TEEN TITANS #23
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Kid Flash finds himself on the run from his past as a growing rift between Red Robin and Superboy boils over and could tear the Teen Titans apart, just as their speedster teammate needs them most.
Impulse #67 remains the best comic book fake-out I’ve ever seen in the era of online solicitations and spoilers everywhere. DC didn’t write a fake solicitation or block out parts of the cover art. All they did was post the artwork showing Max Mercury (I’m such a digital packrat that I still have it) and state that heroes gathered together to honor him. Then the next two issues put Bart off-planet on Rann for the Green Lantern/Adam Strange guest spot, so there was literally no way to know whether Max would survive “Mercury Falling” until the conclusion hit the shelves.
This issue of Justice League of America’s Vibe (wow, what a long name!) marks the start of Sterling Gates’ run as writer for the title. If this issue is any indication, Vibe is in very good hands…and I can only wish to see Sterling Gates write more stories that include Kid Flash as well. Gates truly gets his characters – the transition for Cisco is smooth as glass from Johns to Gates, and this issue has just about the best characterization of Bart Allen that we’ve seen in the New52. Vibe is well worth the read, and this series is quickly becoming one of the very best the New52 has to offer.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD – DO NOT READ FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ISSUE!
Vibe picks up with Cisco on patrol, trying his best to take on the responsibilities of being a hero. However, he is also a hero who is late for dinner, and his brother will only cover for him for so much longer. What neither of them realizes is that A.R.G.U.S. is monitoring their conversation, and that they have other plans for the evening. Amanda Waller points Vibe straight at Kid Flash, in an attempt to see how he can handle someone with a link to the Speed Force. If all goes well, the intent is to have Vibe ready to take on Barry Allen – but first we have this supposedly easier trial by fire. Amanda Waller lies (of course) to Cisco, claiming that Kid Flash is a “thief and an arsonist” who “may be a breacher”, and the A.R.G.U.S. teams goes to New York City to capture him, led by Cisco.
Vibe does detect something…which we later are led to believe is the extra-dimensional Speed Force energy that fuels Bart’s powers. Bart does appear to be different than the breachers Cicso has met before…which makes sense as Bart is not extra-dimensional but rather from the future. The truly interesting part is what happens with Vibe and Kid Flash make contact…something very strange happens that gives glimpses into Bart’s past to Vibe! At the same time, the feedback from this contact reaches all the way back to Detroit…frying some files and potentially allowing one of the breachers to do something that has implications for the future.
The two of them eventually find the exact spot where Bart first appeared in our time, marked by the same lightning-bolt emblem Bart wears on his costume. But, before Cicso can make contact again to find out more about Bart’s “future past”, Bart stops him…and points out that Vibe may not be working for the good guys. He escapes before the A.R.G.U.S. team can catch up to Cisco. Amanda Waller is surprisingly not displeased, though, as they have learned a lot more about the moral make-up of Cisco, and they found that Vibe could indeed briefly (just for nanoseconds)sever Bart’s connection to the Speed Force…storing that little nugget of information away for future use.
Back at A.R.G.U.S. HQ, there is one more surprise…but you’ll have to read the issue for that. It relates to what happened during the brief period that Kid Flash and Bart made contact, and it is a very welcome development for anyone following Justice League of America. And, Vibe has a surprise visitor at home…but we won’t learn more about that until next issue.
Sterling Gates has done a great job in further developing Vibe’s character, without causing even a blip in the transition of writers. And, Gates gets Bart Allen – this is the best portrayal of Bart I’ve seen in the New52. I can only wish to see more of Gates writing Bart’s character in the future. Pete Woods and Sean Parsons handle the pencils and inks with Fabiano Neves – their artwork is excellent throughout. Brett Booth works with Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse on the cover. Bascially, this issue has it all – great story, excellent character development, wonderful art – stop reading this review and just go out and buy it already, will ya? Vibe is well worth the read!
Vibe Meets Kid Flash – Do I Have To Say More? (Review of Vibe #3) is a post from Speed Force. .
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T READ SMALLVILLE SEASON ELEVEN
Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out just what is more dangerous in the DC Universe – to be a Robin or to wear a lightning bolt on your shirt? There seem to be a lot of beloved characters falling by the wayside lately, and it bears some examination. After all, Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown, and now Damian Wayne have all died while wearing the symbol of Robin. It hasn’t been the safest role to take on in the DCU…although I would make an argument that running fast seems to attract even more trouble.
