Absolute Flash is usually at the bottom of most fans’ lists of their favorite Absolute books. The general consensus is that it’s a good book that’s ironically slow paced for a comic starring the fastest hero in the multiverse. However, in the past few issues, starting with issue #8, things have taken a certain momentum, and Absolute Flash #10 pays all of that off very nicely. This book has been teasing a lot since it began, and this issue pays a decent amount of it off in the last few pages. My jaw literally dropped and stayed that way until I got to the end, and it was an excellent reading experience that sets this book on a new course.
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I think one of the things that I’ve really enjoyed about Absolute Flash since its beginning is the way it’s built its characters, something that is on display in this issue. I love Wally and Grodd, but there’s something about Captain Cold that I find magnetic; he’s so competent and in control that he draws the eye whenever he’s on the page. Absolute Flash‘s Rogues have been a highlight since the beginning, and this issue uses them to perfection. Trickster remains the VIP; Jesse’s acidic wit stays winning. The fight against Heatwave is a nice little mid-issue moment, showing the Rogues in all their glory with a cool surprise save. It’s just a fun little sequence to lull you into thinking the big stuff is out of the way.
Rating: 4.5 out 5
| Pros | Cons |
| The last few pages hits you with reveal after reveal, and it’s shocking in the best possible way | Golden Glider and Captain Boomerang don’t pull their own weight compared to Cold and Trickster |
| Exciting, well laid-out fight with Heatwave | |
| The art is fantastic, and it makes an already great issue even better |
The issue’s main plot deals with the secret of Fort Fox, as Thawne’s trap for Wally is finally revealed, and it all leads to the debut of… well, that would be telling, but rest assured, it’s huge. Lemire has laid out this issue so well. The first half is the exciting action stuff, which this book does well, with the weird psychological aspects of the book taking the reins for the second half. I didn’t really know what to expect, and the shock of the moment was palpable. Lemire fooled me into thinking this was going to be a normal issue of this book, so the big moment caught me completely flatfooted. It was obviously possible given what we had learned over the last few issues, but it’s not somewhere I figured this book would go. I still don’t know where any of this is going, but Lemire has proven in the last few issues that it’s a ride I want to stay on.
Absolute Flash #10 Vaults Over the High Bar the Book Has Already Set
Nick Robles’s art has always been a key part of what made this book tick, and this latest issue is more of the same. From the tense opening scenes at Fort Fox to the battle against Heatwave to the massive reveals that finish this issue off, every page looks fantastic. The page layouts are dynamic, the detail is great throughout the issue, and the character acting sells the dialogue. I think half the reason I love Cold so far in this book is because of the way Robles draws him. The action scene against Heatwave is the kind of action spectacle that this book has always done well, all leading to the book’s big climactic ending.
Robles’s art is the key to making the end sequence work. The way the art helps build the tension of the reveal is outstanding, and when we finally get to the big moment, it’s presented perfectly. From there, the book hits the nightmare fuel segment of the story, as Wally tries to survive something unlike anything he’s ever seen before. It’s a great couple of pages, and the art really brings them to life. As great as the art has been leading up to this point, it really picks up the story and carries it home at the end here.
Absolute Flash has taken its time with its reveals, but this latest issue races forward with two huge moments that change the tenor of the series completely. This issue grabbed me from the first page, and I held on tight as it raced its course, all the way to the shocking finale. I get that a lot of people don’t love this book as much as I do, but the last few issues have made up for a lot of the problems the book had in earlier issues. This is a fantastic comic, and it bodes well for whatever is coming down the pipe.
Absolute Flash #10 is on sale now.
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