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Absolute Flash #1, by DC Comics on 3/19/25, catches up to Wally West as a bored Army brat who accidentally interrupts a dangerous experiment, changing his life forever.
Is Absolute Flash #1 Good?
Recap
When Darkseid consolidated the power of all Darkseids across the multiverse, he evolved to reach his true potential, but he discovered one more step he could take to reach divinity. Absolute Darkseid invaded our Universe and allowed himself to be killed by the Justice League, unleashing his full power to create a new Universe formed from Darkseid energy. This is one of the new Universe's stories.
Plot Synopsis
Absolute Flash #1 begins with 15-year-old Wally West, an Army brat having trouble finding things to do or friends to make as he follows his Colonel father from one Army base to the next. Wally is clearly smart, but he has trouble connecting with other kids his age, and his stern, aloof father isn't easy to get along with.
One night, Wally catches heat for returning to the base after curfew from a walk around town. An enterprising scientist named Barry Allen recognizes Wally's potential and offers to show Wally the cool experiments he's working on. Wally is interested, but he declines Barry's offer to work with him in the lab to utilize his potential. Wally's refusal is reinforced when his father, Colonel Rudy West, furiously interrupts the tour and orders Wally home.
The next day, Wally and his father argue about Wally's lack of friends or outlets for his interests, so Wally storms out of their home. Wally heads to Barry's lab. Unfortunately, he interrupts an experiment for something called Project Olympus. Barry Allen dies in the resultant explosion, and Wally is subsequently racked with waves of head-splitting energy.
The issue ends with Wally on the run in the desert, trailed by a Special Ops team with Rogue-ish characteristics.
First Impressions
Look. If you're going to tell a sci-fi-based origin story for a new(ish) superhero story, you have to make the setup plausible and be smart about the execution. In Absolute Flash #1, the generalities of how Wally West becomes the Flash work well enough, but it's the specifics that fall short in Jeff Lemire's tale of angst and accidents. Overall, it's not bad, but you won't be blown away.
How’s the Art?
Nick Robles may be the most traditional artist to roll up his sleeves on the Absolute line of comics to date. Robles's design for Wally, which is the focal character in (almost) every panel, looks every bit like your typical teenager. The clothing styles and mannerisms for Wally are on point, and the few bits of action work to project the frantic demeanor of a kid on the run after a terrible accident. In short, this issue is all about Wally's emotions and reactions, so Robles nails it.
What’s great about Absolute Flash #1?
Jeff Lemire's script satisfies the homework assignment by creating a version of the Flash that feels familiar but isn't the same. A kid walking into the wrong place at the wrong time is the classic superhero origin story setup, and the derivatives of the Rogues look pretty cool.
What’s not great about Absolute Flash #1?
Jeff Lemire's classic premise is a tried and true way for granting a hapless person superpowers, but for that premise to work, you have to believe the circumstances in which it happens. The problem with Absolute Flash #1 is that the circumstances are NOT believable.
Barry Allen decides to bring Wally West inside a top-secret lab where dangerous experiments are taking place because Wally is "bored." Later, after Wally has a fight with his father, Wally returns and enters the same lab without any security resistance while a dangerous experiment is taking place. Does the Army not have doors with locks or security guards? Are security standards incredibly lax in Darkseid's universe? Is this world like the Simpson's meme where Mr. Burns's secret control room is accessible by a broken screen door?
This flaw isn't a question of differing preferences for how something should be done. It's a question of Lemire not thinking through how something would plausibly work just to get to the outcome, and it feels a bit lazy.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Absolute Flash #1 is a perfectly serviceable reimagining of Wally West's origin story when a bored teenager with potential finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jeff Lemire's script utilizes a classic structure of Fate stepping in to change a person's life, but the execution lacks thought and believability. On the plus side, Nick Robles's art is excellent.
6.5/10
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