Barry Allen is on the run, being pursued by an Amanda Waller Amazo android who’s stolen speed from the Fastest Men and Women Alive. All but one.
It’s caught up to the Flash, but it can’t hold onto him.
The android had assumed that the minute it became super fast it would gain a connection to the Speed Force and be able to do all the classic moves, but that hasn’t happened. For one thing, it’s totally bamboozled as to how to vibrate through solid objects. Which means Barry isn’t totally on the back foot as he rushes through Central City’s Flash Museum looking for… what?
As I’ve indicated in previous reviews of this Absolute Power side series, it’s surprisingly good. We get different creative teams focusing on different Amazos and their targets, and the high quality has been consistent. Alex Paknadel shows there’s more to being a successful speedster than being able to move fast. There are tricks of the trade, and while some can be learned, achieving others is a tad more complex. I won’t say more than that, because this is a comic well worth reading rather than simply reading about. It’s a smart reminder as to why Barry has always been a top Flash, despite being one of many.
Paknadel taps into the history of Barry, showing how he went from novice speedster to mentor, while managing to make an emotionless android pretty interesting. We also get to see a little of Barry’s other half, Iris, in a story that, if I’m reading correctly, takes place in just 13 seconds. So it’s not surprising that the pace of Paknadel’s story never lets up, with a desperate Barry, as ever, refusing to give up in the face of insurmountable odds.
(Is it possible to see the line ‘not like this…’ without flashing back to Hawkeye’s death in Avengers Discombobulated?)
Each issue of this mini-series has had a subplot featuring Steve Trevor undercover in Amanda Waller’s Genoshan prison, and here he spies her meeting yet more evil extradimensional allies. If you read the second, concluding issue of the War For Earth 3 storyline you may guess who they are – and be muttering ‘Finally!’
You may also recognise the distinctive art of Pete Woods, once a DC regular but seen at the company far too little these days. I’m delighted to see his credit here because the man really knows how to tell a story, with dynamic compositions and recognisably human facial expressions. Plus, the Amazo Flash design is good, obviously based on our favourite speedsters, but uncanny in a distinctively tinny way. Woods is giving us full-colour art, meaning he controls all the visuals, and shows a balanced eye for colour. The speed effects are especially distinctive.
As for the lettering, it’s by the excellent Dave Sharpe, who must have super speed himself, the amount of books he’s handling right now.
The big question this issue leaves us with is: What’s with the feather? An extra dimensional object attuned to Speed Force energy signatures’? I can’t think of any Flash Family members who fly. But I do know a DCU heroine with the ability to fly at stratospheric speed.
Is the Legion of Super-Heroes member connected to the Speed Force? Could she wing her way back through time from the 31st century to save the day? I could certainly see an Absolute Power finale moment being a visit by the Retroboot Legion to the current day.
Alternate theories are very welcome. All will be revealed before long, no doubt.
For now, I recommend grabbing this issue, which scratches my itch for a Flash story that doesn’t require a degree in Fifth Dimensional quantum physics to understand.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Mark Waid in a recent interview (can’t recall where/with whom) was asked when he will be tackling characters from DC’s future given he has the “Justice League” relaunch coming up AND is writing “World’s Finest” and the “Batman/Robin Year One” mini. His response was along the lines of “sooner than you think…” So not sure about your feather theory, but that seemed to be a strong hint that perhaps The Legion might be making an appearance in “Absolute Power”…
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That’s most intriguing, thank you!
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Dawnstar?!?!?!
That would be awesome!!
-Matthew Lloyd
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Pin feathers crossed!
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LSH fans can only hope!
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Amen to that! I’ll be celebrating like it’s Klordny.
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Nice review. This issue is particularly interesting to read given the context provided by second issue of the Origins series that looks at Waller’s motives. That series has done a very good job of delineating how the Waller of this event came to her current mentality, and by extension implicitly evolved from the mindset exhibited by the Ostrander-Wein Waller. Without spoiling much, she kind of has the mentality of Mallory from The Boys. She’s not an outright bloodthirsty, superbeing murdering psychopath like Billy Butcher from that series, but she’s somebody who very coldly decided that superpowered beings are only a threat to humanity for reasons that the issue and its predecessor provide a solid justification for and has found a way to convince the American security state to take up her point of view. I don’t know if you’ll end up reviewing it, but regardless by illuminating Waller’s perspective and thereby providing a fairly compelling argument for the antagonist’s behavior it does add a lot of creative force to the wider narrative of Absolute Power.
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Thank you! I see the first part of the Waller Origins story is on DC Infinite now, so I’ll have a look and maybe buy the second… if it has Suicide Squad stuff in there, I’m interested.
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Without spoiling too much, the second issue should be right up your alley because it is (among other things) an origin story for the Suicide Squad. The troubleshooting Waller has to do to actually make the squad work the way she wants to is quite interesting, because it answers a lot of what ifs about the squad that DC has often done a weak job of addressing. Also, the behavior of the Super characters on the first squad and Waller’s reaction to them provide a very good explanation for how she got to the mindset she has by the time of Absolute Power.
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OK, first issue read, it was fascinating, and clever, to see how John Ridley reframed Amanda’s campaign to get Marvin Collins elected, adding new details without contradicting the Ostrander/Yale original, but I didn’t like what Ridley did to Amanda; suddenly, from the early days, she’s been willing to lie and cheat to achieve her own agenda, using the threat of destroying a woman who trusts her with lies about skimming political money.
And I didn’t get why she fixates on the costumed vigilantes, making that her reason to come up with Project X… I’d assumed her dealings with heroes down the years had changed her, warped her beliefs, but now it seems she was bad all along. This is where the original story is changed – instead of a new Suicide Squad to attack US problems abroad covertly, she’s forming a team to use in her confusing vendetta.
Maybe the second issue will make things clearer. I’m certainly excited to read it, thanks for putting me onto this.
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Couldn’t resist this one in the shop today, especially since we’re all a little starved for comprehensible Flash content. I love your Dawnstar theory! I can’t say I’ve got a better one at the moment, but I’ll think it over.
Oh, and you’ll be happy to know Pete Woods will be taking over art chores on Titans, with John Layman handling the writing. Sounds like a good team!
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Now that is an intriguing team, heaven knows that series needs a shake up.
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(I don’t know why I’m suddenly anonymous, but this is Rob again)
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I blame Waller.
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I’ve been Amazo’d!
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