Absolute Flash is yet another chapter in the unfolding saga of the Absolute Universe. Fans have loved the changes that the Absolute books have made to the DC Multiverse, with all new versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and more giving readers new kinds of stories with these character. Absolute Flash has made major changes to Wally West and the world of the Flash. Barry Allen is dead, Wally’s dad is part of the US military’s super soldier project, and the Rogues were created by Barry and Elenore Thawne. Wally has gotten a sidekick — a new version of Grodd — and is on the run from his father and the Rogues. Absolute Flash #4 does a lot of world-building, introducing several versions of well-known Flash characters, including one of the most important characters to the history of Wally West — Linda Park.
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Linda Park is best known as Linda West, as she and Wally have been married in the DC Universe for a long time. Linda is a linchpin of basically every Flash run starring Wally West — she even got Speed Force powers for a short time while pregnant with her and Wally’s third child — and is a beloved part of the DC Universe. Linda and Wally have something of a meet cute in the Absolute Flash #4, one that is pretty different from their previous first meeting, dropping some major clues to the future of the two characters.
The Relationship Between Wally and Linda Has Redefined How Families in Comics Work
Linda Park was a news reporter who first met Wally while he was in New Mexico looking for the Porcupine Man. The two of them hit it off, and eventually, Linda would move to Keystone City and begin a relationship with Wally. The relationship between Linda and Wally is one of the biggest factors in the popularity of Wally West. The two of them just worked together, taking a page from the best superhero relationship, Lois Lane and Clark Kent obviously, but giving the whole thing a modern sheen. The marriage between Wally and Linda was the culmination of years of build-up, and led to some amazing Flash stories, as the two of them had to deal with the dangers of Wally’s life as the Flash. This was underlined in stories like “Blitz”, where Zoom ended up killing Linda and Wally’s unborn children. This led to some dark places, but it was all worth it, as some time travel shenanigans stopped the deaths of the children. The West family was looking to become a major part of DC, but Infinite Crisis took them off the table. Wally was replaced as the Flash by Bart Allen, and many fans were very angry that their favorite superhero family was disappeared before they could really blossom. The two of them were brought back, along with their children Jai and Irey about two years later, but the tides of DC continuity and the New 52 destroyed the West family until known Wally hater and then DC head honcho Dan DiDio left the publisher, the West family is again a major part of The Flash, and Linda is a favorite of many fans.
For most fans of Wally West, it’s nearly impossible to separate the two characters. She’s such an important part of his story, that it was only a matter of time before she was introduced in the Absolute Universe. Wally meets her in the town of Iron Heights, where he escaped to after dealing with the Rogues. She stays at the Dibney Mission, a youth center run by the couple of Ralph and Sue Dibney, two other important characters to the Flash mythos. Linda helps convince Wally to stay at the mission, and their meet cute, brought to life by artist A.L. Kaplan, is a great little moment. They meet again in the dining room, and it looks like the book is teasing some major secrets in Linda’s life. When Wally tells her a sanitized version of her story, she tells him they all something they’re running from. When Wally asks her what she’s running from, she doesn’t answer. There’s also the implication that she’s been on the streets by herself for a while. This is a very interesting new version of the character, and it’ll be cool to see how it all shakes out.
Are Linda and Wally Destined to be Together?
Linda showing up in the Absolute Universe is a very interesting development. So far, the creators of the Absolute Universe books have shown that they aren’t tying their own hands by making things too much like the mainline DC Universe. This could lead to some new places between Linda and Wally. Linda and Wally are always linked, but there’s a chance that their relationship is going to be rather different from what came before.
A lot of fans don’t want Linda and Wally to be anything but romantic partners, and there are a lot of indications that the Absolute version of the two of them are going to end up close already. However, the question of whether they’re going to be together is one that is up in the air. It’s easy to see the two of them as destined to be together, but writer Jeff Lemire looks like he’s trying something new with Linda. What is her terrible secret and how will it affect her relationship with Wally? Their relationship is already different, and we’ll see if the two of them end up in the same place.
Absolute Flash #4 is on sale now.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
