This issue was part of "Chain Lightning," a six-issue story in
Flash, but only kinda-sorta. From 1999,
Impulse #46, "When Barry Met Bart" Written by William Messner-Loebs, pencils by Craig Rousseau, inks by Barbara Kaalberg.
With the Flash and his allies facing the menace of Cobalt Blue (and you would be completely within your rights to say "Who?") Max Mercury gives Bart "Impulse" Allen a reading assignment: the biography of his grandfather, Barry Allen; written by his grandmother Iris. Unfortunately, Bart greets this with the same enthusiasm he'd have for any homework; and instead spends the issue daydreaming about having Barry as his mentor instead of Max.
This being Bart, he does imagine Barry as a much less strict taskmaster than Max; as well as Bart being a tactical genius all of a sudden, in fights with Flash's
Rogues Gallery. At the end of his daydream, Bart saves his grandpa from getting sucked into the Speed Force and defeats Reverse Flash. Although he probably never finished reading the book, Bart remembers Max saying reading it would be like meeting Barry for real, and Bart admits this time, Max was right.
A fun little issue, that probably doesn't have a heck of a lot to do with "Chain Lightning," but that's OK.
With the artwork and simplistic story, this really should've been a kid's book. I can see it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Cobalt Blue, I know that somehow that was supposed to be Barry's evil twin, so Mark Waid created him right? Rare stumble there from him. At least that eye-sore got ret-conned:)
Arrgh, I'll have to find it now, but I think it was that Speed Force one-shot, with Barry and Wally vs. Cobalt Blue: Barry has a brief moment of doubt, where he worries he may just be a lightning bolt in the shape of a man...and Wally reassures him by laughing that off. That wasn't bad, can't remember much else for CB.
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