The Flash, Vol. 3: Gorilla Warfare

The Flash (2011)

by Francis Manapul (Writer, Artist), Brian Buccellato (Writer, Colourist), Marcus To (Artist)

In his hometown of Central City, The Flash--a.k.a. Barry Allen--is constantly deflecting the criminal schemes of his Rogue's Gallery. Money hungry, cunning and powerful, these villains have the Scarlet Speedster running at a pace faster than even the world's fastest man is used to.
But when Gorilla Grodd and his army descend on Central City, The Flash will have to contend with a threat he's not used to: murderous, ruthless and without principle. With mammoth strength and mind-control powers, Grodd will not stop until he conquers the city with its heroes blood on his hands. Knowing full well he cannot defeat this new foe alone, The Flash will have to turn to his former enemies, the Rogues, if he wants to keep himself and Central City alive.

Collecting: The Flash 13-19

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Francis Manapul is a comic book artist living in Toronto, Canada currently working for DC comics. His list of credits include the forthcoming Adventure Comics, and Superman Batman. In the past he's worked on titles like Legion of Super-Heroes, Iron and the Maiden, Necromancer, Sept Guerrieres, Tomb Raider, Darkness, G.I Joe and of course Witchblade.

Photo by Luigi Novi.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, "Red" week was a few weeks ago...



Is there anyone out there that has written a better than average Flash book? One that doesn’t constantly bring up the flarking “Speed Force”? The TV show doesn’t seem to have a problem making this guy entertaining. Why can’t comic book writers?

This one is a New 52 storyline, so I had low expectations going in, but still…

The basic story: Gorilla Grodd and a bunch of his ape cronies crash pod into Central City, so super-simian Grodd can latch onto and steal the full (here we go, fasten your seat belts) speed force from the Flash. The Rogues, after having Flash on the ropes, pitch in and help save Central City. Thanks, guys!

Guess how many times this book’s creators throw in that tired line from Planet of the Apes: “Get your stinkin’ paws off me you damned dirty ape!” One too many.

The second collection of stories involves a couple of wannabe superheroes that have new found abilities they acquired from spending time in - I know this will shock you - the Speed Force.

The Speed Force is an over-arching pseudo-sci-fi mumbo jumbo that DC has used countless times to explain away Flash’s abilities and create, hopefully (not holding my breath) a finite amount of stories.

Move along people, there’s nothing new to see here.

Defining moment: The Trickster, in an effort to suck up to Grodd, offers to show him around Central City, because he knows the city like the “back of his hand.” Grodd rips off the Trickster’s arm just to check out the back of Trickster’s hand. Any more potential brown nosers? Didn't think so.

Bottom Line: More forgettable New 52 comics from DC.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this story mostly. I don't like Grodd and all the apes, but I do like the Rogues more and more and they make this story for me. I hope Grodd never comes back. I don't know why he is considered such a villain for Flash, but he's a stupid villain.

The Speed Force has some weird rules really. We also get a glimpse into the Reverse Flash going to be joining us. I hope it's going to be a good story line. I don't know who this Trickster is, but he could be interesting. I'm interested in where the story is going. I am also curious what the Rogues are going to do under Lisa. It seems obvious she has take over for the moment.

There is plenty of speed and action here, not all good, but mostly entertaining. I'm enjoying this. I ordered up the next volume.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's nice about this volume is that each issue is closely knit together and make for a decent story that continuously moves forward. The downside is the denouement to each conflict and obstacle in this volume. Way too easy and clean.

Most of this story focuses on a full-scale talking gorilla invasion, and that puts Gorilla Grodd at the center of all the destruction. It was really interesting to see Grodd mysteriously arrive out of the blue and crash into The Flash's life like thunder. His newfound powers also make him much more chaotic, but the introduction of Solavar made the story so much more intriguing. It was nice to see Barry use his Speed Mind to try and figure out the best course of action to try and survive this ordeal, but the resolution regarding Grodd was truly unsatisfying.