In the latest print issue of Smallville Season Eleven we find the conclusion of the story arc that features Bart Allen, the Impulse of the Smallville-verse. In this story, Clark and his good friend Bart are reunited in a globe-hopping battle against the Black Racer, the enemy of Flashes past and present. In the end, Bart saves the day…but sacrifices himself to do so. All we are left with are Clark’s plans to build “a big statue” to Bart, and another Flash that has left some form or other of DC continuity.
This adds to the demise of the Wally West of Earth 16 in “Young Justice”, and the deaths and disappearances of Flashes over the years. Let’s take a partial toll here:
This doesn’t even start to list other dead or missing speedsters like Johnny and Jesse Quick, Max Mercury, or Wally’s kids. It really doesn’t seem safe to run fast these days.
The toughest part of all this for me is the way the actual deaths are being handled lately. Bart’s passing in Smallville felt forced…it wasn’t truly necessary. Yes, he got rid of the menace…but how did that help Clark and the rest of the Smallville gang? Believe it or not…exposure to Speed Force energy somehow cleansed Clark of the tracking radiation Luthor was using to follow Superman’s every move. This allowed Superman to resume acting as Clark Kent without being found out by Luthor.
In other words…Bart’s sacrifice was made so that he could act as a “spot-remover” to some radiation that was creating an inconvenience for Clark.
I have supported (and continue to support) the New52 volume of The Flash, as it represents some of the finest scripting and art in the DC lineup today. I’m not the guy that would ask “Where’s Wally?” for the thousandth time to Dan Didio at a con. I do like most of what I see from DC – I’m a DC guy and have been for over 40 years of collecting. I’m just sad to see the plot device of killing off speedsters used so much. It seems that being a Robin or a Flash means you are wearing a red shirt in the metaphorical sense as well as in the literal sense…and both roles are simply too valuable to the history of the DC Universe to continue to be treated in that way.
Of Robins and Flashes…Endangered Species? is a post from Speed Force. .
Hello Speed Readers,
As many of you are aware the last episode of Young Justice aired this past Saturday. I finally got a chance to watch it this morning and wow, what a heart breaking episode for Flash Family Fans.
Spoilers for Young Justice Season 2 Episode 20 “Endgame”
****SPOILERS*****
Wally West is dead, again! For those who have not been keeping up with the show for whatever reason, Wally returned from semi-retirement last episode to help take out The Light (Earth’s top super-villains united under Lex Luthor) and The Reach (a group of aliens who were attempting to conquer the Earth) once and for all. The battle left The Light and The Reach alliance in shambles and as a final move to destroy key evidence of The Reach’s tampering with the Earth’s populace (lest they violate a treaty in place with the Guardians of the Universe), their top agent, Black Beetle attempts to destroy the Earth.
Part of The Reach’s endgame are drones that disrupt and destroy the Earth’s magnetic field and the Earth itself eventually. The heroes split off into teams of two to immobilize the drones and they succeed for the most part only to realize that one had remained undetected in the artic. Flash (Barry Allen) and Impulse (Bart Allen) attempt to stop the device but they are seconds late. In a bid to counteract the effect of the device on the Earth they run counter clockwise to the energy attempting to reverse it but their kinetic energy is not enough. Hearing this Kid Flash zeta beams (or teleports) down to the battle and joins his uncle and cousin in trying to destroy the weapon. They start to succeed but as a result of Wally’s decreased speed the excess energy siphoning off of the weapon starts to target his body and batters him into nothing. Wally West dies.
In the aftermath, Artemis (Wally’s girlfriend in this continuity) visits Wally’s parents and gives them the heart-breaking news. Wally gets a memorial where it is revealed that Bart Allen has taken up the mantle of Kid Flash and Artemis has decided to shed her old identity to become Tigress once again.
*****End Episode Spoilers*****
Well I guess that pretty much brings the Flash Family in line with the New 52. *Sigh*. Extremely sad that we are not getting a third season and also a little perturbed at the way this episode ended. There is nothing to to say that Wally would not have returned from the Speed Force a more powerful hero and would eventually go on to take on the Flash mantle in the third season (Why else play up his reduced speed so much?). Only problem with that is as far as I know the writers have explicitly stated that there is no Speed Force in this universe. Just seems like a low blow at the end of the day. It was nice to have one Wally in continuity that kind of still existed and with him still alive we could have imagined all kinds of possibilities. With his death that chapter is closed. Permanently.
