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Impulse Reading Order

By the 1990s, the concept of kid heroes had pretty much vanished, as the majority of comic book readers had grown older. It was then that writers Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn came up with the idea of introducing a new Kid Flash into Wally West’s life. The twist was that this new Kid Flash would drive Wally nuts!

Enter Bart Allen. Codename: Impulse! Bart first appeared in The Flash (vol. 2) #91 in 1994, before making his full debut in issue #92. Artist Mike Wieringo created the initial costume design of the character, while Humberto Ramos gave Bart his giant hair and gigantic feet, really defining Impulse’s visual style!

Bart was born in the 30th century to Meloni Thawne and Don Allen, and is the grandson of Iris West and Barry Allen. Unlike other speedsters, he didn’t gain his powers through experiments, but was born connected to the Speed Force. This meant that Bart aged too quickly, looking like a 12-year-old when he was only two! To help with his mental growth, he was placed in a virtual reality that aligned with his perception of time. However, this was not a permanent solution to his ageing problem. Iris chose to send Bart back in time, so he could be placed under the care of her nephew, Wally West, in the hope that he would help Bart control his speed.

Thus began Bart Allen’s journey from the 30th century to the 20th, where he would become the Flash’s sidekick, a member of the Young Justice, and a superhero in his own right! To discover all his adventures in the DC Universe, follow our Impulse reading order!

Impulse/Bart Allen Reading Guide

Bart Allen is a Speedster! For more stories featuring other speedsters, check out our Complete Flash Reading Guide!

Meet Bart Allen aka Impulse

Meet the Fastest Kid Alive–and quite arguably the most reckless! Impulse burst into Wally West’s life to become his annoying (for Wally!) sidekick. But don’t call him Kid Flash, he’s Impulse!

  • The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects The Flash (1987) #0, #92-129, The Flash Annual #7-9, Zero Hour: Crisis In Time #4, Impulse #10-11, The Flash Plus #1, A Story From DC Universe Holiday Bash #1, and Who’s Who character profiles.

    • Bart makes his first cameo in The Flash (1987) #91, collected in The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 1.
    • The Flash (1987) #92-94 are Bart Allen’s first appearances, with #94 a tie-in to Zero Hour.
    • Zero Hour: Crisis In Time #4-0 takes place here! Bart makes small appearances during this event.
    • Bart Allen doesn’t appear in The Flash (1987) #0, but this issue reveals what happened to Wally.
    • The Flash (1987) #95 is the first issue where Bart takes on the mantle of Impulse.
    • Bart joins the New Titans in The New Titans #0.
    • The Flash (1987) #96-100 are part of the Terminal Velocity arc.
    • The Flash (1987) #101 is the last issue Bart Allen appears before the launch of his own series!
    • Bart also has a minor role in The New Titans #115–119.

Bart Allen takes center stage in his very own series from Marc Waid and Humberto Ramos, exploring the everyday aspects of superhero life–from secret identities to super-villains–and the everyday aspects of being a kid in a small suburban town. The entire series spanned 89 issues and is currently only available digitally!

The first twelve issues are the only ones that have been reprinted in a trade paperback at the moment:

  • Flash / Impulse: Runs in the Family
    Collects Impulse #1-12 and The Flash #108-111.

  • Impulse #13-27
    • Those issues cover the rest of Waid and Ramos’ run on the series.
    • The Final Night event takes place after Impulse #18. Bart Allen doesn’t play a role in it (he only has a few cameos in it).
    • Robin and Impulse team up for the first time to stop a former spy of the Soviet Union in Robin Plus Impulse #1, set around #20-21.
    • Impulse (1995) #21 continues and concludes in Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #88.
    • After that, Kon-El and Bart Allen first met at… a Flash Festival in Superboy and the Ravers #7 (Bart has a minor role in it).
  • Impulse #28-41
    • Impulse #28 is a stand-alone issue written by Tom Peyer and the first appearance of Arrowette.
    • Impulse Plus #1 takes place between Impulse #28-29.
    • William Messner-Loebs took over as the main writer with issue #29, with Craig Rousseau as penciler.
    • Impulse (1995) #30 is part of the Genesis event (you don’t have to read the event, Bart does nothing in it).
    • After #33, Bart plays a supporting role in the Emergency Stop arc from The Flash #130-132, collected in The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 3.
    • Impulse / Atom: Double-Shot (1998) takes place between #33 and #34.

