Impulse #60

What Would the Flash Do?

Dwayne McDuffie Guest Writer
Eric Battle Guest Penciller
Prentis Rollins Inker
Jason Scott Jones Colorist
Jamison Separator
Janice Chiang Letterer
L.A. Williams Editor
Impulse created by Waid and Wieringo

This issue's cover by Impulse: Bart Saves the Universe's Jason Johnson and Wonder Girls: Sins of Youth's Chris Ivy. And just like Bart Saves the Universe, this cover has a frantic, wild style, combined with lots of little details around the edges. The odd border around this cover gives the impression of something significant for this story, but I don't think it's anything more than Johnson's doodling. The only thing on the cover that seems to matter for this story is the imprint on Impulse's boot, which is a nice touch. Johnson, however, did mess up Impulse's gloves — making them full-fingered instead of the cool-for-the-90s fingerless gloves. It's also worth noting that Jason Johnson joins the short list of people who have drawn an Impulse cover — Humberto Ramos, Craig Rousseau, Jeff Matsuda and Ethan Van Sciver.

We open to find Bart hanging out in someone's backyard with Ayana and Roland. Ayana drags Bart into a shed, telling Roland to wait outside since she has something private to show Bart. Our oblivious hero agrees, but he does wish he had a Girl/English Dictionary to decipher Ayana's clues. In the dark shed, Ayana hands Bart a Wint-o-Green Life Preservers candy, and shows him that when you bite down hard on them, they make sparks in the dark. Ayana then tries to smoothly transition this into making a different kind of spark with Bart. But Bart suddenly dashes out of the shed before the kissing can begin, leaving Ayana to hope that Bart doesn't tell Mike about this (since Mike had previously been her other participant in this "sparks in the dark" experiment). Of course, Bart was completely oblivious to all this, and focused only on one thing — getting as many of those candies as possible.

But in this latest distraction, Impulse completely misses a robbery at Fambly Jewelry, where the teenaged thief has somehow managed to put the store's safe into his pocket. He introduces himself as Pocket Pal to the police, and explains that his pocket is "just a little bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." He demonstrates this by pulling out a bazooka, which he uses to blast a big hole in the wall. Before the cops can pull themselves out of the rubble, Pocket Pal pulls out a motorcycle and zooms away.

We then cut to Manchester Junior High, where it's time for the midterm science exhibition. While waiting their turn, Roland tells his friends about how his dad would go streaking during college. And we get a very odd image of Bart imagining himself running around naked. Anyway, when it's Bart's turn to demonstrate his science experiment, he pulls out his big bag of Wint-o-Greens and a sledgehammer. He attempts to give an official-sounding speech with a fake British accent, then asks for the lights to be turned off. However, the auditorium still isn't dark enough to Bart's liking because of the emergency lights. So Bart literally cuts the power to the building, then puts on an impressive display by smashing the mints.

After the power's restored, Bart is sent to Randal Sheridan's office, which now lists him as the Assistant Vice-Principal, a title that seems redundant. Anyway, we see that Mr. Sheridan has stacks and stacks of files detailing Bart's misdeeds, including burning the ant farm with a magnifying glass and trying to flush a sleeping bag down a toilet. After shouting at Bart for a bit, Mr. Sheridan says he won't call in Bart's Uncle Max this time, and he warns the boy to try to think before he acts.

Bart is then accosted in the hall by an overly anxious hall monitor named Deke. Turns out he was one of the bullies in Impulse #13, but has since turned his life around by joining the Supermen of America (the actual group, not the corrupt posers we saw in Impulse #47). Deke shows Bart the secret of his transformation — a bracelet that says "WWSD" for "What Would Superman Do?" Bart becomes inspired by this, and instantly heads off to an arts and crafts store to make his own bracelet. But instead of using Superman as the inspiration, Bart's bracelet asks "What Would the Flash Do?" As soon as he puts it on, Bart says he feels "gooder" already.

Later, Max is astonished to see Bart not only complete his pre-algebra homework, but also work a few problems ahead. Bart then heads out on patrol, saying he's devised a new grid system that will be more efficient than his usual haphazard style. As he takes off, promising to be back in three minutes in time for curfew, Helen tells Max how Bart also cleaned his room, turned off the TV, put away his video games and even read a book. He did forget to pick up his jacket, but Helen is still impressed. She then takes off for another date with Matt Ringer, leaving Max to quietly reflect on how he might be able to get Bart ready to take care of things on his own before he has to.

Impulse's new grid takes him to the Birmingham Zoo, where he sees Pocket Pal stealing a live lion. Impulse says he spent some extra time studying the police blotters, so he feels prepared for this battle. Pocket Pal attacks with a bunch of darts, which he says have Impulse's name on them. Bart catches each dart individually, and is surprised to see they actually don't have anything written on them. Pocket Pal says he was just looking for some fun before heading to the track to grab some cars, and he isn't really ready for a fight like this. So he pulls out a large backhoe, which he hopes will cover his escape. Impulse easily vibrates through the construction equipment, but then suddenly realizes that it's almost time for his curfew.

Pocket Pal calls Impulse a baby for having a curfew, and for a moment, Bart imagines himself beating the villain like a punching bag. But he sees his What Would Flash Do bracelet, and instead of thinking of Wally, he thinks of his Grandpa Barry, telling him to get home by 7 o'clock. So Impulse consults a pocket watch he just happened to have, then tells Pocket Pal he'll give him a whuppin' tomorrow. Pocket Pal pulls out a large laser gun, but Impulse is long gone before he gets to fire it.

Bart rushes back home, where Max asks him why he decided to leave during the middle of a battle with a super villain. Bart explains that he was two seconds away from missing curfew, but he assures Max it'll be fine, since he's already deduced where Pocket Pal will strike next. He promises to catch the villain tomorrow, after he completes his chores. Max asks what's happening to Bart, and he explains to him about his bracelet and how it'll make him always be good from now on. However, Max still feels that Bart needs to be grounded for the stunt he pulled at school that day. Bart starts to protest, but then imagines himself wearing an oversized Flash outfit, asking, WWFD? So Bart politely agrees to the punishment, then takes a bath, brushes his teeth and goes to bed.

Max confers with Helen (who came back rather quickly from her date), saying he finds the new Bart a bit creepy, and kind of like a kid from the Brady Bunch. Helen tells him to relax, saying this phase won't last long. She reminds Max of the time Bart tried to teach himself to bend spoons with his mind. That phase didn't last too long, either, although it did ruin all the family's silverware.

The next day, Impulse finds Pocket Pal at the Talladega Speedway, which is currently hosting the Lucky Cola 500. Impulse shouts out to "Pucker Pal," but is too late to prevent him from putting a race car in his pocket. Pocket Pal demonstrates that he was prepared for Impulse today by pulling out a tennis ball cannon full of live hand grenades sitting on top of a high-speed turntable. This begins launching grenades out in all directions, but to Pocket Pal's surprise, Impulse is able to protect the racers and the fans by catching every single grenade and safely dumping them in the river. Bart quickly returns, offering a fish to "Pocket Pool." As he laughs off Pocket Pal's attempts to correct his name, the villain grabs Impulse and shoves him into his pocket.

Pocket Pal gloats that his pocket contains the loot of a thousand jobs, and the only way out of that dimensional rift is a small, 4-inch hole, which he imagines that Impulse will never be able to find in a hundred years. However, Impulse is able to find the hole fairly quickly, and he sticks his arm out of it, grabs Pocket Pal, and pulls him into his own pocket.

