When we left the Flash, he had jumped into one of the mysterious vortexes in an attempt to save Iris. On the other side of the vortex, Flash found himself inside the Speed Force… and he isn’t alone!

As this issue opens, we get a flashback to 1944 as one of the Tuskegee Airmen disappears into thin air. That man is the man that Flash has met inside the Speed Force. Now calling himself Turbine, the man attacks the Flash believing that its his ticket back home.

Most of this issue consists of Turbine and Flash going back and forth about how the Speed Force works, both in relation to Flash’s powers and as a place in and of itself.  This is the first time since the reboot that readers have actually had a chance to see inside the Speed Force and some of the rules have changed. I won’t go into the specific changes and spoil the surprise but they do give a unique new take on the Flash’s speed powers.

In addition to the Speed Force’s new design, we get some backstory on Turbine and he looks like he’ll be a great addition to the Flash family. It’s going to be interesting to see whether Turbine turns out as a villain or a hero… or maybe a bit of both.

As the issue comes to a close, Flash and Turbine escape the Speed Force… and you’ll never believe where they end up!

Writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are consistently making ‘The Flash’ into possibly the best all-around superhero comic of the New 52. It’s not as dark as the Bat-titles and not as convoluted as Superman. It finds a nice balance somewhere in the middle that is sure to lend itself to everyone. I could see young kids and new readers enjoying this title just as much as old school comic fans like myself. That’s a hard balance to pull off but this writing team has done it pretty darn well so far!

Verdict: Buy

THE FLASH #8
Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO and FRANCIS MANAPUL
Art by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO