powers are gone!
Grodd is gloating, and drops Barry to certain death…except for a save by the original Wally West! As they rejoin Avery and Kid Flash, Barry has to tell the group that he is no longer the Flash of Central City. Nope, Wally West is!
NOTES:
- Okay, we are really picking up steam here! It looks like we are getting the original Wally West back as THE Flash for at least the immediate future, while Barry begins his journey both to regain his powers and to rebuild his life.
- Grodd has never been so powerful or intimidating as in this run by Joshua Williamson. Bravo on the work with this character!
- The artwork continues to be exceptional, by Carmine Di Giandomenico with colors by Ivan Plascencia. This was amazing work throughout!
- When the secret was told by Grodd, my first reaction was to be a bit underwhelmed, until I realized just how powerful a statement that could be for someone like Barry Allen. This gets us to the core of the character in a way that hasn’t been explored, and sets us up for some really interesting story lines ahead. In the end, it is a truly powerful statement.
SUMMARY:
This is a 10/10 for me – an outstanding issue of THE FLASH! That’s my opinion – what do YOU think? Leave your comments below!