The pocket world is full of tons of cash, a space shuttle, a Tyrannosaurus rex, Tupac Shakur, Elvis Presley, and black man in a fancy purple suit, whom I sadly cannot identify. Impulse tells Pocket Pal he's going to find out how many times he can punch him in the nose in one second, but he suddenly imagines Grandpa Barry asking what he'd do. Bart reluctantly admits that his grandpa probably wouldn't pummel the villain. But, Bart does realize that his grandpa also wouldn't ask his bracelet for moral advice, either. So Impulse beats up Pocket Pal, shoves his WWFD bracelet in his mouth, then ties him to the roof of the race car to make a daring escape from the pocket and return all the stolen loot. As Pocket Pal is taken away by the police, Impulse assures him that he's not the only one being punished tonight. Bart returns home to face his early bedtime, which feels like being in prison. But once Max turns out the lights, Bart chomps down on one last Wint-o-Green.


This was a pretty fun issue. I'm not sure why Todd Dezago didn't write this one, but Dwayne McDuffie did a pretty good job. It's always fun to have Impulse battle a teenage villain he can tease and argue with. Also, you can tell McDuffie did his research on the series, reaching way back for the obscure character Deke, as well as mentioning ongoing side stories like Max's ailing health, Helen's budding romance, and Ayana's crush on Bart. The only thing that felt out of place was Mr. Sheridan's big stack of files of Bart's misdeeds. While that's certainly a plausibility in the world of Impulse, none of the previous writers ever mentioned Bart's reputation as a notorious troublemaker (intentional or otherwise). Eric Battle's art was good, but a little uneven in places. Every now and then he had a panel that just looked off.

Impulsive Reactions begins with a thank you note to the Walker County's Chamber of Commerce for providing information on the real-life Manchester, Alabama. L.A. Williams also thanks the Birmingham Zoo and the Talladega Superspeedway — two other real-life Alabama locations that finally made their way into an issue of Impulse. And, by way of coincidence, Dwayne McDuffie's mom is from Talladega.

Michael Bregman enjoyed having one week of Young Justice appearing in their own book, Impulse and Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. He was particularly glad that the YJ cameo in Impulse #56 was more than just a few pages, but didn't take the focus away from Impulse. Michael also loved the ending with Impulse dressing up as Inertia, but then he got goosebumps realizing that Inertia could easily dress up as Impulse.

David Edward Martin loved all the visual jokes in Bart's messy room, pointing out a "My Pet Monster" doll, the whirlybat helicopter made from vacuum parts, a bank pneumatic tube cylinder, the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane and a Batman movie mask.

D.L. Stephenson praises the art, but complains about Robin's "cloven hoof" boots. D.L. also didn't like how Secret seemed to be portrayed as a stereotypical timid girl, and D.L. felt the rapper Hard Kore was racist, calling it a "typical white male fantasy" to have Robin punch out the black gangster. L.A. responded kindly, pointing out that Secret is undergoing a metamorphosis of her own, played out in the pages of Young Justice. L.A. contends that Robin, being trained by Batman, only disliked Hard Kore because of his lyrics, not his skin color. But L.A. does agree that as an industry, they do need to works toward diversity without stereotyping.

Michael Siglain simply says issue #56 perfectly balanced the humor and the action, and he loved the gag of Impulse getting a slow lightbulb over his head.

Fingernail Man is even more simple, saying the issue was beyond cool and he really, really enjoyed it.

Mart enjoyed the Composite Superboy, but feels a guest appearance of just Superboy would have been enough. He also disproves of Helen's new boyfriend, calling him a member of the Village People. L.A. candidly points out that a Composite Superboy would not have worked if Robin was not also present.

Brent Clark says Impulse is rapidly becoming one of his favorite titles, and that he decided to go on a back-issue hunt for nearly 50 comics. He asks for more Young Justice cameos, and a Green Lantern cameo. L.A. asks if he saw the Impulse team-up in Green Lantern 80-Page Giant #2. Now for the new ads.

TopGear Pocket 2 for Game Boy Color.

Old gets young. Young gets old. Got it? Young Justice: Sins of Youth. The battle of the ages begins this March in: Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1 and #2, Superboy #74, Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files #1. Plus these specials: JLA, Jr., Aquaboy/Lagoon Man, Batboy & Robin, Starwoman & The Junior Society of America, Kid Flash/Impulse, Superman, Jr./Superboy, Sr., Wonder Girls, The Secret/Deadboy.

This is going to be awesome! And we are going to cover the heck out of it!

Don't trade it for anything! Pokémon The First Movie on video and DVD, with a free Mewtwo card.

Enter the Milk Mustache DC Super Heroes Sweepstakes. Win a trip to Hollywood, New York or the Caribbean.

Everything they need to know about crimefighting they learned in kindergarten! The Powerpuff Girls.

Next time, we will finally begin THE event of the year with Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1!

Relative Heroes #3

Free Lunch

Devin Grayson Writer
Yvel Guichet Penciller
Mark Propst Inker
Bil Oakley Letterer
Rob Schwager Colorist/Seps
Frank Berrios Asst. Editor
Jordan B. Gorfinkel & Darren Vincenzo Editors
Relative Heroes created by Grayson & Guichet

Our cover by Guichet shows one of the Relative Heroes, a young girl named Temper, who has electric-based powers. This cover is an annoying reminder of how excited the world was in the year 2000 to use the word millennium in everyday conversation. Other than that, I really don't have that much to say about this cover. I don't particularly like Guichet's style, but I am always happy to see the interior artist also draw the cover.

Time for a disclaimer: I don't know anything about the Relative Heroes. This is the third part of their six-part miniseries, and they never really caught on after that. I also have not read the first two parts of this story, so I am supremely confused by everything here. This issue does try to explain the basics, but I also think it is intentionally confusing to a degree. The Relative Heroes are a group of wayward orphan teenagers, caught in the middle of a huge mystery they don't understand. And they're still having a hard time trying to understand themselves. So how can a casual reader such as myself hope to understand anything?

So apparently the Relative Heroes (who still haven't come up with a team name or any code names for themselves) received super suits from someone they know to be a bad guy. They're also being chased by the D.E.O. (and possibly other people), so they stole a Winnebago and are making a cross-country trip to Metropolis to see Superman. Of course, the kids on this team can't even agree on the reason why they want to see Superman, or if they even do want to see him. In any case, their trip takes them through Manchester, Alabama, where they're hoping to get some help from Impulse. (Some of the teens believe a fellow teenage hero would do a better job of understanding them than an adult hero.)

As soon as the Relative Heroes enter Manchester, they're met by a young, aspiring super villain named Metalhead. The disorganized teenagers try to prepare for battle, but they mostly stand around arguing about what they should do. Luckily, Impulse on the scene, and he knocks down Metalhead before he can do any real damage. Unfortunately, Impulse pushed Metalhead's large suit of armor right on top of three of the teenagers. And somehow, Temper's electrical powers caused a grassfire around her. Impulse quickly puts out the fire, and pries Metalhead off the teens by taking apart the armor piece by piece. The kid inside that suit begins gathering up his armor and everyone just kind of ignores him as they excitedly introduce themselves to Impulse. The one most excited to meet him is a boy named Cam, who can mimic the powers of any nearby superheroes. Cam is eager to test out Impulse's speed, and he challenges him to a race, which Impulse instantly agrees to.

