Absolute Flash #15: Darkseid Shrugged

Not a single beat of dialogue is wasted in Absolute Flash #15, as every line serves the storyline or sets up plot threads for the next few issues even while name-dropping a veritable gallery of characters many longtime DC fans will quickly recognize.

The first appearances never end in this issue, at least as far as the Absolute Universe goes, not that I’m complaining. Classic DC characters like Ray Palmer and Silas Stone, the father of a certain Cyborg, make their debut here alongside the classic Flash power of phasing, however accidental, and brief mentions of locations like Markovia.

It’s one thing to introduce several new characters; it’s another to actually write them so well that within their first few moments in the story they are immediately relevant to the plot. A lesser writer might shoehorn these characters in, usually in a last-page reveal or a name drop that doesn’t quite affect the story. But in issue #15 Jeff Lemire uses each new addition to his Absolute Flash roster as a walking, talking plot thread that actively pushes the story forward without relying on cheap tricks like using mystery to bait readers into the next issue.

Linda’s continued involvement in the story is validated beyond her role as Wally’s significant other in the mainline DC books. Instead, Absolute Flash’s Linda is slowly becoming Wally’s tech girl and closest ally. Beyond just being Wally’s sidekick for love of the game, Linda’s motivation has been layered into the past few issues’ subtext. She is clearly depicted as an adventurous person, helpfully pushing Wally in various scenes, who lives vicariously through Wally’s adventures no matter how dangerous.

Nick Robles uses a genuinely interesting and varied set of panel layouts throughout the issue that make page turns exciting and each new scene feel fresh. The line art is extremely fine, with noticeable details that shift between just two panels that make dialogue between two characters pass back and forth realistically in a way that immerses the reader in the page. This also deeply enhances the sense of movement in between two panels, as Wally’s running is broken into separate panels that show the fractions of seconds between the beginning and end of one run. Robles is able to create this effect without throwing the issue’s pacing through a loop, primarily through the way they choose to stack the panels, which vary between a ladder of thin panel strips and larger panels that show a longer moment in time.

The colors in Absolute Flash #15 begin warm and overwhelm each scene in waves of orange and red. However, as the issue goes on, the colors become colder and more restrained as the storyline shifts from being about Wally himself to being briefly about the Rogues and later STAR Labs. A page where the rogues are all gathered around a laptop uses the laptop screen as the scene’s light source, which is cold and blue. This is a loose contrast to the beginning of the issue, where flames tear through the page and Wally’s speed ripples across each panel.