Absolute Flash #17 – Jeff Lemire, Writer; Haining, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: Compared to a lot of the books in the Absolute line, this title has often been surprisingly light. Yes, Wally is on his own as the Flash without Barry’s help, but he has a lot of allies. The Rogues, usually ruthless criminals, are now government contractors whose ethics wouldn’t allow them to take out Wally once they found out what Thawne was actually up to. Grodd, who is usually a monstrous Gorilla warrior, is now a small psychic animal who forms a bond with Wally. But with everyone on the run, it was only a matter of time before those worlds collided. Grodd has escaped and reunited with his father, who underwent far worse tortures and experimentations at the hands of humans, and has developed a deep hatred for them. He’s taken over a small town, turning the humans into slaves with Grodd’s help – and now the Rogues have been deputized to take out this massive threat to humanity.
The conflict here is set up really well, because it’s a case where everyone has an argument to make. Wally knows the larger story of Grodd, and knows he can work to save the little monkey. The Rogues, meanwhile, only know the danger they’re facing and are ready to do whatever they have to in order to protect the larger population. Even Grodd’s father, clearly a villain at this point, has a real reason to hate humanity. It makes the inevitable confrontation all the more tragic when it plays out like it’s destined to. This is one of the more intimate issues of the series, but along the way there are some great smaller moments. Wally’s powers continue to evolve, Trickster starts to turn into a very interesting character even as we still don’t know what’s under the mask, and the larger plot looms in the background. This title has the smallest overall scope of the Absolute line, but it makes up for it with phenomenal character work.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
