As Wally West deals with his legacy, we finally see the life and times of Doctor Barry Allen. And where there’s an Allen, there’s usually a Thawne! Your Major Spoilers review of Absolute Flash #8 from DC Comics awaits!

ABSOLUTE FLASH #8

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Travis Moore
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Editor: Andrew Marino
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: October 15, 2025

Previously in Absolute Flash: The origins of Fort Fox and Barry Allen’s experiments are finally revealed!

But what do they mean for the future of the Flash?!

THAWNE AND ALLEN REDUX

Before we can get to the future of The Flash, we must address the past. Specifically, the past of one Barry Allen, physics professor at Keystone University, who finds himself intellectually far beyond his students, his bosses, and even his peers. So far advanced is he that he is approached by Elenore Thawne, one of the only scientists at his theoretical level, to participate in her secret pet project. Dr. Thawne is the granddaughter of Eobard Thawne, an Oppenheimer-like figure who oversaw experiments to unlock the secrets of a dimension of “living energy” which only he could understand (and which seemingly cost him his life). Where Grampa Thawne and Captain Jay Garrick were lost, Elenore and Barry succeeded, creating a stable portal to the other realm, a sort of force made of pure speed. (Too bad there’s not a cool name for that.) As time goes on, Barry becomes less and less enamored of the lengths to which his partner will go for funding, including working for the US military. That’s how Colonel West came to Fort Fox, putting his son Wally in the proverbial line of fire.

THE RED MATTER

If this were the Bronze Age of comics, this would be issue one, as it is all setup for the origin of The Flash, explaining the source of his powers and the circumstances that led to Wally getting his super-speed. That said, I think this is the perfect place to tell this part of the story, having completed a full arc and established the mysteries behind our not-quite Scarlet Speedster.

The art of Travis Moore is wonderfully suited to showing us the strange living energy dimension, and almost every page has moments that I wanted to sit and examine, especially the last, which explains how it ended up being Wally who got the speed powers. It’s easy to complain about deconstruction in comic books, but I feel like Jeff Lemire’s pacing throughout Absolute Flash has been spot-on. Even this issue’s flashback sequences move briskly, but there is a lot of lore and incident to unpack, as well as some wonderful references like Fort Fox, the debut of Captain Garrick, and the double-meaning of Blue Trinity.

BOTTOM LINE: FASCINATING STUFF

In short, Absolute Flash #8 is a key chapter in the story of Wally West, Eobard Thawne, Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and the other Barry Allen, with unique art that makes it stand out and the reveal of the extent of the creators’ world-building efforts, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. With the recent revelations around DC K.O. and the Earth-0/Absolute Universe crossover, this might end up being more important than any of us suspect.

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ABSOLUTE FLASH #8

90%

90%

Weird And Wonderful

Tracing the origins of Fort Fox and the Red Matter, this is (chronologically speaking) issue number one, and it'll grab you.

• Writing

  9
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  9
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