Absolute Flash #20: Red and Blue

Absolute Flash #20 begins immediately with a brief explanation of the Subatomic World and an origin story for Ray Palmer, aka The Atom. Wally was already asked to find Ray by Sam Scudder, aka Mirror Master, back in issue #14.

Ray Palmer’s character is a paradox. He is simultaneously one of DC’s most underrated and most influential heroes. Able to shrink down to the size of subatomic particles, his technology opens a lot of doors for unique and interesting storytelling that’s been left mostly unexplored.

Jeff Lemire both explores that potential and does a lot of world-building with Ray via the Subatomic World. The Subatomic World is, as the name suggests, a sort of shrunk-down dimension. By connecting it to the Still Point in this issue, where Wally’s father and Barry Allen are still trapped, Lemire naturally weaves their two stories and motivations together in just a few pages.

This issue is a master course in how to effectively introduce a new character to an ongoing series. Not only do Ray and Wally’s goals line up, but Ray is also introduced to us in a way that showcases his personality and skills.

Lemire showed us Ray’s heroism by having him save Wally at the end of the previous issue, while in issue #20 we are shown Ray’s analytical, albeit dismissive demeanor and his sci-fi tech-powered abilities. Towards the end of the issue, which I won’t spoil here, we even get a hint of Ray’s potential darker side.

The characterization of Ray, and the rest of the cast, is the issue’s strongest point. It’s so noticeable that Ray practically steals the issue, becoming even more interesting than Wally for 32 pages.

Linda continues to be one of Lemire’s best characterizations. She has stuck with Wally, primarily out of friendship and a hint of future romance, all this time. She and Ray naturally have a bit of friction between their priorities.

For Linda the immediate concern is keeping Wally safe while Ray is focused on forming a plan to reach the Still Point as soon as possible. These differences show their opposing roles in the story and play on the issue’s themes of contrast, which is also explored in the artwork.

Haining’s art moves at the speed of thought and matches the narration. While the pages of Absolute Flash #20 are both dense and immersive, they move rapidly. Panel lines cut across the pages with snapshots of small moments as Ray Palmer’s narration changes it focus. The later pages break this trend by returning to traditional square panels, which are stretched into rectangles with black panel borders to contract the earlier white borders of Ray’s sequences.

Facial expressions are given a lot of thought and effort by Haining in the issue. Ray has the vibe of an eccentric scientist on his face as much as he does in his dialogue, switching from looks that are cool and analytical to visibly excited very quickly, while Linda is more concerned and protective (of Wally to be specific). Allowing the characters to be this expressive in the artwork only uplifts the already incredible character writing discussed above.

Adriano Lucas uses eye-catching, nearly pastel shades for the backdrops, which contrast well with the brighter, more evocative colors in the foreground. Pages actively use a classic red and blue contrast, which matches both Wally’s red aesthetic and Ray’s blue motifs, creating a kind of visual back and forth that is easy to read and beautifully bright in that specific comic book way.

Texture is used heavily in parts of issue #20, with the Subatomic World having a chaotic watery radiowave look and feel to it, whereas both STARLABS and the Atom (Ray’s vehicle) use a polished and clean texture in contrast to the Subatomic World.