DC Just Failed An Iconic Villain (But There's Still Hope)

The Absolute Universe is a whole new world with a brand new take on DC’s most famous characters. Instead of an idyllic world filled with heroes, this Earth is dark and controlled by a cabal of the worst villains imaginable. Evil is the norm, and heroism is small bursts of rebellious fire in the long night. The heroes, in turn, have been massively reinvented to fit this new universe, and they’ve had unparalleled success. The Absolute Universe is already bigger than anyone ever expected, with the Absolute Trinity constantly topping the sales charts. The new interpretations of the heroes and their villains have breathed new life into the franchise, and people are demanding more.

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However, that’s not to say that every Absolute title has been revolutionary. Absolute Flash is pretty universally looked on as the weakest of the line right now by a wide margin. It can thank its uneven and, perhaps fittingly, too-fast pacing. Still, it’s a goldmine of creative ideas and new takes on characters that keeps me coming back every month. The first twelve issues built up to the first fight against the one and only Reverse-Flash, reimagined as a monster possessed by the Still Point’s energy. Unfortunately, it pretty much fumbled the ball, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.

Great Plot, Terrible Pacing

The final chapter in the Absolute Flash’s year one ends with Wally and the Rogues going up against the Reverse-Flash. At first, Wally is barely holding his own. Thawne was obsessed with wiping out Wally, screaming that there could only be one speedster. Wally gave his all to fight back, but Thawne was inspired by Darkseid and beat the Flash to a pulp with his much more destructive powers. Thankfully, the Rogues arrived and used Barry’s tech to rip open a portal back to the Still Point. Wally’s dad said his goodbyes and tackled Thawne into the portal. With the tech destroyed, there was no way to reopen the portal or for the Reverse-Flash to escape.

Unable to deal with his dad’s disappearance, especially when the Rogues wrote him off as dead, Wally ran to the only place he felt at home. He arrived at Ralph Dibney’s mission for homeless kids, swearing to find a way to save his dad. Meanwhile, the Rogues geared up and set out to track down Elenore Thawne, who escaped from everyone in the confusion. Project Olympus was officially shut down, but they knew she would start up again somewhere, and even if they didn’t go after her, they were officially free agents.

What nobody knew is that the adorable Grodd had found his father, another psychic primate. They reached a town, and when Grodd said that the bad men were gone, his dad replied that all men were bad and all men must pay. The main story of this issue was majorly rushed and failed to pay off the emotional beats it tried, but the ending and epilogues all provided an incredible setup for the future. The Reverse-Flash’s first appearance may not have reached its peak, but the next storylines are looking bright.

Infinite Potential From an Unsteady Start

The first twelve issues of Absolute Flash were meant to act as Wally’s year one, showing his growth from a scared boy into the hero he is destined to become. Ultimately, they tried to cram a whole lot into these issues, to the point where the plot points suffered. Wally’s journey was stilted and awkward at times, but the bones of the story were very good. More importantly, now that the groundwork has been laid, the future plotlines set up all look to be very, very interesting. The status quo has been completely changed, and Wally is totally on his own now. He’s gone back to Dibney’s Mission with a whole lot more control of his powers, and that can only mean that Linda is going to be very important.

The Rogues being on their own means that they can appear anywhere and even follow the route of their Prime counterparts by becoming a group of somewhat principled villains. Of course, the Grodd storyline is building up to be a massive war between the Flash and an army of psychic primates, which is bound to be incredible, and possibly even introduce Beast Boy. And, of course, the Reverse-Flash is bound to return at some point. The first year of Absolute Flash never reached its full potential, but the next one is gearing up to be a whole lot more interesting and a whole lot cleaner. Now that we’re past the prologue, the pacing problem could easily be sorted out.

Absolute Flash #12 is on sale now!

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