Can Wally West outrun The Rogues? Your Major Spoilers review of Absolute Flash #2 from DC Comics awaits!

ABSOLUTE FLASH #2

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Nick Robles
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Editor: Andrew Marino
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 16, 2025

Previously in Absolute Flash: Wally West is on the run from his dad and the rest of Fort Fox, and while his newfound abilities are terrifying him, he needs to find a way to use them to make his escape. But how will he handle the elite group his father sent to bring him back? Can even The Flash outrun The Rogues?

OF TWO WORLDS

Moments after the last issue, we find Wally West in the caverns outside Fort Fox, horrified by the corpse of Barry Allen. Before he can fully process it all, he finds himself strafed by a glowing green boomerang and takes off at super-speed once more. Before he can clear his way out, he finds walls of ice blocking his way, forcing him to run straight at a woman with two laser swords… then run straight THROUGH a woman with two laser swords. As the Rogues (who are only identified as Digger, Jesse, Glider, and the Captain, but are clearly analogues of Captains Cold, Boomerang, The Trickster, and Golden Glider) try to capture him, Wally finds himself doing the ol’ Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time and experiencing two things at once. In one reality, his father and Barry Allen are in a fist-fight over Wally getting in the middle of whatever experiments have been going on. In the other, he is fighting for his life in the desert, but to the surprise of both the Rogues AND the would-be Flash, his powers cause a huge bioelectrical feedback, threatening to barbecue the Rogues.

That’s when they call in the reinforcements.

“GET GRODD”

The second half of the issue features an interesting look into Wally’s future(s), where we see him as both a hero and a strange lightning monster, taking both the time-travel aspects of Flash stories and “Flash Of Two Worlds” title from the Silver Age and putting a new twist on it. All of the Absolute titles have toyed with the bits and pieces of the character’s back story, but Lemire’s take on The Flash really feels like a transformative take. As for the art, it’s truly phenomenal stuff, with cool new designs (Digger’s boomerangs are fascinating, and Glider’s entire visual depiction is just plain awesome) and speed effects that impress me with their creativity. There are elements of Infantino’s lightning streaks, the multiple-frozen images of the Silver Age, and even the modern obsession with lightning bolts everywhere, but it feels unique and different.

BOTTOM LINE: I’M IN

I missed the first issue, but as soon as I finished Absolute Flash #2, I went back to grab that issue as well, and for all my reservations about the Absolute revamps, this one works on nearly every level, with my only real complaint being some confusion about #TimeTravelShenanigans, rounding out to 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. I don’t know if the Absolute books will be the game-changers that the Silver Age revamps of the JSA characters were, given the realities of modern comics publishing and the shell game of the IPs, but this comic has everything you’d need to make that happen.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #2

93%

93%

Immensely Entertaining

This new take on The Flash feels to me like what it must have felt like for Jay Garrick fans to read Showcase #4 back in '58, and I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  10
• Coloring

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0