The Young Justice is formed! Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Kon-El), and Impulse (Bart Allen) are the next generation of superheroes and want to live on their own adventures, far from their mentor. Under the guidance of the stoic, wise Red Tornado, the three teen heroes begin their quest to make a name for themselves, apart from their famous friends. They are soon joined by Wonder Girl, champion archer Arrowette and mystical Secret… While the team was created by Todd Dezago and artist Todd Nauck, those classic Young Justice stories were written by Peter David.

  • Young Justice Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Young Justice #1-19; Young Justice #1,000,000; JLA: World Without Grown-Ups #1-2; Young Justice: The Secret #1; Young Justice Secret Files #1; Secret Origins 80-Page Giant #1; Young Justice in No Man’s Land #1; Supergirl #36-37; Superboy #74; Young Justice:, Sins of Youth #1-2; Sins of Youth Secret Files #1; Sins of Youth: JLA Jr. #1; Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man #1; Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1; Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1; Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA #1; Sins of Youth: Superman Jr./Superboy Sr. #1; Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1; and Sins of Youth: The Secret/Deadboy #1.

    • It all starts in JLA: World Without Grown-Ups #1-2, before the launch of YJ!
    • Impulse continues to run fast in its solo title with issue #42 (feat. Arrowette). The two titles run parallel.
    • Young Justice #1,000,000 is part of DC One Million, as well as Impulse #1,000,000
    • It’s Halloween in Impulse #44, then Young Justice #3.
    • You can conclude William Messner-Loebs’ run on Impulse, reading until issue #49, then read YJ until issue #10.
    • You can also read the Impulse: Bart Saves the Universe #1 special around here.
    • Young Justice in No Man’s Land #1 takes place during the Bat-event No Man’s Land
    • The YJ team up with Supergirl! The issues are as follows: YJ #11-12, Supergirl #36, YJ #13, Supergirl #37, and YJ #14!
    • Todd Dezago took over as the main writer of Impulse with #50! He will stay on the title until the end. You can read the next few issues here, with Young Justice fighting Craydl in #56.
    • Young Justice continues, and the team stars in their own event, Young Justice: Sins of Youth, set between Young Justice #19 and 20.
  • Impulse #58-76
    • Todd Dezago’s run on Impulse continues!
    • Arrowette appears in #59.
    • Impulse #60 is written by Dwayne McDuffie.
    • Impulse #61 is written by Geoff Johns.
  • Young Justice Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects Young Justice #20-55; Robin #101; Superboy #91 and #99; Impulse #78 and #85; Secret Files & Origins Guide to DCU 2000 #1; Young Justice: Our Worlds at War #1; JLA/JSA Secret Files #1; Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3.

    • Our Worlds at War event starts after YJ #34 with Young Justice: Our Worlds at War #1, then continue for the team and Impulse in YJ #35-36, Impulse #77, Superboy #91, and concludes in Young Justice Vol. 1 (1998) #3
    • Impulse #78 happens between YJ #37 and #38
    • YJ #38 and Impulse #79 are part of Joker: Last Laugh
    • You can read Impulse #80-83 before the World Without Young Justice crossover.
    • Spyboy/Young Justice is an intercompany cross-over where Spyboy and Young Justice team up to defeat the villainous REMbrandt and Annie Mae. Takes place before YJ #41.
    • World Without Young Justice is a 4-part issues crossover that starts in YJ #44, continues in Impulse #85, Robin #101, Superboy #99, and concludes in Young Justice #45
    • The Impulse solo title comes to an end with issue #89. And you can read those after WWYJ, before finishing this Omnibus.
    • Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3 marks the end of the Young Justice.

Bart Allen as Kid Flash

Because the editorial demanded it, Bart Allen changed his alias for The Kid Flash as the character became a member of the Teen Titans during Geoff Johns’ tenure on the title. The team was formed in the aftermath of the Graduation Day storyline, going on to play a part in the Infinite Crisis — a story that would have a significant impact on the future of Bart Allen!

  • Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Compendium One
    Collects Beast Boy #1-4, Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3, Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files #1, Teen Titans (vol. 3) #1/2 and #1-28, Teen Titans/Legion Special #1, Outsiders (vol. 3) #24-25, DC Special: Return of Donna Troy #1, Supergirl (vol. 5) #2, and a story from Legends of the DC Universe 80-Page Giant #1.

    • From issue #4 onwards, Bart Allen began using the alias Kid Flash.
    • Teen Titans #20-23 are part of Identity Crisis.
    • Impulse does not appear in issue #29.
    • Geoff Johns’ complete run on Teen Titans has also been collected in an Omnibus
  • Teen Titans (vol. 3) #30-33
    Those issues are tie-ins to the Infinite Crisis event.