I was pleased to see Impulse evolve into Kid Flash. I was one of the few fans that thought Impulse’s evolution into Kid Flash made perfect sense in the comics and it is nice to see the show mirror that. I will say that the motivation in this continuity is stronger but really what beats death?
I know not everyone was in love with this show but I really, really wanted a third season. Especially after this ending and all the loose threads they just left dangling. It is really too bad that they ended the Young Justice tie-in comic book series a few months back as I could have seen their adventures continuing on in comic book form after the series ended similar to Smallville and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Not to say that they still couldn’t restart the series but I’m not betting on it. There is also the small possibility of a direct to home release movie but again I won’t be holding my breath.
At least we have Young Justice: Legacy to look forward to in September (hopefully).
What did you all think of Young Justice’s series finale? Do you feel cheated, hurt, shocked or indifferent? Please, let us know in the comments below.
Screencaps courtesy of GothamKnightsOnline
Flash #21 (June 2013) solicitation at Newsarama.
THE FLASH #21
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale JUNE 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
While on his path to finding the Speed Force Killer, Barry must contend with The Teen Titans! Plus, The Flash meets Kid Flash for the first time!
They don’t seem to get along very well, do they?
In Smallville Season Eleven, issue 11 we follow Bart and Clark’s efforts to track down the elusive Black Racer, to see if there is a way to end its threat to speedsters past and present. This issue treats us to a meeting with the Smallville version of Jay Garrick, the original Flash…but is he still ready to run? Can he help…or is he even willing to try? This issue of Smallville Season Eleven collects the digital editions (chapters 33 through 35) as we attempt to answer these questions and more…
SOME MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD – PLEASE READ THE ISSUE BEFORE CONTINUING!
The story picks up with “Speed Storms” springing up all over the globe, coinciding with places Bart has used his powers in the recent past. While the death tolls from these “storms” are rising, Clark and Bart track down Jay in Utah, finding him dressed in a version of the old Golden Age shirt that JSA fans will love to see. We find that Bart has no recollection of his life before he gained his powers…but he knew some very important names as soon as he connected to the Speed Force. That explains the false ID cards he carries for Bart Allen, Barry Allen, Jay Garrick and Wally West (wow, another mention of Wally…but unfortunately outside normal New52 continuity).
When asked for help, Jay makes his own revelation…that he wants nothing to do with his powers as the Flash! His leg was broken by the Feds when they rounded up the JSA members many years ago, and he never had his leg set. The reason? He had seen the Black Racer himself and knew that if he continued to run he would have to face it again. He tries to warn Bart that if he continues to run he will die. In a speech that reminds me of a site related to SpeedForce.org, Jay said, “We only ride the lightning, son. We sure as hell don’t own it.”
As they talk about the “Speed Storms”, Jay tells Clark and Bart that this may be the Black Racer’s doing, sending out pieces of the Speed Force in an effort to create a new speedster that he can then track down and consume. The three get word of a new “Speed Storm” in Las Vegas, one that is more deadly than those that have come before. Fortunately, they find that there may be help available from S.T.A.R. Labs - in the form of a containment suit that Clark can wear to siphon off the excess Speed Force energy found in Vegas.
Clark dons this containment suit, which is vaguely reminiscient of the “Superman Blue” uniform found pre-New52, and gathers up Speed Force energy, having his own speed boosted as he runs along. This grabs the attention of the Black Racer…who is now ready to go after Superman!
Back in Utah, Bart decides that he must go to help Clark no matter the risk to himself. Jay tells him one more important thing…that when he first gained his own powers, Jay heard Bart’s name as well! He tells Bart that he will never be alone, and wishes him Godspeed as he runs to help Clark.
There is even more to be found in this issue of Smallville Season Eleven than Bart and Clark’s adventures against the Black Racer. While Oliver and Chloe anxiously await their child, Chloe is having strange visions that show her the Earth 2 memories of her doppelganger from that world. Lex is trying to get Tess Mercer out of his head…literally, as her consciousness is somehow planted into a part of Lex’s own brain. And, Tess is somehow able to impact events using Lex’s own body without his knowledge! What will happen to Clark and Bart? How will they be able to go up against a Black Racer that has so far defeated every speedster it has ever faced? Will Lex be able to get Tess (literally) out of his mind? Those are questions for upcoming “episodes” of Smallville Season Eleven – available through weekly digital chapters and monthly print editions.
