ABSOLUTE FLASH #16: All Men Bad

As Wally searches for more answers as to what happened to his dad, Ray Palmer, and Barry, he senses Grodd is in danger! It’s a race against time as Wally and Linda aren’t the only ones looking for Grodd and his father, with all signs leading towards Colorado.

Creative Team: Jeff Lemire, Adriano Lucas, Nick Robles, Haining, and Tom Napolitano.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Story:

What’s making this run so endearing for me personally is the characters and how Jeff has been slowly building relationships between them. For example, Linda has become crucial to the story as she is notoriously Wally’s lightning rod, but I am loving how Jeff has written her to be fearless and down for anything. She leaps into action without a second thought despite not having super speed, and the way she and Wally complement one another has become incredibly beautiful to see play out.

Another character with so much depth is Grodd. He and Wally have a sibling-like relationship between them, and throwing in Linda with her childlike excitement makes this trio so much fun. Lemire opts to have Grodd’s father be the antagonist in this issue, and we get a hint of his true abilities, taking this story up a level as well.

The Art and Letters:

The artwork switches between a nighttime setting full of darker colors and then bursts with our characteristic brightness as Wally uses his abilities. Robles does subtle things with the detail, such as how Linda is drawn more solidly and then Wally, as he is using his speed, almost seems see-through at times, which I find captures my attention. Lucas throws in a green outline of Papa Grodd against the vibrant yellows, and the color scheme actually works rather than mashes against one another. They continue to find these details and subtle shifts within the art that assist the narration and plot. Tom adds a level of bass and ferocity to Grodd’s father’s voice in the lettering that brings intensity to the panels and the situation at hand. It’s what we’d expect from a giant-sized ape bent on revenge.

Final Thoughts:

Absolute Flash #16 is bringing things more into focus as the fallout from Thawne’s experiments is beginning to take shape. Lemire is doing an incredible job making us invested in these characters, as the art team is using subtle shifts in coloring and detail to push the narration in different directions. With each passing issue, Absolute Flash rises in the ranks for me in the universe.

Overall Grade: 9.2/10

How are you feeling about Absolute Flash? Be sure to let us know your thoughts below and check out more reviews by Matt!