  • Infinite Crisis
    Collects Infinite Crisis #1–7.

    • Read the whole event for context.
    • Issues #4 and #7 are the most important for Bart.

Bart Allen is The Fourth Flash!

It’s no secret that Dan Didio hated Wally West. It would then surprise no one to learn that, once again, the editorial was responsible for Bart Allen becoming the Fourth Flash! As the world was left without a Flash following the conclusion of Infinite Crisis (and you can read the excellent 52 to know more about the following year), Bart Allen found himself becoming the fastest man alive in a comic written by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo and Marc Guggenheim.

Bart Allen: The Return of Kid Flash

Tragedy (and horrible sales) put an end to Bart Allen’s time as The Flash. Wally West once again picked up the mantle and soon will find himself running alongside the back-from-the-dead Barry Allen in Final Crisis! As for Bart Allen, he is brought back during the limited Legion of Three Worlds series.

The return of the Silver Age Flash, alias Barry Allen, was explored in the now classic story The Flash: Rebirth from Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. While it re-establish Barry as the main Flash, the story also gives a large role to Bart Allen.

Then, Bart Allen rejoins the Titans (officially in issue #82, he makes a cameo at the end of #81), just in time to help the team find their missing teammate, Raven.

Barry Allen woke up in a new version of his Earth and must race across time to save the universe in Flashpoint! What is Bart Allen up to in this alternate reality? Our young speedster can be found in the tie-in series Kid Flash Lost, in which he wakes upin a future under Brainiac’s control.

The events of Flashpoint changed the world of DC Comics, leading to the launch of a new DC Universe and the New 52 era. Bart Allen was nowhere to be found during this period. Instead, DC introduced a new character called Bar Torr in Teen Titans, who was based on Bart but was quite different! When the DC Universe was restored to a form closer to the Pre-Flashpoint continuity in the Rebirth era, Bar Torr was simply erased from the timeline while Bart Allen was reintroduced…

Impulse: Rebirth

Impulse finally made his comeback during Joshua Williamson’s run on The Flash, emerging from the Speed Force in issue #50! He was soon reunited with his former Young Justice and Teen Titans teammates Robin (Tim Drake) and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) and Bart plays a key role in the revival of the Young Justice team (from Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason).

Then the Earth is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, and the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs. Humanity struggles to survive in a hellish landscape twisted beyond recognition in Dark Nights: Death Metal, the event that concludes the Rebirth era. Impulse and the Flash Family had the occasion to shine during the tie-in, Dark Nights: Death Metal: Speed Metal #1, collected in Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Darkest Knight.

The Flash in The Infinite Frontier/Dawn of DC

This is not a particularly significant, interesting, or, really, good time for Bart Allen. Wally West returns to the role of the Fastest Man Alive at the start of Jeremy Adams’ run on The Flash. The scarlet speedster finds himself jumping through time into the bodies of his family during the first arc, including the body of Bart Allen in the 30th century in The Flash #769, collected in The Flash Vol. 16: Wally West Returns.

It would not take long for the DC Universe to be, once again, affected by a Crisis. This time, a Dark Crisis followed the fall of the Justice League (in JL #75). For the occasion, the Young Justice is reunited for the unpopular tie-in miniseries Dark Crisis: Young Justice. When Tim Drake, Impulse, and Superboy go missing, the only person concerned enough to find them is Cassie Sandsmark, a.k.a Wonder Girl. But…the three boys of Young Justice aren’t on this Earth anymore…they’re on the world of their dreams, one they may never want to leave!

Bart then takes part in the ‘One-Minute War’, a story in which the Flash family must team up to fight off a super-speed alien invasion in Central City. Shortly afterward, Jeremy Adams’ run comes to an end with the landmark issue of The Flash #800. Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato took over as the main creative team, still with Wally West as our main Flash, and Bart Allen have a recurring presence.

At that point, Amanda Waller made her coup to eliminate all the metahumans in the Absolute Power event that concludes this era.

Bart Allen is All In!

In the aftermath of Absolute Power, a reformed Justice League sets its base on a new Watchtower orbiting Earth and opens its ranks to every superhero on Earth, launching a new era for the superhero community! It won’t take long for the heroes and villains of the DC Universe to have to face one of their biggest challenge with a tournament to the death in DC K.O. ! This is during this particular event that Impulse races through time for Impulsepoint!

  • The Flash #26-30
    Ongoing story!
  • The story continues…

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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