Impulse arrives a split second later, explaining that he decided to run around the Great Lakes, but Cam apparently tried to run across them. The other teens tell Impulse that once he and Cam became separated, Cam lost his super-speed, which means he's likely swimming in Lake Huron right now. So Impulse rushes off to save Cam, comes back and realizes that three of the teens did get pretty banged up when Metalhead fell on them. So Bart decides to show them some Southern hospitality by taking all five of the teenagers one-by-one to his house to recuperate.

Of course, Bart instantly remembers that Max doesn't like having superheroes on the front lawn, so he quickly rushes them inside, only to realize that Max probably wouldn't like having superheroes inside the house, either. But Bart quickly finds Max, explains the situation, and justifies himself by saying he'll protect his secret identity by pretending he's just visiting this house. Seeing as how he has no choice in the matter, Max puts on his costume and tries questioning the Relative Heroes.

Max's simple questions are each met with five different, complicated answers. So I'm not even going to try to get into their complicated backstory and conflicting goals. One thing Max can see for certain is these kids' nerves are frayed. So he invites them all to stay for lunch, and tells them to sit still for a moment and think about what they're going to do. However, as Max is busy tending to the distressed teens, he fails to notice Bart and Cam sneaking out to retrieve the Winnebago, which is a pretty bad idea, since neither of them is old enough to drive.

Max finds out one of the teens has a grandfather in Metropolis, so he makes him to call him. The others turn on the TV and see a special report from the D.E.O., accusing one of them of murder. Meanwhile, Bart and Cam are having way too much in the Winnebago, joking about what they could put in the shower besides water, and imitating the driving styles from their favorite videos to escape the cops when they try to pull them over. As soon as the Winnebago gets back to Bart's house, the panicked Relative Heroes quickly load into it, and take off as fast as they can, with the police hot on their trail. Max does nothing to stop them, but he does hit the redial button on his phone to talk to the kids' grandpa.


OK. So that was that. A very confusing and discombobulating situation. And intentionally so, I believe. I think Grayson is hoping that the mystery will hook readers, but it's not working for me. It also doesn't help that the art is just plain bad. The one and only action scene here was a muddled mess, I had to make my best guess at what was happening. I also think Max should have done a better job of taking care of these orphan teenagers. However, it was pretty fun for Bart to hang out with a kid just as wild and impulsive as he is.

There aren't any letters to the editor, so let's check out the new ads:

Intense "inter"tainment. Watch "The Multipath Adventures of Superman"! You'll experience new state-of-the-art interactive technology that allows you to control the storyline. www.entertaindom.com.

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Tonight on the Winky the Crow Show, Winky calls on his kung fu skills to disarm a crazed fan. Brought to you by the out there taste and crunch of Cornnuts.

Includes rocket launcher, laser, assault rife and yes, a flamethrower. Like to blow things up and rescue people? Then Bionic Commando: Elite Forces is the game for you. And remember, you're not just some kid with a Game Boy Color, you're a finely tuned war machine.

Powerade Extinguish thirst and power up with energy yielding carbs. Now available in Infrared Freeze — with a sudden flash of orange.

Jackie Chan Stuntmaster on PlayStation.

Defenders of the chocolate. 3 Musketeers.

Returning this March! Family Guy.

Superboy flies high in this brand-new limited edition cold-cast porcelain statue!

This is one of the greatest pieces of Young Justice merchandise out there. I don't have this statue (yet) or the Robin statue, but I do have the Impulse one, and it is gorgeous.

Now, I usually save Impulse for the end of the month, but in this case, I need to put Impulse #60 before we dive into the amazing Sins of Youth event! See you next time!

Impulse #59

Running Rings ...

Todd Dezago Writer
Anthony Castrillo Guest Penciller
Prentis Rollins Inker
Janice Chiang Letterer
Rick Taylor Colorist
Jamison Separations
L.A. Williams Editor

Once again, Ethan Van Sciver took a break from regular pencilling duties. But he did draw this month's cover with Wayne Faucher, putting Impulse in the most romantic pose he's ever been. Meanwhile, poor Carol appears heartbroken in the background, dropping a letter she had for Bart. Now, the inside story doesn't completely match this cover, but it definitely will celebrate Valentine's Day while welcoming Arrowette back to her original book. It's also interesting to note that Impulse and Young Justice both had very pink covers this month, but that was just a coincidence.

Our story begins with Impulse giving Cissie King-Jones a ride from her boarding school to his junior high in Manchester, Alabama. Bart figured his friend was in need of some major cheering up, and so far, his plan seems to be working, as Cissie actually allows herself to giggle at Bart's lame jokes as he carries her in his arms.

But once they stop, Cissie begins to express her doubts. Bart reminds her of the fun they had at two of her school dances (Impulse #41 and Young Justice #15), so he figures Cissie will have a great time at his dance. Bart quickly changes out of his Impulse uniform and shows (for the first time) how he puts it back in his ring by compressing the costume with a small super-speed whirlwind. Sadly, Cissie is still unsure about all this, reminding Bart (and the readers) about how she almost killed the man who murdered her counselor and friend, Dr. Money. Bart very sweetly points out that Cissie did not kill that man, and everything's going to be OK once she gets her mind off it. And Bart knows of no better place to take your mind off things than school.

For some reason, Bart decided to bring Cissie with him to attend the full day of school, rather than just bringing her down when it was time for the dance. And this tactic serves to create plenty of opportunities for awkward moments. It begins when Bart and Cissie walk up to school and are greeted by Carol and Ayana, who ask Bart who his new friend is. Bart introduces Cissie, saying she's a friend of his from Young — uh ... Youngstown! Ayana excitedly shows Bart that the school isn't using tickets for the dance, but instead is giving the students little gold rings they can use to ask out their dates. She comes close to asking out Bart, but she's interrupted by the arrival of Preston, Mike and Wade.

Preston asks Bart to hold his ring, saying he has gym first period and is afraid of losing it. Mike is preoccupied thinking about Carol, Ayana is only thinking about Bart, Carol is wondering who Cissie really is, Cissie is wondering why Carol is staring at her, and Wade is busy playing Zelda on his GameBoy. Of course, Bart now has to introduce Cissie to the rest of his friends, and he surprisingly remembers a recent headline from the Daily Manchester Eagle: "Girl archer still sought for questioning." So Bart tries his best to be discreet, saying that Cissie is his sister. Carol reminds Bart that he doesn't have a sister, and Bart thinks of her as a back-stabbing demon. So Bart says he meant to say that Cissie is his sister's friend, which only confuses everyone even more.

The kids start to head to class, but Mike runs down Bart and tells him that he also has gym first period and wants Bart to hold his ring for him. Bart agrees, then is immediately approached by Ayana, who once again tries to ask Bart to the dance, but he cuts her off, assuming she wants him to hold her ring like Preston and Mike. Meanwhile, Evil Eye gives Rolly some money to buy his ring since he's too embarrassed to let anyone know he wants to go to the dance. Evil Eye has his sights set on cheerleader Jenny Bialecki, but before he can ask her, he sees Preston talking to Jenny. Evil Eye assumes Preston has asked her to the dance, and he angrily vows to beat up Preston after school. Vice Principal Randal Sheridan hears this and gives Evil Eye a stern warning.

