Absolute Flash #3 Review

• Written by: Jeff Lemire

• Art by: Nick Robles

• Colors by: Adriano Lucas

• Letters by: Tom Napolitano

• Cover art by: Nick Robles (cover A)

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: May 21, 2025

Absolute Flash #3, by DC Comics on 5/21/2025, sends Absolute Grodd after Wally to capture him, but the monkey's mental touch doesn't work out the way the military expected. 

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Is Absolute Flash #3 Good?

Recap

When we last left Wally West in Absolute Flash #2, Captain Cold, frustrated with his team's inability to catch Wally, orders his teammates to finish the hunt by unleashing Grodd from a containment truck. The issue ended with a very different-looking Grodd stepping into the light.

Plot Synopsis

In Absolute Flash #3, Wally gets a sidekick? The issue begins with a flashback (maybe?) of what happened at the moment of the lab accident. Wally got zapped with energy, so he ran away at superspeed. Barry Allen was dragged along with him in his superspeed wake, killing him.

Now, Grodd - a little green monkey with an exposed brain - sneaks onto a farm to find Wally asleep in a barn. Grodd wakes Wally and connects with him telepathically. Through the sharing of memories, Grodd decides they are the same because of their similar life traumas, so they should stick together. 

The Rogues eventually arrive at the farm. Wally uses superspeed to evade attacks and knockout Boomerang, while Grodd uses mental attacks to knock out the rest. After the fight, Wally and Grodd run to where Barry's body remains in a desert cavern. Somehow, Wally repairs Barry's super suit, buries Barry's body, and runs off into the sunset as the Absolute Flash. And that's it.

First Impressions

This was a weirdly short issue. Jeff Lemire uses the opening to clarify the confusion from the first two issues, quickly makes friends with Grodd, dons a super suit because it's simply the right thing to do, and runs off to start a life as a superhero. Absolute Flash #3 begins a new status quo without establishing one in the first place. 

How’s the Art?

Nick Robles's artwork is one of the highlights of this issue. Wally's superspeed antics look different than the typical electrical arcs of the classic Flash, and the visual presentation of Wally's telepathic connection with Grodd is cool. Plus, this is the most coherent issue in the series, so Robles does his part to let the art tell part of the story.

What’s great about Absolute Flash #3?

Jeff Lemire's script makes sense of the chaos and the confusion from the first two issues. The sequence of events and timelines are easier to follow, and Wally's connection to Barry's death is presented in such a way as to clarify why Wally feels responsible. This series is off to a clunky start, but this issue helps smooth some of the rough edges.

What’s not great about Absolute Flash #3?

It all happens too quickly because several of the bigger problems and open questions don't get resolved. How did Wally get into Barry's lab? What was the nature of Barry's experiment? How did Wally repair Barry's suit, and why did he think it was a good idea to strip a corpse for a damaged suit? Wally's relationship with his father may not have been the best, but why wouldn't he seek out some kind of help? Where is Wally going? How does he expect to survive without food, shelter, clothes, or money?

In short, Jeff Lemire hand waves away everything to give readers a heroic ending, but it feels quick, cheap, and unearned.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Absolute Flash #3 hands waves away most of the open questions, creates a surprisingly charming friendship between Wally and Grodd, and runs off into the sunset as if the last three issues never happened. Jeff Lemire's script gets Wally into his super suit with a few strong emotional beats, but the big ending feels cheap and unearned.

5.5/10

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The New Gods #6 Review

• Written by: Ram V

• Art by: Evan Cagle (The Arrival), Filipe Andrade (The Race)

• Colors by: Francesco Segala, Filipe Andrade

• Letters by: Tom Napolitano

• Cover art by: Nimit Malavia (cover A)

• Cover price: $3.99

• Release date: May 21, 2025

The New Gods #6, by DC Comics on 5/21/25, gives readers a short history of Lightray as the hero travels to his final destination in the Afterlife. However, the Darkness's rule-breaking may change those plans.

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Is The New Gods #6 Good?

Recap

When we last left the collection of deities in The New Gods #5,  Karok the Scavenger arrived in New Genesis to destroy everyone. After a tense battle that resulted in the death (maybe) of Lightray, Highfather and his New Gods entered an escape ship that teleported to Earth. Meanwhile, Scott and Barda fought Orion to a stalemate to protect the child when Superman arrived to tip the balance of power against Orion.

