‘Absolute Flash’ Writer Jeff Lemire Says His Goal With New DC Series Was To “Make A Great Comic That Celebrates Comics” And “Channel The Energy Of The Silver Age But With A Modern Sensibility”
According to series scribe Jeff Lemire, while it may take place in an a terribly bleak universe, Absolute Flash Vol. 1 aims to strike a fine, red-and-gold colored balance between the “energy of the Silver Age” and the book’s more contemporary setting.
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Perhaps best known for his work on Green Arrow Vol. 5, Lemire provided this insight into his take on the Scarlet Speedster while speaking with AIPT‘s David Brooke in promotion of the series’ upcoming release.
Beginning with some thoughts on his decision to not only center the book on a teenaged version of the third man to wear the mantle, Wally West, but also make him the only Flash to ever exist in the Absolute Universe, Lemire detailed, “For me, the one thing I really wanted to hook into was the sense of really having Wally as a teenager again. “
“Using his powers as almost a metaphor for all the things we go through at that age—figuring out who we are, what the world is, and our place in it,” he explained. “If he had a mentor, if there had been other Flashes before him, it kind of undercuts that.”
“He doesn’t know what’s happening,” Lemire further detailed of Wally’s forthcoming run. “It’s terrifying. We get to see him learning his powers for the first time. Even Barry Allen had Jay Garrick comic books as a frame of reference. But our Wally has zero reference, and it’s actually quite terrifying what’s happening to his body and mind.”
“The Absolute Universe kind of isolates these characters, makes them underdogs,” the writer added. “It builds toward something bigger.”
To this end, Lemire then noted that rather than telling a purely action-oriented tale, Absolute Flash Vol. 1 would instead strike a 70/30 balance between character drama and traditional superhero punch-em-ups.
“For me, all the action and superhero elements come out of Wally’s emotional state,” he explained. “It’s pretty easy to balance the introspective drama with the spectacle when it’s all playing off each other. And then you get an artist like Nick [Robles], whose strength is deep character work. So you want to play to those strengths.”
“Just doing straight superhero action is not always the most compelling on its own,” he opined. “Balancing it with character work is what I love to do.”
Following quick sprints into Absolute Wally’s relationship with his father, Rudy West, and his version of the Rogues, Lemire ultimately would down the interview by speaking to the storytelling freedom the brand new universe, with its lack of established canon, afforded to him.
“One of the things that freed me up was knowing this wasn’t replacing the regular DC Universe,” he detailed. “Fans still have the Wally West they know and love in the DCU. That allowed us to do something different.”
Noting that he wasn’t trying to reinvent Wally’s character, Lemire ultimately asserted, “I’m just trying to make a great comic that celebrates comics.”
“Superhero characters are everywhere now—film, TV, games—but we need to get back to what makes comics unique,” he concluded. “I want to channel the energy of the Silver Age but with a modern sensibility.”
Barring any unforeseen shipping disruptions, Absolute Flash Vol. 1 #1 is currently set to hit shelves on March 19th (and given Wally’s fan-favorite status, one can only hope that Lemire’s work on the Speed Force turns out better than his current run on JSA Vol. 2).
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