Meanwhile, at the dental offices of Helen Claiborne, contractor Matt Ringer (father of Mike) is showing the dentist his final repairs after the Kalibak attack. Matt then abruptly asks Helen if she'd like to have dinner with him before the school dance, noting that they both signed up as chaperones. Helen is surprised by this offer, but she gladly accepts.

We return to school, where it's now lunch time (don't ask me what Cissie did during class). Bart asks Cissie how he ended up with everybody's rings, and Cissie tells him it's because his friends trust him. She even admits that his plan to distract her from her troubles is actually working. Mike joins them at their table and asks Bart how he should ask Carol to the dance. Bart unfortunately has to tell Mike that Carol has her eye on Jeff Weber. Meanwhile, Ayana is talking to Carol, saying that even though Bart did take her ring, he most likely didn't realize that she was asking him to the dance. Carol is still suspicious of Cissie, which then makes Ayana suspect that Bart wants to go to the dance with Cissie instead.

Cissie notices how Bart is completely oblivious to Ayana's flirting, so she tells him about it. Bart brushes her off, saying Ayana is that friendly with everybody, not just him. Besides, Bart says, he's taking Cissie to the dance. Cissie jokes that he hasn't given her a ring yet, and maybe he should give her his Flash ring. Bart says his costume ring never comes off his finger, but Cissie is persistent. So Bart heads off to get a ring for Cissie, while still carrying the three extra rings, which all look a lot like his costume ring, but have different symbols on them like hearts and teddy bears. As Bart rushes off, he doesn't notice Rolly, who had picked up Eddie's ring that he threw away in disgust, and is hoping he can get refund on it for his wayward friend.

Bart and Rolly slam into each other, and all the rings go spilling across the floor. Preston is on the scene, and he finds his ring before taking off to walk Jenny to class. Rolly also hurries off with his ring, hoping he can prevent Evil Eye from getting into more trouble. Bart then notices that Carol has confronted Cissie, who is defending herself by saying she's known Bart long enough to know his biggest secret — something that Carol highly doubts. As Bart wonders how to get these two to stop fighting, he realizes that he has lost his costume ring. He immediately begins panicking and shouting about how Max is going to kill him. Cissie and Carol help him calm down enough to explain, and both girls immediately realize not only the severity of the situation, but that both of them know that Bart is Impulse.

Meanwhile, as Rolly is wondering how he can prevent Eddie from fighting Preston and still preserve his friendship with both of them, he notices that he accidentally grabbed the wrong ring — one with a lightning bolt on it instead of a crown. We cut back to Bart, who is doing his best to stay calm with the aid of Cissie and Carol at his side. Carol suggests retracing his steps, which Bart does at super-speed, but can't find his ring. Cissie explains that Carol meant he mentally retrace his steps. Cissie asks him who he saw when he last had his ring. Bart recounts how he had all the rings, then Preston got his back, but Bart had bumped into Rolly. Realizing that Roland has his Flash ring, Bart immediately takes off, leaving Cissie and Carol to comment on how they hate when Bart does that. Ayana approaches the girls, asking if Bart was just there a second ago.

Before Bart can find Rolly and get his ring back, Rolly notices a small switch on the side of the ring. He presses it, which causes Impulse's costume to come flying out right in Rolly's face, knocking the poor kid out. Bart finds him a second later, and quickly puts his costume back in his ring. Before Rolly comes to, Evil Eye stumbles on them and is standing over Rolly's unconscious body just as Mr. Sheridan is walking by. The vice principal wrongly assumes that Evil Eye knocked out Rolly and Bart was trying to help him, so he takes Eddie down to his office.

And later, Jeff does ask out Carol, which breaks Mike's heart. Ayana approaches Bart, and as he tries to give her ring back, she finally manages to explain that she wants to go to the dance with him. Bart is surprised to see Cissie was right, but he sadly has to tell Ayana that he's taking Cissie to the dance. Ayana becomes heartbroken by this, but Bart is able to smoothly redeem the situation with a small white lie. He tells Ayana that Mike secretly has a crush on her. Ayana (correctly) had thought Mike was interested in Carol, but Bart convinces her to ask him, and both of them seem to be happy to have someone to go with.

We end at the dance, where we see Mike and Ayana having a great time together, as well as Jeff and Carol. Rolly and Evil Eye are there, too, even though they don't have dates. Evil Eye is looking a bit grumpy, but we find out that Bart did stand up for him off-page and kept Eddie out of trouble. As Cissie dances with Bart, she comments on how inspiring it was to see him do everything he could to make all his friends happy. She admits that he was right — that spending the day at his school did make her forget about her troubles. Cissie tells Bart she loves him for this, and she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

I always love these issues that put the focus on Bart rather than Impulse. Dezago has given us a great supporting cast of lovestruck teenagers, and it was wonderful to see it all come to a head at a Valentine's Dance. Most importantly, though, is what Cissie said. Bart really is a good boy. Sure, he doesn't always pay attention, or think before acting, but he genuinely wants to do what's right and make sure everyone around him is happy. And this issue did a great job of showing that. And on a very random note, I have heard people previously ask if the Flash costume ring could be weaponized. Well, as poor Rolly found out, it can be.

Anthony Castrillo did a fantastic job as a guest penciller. Of course, it helps a lot having inker Prentis Rollins and colorist Rick Taylor, but on a whole, Castrillo's art did a great job of complimenting Ethan Van Sciver's work. I wish Castrillo would have been chosen as the official fill-in artist for the (all-too-often) moments when Van Sciver needed a break. Now let's check out those letters.

Impulsive Reactions begins with Natalie Mourra of Santa Ana, Calif., calling Impulse #54 a really cool issue that balanced humor with emotion and showed us Evil Eye's good side. Natalie hopes Evil Eye can become a close friend of Bart, whom she refers to as a "yellow-eyed cutie."

M.T., of Amherst, Mass., noticed some similarities between issue #54 and The Blair Witch Project. M.T. liked the issue, but felt it would have been better as an all-out parody. L.A. Williams responds by saying the issue had been finished before the first ads for The Blair Witch Project aired. But the creators of Impulse did take inspiration from another movie — Steven King's Stand By Me.

Paul Dale Roberts, of Elk Grove, Calif., really liked Shon C. Bury as the guest writer on Impulse #55, especially teamed up with Ethan Van Sciver. He loved every aspect of the issue from Bart's junk food consumption, to Max's frustrations, to the virtual reality world mimicking the Jolly Green Giant.

Ron Nelson Jr., of Bronx, N.Y., also enjoyed issue #55 with Sir Real, which he thought was a great name. He also says Impulse would make a great animated television show (and I agree with him 100%!). Now let's check out the new ads.

Love makes the world go round! The Powerpuff Girls. Your heroes save the day in all-new Powerpuff Girls books!

Call and vote for your favorite cartoon character. With special campaign stickers, posters and other cool stuff inside select Post and Kraft food packages.

Action faster than the speed of light! Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.

In the Gotham City of tomorrow, the knight is still dark. Batman Beyond. An electrifying monthly series by Hilary J. Bader, former Impulse penciller Craig Rousseau, and Rob Leigh.

Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return. For PlayStation.

A form for the Seventh Annual Wizard Fan Awards. If you don't mind ripping out the letters page, you could fill this out and mail it in. Unfortunately, none of the categories have anything to do with Flash, Young Justice or Impulse.

Tobacco is whacko if you're a teen.

Scooby-Doo! and the Great Mystery Search books.

Next time, we'll begin May 2000, which was a very big month for Impulse and Young Justice. But before we can get to that fun, we have to take a quick look at Relative Heroes #3.