Plot Synopsis

In The New Gods #6, the Black Racer, who is the embodiment of Death, shepherds Lightray to the Source after the hero's death in the battle against Karok. Racer explains that they must travel through a liminal space to reach their final destination. The Darkness, which infected the Old Ones eons ago, hungers to consume all life and light, but it cannot enter the liminal space. Suddenly, Black Racer is attacked by the Darkness against all the rules.

Black Racer eventually breaks free and leads the Darkness in a blistering chase through the liminal space, protecting Lightray's soul as he runs. Eventually, Black Racer reaches the Source to deliver Lightray's soul, but he tells the Source that he must return Lightray to fight what's coming, or the Black Racer will take matters into his own hands.

Meanwhile, Highfather recounts how tenacious Solis, aka Lightray, was as a boy. He was born without powers and was therefore considered not to be a god. When Solis and Orion encountered a group of soldiers from Apokalips, Solis was nearly killed in the fight. He willed himself to live, manifesting his light powers to become Lightray and prove his father wrong about his inadequacy.

On Earth, Superman gives Orion a chance to stand down while the Justice League rescues the ship that suddenly fell through a portal in the sky. The issue ends with the League quickly working to slow the ship from New Genesis down. 

First Impressions

Yeah, we're pretty close to tapping out on this series. Ram V's self-important vanity project lacks focus and is more concerned with high-brow world-building than giving the reader a reason to care. Everything about this issue screams, "Look how smart this is," while forgetting that "smart" writing is no substitute for engaging the audience.

How’s the Art?

The art is a weirdly mixed bag. It's unclear who decided to have guest artists on every issue for the non-Earth parts of the story, but it's a jarring choice. If you've got Evan Cagle, use Evan Cagle. Instead, we have Filipe Andrade's suggestive, colored pencil sketch style. It's not necessarily bad. It just doesn't fit, and Andrade's style is too soft to deliver the impact of the moments depicted. 

What’s great about The New Gods #6?

If you're interested in the history of Lightray and what happens to New Gods when they die, this might be an interesting issue for you. If nothing else, Ram V presents a tale that bristles with grandness and majesty (perhaps too much at times) to give the New Gods a story befitting their name.

What’s not great about The New Gods #6?

What's not great is everything else. In typical Ram V fashion, the basics of a story are either underdeveloped or wholly absent, crowded out by Ram V's unwavering belief in the awesomeness of his narration. Who is the focal character? What do they want? What's stopping them from getting it? What happens if they succeed or fail?

If you can't clearly answer these questions after issue #6, the writer has failed in his primary function. Everything else is arrogance, and the continually dropping sales rankings for this title reflect that.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

The New Gods #6 gives readers a unique, novel visualization of what happens to New Gods when they die as Highfather and the New Genesis refugees escape to Earth. Ram V's script is more concerned with high-brow world-building, neglecting the basic foundations of a story worth reading, and the art is a mixed bag.

3/10

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Detective Comics #1097 Review

• Written by: Tom Taylor

• Art by: Lee Garbett

• Colors by: Lee Loughridge

• Letters by: Wes Abbott

• Cover art by: Mikel Janín

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: May 21, 2025

Detective Comics #1097, by DC Comics on 5/21/25, sends Harvey Bullock into the mean streets of Gotham City to find out who or what is behind the mysterious group called Elixir.

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Is Detective Comics #1097 Good?

Recap

When we last left the Caped Crusader in Detective Comics #1096, Batman foiled the conspiracy to use the blood of teenage prisoners for an elite anti-aging treatment. However, the secret cabal, Elixir, behind the medical research company isn't done with Gotham City yet.

Plot Synopsis

In Detective Comics #1097, Elixir's dirty deeds bother more detectives than Batman. We catch up with Harvey Bullock, now a private dick after his firing from the GCPD by Commissioner Savage, examining the murder scenes from the last arc. Ten teenagers are dead and it doesn't sit right with Bullock. Batman encounters Bullock, sees that he's bothered by the case, and offers to hire him to help with the investigation to find and shut down Elixir.

