Tag Archives: Bart Allen

This Week: Flash Chronicles Vol.3, Digital Flash(back) #48, Impulse #7-8

Following on the heels of last week’s Flash Archives vol.6 for the hardcover collector, DC has the next volume of the softcover series reprinting the Silver Age Flash starring Barry Allen: Flash Chronicles vol.3

In this third collection of 1960s adventures in chronological order, the Fastest Man Alive battles Rogues including The Trickster, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Gorilla Grodd and more. • Collecting THE FLASH #113-118.

Written by John Broome and Gardner Fox, art by Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, and Murphy Anderson.

The Flash Chronicles Vol. 3 at Amazon

The surprise comes with this week’s back issues from ComiXology. For the last few months, DC has been releasing three issues a week of the Wally West Flash series. Last week, they only released two, and this week, they’re only releasing one…but we’ve also got two issues of Impulse featuring Bart Allen!

Flash #48 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque. The Elongated Man guest stars in part one of this three-parter leading up to the big Flash #50. A flood of cheap drugs is causing a devastating crime wave, and the clues point to the return of Vandal Savage…as well as his arch-nemesis, the Immortal Man. Flash v.2 on ComiXology.

Impulse #7–8. The first is a one-shot by Martin Pasko, Nick Gnazzo, Mark Stegbauer, in which Impulse battles the one-shot villain Gridlock. The second features the return of regular writing & art team Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos for an Underworld Unleashed crossover in which Bart faces off against the new improved Blockbuster, who bartered his soul for intelligence…but is even less happy now than he was before.

Impulse on ComiXology.

Impulse TPB & Flash Chronicles vol.4 coming in 2013

Impulse #1

DC has posted a list of collections for Spring 2013, including this surprise:

Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family TP
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher and Brad Vancata
Collects: IMPULSE #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13
$19.99 US, 240 pg
March 2013

It’s been 15 years since DC first tried collecting Impulse in Reckless Youth. That book collected Bart Allen’s three-part debut from Flash #92-94, plus the first six issues of his solo series. A few years back, during Flash: Rebirth, they capitalized on Ethan Van Sciver’s name by releasing the oddly titled The Flash (Featuring Impulse): Mercury Falling, which collected Impulse #62–67.

These issues feature the first appearance of White Lightning, guest appearances by XS of the DnA Legion of Super-Heroes, and several stories focusing on Bart’s circle of friends at school.

So, what’s missing?

  • Impulse #7 is a fill-in by Martin Pasko, Nick Gnazzo and Mark Stegbauer in which Impulse battles a villain called Gridlock.
  • Impulse #10-11 are part of the “Dead Heat” crossover with The Flash, and were previously collected (again, over a decade ago) in Flash: Dead Heat. Dead Heat is also out of print, but I’m encouraged by the fact that DC has been re-releasing the Wally West series digitally, and the fact that they’re actually reprinting something by Mark Waid here.

Update! (July): The book is now available for pre-order.

Also coming next year:

The Flash Chronicles Vol. 4 TP
Writers: John Broome
Artists: Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Collects: THE FLASH #119-124
$14.99 US, 160 pg
April 2013

This brings the Chronicles series of Silver Age reprints up to 1961, and the Flash Chronicles v.1-4 line up with Flash Archives v.1-3. This collection features the Mirror Master, the Trickster, the Top (with the now-infamous Atomic Grenade!) and Captain Boomerang (launching the Flash into space), as well as well-known stories “Land of the Golden Giants” and the classic “Flash of Two Worlds!”

This Week: Digital Flash(back) #28-30, DC Presents Impulse

This week’s digital releases at ComiXology include three more issues of the 1987-2009 Flash series starring Wally West, plus DC Comics Presents: Impulse #1, itself a collection of Impulse #50-53.

Flash vol.2 #30: Shot in the Dark!Flash #28 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque: “The Porcupine Man” concludes as Wally West’s friends find him…but so do the brother-sister bounty hunter team of Captain Cold and the Golden Glider!

Flash #29 by Lew Strazewski, Grant Miehm and Paul Fricke: In a rare guest issue (I think there were 5 in the whole series), the Flash travels to Casablanca, only to find himself caught between three factions who all want the same political defector. Guest-starring Phantom Lady, Merlyn and Syanide.

