Written by: Mark Waid, Christopher Cantwell
Art by: Vasco Georgiev
Colors by: Matt Herms
Letters by: Buddy Beaudoin
Cover art by: Dan Mora
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: December 24, 2025
First Impressions
The opening salvo hooks you with Wally West's voice narration explaining a catastrophe across time itself, immediately establishing stakes that feel genuinely dangerous rather than repetitive tournament filler. The dual narrative structure splits between past (Wally desperately trying to protect powerless Bart) and present (Jay Garrick competing in the tournament) creates immediate momentum. The writing grabs you right away because it refuses to pretend this is just another fight; it's a rescue operation wrapped inside a tournament.
Recap
The previous issue established the DC K.O. tournament premise: Darkseid threatens the universe, so a competition was created to determine a champion strong enough to stop him. Sixteen remaining combatants compete across eight rounds, with each hero and villain fighting to protect their world. This issue continues Round Six as the sixteenth fighter steps into the arena.
Plot Analysis
Wally West is running through time itself with his cousin Bart Allen powerless in his arms after a catastrophic encounter with Darkseid's forces in the burning timestream. Bart foolishly charged into omega-infected time to stop Darkseid, nearly dying in the process. Now Wally must navigate backward a century to the very night Barry Allen became the Flash, which happens to be the moment the Legion of Darkseid plans to destroy Barry's legacy completely. With only fifteen minutes before disaster strikes, Wally seeks shelter and assistance, eventually arriving at Iris West's door to leave Bart in her care while he handles the threat.
Meanwhile, in the present day, Jay Garrick, the original Flash from the 1940s, faces off against Guy Gardner, the hotheaded Green Lantern, in the tournament's Round Six matchup. The Heart of Apokolips designates their old university lab as the arena, forcing them to relive where Jay's hero journey began. The two verbally spar about their generations and philosophies until Jay proposes they play checkers instead of actual combat, attempting to preserve both their lives while technically completing the Heart's challenge.
Guy refuses and escalates, choosing to fight in earnest across three forms. First they fight with regular abilities, then Jay shifts to a red rage-channeling mode while Guy uses green lantern constructs, and finally Guy reveals his Vuldarian ancestry, transforming into an ancient warrior fueled by the lineage of countless ancestors. Jay, channeling the Speed Force itself and remembering his purpose as a warrior against evil, ultimately loses to Guy in a brutal confrontation. Guy advances in the tournament while contemplating the cost of becoming increasingly powerful and fearful of what the Heart of Apokolips is doing to him.
Writing
The dual narrative structure works exceptionally well, creating tension through juxtaposition rather than relying solely on action. Wally's narration carries urgency and emotional weight; his inner monologue about being in Barry's shadow and questioning why he still has powers when Bart doesn't reflects genuine character depth rather than exposition dumping. The dialogue between Jay and Guy crackles with generational conflict, particularly Guy's frustration with outdated heroes and Jay's exhaustion from endless crises. The pacing in the tournament section moves briskly, escalating from chess-match banter to full combat without feeling rushed. However, the Watchtower interlude with Grodd feels disconnected and underexplains what's happening, leaving readers confused about the larger context. The transition between scenes is clean, but the comic occasionally sacrifices clarity for brevity, especially in the final Grodd sequence. Overall, the writing balances character voice with action-driven plot momentum effectively.
Art
Vasco Georgiev's artwork clearly conveys the intensity of both conflicts, with dynamic action sequences that emphasize speed and power. The three-round tournament fight is easy to follow visually, with each form change signaling a new escalation. Compositionally, the layouts make smart use of space to convey movement and emotion; Jay's speed trails and Guy's lantern constructs are visually distinct and satisfying. Matt Herms' colors shift appropriately between scenes, using warmer tones for the present tournament and cooler blues for the past timeline sequence, helping readers track which narrative thread they're in. The Watchtower scene, however, becomes visually chaotic with the Grodd encounter, making it harder to parse the action and stakes. The art shines brightest in the Jay versus Guy sequences where clarity and composition align perfectly, but stumbles slightly when dealing with conceptual, harder-to-visualize content like the Quantum Quorum breakdown.
