Smallville: Season Eleven #38

Haunted Part Ten

Writer Bryan Q. Miller
Artist Jorge Jimenez
Colorist Carrie Strachan
Letterer Saida Temofonte
Cover Artist Cat Staggs
Assistant Editor Sarah Gaydos
Editor Kristy Quinn
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Our cover shows Superman in his speed outfit, which is reminiscent of the electric blue Superman circa 1997. Superman is surrounded by lightning, crying out in pain, and kneeling on the ground, which has fractured in the shape of the Flash symbol. It's a pretty cool cover — probably my favorite of this series so far.

In the Watchtower, Chloe tracks Impulse's location, which oddly is essentially everywhere. That's because Bart has decided to finally let loose and run faster than he's ever run before. Naturally, this intense burst is taking him all around the world — Egypt, London, Rome, etc. But there is a method to his madness. Bart is actually collecting speed from every outbreak. We see him absorb the energy from the speed storms in France and India, all while pushing himself to go even faster. As his eyes begin to glow yellow, something odd happens. Three figures — two male, one female — call out to Bart, saying they need to talk.

It's unclear whether Bart talks with these figures. In any case, he eventually makes his way down to Las Vegas, where Superman is losing his fight with the Black Flash. Impulse arrives on the scene with lightning crackling from his eyes, promising to give the monster speed.




This was a pretty cool issue. We finally got to see this version of Impulse get serious and go all out with his powers. And Jimenez really had a fun time drawing these running scenes, flirting with his more kinetic, cartoony style I enjoyed so much in the New 52 books. But he didn't quite stray from the style he has going on this series, and was able to make Bart look quite intimidating and powerful on the last page.

So, the buildup to the fight was great, but once again I feel like this series is just teasing me. We saw three figures in the Speed Force. Barry, Wally and ... Jesse Quick? XS? Who knows? I don't. And I don't think I'll ever find out, as much as I'd like to. It's incredibly frustrating to be this close to unlocking the secrets of the Smallville Flash family, but unable to do more than scratch the surface. I actually think it'd be better not to have these references to Barry, Wally and Max if there never was any intention of showing them.

And speaking of Bart, Wally and Barry, next time, we'll see them all in action once more in the final episode of Young Justice: Invasion.