The Flash #192
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Scott Kolins and Doug Hazelwood
I need to level with you, dear reader. I've been saving a lot of money on DC comics thanks to the CW. Both Arrow and The Flash give me that superhero fix I still need as an adult, and unlike the Marvel cinematic universe, do so on a weekly basis. Of the two, I've been more drawn to the Flash because it embraces its superhero roots while Arrow is still being dragged out of the grim and grittiness all vigilantes are drenched in post-Nolan Batman.
My love for the Flash character and excitement for the series stems from the Geoff Johns run on the comic. Johns did a solid couple of years on the book, bringing the Flash's rogues back to prominence and sorting out all the little continuity glitches and snafus (and creating new ones to be sure). His work in the world of the Flash got me into the character more than I'd ever been. Wally West showed up in Morrison's JLA, but prior to reading Johns' Flash, I'd never felt particularly compelled to check out Keystone City for myself.
That's right . . . Keystone City, not Central. And we're talking about Wally here, not Barry. I could go into the differences between "eras" of the Flash and who wore the mantle when and whatnot, but all you really need to know is that Wally was Barry's sidekick, Barry died saving the Earth, and Wally eased into the role of main protagonist. Heck, all you REALLY need to know is that the Flash is a dude who runs fast and occasionally he has to deal with a psychic gorilla warlord.
Like in this issue! Flash #192 is the start of the three-part Run Riot story, where Grodd psychically commands a group of armed gorillas to break into Iron Heights and set him free. Other inmates get loose, chaos ensues, and by the end of it one of Wally's allies (Hunter Zolomon) will have tragedy befall him. That last bit doesn't happen in this issue, but yeah, in case you're wondering, this is the arc where criminal profiler Hunter Zolomon is crippled and holds Wally responsible, leading to the birth of a new Reverse Flash.
This all involves the Cosmic Treadmill of course. Hmm . . . maybe I should revise my earlier statement . . .
Okay, all you REALLY REALLY need to know is the Flash is a guy who runs fast, occasionally fights a psychic gorilla, and has access to a treadmill that can travel in time if he runs on it fast enough. This would all sound pretty ridiculous, even just to type, if not for the fact that most of this has already been introduced on the Flash CW show.
Anyway, this issue is a pretty standard "part one of three" where Johns builds up to Grodd getting free from his cell. There are cameos by most of the then-relevant Rogues, the metahuman warden of Iron Heights named Wolfe, and Wally's wifey Linda.
They were expecting a child back then. Isn't that cute? Just try not to think about the Flash twins and the malarky that happened when Mark Waid made his return to the Flash after Johns finished his run. Those babies should've stayed in that womb. Linda could be perpetually pregnant, like Bonnie from Family Guy.
Not a bad grab, but after re-reading Johns DC stuff at the time recently, I'd say his stronger material would show up in books like Action Comics and JSA. Still, Johns built a rep at the time as Mr. Fix-It for convoluted characters, and you can see why. He breezes through character histories with dialogue that could be a lot more stilted. He makes it look easy, damn him.
Just like The Flash.
Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @ChrisBComics
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