Absolute Flash #10 is published by DC Comics under the Absolute Line and written by Jeff Lemire with art by Nick Robles, colors by Adriano Lucas, and lettering by Tom Napolitano.
Absolute Flash #10 picks up directly following the events of Issue #9, in which Wally and the Rogues managed to escape Eleanor Thawne’s double-cross while discovering that the Trickster was the mole working for Thawne all along. We also learned more about Thawne’s plan to exploit Wally West’s powers to open a gateway into the Speed Force—a dimension we’ve only seen small hints of so far, but there may be far more at play than we previously assumed.
First things first: Issue #10 really delivers on everything the series has been building toward. I found this issue incredibly fun; it delivered on so many levels with high-speed action, major reveals, and palpable tension. If you read my review of Issue #9, I critiqued that Jeff Lemire’s pacing left a lot to be desired and that Absolute Flash worked better as a collected volume than as individual issues. I still think that’s largely the case, but Issue #10 truly has everything going for it as a raw, exciting comic book.
Talking about The Plot
Let's get into the details and critical analysis of the plot. As I previously mentioned, in Issue #10, it really feels like everything Jeff Lemire has been setting up finally comes to a head. We see Absolute Heat Wave making a return, which I really liked; I find his redesign as a big, hulking "lava goliath" incredibly fun. If they had only kept him to a single issue, it would have been a crying shame, and he’d be criminally underused in my honest opinion.
I also like how Absolute Wally West is starting to feel far more heroic than ever before, even if those heroics still come with some reluctance. In my review of Issue #9, I stated that I believed the reluctance and vulnerability of Absolute Wally was one of the book's strengths, helping separate this series from others in the Absolute line. While I still believe that, at the end of the day, this is a superhero book—you don't want your protagonist being weak or cowardly the entire time. The heroics and courage Wally shows in this issue are definitely earned and really helped me root for him.
Absolute Eleanor Thawne
I also found the way Eleanor Thawne truly let her evil side show—mask off—was extremely satisfying and added to the tension of the book dramatically. I really liked how her reaction to Eobard Thawne’s monstrous new look showed that maybe her calculations weren’t entirely right and that, perhaps, the plan to open the gateway wasn’t everything she hoped for.
I think she has been a fairly enjoyable character so far, with her obvious scheming being a major undercurrent of the series, but I am really happy Jeff Lemire has allowed her to embrace her truly evil, villainous self now. As I stated in my prior paragraph, this really is the turning point where the series becomes a superhero book—and that’s a good thing!
Also, the ending? Damn! Can we get Issue #11 early, please, DC? I am not actually sure I can wait a whole month to see what happens next. Needless to say, I don’t have a ton of negatives to say about Issue #10, as I truly believe it was the best issue of the series yet.
Who Even Are The Rogues Anyway?
One problem I have found personally—which I'm not going to call a huge criticism yet, as future issues could still address it—is that I would love some fleshing out of the Absolute Rogues. I want to know why and how they got to where they are currently in the series. We have received hints along the way that they were some kind of military strike force, which is an interesting setup, but if that's the case: show us.
I know that, so far, the book has focused primarily on the initial origin of Wally West. However, I feel I would be more invested in the story if I knew more about the individual Rogues' backstories, so I actually knew who I was rooting for or against. For example, Trickster has been a major player in the last few issues, yet I don’t feel like I know them at all. It has been hinted that Eleanor experimented on them in the past, but let us see that backstory—or at least give us some more crumbs to go off of. I think their characterization so far is very shallow (as are all of the Rogues'), and it would help me get more immersed in the story if I were given a better understanding of these characters.
Back when Geoff Johns was writing the main Flash series in the mid-2000s, he devoted one-shot issues to each of the Rogues to flesh out their characters. While I think this series is too premature for villain one-shots, I still believe it's that kind of philosophy that helped make that classic Flash
Talking About The Art
Now onto the art, and I feel a great way to begin this section is by talking about a feature I was really high on in my review of Absolute Flash #9: the body horror. There is definitely no shortage of that here in the grand reveal of Eobard Thawne and what the Speed Force has done to him. We finally see Eobard come through the gateway, and initially, Wally believes it's Barry again. But no—much to the shock of everyone—the Speed Force has really done a number on Eobard’s body, proving everything comes at a price.
Personally, I have enjoyed the Machiavellian scheming of Eleanor Thawne, but I would happily welcome this Speed Force-ravaged version instead—although I am not entirely sure how much story you could get out of the character. As I discussed in my last review, I really think the body horror adds a Childhood’s End vibe to the series. it marks a great contrast to the "young adult" artistic style that I believe Nick Robles is aiming for, as if to really hammer home how dangerous this world is for the teenage Wally West.
I also enjoyed how the passages of time and fragments of manifested memory appear to Wally now that he clearly understands more about his powers. There’s a really cool visual distinction from earlier issues; whereas Wally once thought he had been transported back through time, he now understands the Speed Force more and is able to view these moments as mere snapshots. I thought the way these are depicted in Issue #10 is reminiscent of video games where you get to replay holographic logs of past events.
All in all, there is nothing remarkably different about the art in this issue compared to previous ones, other than to say it is still consistently good. Nick Robles continues to give Absolute Flash its own unique visual identity in a very interesting way.
The Final Verdict
In conclusion, I think Absolute Flash #10 is very easily the best issue yet, and I truly believe many of the seeds Lemire previously planted pay off to great effect. However, the series could still benefit from fleshing out more of the side characters to make the world feel lived-in. I cannot wait to see how this story continues, and I will be first in line to buy Issue #11.