The last two issues however shifts the attention onto the individuals who were trapped in the Speed Force and their newly found powers. This two-part murder mystery with an obvious answer to who the real culprit was ultimately tried to tackle on the theme of superheroes and explored what it was to be one, with or without powers.

By the end of this volume we find ourselves with two new sub-plots that could be explored in the near future. One regarding the Rogues and their reward by the end of the Gorilla City invasion (did I mention that they switched up their villain mantles to be heroes for a day?), and two regarding the arrival on a new villain who might prove to be Flash's greatest challenge yet.

Artwork continues to be nice and original, and honestly, anything else would've just felt odd to what Francis Manapul successfully introduced in his run. What this Flash series needs is just a more clever and deep dialogue/writing (sort of like what the first volume had, and less of the cheesy and obvious stuff the latter volumes have) and this series could easily find itself in front of great volume.



Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorilla Warfare is a strange third volume.

In large part a "smash 'em up" in which King Grodd and his army invade Central City, Manapul and Buccellato also philosophize evolution and briefly posit what it would be like for another species to assume superiority. Balance this with the Rogues, the Speed Force, and an introduction to Wally Joe Daniel West as the Reverse Flash and you have Volume 3.

While exciting and layered, the book and story arc feel much longer than needed. It's practically an "event" with its drama and page count. And maybe that's the point. The first two volumes lead to this climax and here it plays out. It's also the writing style. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato like several running plots and that takes page time to balance, develop and conclude. I'm not sure the gorilla invasion combined with these other plots could be squeezed into 120 pages. And maybe that's why it's so long, because there's so much going on.



It doesn't feel crowded or overwritten. In fact the story is great. It just takes a conscious effort to keep the plots running side by side in my head. And that's fine. Complexity is good. Maybe it's just that whenever the Flash gets involved in an event or crisis my ears start to bleed. I'm happy, but my brain hurts.

As usual, Manapul's illustrations and Buccellato's colors are unstoppable. I've been contemplating buying the new Flash omnibus and I'm going to bite. Because this artwork, vivid and bold and often lost in the gutter, will be so beautiful in oversized format.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fight against King Grodd and details about the SpeedForce were the best parts. There are some other stories in here that are more lacking. Dialogue is on the nose too often and stating things happening that readers can see in the artwork.

OVERALL GRADE: B minus.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great read!

Barry must fight Gorilla grodd and hs invasion fleet and we see the prophecy Grodd believes in about how he is destined for Speed force and well he wants to take that from Barry and his gorillas are attacking Central city and we have Barry fight off that and try to stop him there and even the Rogues help them and we see a heroic effort from them and I love how the whole thing turns up and its an amazing read, the way all those stories are weaved together and Turbine and Patty and whatever is happening with Iris and the way it all connects is amazing and makes for an epic showdown between the ape and the fastest man alive. Plus the art panels by Manapaul is awesome and I love how he shows speed force panels and breaking down past and present and its very creative for sure.

Plus that last story involving the Trickster and how some Outlander nation come in to aid him and how it involves other people who were stuck in speed force and Iris and all and Barry coming to the rescue was awesome and enter another villain for the next arc: REVERSE-FLASH!

Its awesome how the writer weaves together all the stories in a way that it feels coherent but also feels like one unique story and set up for another. Already becoming one of my fav flash runs ever. A must recommend.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay better than the first two volumes.

Then why the same rating? Well this is a solid 3, the others were 2.5.

.5? THAT'S THE BIG DIFFERENCE ?

Yes. I have to be honest, so far, The Flash has been just okay at best. The best part is easily the art, which looks fantastic in action. I love the way Barry moves, attacks, and the effects all look stunning. This also feels better put together. We start with King Grodd taking over, and it's interesting, until it's not. Which is right around the second issue.

After Grodd storyline we get to see how the ones stuck in the Speedforce are gaining their new powers. This is a lot more fun, villain of the week type story, and I had fun with it. Also the cliffhanger actually made me want to read the next volume. More than I could say about the previous volumes.

So keep running flash, get a little bit better, I know you have it in you.

I hope...

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a great volume of the Flash here. The gorilla assault on Central City lasted just a bit too long, and there seem to be a number of subplots that go on and on.

