Absolute Flash #9: Here and Now

This month’s Absolute Flash #9 was put on a storytelling launchpad following the events of last month’s issue, which saw the life and death of Barry Allen, a storyline fans have been waiting for since the first issue back in March. Written by Jeff Lemire (who has no shortage of comic book backlog classics) and drawn by Nick Robles (although Travis Moore substituted for issues #7 and #8), Absolute Flash has been a visual feast with great characters so far. But how does the ninth issue stack up?

As a writer, Jeff Lemire has been hailed across the comics industry by fans of his Animal Man run during the New 52 era of DC and the fans of his Essex County. Similarly, in 2008, DC published Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge, which shares its title with Absolute Flash #9, which is titled “Rogues’ Revenge” Part One. The 2008 Final Crisis story was a tale of revenge, and Absolute Flash #9 is no different.

The characterization of each of the Rogues is sharp in this issue, making it clear they all want the same thing: revenge, or so they think. So far, Wally has felt more like a runaway rather than a superhero. However, issue #9 brings out the hero in Wally. There is a classic hero’s journey at play here; Wally has left home and been changed by the journey, and now he returns to “conquer the castle,” so to speak, by freeing his father from Fort Fox. But what about the friends he’s made along the way? Well, the best one also happens to be the furriest. Lemire makes it clear that Grodd is more than just “Wally’s pet.” Instead, the tiny and adorable telepathic gorilla is more like Wally’s therapist, helping anchor him in the here and now.

Nick Robles’ (The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos) artwork is a welcome return. While Travis Moore’s (Nightwing) art accentuated the passage of time and its effects on the characters, namely Barry Allen in issue #8, Robles’ art feels like a surrealist’s sketch out of a science-fiction magazine in a good way. With the support of Adriano Lucas’ (Ghost Pepper) colors, the artwork manages to capture the chaos of the teenage Wally West’s life, adding cosmic elements such as Grodd’s strange telepathic symbols and visions of black holes.

There was one section, towards the middle of the issue, that I found quintessentially “Flash.” It’s a moment of convergence between Lemire’s writing, Robles’ artwork, and Lucas’ colors where the pages themselves become the story and the characters, like us, are just along for the ride. Wally, either through his own actions or as a vehicle for the story, experiences the true terror of the Speed Force for the first time. It’s a scene that fractures the narrative itself, connecting past twists with story threads for future issues in a way that distorts the present. What I found particularly impressive was Robles’ artwork as Wally looked around, trying to make sense of the scene itself. It’s as if you can see his thoughts etched on his face, which changed with each panel between “Past Wally,” “Future Wally,” and “Oh God, Why Are There So Many Of Me?” Wally.

A minor but notable weakness of the issue is its lack of forward momentum. While fluidly paced, the ninth issue of Absolute Flash does little to build on the overarching story, which is consistent with multi-part arcs that pull on plot threads from previous issues before the arc officially began. Lemire’s writing keeps the plot feeling relevant while also keeping the story contained to a series of events that takes place over a very short period of time.

So while Absolute Flash #8 set up this month’s issue for a dramatic takeoff, instead Lemire took the time to build on the characters and reset the board for what’s to come. This approach has both a weakness in that it risks feeling like filler and a strength in that it deepens the pathos of the characters and the logos of the setting for future issues. Absolute Flash avoids the brunt of its weakness, albeit not entirely, by drawing on stylish artwork and interesting character dynamics. Whether or not the issue wasted the momentum provided by last month’s issue remains to be seen until December’s issue #10.