Absolute Flash #9

Well, here we are. Another issue of Absolute Flash has released, and though I’d like to remain optimistic about the prospects of this series, I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that when it comes to the Absolute Universe, poor Wally West is in the running for having not only the weakest comic series of the bunch, but also being the weakest hero we’ve seen in this DC initiative so far. For me, it’s time to accept that Absolute Flash just isn’t all that good, and it appears that the final nail in the coffin was, once again, the Rogues, who continue to degrade this series with their pure mundanity.

Today, I’m talking all things Absolute Flash #9, and spoilers lie ahead! Consider yourself warned! Without further ado, let’s get into the review!

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Absolute Flash #9 Review

Image by DC Comics

Absolute Flash is a frustrating comic, and in many ways, Absolute Flash #9 is one of its most frustrating issues. In previous reviews, I had tried to give the series the benefit of the doubt, hoping that eventually things would kick into gear. However, we’re now nine issues into this thing, and still, nothing particularly notable or exciting has happened. The series is extremely slow, and where it was on Absolute Flash #9 to improve the series’ pacing, it once again chose to shuffle along casually, where it should be breaking into a sprint. I would like to try to review Absolute Flash on its own merits, and not compare to other comics, but in this instance, a comparison is inevitable. It’s really unflattering for The Flash to compare this series to the things that Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, and at this point, even Absolute Green Lantern are doing with their stories.

As it stands, there are a couple of things I liked in this comic. The artwork remains pretty top-notch and stylish, and some of the action sequences in this issue were enjoyable to watch unfold. However, plot-wise, Absolute Flash #9 was all over the place. In this issue, we return to Wally West being asked by the Rogues to become one of them, to rise up against Thawne and her evil schemes. Somewhat frustratingly, Wally relies on Grodd to make this decision, once again robbing The Flash himself of any agency, any sense of character or growth.

Grodd is the source of a lot of my issues with this entry in Absolute Flash. It’s nice to give the character something to do, but oh boy, is he relied on far too heavily in this issue. Not only does he inform Wally’s decision to join the Rogues, but he also saves Wally from the time-loop in the Rogues’ aircraft, and on top of that, he also saves all of the Rogues from Thawne’s planted explosives. Basically, if Grodd wasn’t in this issue, no progress would have been made from anyone, and all of our “main” characters would likely be dead. Absolute Flash continues to come across as a humiliation ritual for its main characters, who seem to do nothing of any use as the weeks roll on.

Image by DC Comics

Another serious problem that Absolute Flash #9 has is that its entire emotional hook hinges on Jesse’s betrayal of the Rogues. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I couldn’t care less about the Rogues, or Jesse specifically. So, we’re watching a person that we don’t care about betray a group of people that we care about even less. It’s almost comical how we’re meant to be engaged in Jesse’s betrayal of the Rogues, when this series has actually barely laid the foundation for why the Rogues ever turned on Thawne in the first place. In the context of the story that Absolute Flash has actually told us, it’s actually Jesse who’s sticking to her original guns, and it’s the Rogues who carried out a senseless betrayal.

I will compliment Jesse and Thawne on their plan though, as it was easily the most exciting and engaging part of this comic. I really enjoyed how fast everything unfolded. There was no grand villainous speech, no chance for the Rogues to even catch on to what Jesse was about to do. It was the sort of villain move that lets you know that Thawne means business. It’s actually a shame that Grodd interfered, because losing some of the Rogues in this explosion would probably have given Absolute Flash #9 some actual weight to it, some actual consequence.

I take real issue with how non-consequential this whole issue felt. From a narrative perspective, it was a complete mess, with the time loop in the aircraft feeling completely out of place, and only shoehorned into this issue so that it can come up again in a later issue. If I actually stand back from Absolute Flash #9 and ask the question, ‘what happened in this issue?’, well… I’m not quite sure what I’d say. We met with the Rogues, went into an aircraft, and the aircraft blew up, killing no one. Perhaps this pacing could be forgiven if the character interactions were at least semi-decent, but I reiterate – I could not care less about anyone here except for Wally and Grodd, and for some reason, Wally barely speaks to any of the Rogues, giving us little to no opportunity to form bonds with them from our protagonist’s perspective.

Image by DC Comics

The only praise I can give the narrative arc of Absolute Flash #9 is that now, Thawne’s villainy is revealed, and that should, hopefully, kick this story into gear. If it doesn’t, and the next issue of this comic is still an extremely slow, non-consequential entry into this series, then I think it’s about time I abandon all hope for this series to ever live up to the standard that has been set by its Absolute counterparts. In some ways, with its tenth issue, Absolute Flash has one last chance to make an impression – I don’t think I can hold on forever waiting for Eobard Thawne to give this story some actual life.

I don’t want to end this review on a sour note, but unfortunately, the comic itself ended on a sour note, so let’s keep the trend going. The cliffhanger at the end of this issue was so non-impactful, I actually couldn’t believe it was the ending. The issue ends with Thawne “revealing” that Wally is the key to her evil scheme. This is exactly the same ending that we had before. We know this. We know that she needs Wally as a key to unlocking some powerful force, this is not new to anyone who read the last issue. If we’ve gotten to the point in this series where we’re rehashing plot points, then I don’t know what lies ahead. All I can hope is that the next issue makes a mark, because otherwise, Absolute Flash will stand as a real low-point for DC’s current era.

So, that’s my review of Absolute Flash #9, a far from glowing analysis, but I do genuinely hope this series can turn things around. Absolute Flash #10 is going to be extremely important for the future of this series, so make sure you stay tuned for that review down the line! What do you think of Absolute Flash #9? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Batman #162 Hush 2 Review

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