Never been a big Grodd fan, and tying him into the Speed Force just seems odd to me.

I liked the new heroes, and the Rogues were entertaining, but one of the newly powered beings does something that seemed random and came out of nowhere.

The art is good when Manapul draws but the fill-ins were only fair.

I am looking forward to Reverse Flash in the next volume.

Re-read 2017

Read a lot better this time.

[max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! I think The Flash teaming up with the Rogues is my new favorite thing. Also, cocky Flash is fun Flash. ;)

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK. There's just too much Grodd here.
At the end of Vol. 2 Grodd shows up with his people in Central City, and for the majority of Vol. 3, Flash teams up with the Rogues to fight them off.
Best parts: When Trickster goes to Grodd to offer his help, and Grodd rips his arm clean off. I laughed a lot. (I'm a sicko).
Iris. They remembered that oops, Vol. 1 kinda threw her somewhere...what did we do with her again? She's a major character! I know, Speed Force limbo Zone.

Bad Parts: did I mention Gorillas? Yup.

So once Barry figures out how to defeat the baddies, it sets up yet another new power for Flash (apparently in the Speed Force Limbo Zone, he's King, and no one can take him).

The last couple issues deal with the people who were stuck in limbo, and they accidentally acquire powers. (there's some borderline racist stuff with an Asian kid, who's always in Yellow and his eyes go Yellow too. No shit, I kid you not!).

The most intriguing part of the whole book though, is who shows up at the very end....nope, not gonna spoil it.

And once again, the art is the selling feature of this book. But the story just doesn't do much for me, but that's OK, I think it's a great book if aimed at teens. There's not enough they can safely read in the Graphic Novel world, but this seems good without seeming to be directly written for 13yr olds.

Read if you like but all you need to know is: Gorillas bad, Flash good, Iris West alive.

[David Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I might be generous with my 4 stars. But I am a huge mark for Gorilla Grodd. One of my all-time favorite DC villains. The story itself was all over the place, the art-work pretty good and any-time you get the rogues to team up with the Flash…..it’s going to have me drooling like a starved man at an all you can eat buffet.

::::::::SPOILERS:::::::::
the scene where Gorilla Grodd rips Trickster's arm off.....freaking epic!

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a high-energy, fast paced collection. This has been a consistent series for the new 52, let's hope that doesn't change.

4/5

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good volume. Worth a read. I like King Grood as a villain.

[Pinkerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una cosa bisogna dirla su Gorilla Grodd, no, non che è una montagna di potenza selvaggia, un egoista fanatico con una mente crudele e che si pappa il cervello degli avversari… ma che quando spadroneggia su Central City, lo fa con stile :D

Deludenti invece Trickster e gli incidenti dovuti alla Forza della Velocità.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember if this New 52 series is a re-read for me...so probably not.
However I am enjoying it more than the current comic Wally West version of The Flash.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume basically suffers from the same problems than the previous one. Nice storytelling per se impeded by a poor overall narration, awkward at best, unclear if push comes to shove.

The Grood part is the best of the 2 stories included, even though I won’t say I was much interested in it. I spent too much time struggling with the narration to really enjoy the story. Here are the best best examples of Manapul’s art/storytelling though.
The second part with the Trickster was boring as hell, a poor man’s « Die Hard » with a corny twist at the end. Confused and totally uninteresting.

As for the Reverse-Flash brief appearance, the difference between Manapul and the fill-in artists prevented me to clearly identify some protagonists (is this guy really X or is it just poor drawing ?).

When it comes down to that, it’s time to close the book.

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved both halves of this book. The first half for the art, the 2nd for the immersive story. As for the first half, the splash pages were abundant, but as a fan of Gorilla Grodd, I was disappointed how his role was written, he was just too physically threatening, and I didn't like how easily he was defeated, but hey, I'm sure we'll see more of him in the future volumes. The 2nd half of the book was written by Buccaleto mostly, and the story really emphasized on the Flash's powers and it was a bit more wordy than the fist few chapters. This series gets better and better with each volume and in my opinion, it is the best of the new 52.

[Charlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragged a little, but with good artwork and dialogue. Got a chuckle out of the Dial H reference, but since it wasn't notated, it's not noticeable unless you've read both. Also like how this explains Flash's absence in the whole "Throne of Atlantis" arc elsewhere in DCland. Flash continues to stand out against other darker New 52 titles by being about superheroes and supervillains, and not trying to be gritty and edgy.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A showdown with Gorilla Grodd and the Rogues teaming up with Flash is a highlight here. Back to more Manapul art is a plus for sure. Hints are thrown in suggesting the fate of Dr. Elias. The series is building steadily to the payoff when the writers will finish their arc. The art in this book has been some of the most kinetic and beautiful I've seen in a long time, and Manapul will be sorely missed.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

Barry fights Grodd with help from the Rogues.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ricky Ganci · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) Messrs. Manapul and Buccellato bring this first set of New 52 story arcs to a satisfying and thorough close in The Flash, Vol. 3: Gorilla Warfare , which picks up immediately following the arrival of Gorilla Grodd and his invasion force to Central City in search of the Scarlet Speedster and his connection to the Speed Force itself.

STORY AND SCRIPT
In my review of Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution , I talked about all of the plot threads that the creative team had snowballed into the current gorilla-filled predicament. In Vol. 3 , Manapul and Buccellato wrap all of them up evenly and satisfyingly. All plots are touched by Barry's showdown with Grodd: the new Rogues and their new superpowered status; Iris West and others' internment inside the Speed Force; Barry's outstanding status as "dead"; and, of course, the connection to the citizens of Gorilla City.

The first five issues of this collection tell the five-part "Gorilla Warfare" story arc that treats all of these threads with some attention--the battles are well-paced, the dialogue that needs to happen does, and when it becomes necessary for the storytellers to change the scene, the transitions are clear. When all of the plots come together, they do so in a huge finale that in no way disappoints, and the conclusion here takes The Flash as an ongoing comic book to its highest point that it has in the New 52.

A brief, two-issue arc concludes the volume, telling a interesting story about the Trickster and his alleged murder of a security guard, and while it's not anything close to the scale of the previous eighteen issues, it doesn't have to be, as we get a peek of where we're going next and it looks excellent.

PENCILS AND ARTWORK
Manapul's watercolor-style artwork is still some of the best in the New 52. It stands out in its stylish uniqueness, and it fits the book perfectly. What really stands out most from this collection was the paneling through the middle of the volume, as the experience of the Flash at that particular moment is somewhat abstract, and as Barry is narrating at that point, it might have been hard to get a sense of that scene's role in advancing the story were it not for the shape of the panels in which the sequence takes place. It's a striking moment in the story, and while it offers the reader the same quality artwork that he or she expects from the rockstar creative team, it's a striking approach to that part of the story and a great moment for the entire series.

BACKLOG PRIORITY
9/10 - The Flash has been one of the most consistently excellent books in the New 52, and after making a lot of promises in the first year of the book, Manapul and Buccellato deliver on all of them, wrapping up a year's worth of plot points in a great five-issue arc that takes the series to its highest point yet.

Read this and a bunch of other awesome reviews of comics, books, TV shows, and video games over at The Unending Backlog : http://unendingbacklog.wordpress.com/

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome fun! Wonderful art (when Manapul and Buccellatto are drawing)! A somewhat poorly paced arc but man it was fun!

This is the third arc and TPB for the New 52 Flash done by the creative team of Manapul and Buccellato. Having read the previous two TPBs I came into this hoping that 1) the art would stay as amazing 2) the tone would be just as fun and 3) some of the pacing and story issues would be resolved. 1-2 happened, 3 is the same:

World: I can't talk about the World without talking about the art, AMAZING! Manapul and Buccellato have quickly become one of my favorite artist teams and if you look at the pages you will see why. The Gem cities and the people in it are realized in such a colorful and FLASHy manner (see what I did there :P). Panels, and color just pop and display the world of Flash in such a colorful manner that sometimes it is enough just to enjoy the art. The writing in terms of world building is also very strong with interesting premises and characters and environments. The one thing that has been a problem with the series and it also bleeds into the art is the choppy pacing of the story. It's still amazing but sometimes I wish the Flash team would slow down and concentrate on certain story and world aspects instead of speeding by so quickly.

