Absolute Flash #12 – Jeff Lemire, Writer; Nick Robles, AL Kaplan, Artists; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: It’s the end of the first year of Absolute Flash, and after several issues splitting the action between two worlds, Wally is ready for the biggest test of his life. Eobard Thawne, trapped in the Speed Force for decades and gone mad with power, has escaped. His granddaughter has escaped to fight another day, and the massive madman has only one target in mind – Wally, the only other person to command the Speed Force, and as he keeps roaring, “Only One”. This issue is an action-packed story, as the Rogues and Rudy West do their best to fight off the monster and give Wally enough time to fight – but given that only two people in this story are moving at super-speed, there’s only so much they can do. The real star of this issue, in many ways, is Rudy – who finally sees the potential in his son’s new abilities and does his best to back him up in a way he never was able to before.
But this is the Absolute Universe, and things rarely end neatly. This issue ends with a major sacrifice that sort of resets the playing field for this series, leaving us with more questions than answers about the nature of the Speed Force and separating a bunch of our favorite characters – and setting some on bad paths. We get the return of some of the fan-favorite supporting characters from earlier in the run as Wally gets a new status quo, but we also see the Rogues strike out on their own – and maybe take some steps backwards morally. And then there’s Grodd, adorable little Grodd, who finds a family connection he never expected to see again – and that might be the worst thing possible for him. Lemire has done an excellent job of throwing the characters for a loop with every issue, and as year two begins next month, this continues to be one of DC’s best character-driven books.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
