Wally West has been one of the most popular legacy heroes since the beginning. In 1959, Wally first raced into the world of comics in The Flash #110. At the time, Wally’s suit paralleled Barry’s and as a carbon copy. However, Wally quickly grew to have his own classic suit. Now, Wally West is one of the most commonly thought of legacy heroes for many readers, as popular as Dick Grayson or Miles Morales in that regard.
However, Wally West has always been treated… differently. Not only was he one of DC’s earliest sidekicks, but he also became one of the most renowned for taking up the mantle of The Flash after the death of Barry Allen. He even got married and started a family! But that was all before. At the start of the New 52, DC didn’t seem to know what to do with Wally, for reasons I can only guess, and struggled to find a way to implement him into continuity. So, fans got to meet Wallace West, a relative of Wally who, with the help of the iconic CW Show The Flash, became the New 52’s Kid Flash!
Wally then came back during the beginning of DC Rebirth, and everything seemed like it was getting better… until it didn’t.
Without getting too into the weeds, DC Rebirth wasn’t as kind to Wally West as readers might have hoped. However, thanks to writers like Jeremy Adams and Simon Spurrier, Wally West is once again back on top and is leading the mainline Flash series. All of that said, Absolute Flash takes almost everything you just read and throws it out the window. And I loved it for that! Let’s get into it.
DC
Jeff Lemire, who made his full-time return to DC Comics with the series JSA, now makes his mark in the Absolute Universe. Here, Wally West is the first Flash. There is no mentor to learn from, no Titans to band together with, and nobody looking out for him whatsoever. This stark difference in lore delivers an interesting premise for Wally. The series itself feels a bit more like a mystery than The Flash usually does. While the book splits between the present, and two days prior, readers are quickly able to adapt to this new world. Here, Wally West is the anxious, lonely, and grungy son of his military father. For longtime fans of the character, there shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that even here, Wally and his father have a turbulent relationship. But, in the “present day” (which is only two days later), Wally isn’t just lonely, he’s on the run.
By the time the book ends, not only has Wally seemingly gained his powers, but he finds himself in the most undesirable position possible, as The Rogues (yes, The Rogues) are already hunting him down. While the book’s speed seems to move rather fast, the pacing itself feels practical and works as an introduction to the series while leaving enough for readers to want more. While some might not like the speed of the book, I think it speaks to the heightened level of panic that Wally is experiencing and has the ability to leave readers just as disoriented as Wally; thus, allowing us to truly put ourselves in his shoes.
Artist Nick Robles has been one of my absolute favorite artists for years, ever since I first saw some of his art for Nightwing. And Adriano Lucas, whom I have often sung the praises of, continues to show immense versatility and creativity with coloring. Robels brings an electric touch to Absolute Flash, perfectly suited for a speedster. Usually, I’ll note how a book is able to “come to life” through line work, but Robles takes that to another level. Here, the lightning streaks really do come to life as they take the shape of memories recently experienced by Wally. This is an interesting twist on a Flash’s powers by almost paralleling the commonly used time travel of certain speedsters through thick and elastic streaks to show recent memories as Wally struggles to control his new powers.
DC
As I mentioned earlier, Adriano Lucas shows a great amount of versatility in this series in contrast to some of his other works, like Green Arrow and Nightwing. While Green Arrow has a darker tone, and Nightwing had brighter colors, Absolute Flash has a different vibrance to it. The book bathes in a warm hue, leaning into things like the desert environment, Wally’s orange-red hair, and all other red hues that are Flash hallmarks.
Absolute Flash offers something different than what we’ve seen from all other Absolute titles thus far. Absolute Wally is unsure of himself, has seemingly no desire to be a hero, and is all alone. This continues to show how the heroes of the Absolute Universe will have to push themselves further than the versions we are familiar with when embracing their destiny. As this is the first title that isn’t about the Trinity, I think it’s worth noting how different Wally’s journey is from Bruce, Diana, and Clark – all people who immediately were called to action. Not Wally, at least not yet. And this journey he seems to be going on is that much more interesting as a result, as there is no inspiration for Wally to hark to. As a result, this book is unique, mysterious, and suspenseful. Most importantly, it’s can’t-miss.
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