Wally is being beaten to the brink of death, unable to stand or fight back in any way. Linda has broken the magical illusion being held over the city, which may be for nothing if Zoloman kills Wally! There is help on the way in the form of atoms and a doctor by the name of Ray Palmer!
Creative Team: Jeff Lemire, Nick Robles, Adriano Lucas, and Tom Napolitano.
The Story:
Jeff holds no punches back in this issue and at times it can get tough to read with Wally being beaten helplessly into a bloody pulp. Every time an ounce of hope appears and it seems as though Wally will persevere, Lemire pulls the rug from under our feet leaving the reader in despair. We haven’t seen the story go to this length before and it showcases how truly horrific Thawne is as she orders Hunter to kill Wally despite him protesting. However, there are flashes of hope as Linda stands tall and Grodd continues to endear himself as one of my favorites. Perhaps, though my biggest surprise was seeing Ray Palmer enter the fold and leave hints of how important Wally is.
The Art:
The artwork does a lot of interesting things within these pages such as showing certain elements during the beatdown of Wally West. There are moments where the team ‘doesn’t give Zoloman a face and the focus is on how broken Wally is. The subtle details such as his nose being broken and blood covering his face stand out in those moments. however, we get a panel in which Hunter breaks Wally’s arm and the dark red West is portrayed in and the half shaded face of hunter show a different side of him that was up until then not seen. The screams and way that Tom letters the pain Wally feels and his broken voice added so much depth to this tough issue. It’s a well done artistically thought out issue that highlights the theme of despair.
Final Thoughts:
Absolute Flash #19 is a dark issue that ends with a glimmer of hope as we see the true nature of Thawne and how far she is willing to go to take Wally West off the board.
Overall Grade: 9.5/10
Let us know how you feel about this issue and check out more reviews by Matt!
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