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Absolute Flash #1: Wally West has been forced to move many times in a short period due to his dad’s high-ranking military career. However, this latest move may send him on the run forever after he finds himself tangled up with Barry Allen, who is in the midst of a secret government project.
Teaming up for this review are the EIC of NI, Ken and yours truly (Matt from Hops Geek News). Let’s not wait any longer and try to keep up with this debut issue!
Creative Team:
Jeff Lemire (WRITER)
Nick Robles (ART and COVER)
Adriano Lucas (COLORS)
Tom Napolitano (LETTERS)
*ABSOLUTE SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Story:
Matt: Getting Jeff Lemire into the drivers seat of this new introduction of one of my favorite all time characters was already enough to have me sold. The story he kicks this run off with cements itself to me almost instantly. The way Lemire is telling a fresh run of Wally’s story is one that I can relate with as a military child.
It is a new side of things we haven’t seen. Examples are His struggle with friends and how that brings him to Barry Allen. Despite this being a new origin, Jeff still manages to keep the spirit of their relationship as we always have had it.
Something else Jeff does incredibly well in this issue is how he has Flash’s Rogue Gallery as a foothold in this universe already. This may be an origin story but having them hunting Wally on behalf of someone else builds up anticipation for what lies ahead. Adding into the cliff-hanger, we get to the end. I love how we are not reaching for being like the Reverse Flash straight off the bat and allowing time for our hero’s journey to unfold.
Ken: Lemire dives into the relationship between Wally West and Barry Allen to reset their narrative. Keeping Wally’s situation at arms length adds to the ever evolving drama. The writing portrays him as a loner searching for something. It’s far from the happier version of West we’ve seen in the comics. For doing an alternate version, this mystique works. The same can be said for Barry Allen. Allen comes off as a surrogate father in moments. Even though he works with Wally’s dad, Allen genuinely shows concern for the wayward teen. Can the same be said for Wally’s dad? He pushes more of a “tough love” which misses the mark.
The issue does its’ fair share of time jumping. It is always a difficult challenge to pull this off without losing something. Lemire blends the pacing extremely well that this issue flows through segments. Even in the present, a certain group gets a proper reset. It adds more to the combustible element of Wally and his dad. This pushes everything into the close. Lemire puts some tricks out to throw everything in flux. The result is a solid mystery that has many miles left to run.
The Art and Letters:
Matt: Drawing, coloring, and lettering a Flash comic can be a tall task to take on. There is so much motion and constant movement happening all at once. Nick manages to keep the art at a refined pace, never allowing for too much to happen in one panel at a time. I am enjoying the suits of Captain Cold and the Rogues; they are a unique take and look of this team.
Adriano blends in his fantastic reds and yellows while Tom weaves in the cracks, and his artistic lettering crafts a colorful and imaginative issue. I appreciate how the team builds the suspense and there are some slight teases to Wally’s uniform but this issue is spent on how emotional he is and they convey it through drawing him extraordinarily well.
Ken:
Overall Grade: 9.5/10
Matt: 10/10. It feels so good being in the new and refreshing world of The Flash once more as this alternative take on Wally and Barry brings about suspense and leaves us on a hefty cliffhanger. This first issue has us hooked, and we cannot wait for the next!
Drop us your thoughts in the comments and follow Matt and all of his reviews as well as his weekly podcast episodes at http://hops-geek-news.com
Ken: 9/10.
