Red Matter On The Brain — Reviewing ‘Absolute Flash’ #8

Obsession is a powerful emotional drive that can overwhelm even the brightest and the most on paper logically sound minds. Potential for greatness has many a person to sacrifice everything and everyone to reach their pinnacle moment.

The path of one late Barry Allen has been laid out as Absolute Flash #8 begins to properly place more of the series puzzle pieces. Another solid flashback comes courtesy of Jeff Lemire, Travis Moore, Adriano Lucas, and Tom Napolitano.

Here I was, in the very last review, talking about how much this series wasn’t filling in the gaps. Now here we are with another issue that has fleshed out more of the nitty gritty of Fort Fox, those who work there, and how the whole mess around Wally West began.

This Absolute universe has given creators a chance to really mix things up. It shifts characters around, their relationships, statuses, lives, and so much more. Barry Allen has always been a pretty boring character to me, which tracks since I’m a Wally West guy. It doesn’t help that in normal situations he’s a cop and such.

Lemire gives him a different bent here — full science — but one whose ideas led him to lower academia. Now with unlimited resources, he’s heard the call of science fully and has begun his descent to the death that we know came for him at the series beginning. At the same time, the introduction of Elenore Thawne, granddaughter of usual foe Eobard Thawne, has been an inspired one — Barry Allen and a Thawne willingly working close together, only disputing about how to go about the science is intriguing.

Moore keeps on doing that thing he does so well with this issue. It’s full of truly dynamic artwork that has a layer of slickness that is really baked into the whole thing. Very smooth, with just a touch of rougher textures within the depth and detail that is part and parcel for the work. Characters move easily around the spaces in an authentic way, giving the overall setting a lived in and scaled feeling.

It’s very superhero friendly as a style. Somewhere in that realm we generally call house style sort of, but more than that.

There are some fantastical elements here and they are mostly restrained, because the focus is on the character(s) more than the science fiction of it all. Compare that to the first arc which was heavier sci-fi action.

Lucas is a solid colorist who really brings the depth and detail of their own, choosing a foundation that is very light and natural, giving the overall setting a familiar tangible feeling. There are more vibrant beats are pushed out against that backdrop to highlight characters, moments, or more. It all balances so easily, including the darker tones that find their way into the corresponding moments. Essentially, it creates something that feels both realistic but also out of this world at the same time.

There isn’t as much space for Napolitano to really cut loose, since the story mostly focuses on ‘normal’ characters this time. There are no speedster bubbles or things for the Rogues. That being said, it still just really hits hard with the modifications and small, exciting things that he can drop in at times, infusing it all with the right level of emotional depth and weight as needed.

Even boring old Barry Allen’s speech. Sorry, not sorry Barry.

Absolute Flash #8 is now available from DC Comics.