Young Justice #19

Banned, On the Run

Peter David – Writer
Todd Nauck – Pencils
Lary Stucker – Inks
Jason Wright – Colors
Digital Chameleon – Separations
Ken Lopez – Letters
Maureen McTigue – Associate Editor
Eddie Berganza – Editor

The mysterious Empress makes her entrance in this cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker with the colors of WildStorm FX. Empress certainly is making a splashy entrance, breaking in on Young Justice while they're hiding out in Wonder Girl's room. As always, Nauck does an excellent job of adding wonderful details to Cassie's room — posters of the Space Girls, Wendy the Werewolf Stalker and Green Lantern. But the best part is Impulse, who is actually the closest one to the shattering window, and yet he is the only one who hasn't noticed the sudden arrival of this masked girl. GameBoys really are Bart's weakness — remember that one time he completely missed out on an adventure to space with the New Titans because he forgot his GameBoy? Yeah, you'd think he'd learn. But then again, he is Impulse, which basically means he doesn't learn.

Our story begins rather oddly, with a small speck of white on a black background. We then see the speck is Secret's head, which gets larger and larger in our view. And then she begins to laugh, and out of her mouth tumble Impulse, Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl. They fall and flail wildly in the darkness before randomly bursting into flames. The fire eventually passes, only to be replaced by ice. The four teens are frozen solid before falling onto a bunch of jagged icicles and shattering in a million pieces.

Suddenly, Robin is standing in the middle of a rainstorm, looking quite perplexed. Secret asks if he's all right, which startles him into performing a hasty backflip away from his teammate and right into Superboy, who is using his tactile telekinesis to keep the rain off him. Impulse is nearby, hanging on a tree branch by his ankle, and Wonder Girl pulls herself out of some bushes, having lost her wig on some branches. Superboy calls Secret "Spectress" and tells her to keep away from them.

Robin asks Secret what happened, and she explains that she saved the team. When their was the big explosion in the cave, she brought them all into her ... but not into the abyss, which wasn't easy for her. Wonder Girl says she would have rather taken her chances with the explosion, and Secret indignantly asks for some gratitude. Wonder Girl reluctantly says "Thanks," Impulse says "Slick," Robin says "'preciate it," and Superboy sternly says "Don't do it again."

Moments later, our heroes have taken refuge in a tree, and Robin takes a peek at the remains of their base through his binoculars. To his dismay, he sees the JLA there, surveying the damage. Superboy respectfully asks Robin, as the leader, what they should do. Impulse suggests talking to the JLA and turning themselves in. But Robin feels they are dealing with too many unanswered questions that can only be answered by them working together as a team. Secret wonders if he's just making excuses to avoid facing the JLA. Robin admits he doesn't know. But one thing he does know for sure, is they need to get out of the rain. He asks Cassie if they can go to her house, but Wonder Girl has strangely wandered away from the group. Nursing a leg injury from the fight with the Point Men, Wonder Girl begins hallucinating, imagining that Wonder Woman, her mother and Arrowette are all disappointed in her. As she collapses, the vision of Arrowette morphs into Empress, who pulls out a sword.

We then cut to the office of Senator Perkins, where Old Justice is bringing a grievance against the congressman. They have already learned of the Point Men attacking Young Justice, and they find it suspicious that a group such as the Point Men would appear right when they were bringing legal pressure against Young Justice. Perkins assures them it was just a coincidence, but Old Justice makes sure to warn Perkins that he better not be using them for a hidden agenda. But unbeknownst to the elders, a secret camera in Perkins' office is being monitored by a dark, shadowy figure and Gray Lady of Point Men. Gray Lady is worried about Old Justice's suspicions, but the figure assures her Old Justice has nothing concrete, and they don't want to let Perkins know that he's also being played. Gray Lady reports that Blank Slate and Serpenteen are tracking Young Justice, and the shadowy figure advises them to not attack the heroes unless absolutely necessary.

Cassie wakes up in her bed, believing for a moment that her recent experiences were just a dream. Then she sees her teammates, making her room the new Young Justice headquarters. Robin is working on Cassie's computer, while Secret reads a magazine and Impulse plays GameBoy. Cassie notices her leg is bandaged, and Impulse and Superboy explain that they found her with puncture marks in her skin and an X cut around the wound. Cassie remembers being bitten by Serpenteen, and she realizes that the X cut into her must have been to suck the poison out of her leg.

Robin, meanwhile, is communicating with Oracle, who says she has found a possible temporary headquarters for Young Justice. It's a hotel resort in the Catskill Mountains that has recently gone into receivership and is now completely abandoned. But it's still furnished with stocks of food, working electricity and plumbing. The only potential obstacle is security system, but Impulse should be able to dismantle it in three seconds.

So Robin tells his teammates that he's found a place where they can lie low until they get everything sorted out. Superboy asks what happened to their plan to go public with their story, and Robin assures him they'll contact Ace Atchinson again once they get settled in this new place. Impulse suggests staying in Cassie's house, proudly proclaiming that he's already caught 47 "Poxy Monsters." Cassie naturally vehemently opposes Bart's idea, saying her mom will kill her if she sees all of them in her room.

Right on cue, Helena Sandsmark comes home, only to find Serpenteen and Blank Slate on her roof. The two Point Men charge at her, and before Young Justice can respond to Helena's screams, Empress appears out of nowhere and pushes Serpenteen away from Helena. Wonder Girl, Secret, Superboy and Robin aren't far behind, smashing through Cassie's window to save her mom. Robin orders Impulse to get Mrs. Sandsmark to safety, but to his astonishment, Impulse is not at the battle scene. Turns out Bart has gotten a bit distracted trying to snatch all the Poxy Monsters (even though his Game Boy is now smoking).

Luckily, Cassie is able to grab her mom, leaving the others to battle the intruders. Robin warns Empress that Serpenteen is dangerous, but Empress cryptically says, "My wish is your command." She orders Robin to stop, and he's suddenly unable to move his feet. Empress easily bests Serpenteen in hand-to-hand combat, demonstrating an ability to vanish in a puff of smoke and reappear right behind her target. As Superboy and Secret tangle with Blank Slate, Empress brings her fight to a decisive conclusion by slicing off the tips of Serpenteen's fangs with two quick swipes of her sword.

Poor Serpenteen howls in pain at this attack, finally making a sound loud enough to pull Bart away from his video game. He rushes off to the fray, realizing that he's messed up. Cassie, meanwhile, drops her mom off at a safe location in the city, and the two have a quick, but tearful conversation about Cassie's role as a superhero. Ultimately, Helena allows Cassie to fly off and help her friends.

Back at the fight, Robin regains control of his feet and begins charging at Serpenteen. Blank Slate realizes that their simple surveillance mission has gotten completely out of hand, and he joins Serpenteen on the lawn, saying they need to leave. Superboy, Wonder Girl, Robin, Secret and Impulse all rush toward the two enemies as fast as they can. But Blank Slate teleports himself and Serpenteen away at the last second, causing the heroes of Young Justice to collide with each other in a most undignified manner. Robin says aloud that he's glad Batman didn't see this.

Once our heroes untangle themselves, they realize the mysterious sword girl is gone. Robin calls her Empress, and Cassie wonders how Robin knows her name. The Boy Wonder pompously states that he acquired this fact through keen observation, a series of logical deductions and inferences ... and the large word "EMPRESS" burned into the lawn. Superboy sarcastically notes that Robin definitely was trained by the world's greatest detective. Cassie realizes that Empress was the one who saved her in the woods, and she almost tells Robin that she thinks Arrowette is secretly Empress. But she quickly dismisses this idea as being "too obvious."

