Absolute Flash #1 is written by Jeff Lemire and published by DC. Artwork and main cover (left) are by Nick Robles, colours by Adriano Lucas and letters by Tom Napolitano.
Absolute Flash #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Without the mentor…without the family…without the Speed Force, what’s left is the Absolute Scarlet Speedster!
Review
This week we have not one but two Absolute releases from DC. As the publisher looks to expand its roster of Absolute books we’re meeting the first Justice League member outside of the classic trinity. Can the introduction of Wally West continue DC’s winning streak as it looks to flesh out this new Earth?
Writer Jeff Lemire has a proven track record of excellent character work on books like Sweet Tooth. But if you’ve read Lemire’s work on Justice League Unlimited then you also know he’s capable of some seriously high stakes action. Absolute Flash is easily the best of both worlds. Absolute Flash #1 boasts the beginnings of a huge emotional arc in Wally’s home life anchored by his relationship with his father. All unravelling in the midst of a huge story which puts classic sci-fi elements of The Flash front and centre where they belong.
Lemire knows how to grab his reader, capitalising on Nick Robles and Adriano Lucas’ energetic artwork. Seeing the powered up Wally struggling, almost coming apart on the page, is beyond compelling. All is not well and that immediately puts Absolute Flash in lock-step with the ethos of this entire line of books. As with Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman we’re parachuted in to a pseudo-origin story which affords Lemire chance to explore who Wally is. But saves the audience from retreading the usual tropes of a new issue #1.
Stepping back in time two days, Absolute Flash #1 does an impressive job of brining us in to Wally’s world. Those familiar with the character will find Lemire hasn’t sacrificed the core who Wally is. It’s always a concern going in to an Elseworlds-style story that not enough of the character remains in tact. That is absolutely not the case here. Lemire’s Wally isn’t a pseudo-Barry, thanks in no small part of the first Flash’s role in the supporting cast. Though he is only fifteen there is plenty to reflect the family man Wally is over in the pages of the main Flash book.
Lemire quickly sets up Wally as a military brat. Whilst he struggles to connect with his widowed father, Wally has been dragged across the country from base to base. Currently residing at Fort Fox, Wally has seemingly no friends of his own age. Instead his only human connection seems to be with base researcher Barry Allen. Meanwhile his time is spent escaping and generally getting in to trouble. All of those key aspects of his life are touched on efficiently to build a picture of who he is.
Meanwhile we quickly learn that presumably after gaining his powers there’s now a group of familiar faces after Wally. Lemire brilliantly introduces the classic Flash rogues in to the Absolute universe with Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang leading the charge. There’s not a lot of time to dig in to their individual characters. But Lemire is certainly laying the groundwork for another Absolute book which puts a spin on plenty of its title character’s classic elements beyond just the name.
I want to choose my next words carefully. Leading us out of Absolute Flash #1 there’s more than an abundance of mystery being setup. Whilst there’s not a lot of time to dig in to how Wally gets his powers we certainly see the beginnings of that moment. Using some classic Flash timey-wimeyness we also get to see the consequences of that moment in both two days and one year’s time.
The complexity of Lemire’s storytelling is never off-putting. There’s meaning in each of the moments he chooses to place in the story. It all adds up to a story which feels both worthy of the Absolute and Flash names. It’s still more bright and colourful than each of the Trinity characters Absolute books which keeps the legend of the Scarlet Speedster well and truly alive.
Robles, alongside Lucas’ colours and Napolitano’s letters, feels like the perfect choice for this book. A Flash title needs an artist who can keep up with its lead character’s pace. Robles does that without ever seemingly losing his breath right across this issue. Whilst the initial moments of Wally struggling with his powers will be standout from this first issue. There’s so much more to dig in to.
Working on The Flash offers up a lot of opportunity to its art team. There’s so many ways to dig in to the visual style of the Speed Force for starters. We get to see a little of that here and what we do get is tantalising. Meanwhile there’s so much that can be done with the costuming and we’re only just seeing the beginnings of it here.
Verdict
Absolute Flash finds DC’s latest storytelling initiative stepping beyond the publisher’s legendary Trinity of heroes for the first time. Jeff Lemire’s introduction to Absolute Wally West is high stakes, high drama stuff. As all the best first issues should do, Absolute Flash teases rather than reveals all its cards. But as setup goes boy does this book pack it in spades…
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
