The Flash, Volume 2: Rogues Revolution (Review)

The second volume of The Flash, titled Rogues Revolution, picks up right where the first ends, with our titular hero quite literally dropped into the middle of things. From the jump, we are introduced to Grodd, a classic Flash villain who also happens to be a massive, super-intelligent Gorilla. Think bigger, meaner, angrier Caesar from the reimagined Planet of the Apes trilogy and throw in some superpowers, and you're well on your way to understanding Grodd.

The Flash: Rogues Revolution

The first part of the book is dedicated to exploring Grodd and his kingdom, Gorilla City (comics are not known for their subtlety). And, for my money, this is some of the most interesting stuff in the volume. Manapul and Buccellato do a good job here of tapping into the Flash's mythic potential. As the newly-crowned king of Gorilla City, Grodd sees Flash as a threat to his rule, but the city's elders recognize him as a long-prophesied "messenger." It's worth noting that Hermes, the Greek god with remarkable speed due to his golden sandals, to whom Flash bears more than a passing resemblance, was known as the "messenger" of the ancient gods—the analogue is unmistakable. A lot of tantalizing clues are dropped in this section, but it's not long before the story zips back to Central City.

Once leaving Grodd behind, the book turns to focus primarily on another group of villains, known as the Rogues. The character that sees the most development here is Leonard Snart, the iconic, if somewhat underrated, Captain Cold. Like Grodd, Snart is reimagined in some interesting ways, and that reimagining lays the groundwork for the heart of the story this time around. Formerly a kind of leader of the Rogues, Snart has been ousted and replaced by a mysterious and beautiful entity called Glider.

The writers do a good job of building up sympathy for Snart, showing him to be a mostly honorable man who's just made some bad choices in life and is now paying for his sins. He no longer comes across as a bargain bin Mr. Freeze, but as a living, breathing character with his own agenda. When he finally shows up to help the Flash in the fight against his former allies, it's pretty exhilarating to see these two enemies on the same side. This kind of subversive storytelling so early on in their run demonstrates the creators' resolve to do something truly unique and not tread on ground previously covered by earlier writers. Like the previous volume, Rogues Revolution ends on a cliffhanger that is absolutely bonkers, with Grodd and his army raining into Central City seeking revenge. This is the kind of wild and offbeat storytelling that only the unique medium of comic books can really do well, neither taking itself too seriously nor sacrificing the integrity of beloved characters.

The art by Manapul and Buccellato remains a standout on this title. The few sections of the book containing art by Marcus To and Ray McCarthy are a little jarring to come across at first. That's not to say this art is bad—it certainly isn't—only that it's categorically different from what we have grown accustomed to. It's not uncommon for comic books to rotate writers and artists, if only to give consistent workers a bit of a break from having to produce content on a crunched schedule. But when the art has been as defining as it has been here, to deviate from that creates a certain amount of subtle dissonance in the flow of the narrative. But, this is a minor qualm with an otherwise gorgeous book. Rogues Revolution is a fun, fleet continuation and another win for Manapul and Buccellato as they carry on writing and drawing their definitive work on the Flash.