It's true what they say: The older you get, the faster time flies by. Here I am at yet another Year in Review for a blog that I started more than 10 years ago. I made a solemn vow to review every appearance of Impulse, even if that means going through years like this one, where he doesn't have too much to do. It was also a relatively quiet year for superhero films, as the MCU is going through a bit of a retooling and the DCEU was completely destroyed. From Columbia Pictures, we got three movies that I suppose technically count as Marvel movies — Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance and Kraven the Hunter. Venom made a little bit of money, but Kraven and Madame Web were disastrous flops. The one bright spot for Marvel wad Deadpool & Wolverine, which finished the year second in the box office, behind only Inside Out 2. The only film from DC was Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019's Oscar-winning Joker. I haven't seen it yet, but I do know it wasn't nearly as well-received or profitable as the first one.
As I said, 2024 was a pretty quiet year for Impulse. Simon Spurrier undid Jeremy Adams' beautiful sendoff of the character only to do ... almost nothing with him. There were a few moments that we'll get to, but for the most part, Impulse was reduced to a donut-munching goofball in the background. He didn't really get to participate in the Absolute Power event, and nobody at DC seems to be in any rush to revive Young Justice. In other words, brace yourself for some pretty lackluster awards.
Best Story: The Flash #7
I didn't like this issue nearly as much as I should have. Bart defied Wally's orders and somehow managed to find Max Mercury in a hellish plane of existence all by himself. And then the two of them were quickly overwhelmed by the horrific nature of that place and found themselves unable to run or fight. In what should have been one of the most gut-wrenching, tear-jerking moments in Bart and Max's relationship, the two of them embraced and accepted their imminent death. I say "should have" because this issue handled that whole sequence rather clumsily. Bart and Max were rescued via deus ex machina, received a dump truck's worth of exposition, then were summarily shoved into a corner for the rest of the story. Looking back at Spurrier's 13-issue tale, the contributions of Bart and Max were virtually nonexistent. But at the end of the day, I have to give this award to something, and The Flash #7 featured more Impulse than any other issue — by a wide margin.
Best Writer: Simon Spurrier
Make no mistake: I did not like Spurrier's writing at all. I was intrigued at first, and I kept giving him the benefit of a doubt. But the longer the story went, the worse it became. And I might be more willing to forgive an ambitious-yet-flawed story like this had Impulse been handled well. But Spurrier simply didn't know what to do with Bart. Finding Max all by himself was perfectly in character. And his brief discussions with Inspector Pilgrim about the nature of time travel had potential. But it all vanished away as quickly as possible and the only thing Spurrier could think of was a lame running gag of Bart constantly eating donuts. Unfortunately, Spurrier didn't have any competition this year, so he wins this award by default.
Best Artist: Khary Payton
Impulse's erratic appearances in The Flash were handled by several artists, but none of them really drew the character the way I'd expect him to look. They usually made him look way too young. I almost was forced to endure an entire year of mediocre Impulse art, until a small backup story in Wonder Woman saved me. Yeah, I know Khary Payton only drew Impulse in one panel, but that panel knocked my socks off! I had almost forgotten how cool Impulse can look when he's drawn by an artist who shares my sensibilities of this fun (and almost forgotten) character. So yeah, I know this is an unusual award winner, but I am choosing to reward quality over quantity.
Best Supporting Character: Max Mercury
Max wins this award for the fifth time total and the first time since 2002. It was great seeing Bart and Max back together again after spending so many years separated. No, I didn't really appreciate how Spurrier wrote Max — he didn't seem to have a great grasp on Max's voice or powers. And yes, I certainly do wish Spurrier devoted more time to Bart and Max, or at least made their moments more significant to the story. But Bart had his biggest moments of the year with Max, and that's what this award is all about.
Best Villain: The Arc Angles
I hate having to reward this vague concept of an antagonist, but I have no other choice. Yeah, Amanda Waller did capture Bart, but he was rescued almost immediately and didn't seem to suffer any consequences from that. So I'm going with the main driving force behind all the drama of Spurrier's first 13 issues of The Flash. Yeah, their ultimate goal of trying to destroy time was completely nonsensical and barely involved Impulse, but it's the best I've got.
I honestly have no idea when I'll be back. Spurrier is still writing The Flash, but he's focusing primarily on the West family. Perhaps Bart will return for a quick cameo in that series. Maybe I'll be completely shocked by someone abruptly plucking him from this limbo and giving him something interesting to do. If and when that happens, I'll be here to review it.
