Gorilla Warfare is a crossover storyline involving The Flash and Green Lantern. It was written by Gerard Jones and Mark Waid, with illustrations by M.D. Bright and Greg LaRocque, respectively the teams on Green Lantern (Vol. 3) and The Flash (Vol. 2).
Synopsis
In Gorilla City, a small group of gorillas sympathetic to Grodd seem prepared to start a rebellion and overthrow Solovar. Grodd is jailed in the city somewhere and has been playing chess long-distance with Hector Hammond, with whom he shares the origin of his mental powers. After receiving a message from Hammond, Grodd activates a mechanism in one of the chess pieces and commands his sympathizers to rebel. Grodd explains to his followers that he and Hector Hammond received their mental powers when two meteors crashed to Earth near them, and they were affected by the radiation. He reveals that there was a third meteor, and he plans to lead his gorillas to find it so they can take the next step in their evolution and conquer the Earth.
Desperately, Solovar attempts to contact the Flash, who was Barry Allen at the last time they had met. As such, his message goes to the Flash Museum, and not to Wally West, the current Flash. The museum curator tries to get a hold of him, but Wally's busy on a mission. Eventually, they contact the Justice League, and Hal Jordan decides to look into the situation in Barry's honor.
While Wally is unable to respond, he encounters Hector Hammond in Keystone City, who incapacitates him and takes control of his mind. The telepath uses Wally as transportation, overthrowing his mind and forcing the Flash to tow him across the Atlantic to meet his partner in Africa. Upon reaching the continent, Wally stops dead on his feet and yanks Hammond away like a slingshot.
When Hal arrives at the Flash Museum, he is taken to the Bureau of Amplified Animals, where Bobo assigns Hal with a partner - Rex, the Wonder Dog - and sends them to Africa to find the hidden Gorilla City. Later on, Bobo also traveled to Africa just to get away from the walls of his office.
In Africa, Green Lantern and Flash find each other and work together to find the villains. After Hammond and Grodd find the third meteor fragment, the heroes confront them before they could amplify their powers. However, the meteor explodes after a three-way-thug-of-war, and Grodd steals Hammond's evolved mind, leaving Hector in a devolved, neanderthal state. On top of that, the heroes are also affected: Green Lantern becomes an ape-like berzerker, while Wally's brain grows so big he can't move. However, using the telepathic powers he gained thanks to the meteor, Flash reverts the effect, and they return to their human forms.
Back into human forms, Green Lantern and Flash find Gorilla City and confront Grodd, who commands his army of gorillas against them. Hal and Wally lure the gorillas into a trap while Rex engages Grodd. The Wonder Dog finally dampens and devolves Grodd's mind, putting an end to his rampage.
In the aftermath, Green Lantern and Flash part ways and leave Hammond and Grodd in custody in Gorilla City until they find a cure to their child-like minds, but Bobo stays in the city with fellow apes instead of returning to the Bureau.
Issues
- Green Lantern (Volume 3) #30
- The Flash (Volume 2) #69
- Green Lantern (Volume 3) #31
- The Flash (Volume 2) #70
Notes
- This story is dedicated to John Broome, "the dean of Flash and Green Lantern writers."[1]
- This storyline is reprinted in its entirety in The Flash by Mark Waid: Book Two.
Recommended Reading
- The Flash Recommended Reading
- Green Lantern Recommended Reading
- Green Lantern (Volume 1)
- Green Lantern (Volume 2)
- Green Lantern (Volume 3)
- Green Lantern (Volume 4)
- Green Lantern (Volume 5)
- Green Lantern (Volume 6)
- Green Lantern (Volume 7)
- The Green Lantern (Volume 1)
- The Green Lantern: Season Two (Volume 1)
- Green Lantern Corps (Volume 1)
- Green Lantern Corps (Volume 2)
- Green Lantern Corps (Volume 3)
- Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors (Volume 1)
- Green Lantern: New Guardians (Volume 1)
- Green Lanterns (Volume 1)
- Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps (Volume 1)
Links and References
Flash Storyline This event or storyline is specifically related to The Flash, or any of the individual characters who have taken up the Scarlet Speedster mantle. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Flash Storylines category. |
Green Lantern Storyline This event or storyline specifically revolves around the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Green Lantern Storylines category. |