So the teens load up into the Super-Cycle and fly to the abandoned resort hotel in the Catskill Mountains, New York. To Robin's dismay, everyone immediately rushes off on their own. Wonder Girl says the place reminds her of "Dirty Dancing." Impulse becomes enamored with the junk food and the "decorative bugs." And Secret is impressed by the real beauty parlor. Only Superboy decided to stay with Robin, and they both check out the ballroom together. However, they find Old Justice there waiting for them.


This was yet another wonderful installment by David and Nauck. I'm especially impressed with Nauck right now, seeing as how Ethan Van Sciver has to take so many breaks between issues, but Nauck is able to churn out 22 awesome pages each and every month. This is his eighth consecutive month where he was the book's only penciller, and next month he's going to give us an extra long special issue. As for this issue's story, things certainly are heating up. Our team is barely hanging on together. Secret's creepiness was thrust into everyone's faces, Superboy has been acting a bit off for a few issues now, Wonder Girl is on the brink of an emotional breakdown, Robin is losing the confidence of his teammates, and Impulse is sweetly oblivious to it all. But it's a good thing we had Impulse's distraction with "Poxy Monsters," because this would have been a very intense issue otherwise. Our team is now face-to-face with Old Justice, while mysterious villains are making their moves in the darkness. And what is up with Empress?

We have three letters to the editor this month, all dealing with the issues of gun control raised in Young Justice #15. I think it was wise of Eddie Berganza to not try to respond or justify anything. He just lets the letter writers express their views.

Matthew Hertel gives praise to Peter David for taking on such a controversial issue. Matthew says most people are too afraid to touch the subject, and he's gained more respect for everyone involved in this issue.

Creed said that David always was one of his favorite writers, until this issue. Creed will not support anyone who advocates gun control, saying Germany's attempt at gun control in the 1930s only led to more violence in the '40s. Creed's letter ends with, "Good Bye DC, and Good Bye Peter."

Craig Wagner, of Portland, Ore., anticipates backlash from the NRA and firearm-loving Americans. As a Canadian living in the states, Craig is amazed at the arguments people use to defend guns, such as likening them to shovels. Craig counters that when shovels are used properly, they don't kill people; but the purpose of a gun is to kill or injure. Craig loved issue #15, calling it touching and moving, and he said it's about time someone in comics said what Cissie said about guns.

Speaking of Cissie, next time we'll see her return to the book she debuted in — Impulse!

The Flash #159

Whirlwind Ceremony

Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, Story
Paul Pelletier, Pencils
José Marzan, Jr., Inks
Gaspar, Letters
Tom McCraw, Colors
Joey Cavalieri, Editor

Our cover by Steve Lightle shows Walter West escaping into the Speed Force with his fiancee, Angela Margolin. I rarely like Lightle covers, and this one is made even worse by the rather cheesy speech bubbles. I think Impulse and Young Justice covers can occasionally get away with speech bubbles when they're intentionally being really goofy. But The Flash is a much more serious title, and this is a really serious situation. And to add one more sin to this cover, the story inside directly contradicts this image and dialogue. But don't worry, we've got a really good story inside, trust me!

We pick up right where we left off last time, with Superman and Wonder Woman's sudden arrival. Unfortunately, these two powerful heroes are none too happy, and are actually physically separating Walter and Angela. Wally asks what's going on, and Superman tells him that Walter's very presence is endangering everything they know. Jay Garrick begins to object, but as he talks, a phantom image of himself from another world briefly appears next to him.

Wonder Woman recognizes that this means the timelines are crossing, and Superman reluctantly explains to Walter that he, Wonder Woman and Batman recently had an adventure involving parallel worlds and hypertime. They learned from experience that the longer something or someone remains in the wrong reality, the more the barriers between timelines bend and break. Superman sadly tells Walter that he has to leave this world before the universe crashes into others and collapses.

Walter demands to take Angela with him, but Wonder Woman explains to him that taking her back to his world would be just as dangerous as he is to this world. Wonder Woman and Superman apologize and express genuine sorrow, but as they talk, Superman briefly becomes Ultraman. Jesse Quick tries to make the case for Walter being able to stay, but Wally points out how reality is already being warped by Walter just standing there. Ultimately, Superman and Wonder Woman decide to give Walter six more hours to spend with Angela, and they take off.

Wally and Linda offer their condolences to Walter and Angela. Walter turns them down, not unkindly, and reminds them that they should be planning their wedding that got interrupted so long ago. Impulse excitedly remembers this key detail, and Joey Cavalieri reminds us that it happened way back in The Flash #142. Bart is so excited, in fact, that he quickly throws on a judge's outfit, presumably to marry Wally and Linda right then and there. Max Mercury sighs and tells Bart now is not the time. But Wally surprises everyone (Bart most of all) by saying that Bart has an excellent idea. Wally suggests they hurry and get married today — re-creating their original ceremony as soon as possible. Linda points out that they have a lot to do — getting caterers, guests, the marriage license, her grandma's Iowa farm prepared — but Jay says that's nothing the Lightning Brigade can't handle, and everyone rushes off to get this wedding ready. (I've never heard the term Lightning Brigade before, but I think it might be a half-decent way to describe the Flash "family." Or it might just be really cheesy. I can't tell.)

Meanwhile, Walter takes Angela to Rome to have their own private ceremony in a beautiful, yet empty chapel. Angela breaks down in tears, saying she'll never be able to love anyone else once Walter leaves. He does his best to comfort her, talking about his own experiences with learning to love other people and see them for who they honestly are.

Back on the Park family farm, Wally is impatiently "helping" the caterers set up, and he accidentally knocks down the wedding cake. But instead of catching the cake, he steals the speed from it, causing it to fall like a feather so the caterers can easily catch it themselves. This surprises both Wally and Linda, who speculates that he must have gained this new ability after being merged with Walter. Wally seems doubtful, so Linda suggests that he could just be honing his skills. In any case, she tells him to worry about it later and just try to chill for a moment. But Wally begins rushing around even faster, setting up the decorations. Linda asks if they should at least postpone until his parents arrive, but Wally says he'll send them a wedding album, to which Linda asks if any photographer will be able to capture him on film.

The JLA and Titans then arrive, and Superman asks Linda to forgive Wally for his jumpiness, considering what happened last time. But he assures her that this time, all these heroes aren't just guests, but they're also guards. Linda is still a bit worried about Wally, and she talks to Donna Troy about him. As Superman scans the area, he asks Jay and Max how exactly Walter came to this dimension. Turns out the elder speedster have been discussing that very topic, and they believe that Walter held the Speed Force open and let loose its energy. Max know from personal experience that not only is this tactic a life-or-death gamble, but it also means that even though Walter can leave this world, there's no guarantee he'll make it back to his world.

In Rome, Walter sees the "bleed-over" from his world is getting worse and now causing accidents in the street. He tells Angela he'll need to leave soon, and, to make matters worse, he admits to her that he's not sure if they'll be able to remember each other once he leaves. This makes Angela and Walter cry even more.

