One Man Versus A Bunch Of Gorillas — Reviewing ‘The Flash’ #34

Flashes are no strangers to mucking about with the Speed Force and time, but normally they deal with the past. The future is a different thing. Now Wally West might have something to look forward to as the new “Flashes of Insight” become an interesting experiment.

Predictive measures are taken in The Flash #34, the latest chapter in the new series run from Ryan North, Gavin Guidry, Adriano Lucas, and Buddy Beaudoin.

Here we are, with me still greatly enjoying and, dare I say it this early, loving a Flash-centric series. What a time it is.

Visually, this has everything going for it. With the current story line of the “flashes of insight” and what those allow, Guidry is really cutting loose. He digs into the strange science fiction elements that the speed force, a Gorilla city, and more can provide. Every panel feels charged, so full of life and dense kinetic details that might burst off the pages at any moment.

Hell, just the “choose your own adventure” style sequence with Gorilla Grodd and the Flash sells this issue. Because the Flash is a character’s whose whole thing is going fast, it takes the right mindset and ability to make that dynamic and feel authentic on the page. As authentic as a man running faster than than anything else can be, of course. Each month, Guidry makes you believe a man can run super fast and everything else that we’re graced with in these issues rings true.

Adding to that whole affair is how bright, shiny, powerful, and dynamic the color palette is, as it goes beat for beat. I expect no less from Lucas, whose colors are so perfectly attuned to superhero spaces and creating atmosphere with such ease. So many of those colors are kept at a lower key in tone to give them the authority of bring more natural to the eye. Which, naturally, allows the color tones which are more audacious and bright to stand out even more in the process.

A lot of dialogue, thought, and explanation must come to the forefront with this particular story hook. Especially since this issue is both a superhero moment but also a big giant comic book science nerd moment. Not a single bit of it ever slows down the pace, speed, or visual perusal of the issue thanks to the placement and power that Beaudoin gives them. Almost rapid fire, Wally’s captioned thoughts bounce around and give us plentiful insight into the character and the moment.

Some of them are longer, while others are more rapid-fire; straight to a simple point.

In addition, the dialogue has powerful visual punches the whole way through. Utilizing the space to go wild with modifications from big shouty text to bolds to bubbles that shift and morph to best meet the flavor of the words.

Much like his work at the competitor, North really understood the assignment with this character. He digs into the science fiction and strangeness that are pretty much baked into the character and his whole gimmick. We get reminded that Wally isn’t just the funny guy running, but has smarts that he utilizes as well.

Having the hero keep trying to use and understand the future flashes through trial and error? That’s a chef’s kiss type of moment, both from the aspect of loving science and the process but also showing how heroes are not always correct in their choices. Wally gets to live out multiple versions of this attempt, some of them more disastrous than others. Shout out laugh to the bit about going too far back and stepping on butterflies references.

Ending with another Rogue coming into play is also a great beat. This arc shifting focus, while keeping the future vision as the anchor point, is such an appealing pitch. It gives North space to really dig into the Flash’s world and figures in a way that is organic through and through.

The Flash #34 is now available from DC Comics.