Character Development
Jay Garrick carries this issue on his shoulders, and his characterization is the emotional core that makes the tournament feel meaningful rather than arbitrary. His internal conflict between his warrior instinct and his exhaustion from endless crises feels earned and authentic; decades of fighting have worn him down, yet he still channels the Speed Force itself when it matters. His proposition to play checkers instead of fight shows a clever mind willing to subvert the rules, while his eventual embrace of combat demonstrates that he hasn't lost his purpose, just his innocence. Guy Gardner, meanwhile, is presented as an angry young soldier doing his duty, making his brashness feel like generational trauma rather than just hot temper. Wally's character work in the past timeline is subtler but poignant; his obsession with Barry's timeline and questioning his own existence and powers reveals deep insecurity beneath the hero persona. The characterization across these three Flashes and one Green Lantern feels consistent with their established histories while pushing them into new emotional territories. The Grodd sequence barely develops any characters, treating them as plot devices rather than personalities.
Originality & Concept Execution
The tournament structure itself is not original, but this issue executes a clever twist on it by having Jay suggest they avoid bloodshed through an intellectual game, showing that wisdom can coexist with combat. The dual timeline narrative, splitting Wally's desperate rescue mission from Jay's philosophical tournament bout, is a fresh approach to tournament storytelling that normally fixates solely on the fight itself. The conceptual challenge of Jay realizing he's becoming dangerous and frightening himself adds psychological depth to what could've been a simple "old hero versus young hero" tale. The Vuldarian ancestry reveal and the Grodd interlude feel more formulaic and less inventive; they exist to explain tournament advancement rather than reveal character or explore compelling ideas. The comic succeeds most when it trusts its character work and narrative complexity, and it stumbles when it pivots to plot necessity.
Positives
The emotional and psychological depth separates this from standard tournament fare. Jay Garrick's arc of recognizing his generational exhaustion while refusing to abandon his purpose creates genuine pathos and makes his victory feel earned rather than inevitable. Wally's dual crisis across time stakes everything on personal relationships and the Speed Force family rather than universe-level abstraction, giving readers characters to care about beyond tournament outcomes. The dialogue consistently crackles with wit and specificity; the checkers conversation and Jay's observation about playing checkers with gangsters versus fighting world-ending threats showcases sharp writing that earns its tonal shifts. Visually, the Speed Force and Lantern constructs are rendered with clarity and energy, and the artwork conveys the emotional weight of the fight through composition and color. The pacing respects reader time by delivering both character work and action without padding.
Negatives
The Watchtower interlude with Grodd is a confusing narrative hiccup that interrupts momentum and introduces a threat nobody understands. The dialogue in that sequence becomes harder to parse, the visual action turns muddled, and the connection to the larger tournament story feels obscured. The comic occasionally sacrifices clarity on the broader DC K.O. event context; readers unfamiliar with the tournament's full premise might miss why Grodd's appearance matters or what the "Quantum Quorum" reference means. The final transformation into Vuldarian warrior form, while visually interesting, feels unearned narratively; Guy's ancestry reveal comes out of nowhere without earlier setup, making it feel like plot contrivance rather than character development. The comic also doesn't explore Jay's growing fear about becoming too powerful and too influenced by the Heart of Apokolips, leaving that thematic thread dangling rather than resolved or deepened. The shortchanging of thematic depth in the final act suggests the issue prioritizes tournament advancement over character payoff.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
The Scorecard
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2.5/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1.5/2]
Final Verdict
The Flash #28 does what tournament comics rarely accomplish: it makes you care about the winner beyond bracket mathematics. Jay Garrick's exhausted defiance and psychological transformation elevate this above typical combat fare, and Wally's simultaneous timeline crisis adds weight that the tournament structure alone couldn't provide. The art serves the story effectively, and the dialogue consistently entertains. However, the Grodd interlude muddles clarity, Guy's final form feels narratively convenient rather than earned, and the comic leaves its most interesting thematic threads (Jay's fear of becoming the Heart's instrument) underdeveloped.
7/10
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics
If you're interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
I was captivated by the way The Flash #28 masterfully intertwines past and present narratives, infusing the story with urgency and depth. The high-stakes rescue mission within a tournament setting is truly engaging. Monkey Mart
ReplyDeleteI didn't feel that I would get my credit back on track because I have been dealing with a way to get over my medical bills and college bills for months now. Afterwards, I got introduced to XAP Credit Solution by my nephew about his credit services; and I emailed him requesting for help then not for up to three days, I started to see some improvement on my credit report as my score went up from 458 to 803 excellent score without any physical contact. Email him also here at Xapcreditsolution@GMAIL.COM and thank me later.
ReplyDeleteExplore trusted care at Dentist in Milpitas, including Cosmetic, Children, Emergency, Restorative, and Dental technology services from experts you trust.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fantastic football game, and I appreciate your precise description here. Aside from that game, I enjoy relaxing and playing Skribbl IO, which is also incredibly interesting and engaging.
ReplyDelete