Flash #30 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque: Date night at the movies should be safe, right? Not when a gunman opens fire from the back of the theater! Wally West has to search a darkened theater for all the bullets fired at an unexpected audience. (This is notable for its portrayal of super-speed from the Flash’s point of view.)

» Flash v.2 on ComiXology

Impulse #50...Agent of the Bat?The Impulse collection features four issues by Todd Dezago and Ethan Van Sciver.

Impulse #50: Impulse teams up with Batman. What more do you need to know?

Impulse #51: It’s hard enough to get those collector’s-item variant action figures before the super-villains get in on it!

Impulse #52-53 Inertia makes his move, attacking Impulse while Kalibak keeps Max Mercury busy.

So far only a handful of Impulse issues are available online. Judging by the DC Comics Presents: The Flash collection released last week, they probably won’t post the solo issues into the Impulse series, at least not immediately, though really, all they’d need to do is add the covers. They don’t even need to come up with guided navigation for that.

» Impulse on ComiXology
» DC Comics Presents on ComiXology

(Covers via comics.org)

Young Justice “Bloodlines”: More Speedsters!

Promotional photos have finally been released for tomorrow’s Young Justice Episode, “Bloodlines” by Peter David. Months ago, he wrote about the voice recording sessions featuring Jay Garrick alongside Barry Allen and Wally West, leading us to speculate that it would be a Flash Family-centric episode.

As it turns out there’s another speedster appearing!

Yes, the rumors were true: Bart Allen is appearing in the episode as Impulse!

@SuperheroShows was kind enough to point me to Worlds Finest Online, where they have six still images plus a 50-second preview clip. Update: Chrome is blocking that link as unsafe. Here’s a copy at Superman Homepage. (How does one get on the mailing list for these preview releases?)

Here’s how the episode is described:

An intruder mysteriously appears inside Mount Justice, claiming to be a tourist from the future. But who is he really? And what is his true agenda?

Young Justice “Bloodlines” airs Saturday June 2 at 10:30 am Eastern/Pacific Time on Cartoon Network.

Jay, Barry, Wally and Bart.

Not only that, but Bart as Impulse, written by Peter David, who wrote the entire run of the original Young Justice series.

I am so looking forward to this!

Kid Flash Goes Solo in DCU Presents #12

More Flash news from The Source: Kid Flash stars in DCU Presents #12, a solo adventure written by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Jorge Jimenez, with a cover by Ryan Sook.

In a special one-shot issue of the fan-favorite anthology series, DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS, Kid Flash will race against time as he deals with the prehistoric trouble the Teen Titans brought back from Mystery Island.

“The Teen Titans survived the Culling and are in for some Prehistoric adventures in both SUPERBOY and TEEN TITANS number tens on the aptly named Mystery Island. And when all is said and done, they will be taking home some souvenirs,” editor Eddie Berganza revealed to THE SOURCE. “Helping Kid Flash have a yabba-doo time with the visiting Dino teens (in back-ups in both TEEN TITANS #11 and #12 with a prologue and epilogue that connects to DC PRESENTS #12) are writer Fabian Niceza and artist Jorge Jimenez. As this story unfolds, we will see which species is really set for extinction!”

I’ll have to check to be sure, but I think this is Bart Allen’s first full-length solo story since the end of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive five years ago, and his first as Kid Flash (not counting the issue of Impulse during “World Without Young Justice” in which he dressed up in one of Wally’s old costumes). Bart did have at least one short story in one of DC’s Halloween specials as Kid Flash. (IIRC, he was caught in a fight between Mirror Master and Bloody Mary.) Edit: Of course he starred in Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost just last year.

Kid Flash’s Story to Unfold in 2012

DC Comics’ EiC Bob Harras dropped a few hints yesterday about what’s in store for the DC Universe in 2012. Those wondering just what’s going on with Kid Flash — is he still from the future? — still related to Barry? — will be glad to hear that answers are on their way:

And what exactly is Kid Flash’s story? TEEN TITANS will explore that mystery early next year.