If you’ve been following Jeff Lemire and Travis Moore’s Absolute Flash run, you know it’s been a slow burn, but Issue #8 finally gives us the essential backstory we’ve been craving. The big questions (what exactly is Fort Fox and what were Barry Allen’s experiments all about) are answered, and the revelations are juicy enough to keep you hooked.
The issue kicks off in the past, showing us Barry Allen in his natural state: late. He’s a disgraced professor at Keystone University, having lost all his lab privileges after some big incident. But luck, or perhaps fate, walks into his lecture in the form of Elenore Thawne. She has exactly what he needs to get back in the game.
The crew is heading into the belly of the beast: Project Olympus. Their goal? To rescue Wally’s dad, Rudy, who is being held by the terrifying Elenore Thawne. The tension on the ship is thick enough to cut with a knife. You have Captain Cold (Snart), Captain Boomerang (Digger), Golden Glider (Lisa), and even the adorable Grodd is along for the ride.
What makes the plot work so well is that it feels like a heist movie. The Rogues are pretending to have captured Wally to get inside Thawne’s base. It’s a risky plan, and you can feel the nerves coming off the characters. Digger just wants to “blow some @#$%” up, while Snart is trying to keep everyone focused. It’s a dysfunctional family unit, and poor Wally is the outsider trapped in the middle.
The dialogue in this issue is where Lemire really shines. It’s snappy and reveals so much about the relationships without needing big exposition dumps. There is a moment on the ship where the friction boils over. Trickler, who is in Thawne’s pocket, lashes out at Lisa (Golden Glider). She insults her appearance, calling her a “robot from the hips down” because of her tech.
It’s a cruel moment, but it feels real, like something somebody would say. But the Rogues’ reaction is telling. Snart makes it clear that the Rogues have been through war together. They are “brothers and sisters.” This contrast between the Rogues’ loyalty to each other and Wally’s distrust adds a great layer of emotional weight to the mission. You actually find yourself rooting for the “bad guys” because they care about each other so deeply.
While the heist is the main plot, there is a darker undercurrent running through the issue. The book opens with a flashback to Barry Allen talking about Schwarzschild and the “cost of genius.” It’s a heavy, scientific conversation that sets a sense of dread. Barry warns that “there is a cost to everything,” and we see that cost playing out in real-time with Wally.
Mid-mission, Wally suffers a terrifying episode. He starts glitching out, seeing visions of himself dissolving and screaming, “Make it stop!” It’s not your standard superhero weakness, and it suggests that the powers Wally has are eating him alive or breaking reality around him. This adds a horror element that elevates the stakes beyond just “punching the bad guy.”
The art team, led by Nick Robles with colors by Adriano Lucas, is doing phenomenal work here. The visual style is distinctively modern and edgy. Robles has a gift for facial expressions. You can see the exhaustion in Snart’s face and the sheer terror in Wally’s eyes when he starts to glitch.
A special shout-out has to go to the character designs. Lisa’s look, with the large, Daft Punk-esque helmet, is always striking to see and one of the best redesigns of the Absolute Univerve. Then there are the colors. Adriano Lucas uses a palette that swings between grounded, earthy military tones for the Rogues and explosive reds for the Speed Force and Thawne’s technology. When the ship crashes and the explosions go off, the page lights up with this intense, radioactive energy. It makes the danger feel hot and volatile. Finally, Tom Napolitano’s lettering helps convey the instability of the world these characters inhabit.
Absolute Flash #9 is a fantastic start to a new story arc. It balances high-stakes action with deep character work, exploring themes of family, sacrifice, and the physical toll of power. The cliffhanger reveal sets up a massive conflict for the future.
If you like heist stories, complicated heroes, and art that pops off the page, this issue is a must-read. The Rogues have never looked this cool, and the Flash has rarely been this terrified.
‘Absolute Flash’ #9 Review: Lemire’s Rogues’ Revenge & The Horror of the Speed Force
If you like heist stories, complicated heroes, and art that pops off the page, this issue is a must-read. The Rogues have never looked this cool, and the Flash has rarely been this terrified.
