REVIEW: ‘Absolute Flash’ Issue 4

Absolute Flash Issue 4 is published by DC Comics and written by Jeff Lemire, art by A. L. Kaplan, colors by Adriano Lucas and letters by Tom Napolitano.

Wally and Grodd enter the neighborhood of Iron Heights. And whilst they make new friends, new enemies have also been released.

This issue marks the beginning of a new story, propelling the Flash forward and reinvigorating the series. The pace is calm, allowing the world and new elements to be introduced. Now that Wally has escaped the desert, it’s a case of “what now?” He needs somewhere to stay and something to do.

Like others in the Absolute Universe, Absolute Flash Issue 4 doesn’t feel like a regular superhero book. It’s a young adult story, featuring a boy with special abilities and his psychic monkey, who inadvertently gets caught up in danger. The world-building by Lemire is exceptional. He has borrowed names from the other universe, but completely reinvents them. They create familiarity whilst also developing surprise and intrigue.

Absolute Flash Issue 4 is relatively quiet and placid as it ventures into a new neighborhood with a domestic tone. But the heavy sci-fi and the military complex are never far away, and Wally is soon hunted again.

The characters introduced in this chapter offer something vital for Wally. He meets young Linda Park, a girl his age and in a similar runaway situation. There is also Ralph Dibney (Elongated Man in the central universe), a man who runs a mission for homeless children. They serve as lifelines for Wally. He can talk to them and find safety, whereas everything else in his life has been miserable and oppressive.

Wally is streetwise and believes himself to be self-sufficient. But the allure of comfort and food takes him to the missionary. In such a hardcore world, characters like Linda and Ralph stick out. Linda is confident, chatty, and friendly. Ralph is generous, kind, and welcoming. Considering the other characters and their severity, those two are a ray of sunshine.

With the villains and Wally’s dad, it becomes clearer that there are so many different ideas and missions within the same organization. There are others in charge, with intriguing last names. It’s also here that we see the complete reinvention of familiar codenames, accompanied by horrifying concepts.

The art is terrific, exploring a brand new world and how to transform existing ideas. Iron Heights in the central universe is a prison for metahumans. Here, it’s a neighborhood. Instantly, it has a sense of character and design. It’s hot and slightly run down, where money seems complicated to come by. But there is a community and friendly faces. A new artist enters Absolute Flash Issue 4, which leads to certain details on characters being noticed.

Kaplan beautifully illustrates Wally, with his curls, freckles, and distinct eyelashes. He truly looks youthful, which is crucial to the story. He’s still so new and frightened by everything that’s happened, and lacks the experience to handle it. Both the Rogues and regular people look terrific. The gadgets and powers are flying around, still so uncontrollable.

Ralph is very tall, hinting at his identity in another world. The quieter moments of the story feature many touching expressions, with fantastic facial details. The last page has a sinister and unnerving new design, showing what else Wally will have to face.

The colors are gorgeous. There is less action in Absolute Flash Issue 4, but the shades are still dazzling. The tones look natural and fresh. It displays the heat within Iron Heights, with a yellow sun kicking out hostile temperatures. The shade has a purple tinge that looks cooler, but not by much. The vibrancy of the colors intensifies when sci-fi elements are introduced, with bright red being particularly prominent on the final page. The lettering is exciting. The word balloons between Wally and Grodd are color-coded, indicating their telepathic connection.

Absolute Flash Issue 4 refreshingly ventures forward as Wally and Grodd find new ground. The action takes a back seat to make way for some excellent, calm world-building, and there is a mesmerizing approach to how the Flash mythos is adapted. After the three previous issues that ran so quickly, it’s essential to slow down and take stock of what’s happened and learn more about the characters. But the danger isn’t gone, it’s just biding its time.

Absolute Flash Issue 4 is available where comics are sold.