Impulse Is Back – But (Spoiler) It’s Not Bart Allen

Geoff Johns is one of my favorite comic book writers for many reasons, but my most personal and geeky reason for saying that is because he seems to share my almost irrational love of Bart Allen a.k.a. Impulse - the greatest thing to come out of comics in 1995.

Needless to say, I was pretty bummed when Bart became the Flash only to die horribly a few years back. Fortunately Johns went to some pretty great lengths to bring him back in last year's "Legion of Three Worlds" and restored him to what I've considered a pretty cool version of Kid Flash.

But where does that leave Impulse, an identity and a costume that hasn't been used in nearly six years? This week's "Flash Rebirth" #5 sees DCU's speedsters facing some serious turmoil, enough that Flash Wally West's daughter Iris has to step up and join the fray. Rather than choosing a brand new identity, young Iris elects instead to honor her family legacy - a pretty common choice among the Flashes. I, for one, think it's awesome and will personally be sending many positive vibes in Johns' direction for days to come.