I graduated from high school in 2005 and began my first year of college at Weber State University. I still wasn't officially reading comics yet, but I was very close to beginning that journey. A Barnes & Noble gift card prompted me to pull a DC Comics Encyclopedia off the shelf.
I was drawn in by the beautiful Alex Ross cover. But what really made me buy the book was the entry on Beast Boy. I had mistakingly believed that all the characters on the Teen Titans show had been created exclusively for that cartoon — a new, wacky team to support Robin. But this book proved to me that Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Starfire had all existed long before in the world of comics. I realized I had much to learn, and joyfully devoured this encyclopedia. It was also where I first learned about Bart Allen, filed under Kid Flash (he also appeared under Teen Titans and Young Justice).
The year 2005 was dominated by sequels, remakes and reboots (which is pretty much how the world of film works in the 21st century). Harry Potter and the Goblet Fire almost earned $900 million, followed closely by Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I certainly liked Harry Potter, but Star Wars was very special for me. Believing this to be the final Star Wars movie that would ever be made, I camped out in line for hours on end with my brothers. People had lightsaber battles, others wore costumes, we all swapped around our theories. It was quite the event. Nowadays, it seems most movie theaters have assigned seating, essentially killing that type of experience.
As for superhero movies, Marvel gave us the family-friendly Fantastic Four and the not-so-family-friendly Elektra. Neither would go down in history as particularly good movies. Fantastic Four did do just enough to inspire a sequel, whereas Elektra essentially killed that Daredevil universe, opening the door for Marvel to reacquire the rights to those characters years later in their Netflix series. But the biggest superhero movie of 2005 was DC's Batman Begins. It earned $374 million, making it the ninth-highest grossing film of the year, although that figure does seem rather low by today's standards. Perhaps the crowds were a bit wary of a new Batman film, just as I was. My friend had to practically drag me out to it. However, I am pleased to admit I was wrong. Batman Begins was breathtakingly wonderful, launching an incredible trilogy that still reigns over the superhero movie world.
Bart Allen had another quiet, uneventful year as Kid Flash. He is firmly a minor character now, barely able to get some lines in Teen Titans, let alone a story arc. And he's super lucky just to make a cameo in The Flash. In 2005, Bart and the Titans wrapped up their adventure in the near future, followed by a big fight with Doctor Light before dealing with a brainwashed Superboy and traveling to another planet to rescue Donna Troy. Bart also helped Flash a little bit with the Rogue War and battle with Zoom, then inched into Infinite Crisis with the rest of the DC Universe. But in all those stories, Kid Flash was just ... there. In the background. Helping out a little bit, but not really doing anything, or learning or growing. All in all, 2005 was a very "blah" year for Bart.
Best Issue: Teen Titans #19
The biggest, most important issue that Bart appeared in was Infinite Crisis #1. But he was only seen on a tiny shard of glass in the whole issue. So I needed to pick something he was more involved in. And that's the final issue of the Titans of Tomorrow storyline. It was one of the most exciting stories of the year, complete with lots of teases of Infinite Crisis and interesting future versions of all our heroes. And as far as Bart is concerned, his future self turned out as good as possible.
Best Writer: Geoff Johns
Johns wins this award by default for the second consecutive year. That's what happens when he writes Teen Titans, The Flash and even Green Lantern: Rebirth — almost everything Kid Flash appeared in. I do credit Johns for easing away from the obnoxious smart-alec Bart that spewed off a stream of useless facts every time he opened his mouth. But I am sad that Bart didn't have any character development this year, and that Johns still only used Bart in The Flash when he absolutely had to. But we did have some good times with Johns this year. Mostly with the preparation to and execution of Infinite Crisis.
Best Artist: Mike McKone
Last year's winner, Tom Grummet, sadly only drew one issue in 2005, so I couldn't give him this award. And I couldn't give it to the new guy, Tony S. Daniel, for the same reason. Quantity is an important consideration in this award, and when the quantity is at such a large discrepancy, it can sometimes override quality. Kid Flash almost always looked better in a different book, but McKone did draw him more than anyone else this year. And, to be honest, he did get better as time went on. He wasn't my favorite, his action scenes always left me confused, but McKone wasn't unbearable.
Best Supporting Character: Bart Allen (Titans of Tomorrow)
Since Bart's already a supporting character, it's practically impossible to find another character that actually supports him. Robin and Superboy used to be his best friends, but Bart hardly did anything with them this year — even after they went through traumatic events, Robin losing his dad and Superboy being brainwashed. Bart sadly wasn't there for them. And no one else on the Titans had particularly strong bonding moments with Bart. Not even last year's winner, Beast Boy. Bart's guardian, Jay Garrick, was practically nonexistent. And his involvement with Wally West was minimal, at best. So that brings me to Bart from 10 years in the future. Living in a world torn apart by Infinite Crisis, this Bart managed to retain his hope and optimism as his friends around him lost their way and became the very villains they once opposed. And maybe that's why Bart subconsciously started distancing himself from his teammates this year. He saw firsthand that no matter what happened, he will always be heroic. But the others — Superboy, Robin, Beast Boy and Raven — will not.
Best Villain: Doctor Light
Only two people have seriously injured Bart. Deathstroke (co-winner of this award the past two years) and Doctor Light, who managed to pierce that same injured knee. And for that reason alone, Doctor Light wins this award. Yes, he was involved in Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis, but not to any extent that directly involved Bart. It's just that nobody else really bothered Bart that much. Zoom came close, but that was all just to torment Wally. Lex Luthor also seemed to constantly be present with everything going on, and Bart was certainly bothered by the Titans of Myth attacking those defenseless aliens. But the award goes to the second guy in history who actually caused real, physical damage to Bart.
Bart's been Kid Flash for a solid two years now. But Infinite Crisis will change that. In 2006, we're going to see Bart receive another "promotion," and I'm going to say it right now: It's not going to be pretty.
Next time: The Flash #228.
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