On a happier note, Wally and Linda's wedding has begun! In addition to the JLA and Titans in full uniform, the guests include Chunk, Jay and Joan Garrick, Ralph and Sue Dibny, Linda' friend Barb, and all our favorite speedster (or Lightning Brigade) in their Sunday best. Bart, the ring bearer, is wearing a nice, brown suit with his hair slicked back into a pony tail. On one panel, there's a closeup of Changeling, but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be Bart and was just mis-colored.

Anyway, the wedding suddenly becomes a shocker when Linda halts the ceremony to finally have a frank, honest discussion with Wally. Max is worried, but Jay assures him they'll be able to work it out. Arsenal says they should sell tickets to this, and Donna tells him to be quiet. Linda finally gets Wally to admit that he got really spooked by Walter and is afraid that he'll turn out like him if he doesn't get married as soon as possible. Linda points out that that's not a good enough reason to want to marry somebody, and this forces Wally to finally be open with his feelings. He tells Linda how he never wants to be without her again, how he taught her how to have fun and she taught him how to be a grownup. He says he can't wait to spend the rest of his life getting to know her. After this sweet speech, Linda allows the ceremony to continue, and the two are finally, truly married.

But as Wally and Linda kiss to begin their new lives together, Walter and Angela kiss to begin their new lives apart from each other. A heartbroken Walter rushes off into the Speed Force, praying that Angela will still remember him. When he emerges, he finds himself in front of a comic shop, with a bunch of kids wondering why a guy in a costume is standing around when it's not Halloween. Walter learns that he's not in Central City anymore, but Kansas City. The comic shop owner assumes Walter is an incredible cosplayer, and he invites him inside to take some pictures. Walter sees a bunch of comics on the shelves that were published this month, including the JLA #40 we just reviewed. He picks up a copy of The Flash #159, which has a picture of himself on the cover. He reads the story we just read, and on the last page, sees a panel of Angela saying she does remember Walter and will always remember. This puts a smile on Walter's face for the first time that day, and he quickly leaves the shop, presumably to try to find a way back to his proper home.


This was a great issue. Wally and Linda finally got married! And Walter got a sweet, tragic sendoff, combined with a fun trip to "our world" where superheroes are fictional. I thought the big wedding was handled well — we didn't need a repeat of all buildup we had last time. The guest list felt appropriate, except for the absence of Linda's parents. It makes sense for Wally, since his family is awful, but poor Linda's mom was seen weeping and desperately searching for her daughter while she was trapped in time. Linda's parents definitely deserved to be there.

Bart didn't have a whole lot to do, but he was great in his limited scenes. Dressing up like a judge with a long black robe and curly white wig was great, and I appreciated his smug look of importance while serving as the ring bearer. But what was up with that ponytail? Good look? Weird look? I can't say for certain.

Next time, we'll be formally introduced to Empress in Young Justice #19

JLA #40

World War Three Part Five

Grant Morrison – Writer
Howard Porter – Penciller
Drew Geraci – Inker
Ken Lopez – Letterer
Pat Garrahy – Colorist
Heroic Age – Separator
Tony Bedard – Assoc. Editor
Dan Raspler – Editor

This is a pretty scary cover — showing the three biggest heroes cowering in fear in the presence of some unseen evil. However, I have no idea what's going on (both on the cover and inside). As the cover clearly states, this is the fifth part of a six-part story, and I have not yet read the four preceding parts. And whenever Grant Morrison is involved, there's always the chance that I'd be confused anyway, even if I had read everything previously. Luckily, Impulse only shows up in one panel, so I don't need to worry about a whole lot.

So apparently it's World War III, and I mean actual war. Like all of Asia and Europe are fighting against America with soldiers, bombs, helicopters, tanks, etc. And there's a giant monster/weapon/entity/thing called Mageddon that is apparently responsible for all this. Amidst all the fighting, we see several members of Young Justice help repel invading forces on Venice Beach, Los Angeles.

We have Superboy, Impulse, Red Tornado and Arrowette here, which probably means that this story took place before Arrowette quit and all the stuff with Old Justice happened. Or maybe Arrowette decided to throw on her costume once more because it's well, you know, World War III. Anyway, that's all we see of Impulse, and therefore all we really care about. The rest of the issue involves a lot more fighting like this and some sitting around war tables and trying to come up with a plan. The ending is pretty neat, though. The Flash (Wally West) returns from a trip to the Speed Force. After remarking that he's glad he didn't end up on another parallel Earth again, he introduces everybody to the help he brought with him — a gigantic blue man made of energy.


So that's it. A big, brash story with tons of fighting possibilities, which is necessary for this version of the JLA, which currently has like 17 members on its team. The art was fairly decent, and I'm sure the story will be good, too, once I get around to reading it. But for now, and the purposes of this blog, I really don't have anything else to say about it.

Next time, we'll wrap up the Dark Flash saga in The Flash #159.

Secret Files & Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000 #1

Here and Now

Story by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencils by Scott Eaton
Inks by Ray Kryssing with Doug Hazlewood (special thanks to Kristie Kryssing)
Letters by Bill Oakley
Colors by Carla Feeny
Separation by Digital Chameleon
Edits by Maureen McTigue and Tony Bedard

Cover pencilled by Darick Robertson, inked by John Dell. It is a pretty nice, poster-like cover showing off some of the most popular DC characters in the year 2000 — Starfire, Steel, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Batman and the Star-Spangled Kid. I'm pretty sad that Young Justice and the Flash weren't included here, but I guess you need to cut it off somewhere, and sticking to 10 characters that represent a lot of different aspects of the DCU is better than trying to cram 20 or 30 characters on the cover.

This issue has a horribly obnoxious title. However, that's the only negative about it. It's a 96-page information dump, telling you everything you ever wanted to know about the DC Universe, appropriately timed for the start of the year 2000. In addition to the main 44-page story, we have 11 shorts, 12 profile pages and a 7-page timeline. You would be hard-pressed to find a character or element in the DCU that was not represented in some way in this comic book. For geeks like me, this is a gold mine.

Our main story begins with Green Lantern being approached by the D.E.O. with a special mission. He meets with Major Lutwidge and Doctor Charles (two former Young Justice antagonists) who tell Green Lantern that another old Young Justice foe, Bedlam, is apparently loose and looking for a superhero to possess. The D.E.O. wants Green Lantern to help them scan every hero he can find to try to find Bedlam, and they want him to do this discretely so Bedlam won't be alerted to their search.

Green Lantern agrees to this, and first comes across the Justice Society of America, including the original Flash, Jay Garrick. Kyle Rayner has a slightly awkward conversation with the heroes, but he does manage to discretely scan them all and send the data back to the D.E.O. Kyle is initially worried that he sent back too much data at once, but Lutwidge assures him their computers can process the data faster than he can send it. Seeing this as a challenge, Lantern scans every metahuman in New York at once.

Noticing the Titans aren't at their headquarters, Green Lantern tracks them down the Caribbean, where he meets several of Impulse's old teammates — Arsenal, Damage, Donna Troy, Starfire and Cyborg. Lantern helps them fight the H.I.V.E. while scanning them, then takes off as soon as the D.E.O. reports still no traces of Bedlam. Next on Kyle's tour is Metropolis, where he comes face to face with Superman. Luckily, Superman quickly takes off to check on an earthquake, so Green Lantern didn't have to lie directly to the Man of Steel.

