Smallville: Season Eleven #39

Haunted Part Eleven

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 story opens with Impulse confronting the Black Flash, who is standing over a staggered Superman. The Black Flash notes that Bart's speed is pure, prompting Bart to joke that he should "accept no substitutes." Bart then runs right past the monster, saying "BRB," and scoops up Clark. But he's not just running Superman to safety, he tells "Stretch" that he needs his speed, too.

When Bart drops Clark off in the desert, Superman tells him this is not the time to be a hero. But Bart says he knows how to stop this, saying a "few little birdies" told him how, implying that he did actually talk to those figures in the Speed Force. Bart refuses to elaborate on this comment, though, so Superman says he won't let him face this alone. Earlier in this story, Bart had complained about always being alone, but his recent experience with the Speed Force has changed his perspective, and he now tells Clark that he never really has been alone.

Bart takes off, saying he'll be back in a flash. Clark chases after him, remembering the conclusion of their first encounter. Bart asked Clark to come with him to find other heroes, but Clark wanted Bart to stay in Smallville with him. So Bart challenged Clark to a race, promising to stay if Clark could catch him. Clark couldn't keep up then, and he can't keep up now. He begs Bart to slow down, but Bart says, "Not this time, amigo," as tears run down his face. Bart then runs right up to the Black Flash and offers to give him all the speed, before smugly saying, "Smell ya later."

There's a huge crash of lightning, creating a large explosion that sends Superman flying back through the air. When the smoke clears, all Clark can find is a large crater in the ground, shaped like the Flash symbol.

Later, Superman puts Impulse's old red hoodie on display in the JSA Brownstone. Jay Garrick is there, too, saying he should have done what Bart did a long time ago. Clark tells him not to blame himself, and they talk briefly about the nature of heroism and sacrifice. When Emil Hamilton shows up to tell Clark that Bart somehow cured his vague radiation problem, Jay leaves, casting a regretful glance at his old helmet.




So six days after Wally West sacrificed himself on Young Justice, Bart Allen sacrifices himself in Smallville. So how's that for symmetry? In the space of one week, we end the stories of two of our alternate versions of Bart (well, technically Young Justice only went on a six-year hiatus, but you get the idea). This Bart's demise certainly was bold and heroic, but it didn't really feel like a death scene. It was so ambiguous that I have to suppose that Bryan Q. Miller had plans to bring Bart back and explore some of the Flash mythos he hinted at. But he never did, and he had quite a few issues of Smallville after this.

I did like this issue, even though I had no idea what happened. Are we to assume that Barry, Wally and others from the Speed Force told Bart that the only way to stop the Black Flash was to gather all the speed across the world and then sacrifice himself? Did he take the Black Flash into the Speed Force or just vaporize him? We'll never know. But we did get to enjoy some touching flashbacks — even if Carrie Strachan suddenly decided to make Bart blond in all those scenes (I had just assumed he bleached his hair for Season Eleven).

So goodbye, Smallville Bart. I was just beginning to like you. And sadly, your premature departure means we're now left with only the New 52 Bart, who we'll next see in Teen Titans #18.