Cover: Mike Wieringo & José Marzán Jr.

Flash #92

Jul 1994 · DC · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.70 GBP

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“Reckless Youth, Chapter One: Speed Kills”

About this Issue

The Flash #92 is the full debut of Bartholomew 'Bart' Allen as Impulse — a 30th-century grandson of Barry Allen whose hyperactive, consequence-free personality gave the Flash family its first genuinely comedic speedster since the Silver Age. The character's success proved that a teenage sidekick with a distinctly modern, irreverent voice could anchor not just a supporting role but an entire solo franchise, launching a 89-issue Impulse ongoing series in 1995 and eventually threading Bart through Young Justice, the Teen Titans, and a brief turn as the Flash himself. The issue also introduced the premise — a child raised entirely inside virtual reality, oblivious to the real world's rules — that made Impulse a genuinely fresh archetype rather than a retread of earlier kid-hero templates.

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writer Mark Waid · artist Mike Wieringo · inker José Marzán Jr. · colorist Gina Going · letterer Gaspar Saladino · cover Mike Wieringo, José Marzán Jr.

More listings for this title

VF $15 NM $24.2 NM- $24.95 VF/NM · Newsstand $24.95 NM · Newsstand $24.99 NM- $25.24 NM- $29.95 CGC 7.5 $32.99

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History

Writer Mark Waid had been on The Flash since 1992 under editor Brian Augustyn, and the two conceived a new sidekick specifically designed to create comic friction with the earnest Wally West. Waid and penciller Mike Wieringo co-created Bart and his initial costume, with Wieringo also providing the cover; inker José Marzán Jr. and colorist Gina Going-Raney rounded out the production team. The issue lands as the opening chapter of the three-part 'Reckless Youth' arc and carries a Zero Hour event tie-in designation, situating Bart's arrival in the larger continuity-reshaping crossover DC was running that summer.

Trivia · 8 facts

First full appearance of Bart Allen as Impulse (Bartholomew Henry 'Bart' Allen II); a cameo had appeared the previous issue, The Flash #91 (June 1994).
Cover date July 1994; story titled 'Reckless Youth, Chapter One: Speed Kills.' Written by Mark Waid, pencilled by Mike Wieringo, inked by José Marzán Jr., colored by Gina Going-Raney, lettered by Gaspar Saladino.
Edited by Brian Augustyn (editor) and Ruben Diaz (assistant editor); published under the Comics Code Authority seal.
Bart is introduced as the grandson of Barry Allen, born in the 30th century with a hyper-accelerated metabolism that forced him to be raised inside a virtual reality environment; his grandmother Iris Allen brings him to the present-day DCU.
The issue is the first chapter of a three-part arc (continuing through #93–94) that also served as a tie-in to DC's 1994 Zero Hour crossover event.
Two variants exist beyond the standard direct-sales edition: a newsstand edition and a DC Universe Box/UPC multipack variant.
The issue has been reprinted three times: in the Impulse: Reckless Youth trade paperback (DC, June 1997, collecting Flash #92–94 and Impulse #1–6); in the Eaglemoss DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection #35 (October 2015); and in Flash by Mark Waid Book Three (DC, December 2017).
Bart Allen subsequently starred in a solo Impulse series (1995–2002, 89 issues), later became the second Kid Flash, and briefly served as the fourth Flash; in animation, he was voiced by Jason Marsden in Young Justice and portrayed by Jordan Fisher in The CW's The Flash television series.