The D.E.O. then suggests that Green Lantern fly up to a geosynchronous position above the U.S. mainland so they can quickly direct his scans to cities with known superheroes. So Kyle flies up into space and scans Supergirl in Virginia, the Marvel family in Fawcett City, Resurrection Man in South Carolina and Max Mercury in Manchester, Alabama. The D.E.O. then wants Green Lantern to track down Young Justice, which is a little bit tricky, giving their recent fugitive status and the recent destruction of their headquarters in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. Luckily, Lantern's ring is able to track the energy signals from the Super-Cycle. The D.E.O. is fairly critical of Young Justice, but Kyle defends them, saying their his friends and they don't deserve the bad press they've been getting. However, Superboy, who has been quite jumpy lately, does not welcome Green Lantern's sudden arrival.

Robin calls Superboy off and asks Green Lantern what he's doing there. Kyle says he was just worried about them and wanted to see how they're doing. Superboy angrily insists they're fine and tells "Mister Bleeding Heart" to beat it. So Green Lantern takes off, having scanned them all and still not finding any signs of Bedlam. His next stop is Keystone City, where he meets both Wally and Walter West — something that really perplexes the D.E.O. scientists.

Green Lantern then visits Wonder Woman in her flying dome before heading up to the JLA Watchtower. Martian Manhunter (a telepath) seems a little suspicious, but Green Lantern quickly exits and goes down to Atlantis to scan Aquaman. His last stop is Gotham City, which raises Batman's suspicions. The D.E.O. congratulates Green Lantern on his work, but report they still have found no trace of Bedlam and they would like Lantern to stand by.

We then see that Major Lutwidge and Doctor Charles made up the story about Bedlam (as any good Young Justice fan will know, that genie gave up his powers to become a human baby). Instead, these corrupt D.E.O. agents are using Green Lantern's data to power up a giant robot called the Amazo 2000. Luckily, Martian Manhunter and Batman were good detectives, and they told Green Lantern that Bedlam's previous host, 13-year-old Matthew Stuart, is still locked up tight. So Green Lantern goes back to the D.E.O. base, confronts Lutwidge and Charles, and battles Amazo 2000.

The fight is surprisingly quick and simple, apparently because the D.E.O. never scanned Green Lantern himself, giving him an advantage over the robot that didn't know how to fight him. With the robot destroyed, the real D.E.O. arrives to shut down Lutwidge and Charles' operation. They even reluctantly allow Green Lantern to wipe their computers of all the data he acquired on the heroes, so in the end, it's as if nothing ever happened.


This was a pretty fun story that provided a creative way for us to take a tour through the DC Universe. Green Lantern was a natural choice for this, since he's young enough to relate to Young Justice and the Titans, and old enough to associate with the JLA and JSA. I just wish the final fight would have been more satisfying. I mean, it's a giant Amazo 2000! It should provide at least a small challenge! Well, let's check out the other pages Impulse shows up on.

Young Justice

Text by Scott Beatty
Pencilled by Todd Nauck
Inked by Lary Stucker
Color by Tom McCraw

First Appearances:
YJ Team JLA: World Without Grown-Ups #1 (August, 1998)
Secret The Secret #1 (June, 1998)
Empress Young Justice #19 (April, 2000)

The teen heroes of Young Justice have gone far to prove to the world (and themselves) that they are more than simply junior facsimiles of the JLA. Mentored by the enigmatic android Red Tornado and presently headquartered in an old abandoned resort in the Catskills, the team's membership currently includes Wonder Girl, Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and the wraith-like Secret, with the mysterious Empress in the wings. But while the supporters of Young Justice are growing in number, so are the team's detractors, most particularly the government agency A.P.E.S., which believes Young Justice to be a threat to national security. Moreover, the aged membership of Old Justice, a union of former "teen sidekicks," has actively lobbied for legislation to prohibit teen vigilantes. Together, both organizations may spell the end of Young Justice forever.


It feels like I'm reviewing this issue too soon, because so much of this bio refers to things we haven't seen yet. But I am sticking with publication date order, and this comic book has a March 2000 publication date. Next time, when I start the April books, we'll find out all about Empress and the new Young Justice headquarters. Wonder Girl's new look will come even later (although we have been teasing it for a long time now.) Despite this jarring chronological conflict, this profile page does boast a beautiful image from Nauck and Stucker.

The Flash "Family"

Text by Scott Beatty
Pencilled by Paul Pelletier
Inked by Doug Hazlewood
Color by Tom McCraw

First Appearances:
The Flash (Wally West) Flash (first series) #110 (December, 1959 – January, 1960)
The Flash (Jay Garrick) Flash Comics #1 (January, 1940)
Max Mercury Flash #77 (June, 1993)
Impulse Flash #91 (June, 1994)
Jesse Quick Justice Society of America #1 (August, 1992)

They are the riders of the lightning, fleet-footed heroes drawing their super-speed from the Speed Force, an energy source that lies beyond the light speed barrier. As The Flash, Wally West is the fastest man alive, carrying on the heroic legacy of the previous Flash, Barry Allen, a speedster who gave his life to save the Earth. Allen himself was inspired by living legend Jay Garrick, the original "Flash," who continues to run rings around his comrades after 60 years of heroism. Trusted ally Max Mercury, the so-called "Zen Master of Speed," currently enjoys the unenviable task of instructing Allen's grandson Bart Allen, the teen speedster Impulse, to use his own powers responsibly. Fast friend Jesse Quick inherited her extreme velocities from father Johnny Quick, who accessed the Speed Force by mentally focusing on the mathematical formula "3X2(9YZ)4A." Having recently defeated the techno-sorcerer Abra Kadabra and reunited with his lost love Linda Park, Wally West hopes that life will slow down for himself and his fellow speedsters, if only for a little while.


All right, no chronological conflicts here. Just great art by one of my favorite Flash artists of all time, Pelletier, and a succinct explanation of who all these people are. And that's exactly what a profile page is supposed to do. Jay also shows up on the JSA page, Wally and Jesse both are on The Titans, and Wally is on the JLA page, as well.

Timeline

Compiled by Robert Greenberger & Phil Jimenez

This timeline is incredibly dense and wonderful. It's seven pages of pure text, starting with Clark Kent becoming Superman for the first time 12 years ago. This is also the same year that Barry Allen became the Flash. Wally West became Kid Flash a year later, and helped form Teen Titans a year after that (10 years ago from now). Six years ago, Barry sacrificed himself to destroy the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon, and Wally took over as the Flash.

Two years ago, Bart Allen, the super-fast grandson of the Flash (Barry Allen), arrives from the 30th century. "Adopted" by speedster mentor Max Mercury and stationed in Alabama, Bart takes the name Impulse. And during the past year, Robin, Impulse, and Superboy join forces as Young Justice and eventually admit Wonder Girl, the Secret, and Arrowette as members.


It's a little odd to think of Impulse being around for two years, but in a lot of ways, it makes perfect sense. He had a brief stint with the New Titans, then had time to form Young Justice. He's celebrated two Christmases, and has had at least one summer vacation. However, when he first showed up here in the 20th century, they said he was 14 years old. You could argue that Bart's now 15, but I think 16 is a bit of a stretch. Plus, it seems like he's still going to junior high school. But that's how time works in comic books. Very slowly and selectively. In real life, Bart Allen has been around for almost six years, but nobody's ready for a 20-year-old Bart ... yet.

So, all in all, this was a fantastic comic book. A wealth of information crammed into 96 pages. Well worth the $6.95 cover price. There aren't any new ads, so I'll see you next time, when we start April 2000 with a quick cameo in JLA #40.