The Absolute Universe has been an unmitigated success for DC Comics. Set in an deviant reality created by Darkseid, this alternate Earth presents new takes on the World’s Finest heroes. It was the tyrant god’s intent to see if that which burns so bright in a hero’s soul might burn brighter in a dark world. Now, it is the Fastest Man Alive’s turn to be reimagined in Absolute Flash #1.
Absolute Flash #1 opens on 15-year-old Wally West, as he ponders his life. An Military brat for all his life, he has no friends and anxiety issues from an unspecified mental condition. This has been exacerbated by his acquiring superpowers that makes focusing on the here and now even harder than before. The fact that he’s being chased doesn’t help his paranoia either.
(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
A flashback to two days earlier offers some insight into the life of the Absolute Flash. Wally’s mother is absent, dead for several years. His father is emotionally abusive (at least) and emotionally distant on a good day. The only positive influence in Wally’s life is Dr. Barry Allen, a scientist on the same military base.
Barry reaches out to Wally and offers him a work-study job in his lab. Colonel West will hear nothing of it, however, and orders his son to stay away from Dr. Allen and his lab. Wally’s disobedience apparently results in his transformation into the Absolute Flash. It also results in him going on the run, with an elite unit of soldiers in pursuit.
(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
At first glance, Absolute Flash #1 seems more like an alternate take on The Incredible Hulk than The Flash. Jeff Lemire presents Wally as a tormented loner, traveling through the desert with the American military on his heels. There are also themes of body horror and power barely held in check. However, while Lemire’s take on The Flash may owe more to Stan Lee than Gardner Fox, this first issue’s focus is firmly on studying Wally West as a character.
While often overlooked today, Wally West did not have a happy childhood in the Post-Crisis comics. His father was a physically abusive conman. His mother stole from him to finance a lavish lifestyle. More recent revamps had Wally safely delivered into his aunt Iris’ custody, but there is no such rescue in Absolute Flash #1. The result is a more jaded and cynical variant of Wally, who longs for understanding, but lacks the capacity to seek it out.
(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
The artwork is full of similar hidden depths. Nick Robles largely keeps the character designs grounded, and the colors utilized by Adriano Lucas are appropriately stark to the setting. There is a subtle shift, however, whenever Wally’s powers start to manifest.
The perspective seems to move and the colors in the background become more basic and primary. Yet Wally himself remains unchanged, as he struggles to make sense of the surreal surroundings. This gives Absolute Flash #1 a distinctive and instantly gripping look.
(Image Source: DC / Nick Robles)
Absolute Flash #1 is another instant hit for DC Comics and another triumph of the Absolute Universe concept. I predict this book will enjoy a nice, long run.
Grade: 10/10
Absolute Flash #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 19, 2025.