Batman can't find any record of Elixir, but Bullock recalls crossing paths with the group once when he was a rookie cop. When Bullock and his first partner, Sulley, were called to check on an old shut-in, they walked in on Ambrose and two other men torturing the resident. Bullock draws his gun, but Sully pulls him out with a promise to Ambrose that they'll never speak of what they saw. Sulley explains that cops who interfere in Elixir business wind up dead. Elixir left town shortly after.

Now, Bullock meets with every informant he knows who can give him information, but nobody helps. Finally, Bullock visits his old partner, Sulley, who was kicked off the force for corruption years ago. Sulley agrees to give Bullock a file of information for a fee.

Later, Bullock digitally sends the information to a private line Batman provided, one that leads to Oracle. A group of armed men barges into Bullock's office because he's been asking too many questions around town. Batman arrives later to find Bullock missing and signs of a struggle. Oracle hacks the city's network of security cameras to trace the men loading Bullock into a van that arrives at an airfield where a plane takes Bullock to Pokolistan. When Batman races to catch up with the transport and barges in, he finds the man inside the back with a hood on his head is not Bullock but the Penguin.

First Impressions

This is going to sound weird. I like the execution but not the central concept. Batman hiring Bullock to be his private detective is a fun twist on their relationship, and a Bullock-centric issue is a pleasant change of pace. However, yet another secret organization is a played-out concept.

How’s the Art?

Lee Garbett steps in for Mikel Janín to walk readers through a fairly good detective noir story, leaning on long shadows and silhouettes to amp up the mood of the story as it unfolds. Garbett's presence for Batman is spot on, and the panel layouts/composition deliver a high, dramatic impact.

What’s great about Detective Comics #1097?

Tom Taylor dispenses with the convoluted theatrics of the previous arc to present a solid detective story, which is exactly what you should expect in a title called Detective Comics. In fairness, Bullock does all the detective work in this issue, but we'll take it.

What’s not great about Detective Comics #1097?

Sadly, the shortcomings of this issue fall right within the arena of Tom Taylor's bad habits. Bullock does all the work. Don't get me wrong. I like Bullock, but we've seen over and over how Taylor has trouble letting the main character do the heavy lifting, relying on the supporting characters to resolve the conflict. Here we are again as Batman takes a backseat in his own series.

Further, Elixir is just not that interesting, and it doesn't fit within Gotham City because you can only have so many secret cabals before they start stepping on each other's toes. Is Taylor really trying to convince the reader that centuries-old groups like the League of Shadows and the Court of Owls have never run afoul of Elixir? This idea comes off as a weak copy of better ideas.

 

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Detective Comics #1097 is a fairly good start to a detective noir story starring Harvey Bullock (?), where the recent damage caused by Elixir stirs up old memories. Tom Taylor's script is a mixed bag of solid execution surrounding an uninteresting mystery. Plus, guest artist Lee Garbett's visuals are on point.

6/10

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Superman Unlimited #1 Review

• Written by: Dan Slott

• Art by: Rafael Albuquerque

• Colors by: Marcelo Maiolo

• Letters by: Dave Sharpe

• Cover art by: Rafael Albuquerque, Marcelo Maiolo (cover A)

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: May 21, 2025

Superman Unlimited #1, by DC Comics on 5/21/25, begins a new day for the Man of Steel when he's tasked with stopping an incoming meteorite from destroying Earth, but the mission will have drastic outcomes for everyone.

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Is Superman Unlimited #1 Good?

Plot Synopsis

Dan Slott's inaugural turn on Superman begins with introductions at the Daily Planet. Imani Edge, Morgan Edge's ex-wife, obtained the newspaper in her divorce settlement, and she intends to use the Daily Planet brand to establish news and media outlets around the world, including misinformation policing for several of the world's biggest social media platforms. Edge insists she'll remain a silent, impartial benefactor while Lois Lane runs the global media empire. During the big announcement, Clark flies off when Superman is needed.

Superman's rounds of good deeds are interspersed with snippets of history that recount Superman's history, from the destruction of Krypton to his present as a husband and father, drawing heavy inspiration from the Superman '78 film. For his last good deed of the day, Superman receives a call from the Watchtower about a massive meteorite made of Inertron headed for Earth. The meteorite wasn't detected sooner because Inertron is invisible to modern warning systems. Privately, Superman knows Inertron will be a highly prized organic alloy in the 31st century.

