The Flash #26: Some Say He’s Impulsive…

The Flash #26 marks the beginning of an interim era for the Scarlet Speedster, with Mark Waid returning to the title for the tie-ins to DC’s major ongoing event, DC KO. While the future of The Flash title remains uncertain, fans can rest easy knowing that Waid and Christopher Cantwell are crafting a fun story that brings the character back to the roots where fans remember him best. For anyone familiar with Waid’s era on The Flash, it would be impossible to tell this story without heavily featuring, or centering it around, the time-displaced Bart Allen, a.k.a. Impulse.

Anyone familiar with major comic events knows the frustration that often comes with tie-ins. They’re notorious for disrupting ongoing narratives to shoehorn in plots that the regular creative teams may or may not be directly involved with. Fortunately, with DC KO and The Flash, fans get something of a reprieve, mainly because Si Spurrier concluded his run in the previous issue. This gives Waid and Cantwell an excellent opportunity to craft a narrative that aligns with the broader DC Universe while also respecting what came before. Thankfully, returning series artist Vasco Georgiev provides visual continuity for longtime readers, ensuring the book still feels cohesive despite the change in writers.

The story opens much like other DC KO tie-ins, beginning with a brief recap of the main event’s happenings, this time from the Flash’s perspective. Waid’s influence is immediately apparent in the way Impulse is introduced, capturing his trademark antics and, well, impulsive nature. Waid and Cantwell do an excellent job weaving together events from across ongoing DC titles into the motivations of the Flash family. The book not only references Spurrier’s Flash run but also acknowledges developments in JSA, which inform Jay Garrick’s current motivations. The issue undeniably functions as a tie-in, but it also comes from a place of genuine affection for the characters, and it reads that way too.

The crux of the story centers on Impulse’s plan to stop Darkseid. As much as Impulse struggles with thinking things through, there’s a surprising degree of structural soundness to his idea. But, true to his name, he doesn’t fully consider the consequences before rushing off into action. This creates a strong narrative foundation for what promises to be a short but highly entertaining arc. While many readers may suspect that the events here won’t have lasting repercussions since it’s a tie-in, there’s no doubt that this story is shaping up to be a fun and exciting ride.