Story: Gorilla Warfare is fun, unexpected, and all over the place in pacing. The first thing you notice when you read it is that it suddenly just happens. In the last TPB we were dealing with the Rogues (which was super fun) and suddenly Grodd just shows up and literally wrecks havoc, not only on the Gem cities but the story and pacing. It is a fun story to read but it just seems out of place in terms of pacing. Additionally there is a bit of a lull in the middle of the arc that could have been pared down and edited to make the story brisker. I know I've been saying that sometimes Manapul and Buccallato focus too much on the art and not so much on the pacing of the story, but in this case there were instances where they lingered far too long on a certain story point. What I want to say in the end is that the pacing and structure of the story is a bit off. It's super fun, but off. Oh and the art is amazing but I already said many times above so I won't go into how the art serves the story so well. Good but flawed stuff!

Characters: A lot of action in this arc and as a result there are not as many scenes where character development is the priority. The characters that have been established through issues 1-12 go through their paces and do not really develop. This arc is all action and finally payoff for a year's worth of building for some story threads so yeah characterization and development were left in the dust. I will still say that Patty Spivot is the best character they have created to date. I love her to bits.

Fun and more of the same, stories that have been developing for a year finally get the payoff. Not a lot of character development and a whole heck of a lot of action. A pit of a lull in the middle and the now common pacing issues with the Flash book. But other than that it's a super fun ride and the art is absolutely gorgeous.

Onward to the next book!

[ScarlettMi · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a little too much time spent on Grodd, who I don't really find that interesting. I suppose that's to be expected with the volume titled "Gorilla Warfare" but I could have done with less.

The art was great as usual. Unique layouts and a great use of color.

The story, however, fell flat for me. The whole thing felt like it had slowed down and was in a holding pattern waiting to really take off in the next volume with the storylines it seeded here. At least I hope that's the case.

A perfectly okay entry in The Flash series but nothing that's got me excited in the way the first volume grabbed my interest.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like this series because it's just a traditional superhero take on the Flash, has a fun group of villains and likable art, but the writing just isn't there. The plot is all over the place, the Rogues aren't as threatening as the should be, even with super powers and as much as I like the art itself the paneling is a mess and makes it hard to follow. Also, I like Grodd well enough but Gorilla City has never done anything for me and them invading Central City isn't something I want to spend six issues on.

[Richard Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorilla Warfare really picks up the pace / action and gives the Flash a really good adversary to overcome. The New 52 version of Gorilla Grodd appears to have some connection to the Speed Force and can move super fast at times. Which seems to be an improvement - the old Grodd was a formidable telepath but ultimately The Flash could pummel him a few thousand times and he would drop. The Rogues are enlisted to help The Flash fight the Gorilla Invasion of Central City and that is a lot of fun.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun book, not doing anything radically new with the character but good all the same. Manapul's art is awesome if the layout is occasionally hard to follow, the plot was good and ended on a great cliffhanger. Manapul is obviously trying to channel some Eisner/Miller influence in some of his panel work. Good stuff.

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'aime beaucoup cette série ! C'est très beau, et j'aime bien les intrigues. Ce volume ne fait pas exception. Surtout qu'on a un team-up Flash / Rogues !! J'adore les Rogues, surtout Cold, et c'était super cool de les voir coopérer avec Flash pour sauver la ville des gorilles. J'aime les histoires de team-up avec des vilains.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining collection as Flash and his adversaries team up against Gorilla Grodd, though the latter's origin here is weird (he believes the speed force should rightfully be his). And I could do without Geoff Johns' reboot of the Trickster, who's purely annoying. Overall, though, a good job.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good collection. The Grodd story was a little too long and not always compelling. At times it felt cartoony. I do love the Rogues. I think they are one of the best collection of villains ever.