When Superman gives the meteorite a super-punch, the Inertron falls away since it's only a thin layer covering a meteorite made of Kryptonite! Superman has little choice but to try and push the meteorite to an uninhabited part of the world. Through pain and scenes of his life flashing before his eyes (again), he succeeds in guiding the meteorite down, crushed under its massive weight.

Superman wakes up three months later aboard the Watchtower, and much has changed. Kryptonite is now readily available across the Earth, and the nation-state of El Caldero converted the nearby mega-supply of Kryptonite into a mega-business, making it the most advanced nation on Earth. If you're wondering how Superman survived getting crushed under a Kryptonite meteorite, his body...somehow...developed a spectrographic resistance to Kryptonite.

First Impressions

Ehh...well, okay. Dan Slott uses his first full-issue take on Superman to give you a small setup with big consequences and a whole lot of rehash. If you've never heard of Superman, this first issue makes for a good primer with an intriguing cliffhanger. However, if you, like most of the planet, are already familiar with Superman, you may feel this issue is mostly filler.

How’s the Art?

Rafael Albuquerque's artwork and presentation for the Man of Steel at his heroic best looks great. The power and scale for the action scenes are wholly on point. That said, Albuquerque makes odd face-shape choices with Clark Kent and his supporting cast. In a few spots, Clark's face looks like it's melting. In short, the art is mostly good.

What’s great about Superman Unlimited #1?

Dan Slott's debut ticks all the familiar notes for a tried and true Superman story, even going so far as to give readers a mini-retrospective on Big Blue's history to set the foundation for Slott's version of the character. All the historical notes feel correct, and there's even a heartwarming nod to the Donner films for a teeny bit of fan service.

Finally, the cliffhanger is strong because it sets up a new status quo for the world and the entire Superfamily. Whether or not it sticks is TBD.

What’s not great about Superman Unlimited #1?

If you're a Superman fan and well-acquainted with one or more versions of the character's history, this issue will look and feel like a lot of rehashed filler that doesn't tell you anything you didn't already know. For all you Batman fans out there, imagine a new creator (Matt Fraction will be taking over Batman soon) coming onto the book and spending 75% of the first issue recounting Batman's origin story, including the grossly overused pearls in Crime Alley.

There's technically nothing wrong with the facts Slott presents, but they're a redundant recap that takes time away from the original story introduced. Who thought that was a good idea?

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Superman Unlimited #1 finds the Man of Steel flying off on a suicide mission to stop a meteorite made of Kryptonite, but the end of the mission is the start of a new era. Dan Slott's big idea is a doozy. Unfortunately, the promise of the idea is lost in a sea of recaps about Superman's history. Plus, Rafael Albuquerque's art is generally good during the action scenes but a bit rough with the faces. If Slott can put his creative spark behind a fully original issue, we'll see if he presents a noteworthy story for Superman fans. For now, it's a wait-and-see. 

7/10

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Batman: Dark Patterns #6 Review

Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Tríona Farrell
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman (Cover A)
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 14, 2025

Recap

"The Voice of the Tower" Part 3 - Scarface has taken control of Bledin Towers. His followers have kidnapped a cop and barricaded themselves inside. Batman is also inside and is fighting his way to the kidnapped officer. Can he get there in time to save her life? And why have Scarface and the Ventriloquist seemingly split up?

Plot Summary

After last issue's cliffhanger ending, we open on a grisly scene of blood and death in the tower block. Michelle's husband and the hostage cop are both lying dead in a large pool of blood. We saw Michelle stab her husband at the end of last issue, then approach the hostage cop brandishing the knife. It appears she killed the officer too. A couple of the residents are panicking because they know what this means. Without their hostage as a bargaining chip, the cops won't hesitate to light the place up.

Batman is with the Ventriloquist Wesker. They're taking an old service stairwell as Batman searches for the hostage cop, Officer Pryce. We get some Batman narration about Wesker's childhood. He surmises that Wesker grew up in this tower block because he knows his way around it so well. The scene shifts to the bathroom of another room where the two bodies have been dumped. It's Officer Pryce and Michelle's husband. Suddenly the cop wakes up coughing and grasping at her throat. She's not dead after all, but looks to be in severe pain. She is unable to call for help due to the injury to her throat. At least she's alive!