Classic Covers: Impulse #12

Classic Covers: The Flash (v.2) #97

Ad Run: Impulse (1994)

This week's Ad Run feature, an ad for the Impulse ongoing monthly series that debuted in the wake of The Flash's "Terminal Velocity" story arc, was graciously submitted by our good friend Kelson Vibber of Speed Force and Those Who Ride the Lightning. Thanks, Kelson!

Classic Covers: Impulse #35

Classic Covers: Impulse #44

Find the Flash: Baltimore Comic-Con

Kelson Vibber's Speed Force recently featured this photograph of an eight-year-old Impulse fan in costume at the Baltimore Comic-Con. From the familiarly mussed hairdo to those outrageously oversized boots, the costume is perfect. This little fella looks like he's leapt right off of the comic book page! As always, you can visit Speed Force for more photos and related links.

Classic Covers: Impulse #21

Classic Covers: Impulse #11

Sight and Sound: "Run"

"Run," a fourth season installment of Smallville written by Steven S. DeKnight and directed by David Barrett, aired 20 October 2004 on the WB. Featuring Kyle Gallner as Bart Allen, the episode introduced the scarlet speedster to the series' ever-expanding showcase of reinterpreted DC Comics icons. Here, Bart Allen is portrayed as an impulsive, misguided, and self-centered youth with much to learn from the more principled, if fallible, Clark Kent. "Run" features a number of imaginatively staged slow-motion action sequences, each conveying the awe-inspiring super-speed powers possessed by both Bart and Clark, and the plot allows the relationship between these two maturing heroes to develop into a meaningful friendship, allowing for significant future guest appearances. During the episode's memorable final moments, the cocky young speedster proposes a challenge that Clark can't refuse.

Classic Covers: Impulse #29

Classic Covers: Impulse #46

Classic Covers: Impulse #16

Classic Covers: Impulse #6

New Year's Day

Classic Covers: Impulse #33

Classic Covers: The Flash (v.2) #98

A Life in the Fast Lane

With The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 shocking readers everywhere, Wizard has posted a retrospective of Bart Allen's career as one of DC's most impulsive young heroes. This detailed summary follows Bart's biography, from Impulse to Kid Flash to the scarlet speedster himself, from the virtual reality environments of the 30th century to that fateful conflict with the Rogues.

Halloween Scare with Mr. Mxyzptlk!

Newsarama's It Came from the Quarter Bin has a look back at Young Justice #3 (December 1998), a Halloween-themed romp featuring Mr. Mxyzptlk written by Peter David with art by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker. The amusing cover for the issue features the book's three central sidekicks dressed-up as their superhero mentors. It is also, in the case of Impulse, somewhat prophetic. Is this the first time that we've seen Bart Allen wearing the traditional Flash costume?

Kicking off a month of quarter bin DC Comics is Young Justice – the superkiddie team featuring the core unit of Robin, Superboy, and Impulse... It’s Halloween and using the latest in nanotechnology coupled with mystic voodoo some sinister men in sinister robes are able to print out Mr. Mxyzptlk. The printout becomes real and Mr. Mxyzptlk is once again unleashed onto our Earth. What horrors can the madcap in the purple hat bring to our society? What evils can a man dressed in orange unleash?

Market Watch

Looking for a back issue that's gaining comic market momentum? According to their website, the Wizard Market Watch is keeping its eye on Impulse #50, featuring the first appearance of Inertia. As Wizard notes, the cloned speedster has been appearing frequently of late in the DC Universe, and it's a safe bet that his role in the Flash's Rogues Gallery will only become more prominent as Bart Allen settles into the scarlet speedster's costume.

Wizard Price Guide magicians David Paggi and Rickey Purdin take readers behind the scenes to let them know what comics they should be paying attention to and what books are moving in stores around the world... He’s been giving Bart Allen some crap for the last few issues of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive, but don’t forget that Inertia, the evil “Reverse Kid Flash,” will soon up his villain cache as a member of the Titans East in the next arc of Teen Titans. Inertia first appeared in Impulse #50, so get out there and find out why this little jerk angers Flash so much before his debut starts racing away from back-issue bins.

Kyle Gallner as Impulse

The countdown to Smallville's "Justice" continues. Today the Comics Continuum has posted a few further details about next week's episode, confirming Bart Allen's superhero identity and presenting a proper portrait of the Smallville Justice League.

The CW has confirmed that Bart Allen will be known as Impulse, and not the Flash, in the upcoming "Justice" episode of Smallville. The network has also released a group image of the heroes from the episode. The image shows, from left, Kyle Gallner as Bart Allen/Impluse; Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow; Tom Welling as Clark Kent; Alan Ritchson as Arthur Curry/Aquaman; and Lee Thompson Young as Victor Stone/Cyborg. "Justice" is scheduled to air on January 18, and sources have told the Continuum that at least one of the characters will appear on Smallville again before the end of the sixth season.