Bryan Q. Miller does the scripting for this series with art by Jorge Jimenez and colors by Carrie Strachan. They do an excellent job of bringing to print the live Smallville series, faithful to both the look and feel of that show. This comic is presently drawing in a lot of non-traditional comic readers who have been fans of the TV series, and that is great news for those of us who love comics as a medium. Even if you weren’t well-acquainted with Smallville before, this series is very accessible, and no matter your comics background it is definitely worth a closer look.
Bart and Clark Come Face to Face With The Black Racer! (review of Smallville Season Eleven #11) is a post from Speed Force. .
For DC Comics’ same-day print-and-digital releases (i.e. most of their line), the print and digital editions line up exactly. But things get a bit confusing with their digital-first comics, because they run smaller weekly chapters online, then collect them together for the print editions.
In the case of Smallville Season 11, currently running a storyline guest-starring Impulse, every three digital chapters are collected in a print issue the following month. Each digital page is the top or bottom of a print page, run landscape to make it easier to read on a desktop screen or a small tablet.
The numbers get a little confusing because, starting with #28, instead of taking one week off each month to keep the print and digital runs in sync, DC started running a side story during those formerly-skip weeks, which is being collected separately.
Here’s how the digital and print chapters of “Haunted” line up.
Digital Chapters 25-27 = Print Issue #9
Digital Chapters 29-31 = Print Issue #10
Digital Chapters 33-35 = Print Issue #11
Digital Chapters 37-39 = Print Issue #12
Two things stand out about the different covers that suggest different target audiences:
This suggests to me that DC is aiming the digital editions at fans of the TV series and the print editions at more traditional comic book fans. It certainly makes sense — by numbers alone, a lot of people who watched Smallville don’t read comics, and it’s going to be easier to get them to buy online than walk into a comic store. I really wonder what DC’s market research has turned up as far as the digital/print audience breakdown.
Making Sense of Smallville’s “Haunted” Digital and Print Editions is a post from Speed Force. .
This week sees the release of Flash #0, the Zero Month issue featuring the New 52 origin of Barry Allen.
Writing and art by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.
Check out the preview on Facebook.
There’s also the trade paperback of The Road to Flashpoint, the second half of the Geoff Johns/Francis Manapul run from 2010-2011.
Make way for Hot Pursuit – the latest speedster to come out of the Speed Force!
Collects THE FLASH #8-12!
Written by: Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins
Art by: Francis Manapul, Scott Kolins
After a few hiccups, DC’s digital back-issues program seems to have shifted from three issues of Flash (1987 series) each week to two issues of Flash and two of Impulse. This week features the digital re-release of Flash #58-59 and Impulse #19-20. At this rate, the entire William Messner-Loebs/Greg LaRocque run will be available next week!
Flash #58 and Flash #59 continue the story of the Icicle’s fortune, as his grandchildren take Wally West to court over the contested will. But what does Pied Piper have to say about this wealth…and the forgotten legacy of Invasion? Power Girl guest-stars as Wally and Mason Trollbridge try to uncover the secret of a rogue agent stalking another of the Makhent family.
Impulse #19: it’s the speedster’s nightmare! Then in Impulse #20, Bart tries to learn how to live normally by learning to play baseball. Hilarity ensues.
Flash (1987-2009) on ComiXology
Impulse on ComiXology
This Week: Flash #0, Road to Flashpoint TP and Digital Flashbacks is a post from Speed Force.
This week’s digital backissues at ComiXology include Flash #56-57 andImpulse #17-18.
Flash #56-57 feature a classic murder mystery, as it’s revealed that the Golden Age villain, the Icicle, had a rather large (legitimate) fortune when he died, and his will left a large amount to…the Flash? Wally West and his friends visit the Makhent mansion for the reading of the well, and one of the other heirs is found murdered in the middle of a snowstorm.
Impulse #17-18 take a break from the seriousness of the Max Mercury flashback with a pair of done-in ones. First: Bart Allen teams up with Zatanna. Do you really need to know anything else? And second…what do hyperactive speedsters dream about?
Tracking the Flash...the Fastest Man Alive!
News, links and art about the Flash, plus everything from SpeedForce.org.
Online since June 2008, on Tumblr since June 2011.
