Impulse #10

Impulse #10 cover

Date:

 January 1996

Title:

 “Dead Heat: Second Lap: Disaffected Youth”
(Cover Title: “Absolute Stop”)

Plot:

While Max Mercury is in the hospital, with the various unpowered speedsters in attendance, Johnny Quick shows up.  When three of Savitar’s Speed Ninja’s come to finish off Max, he grants some of his speed to Johnny.  As he takes on the three, the others’ powers return. XS and Flash I get injured, and the last Speed Ninja almost succeeds, but Impulse returns at the last moment.  Leaving XS to guard Iris and Linda, the other four speedsters head to Savitar’s castle to act as cavalry for Flash and Jesse Quick.

Only scenes involving Legion of Super-Heroes characters are dealt with here.

Credits:

 Mark Waid (Story) • Humberto Ramos (Pencils) • Wayne Faucher (Inks) • Chris Eliopoulos (Letterer) • Tom McCraw (Colorist) • Alisande Morales (Assistant Editor) • Ruben Diaz (Associate Editor) • Brian Augustyn (Editor) • Humberto Ramos / Wayne Faucher (Cover)

CHANGE HISTORY
Date of Change
Content of Change
09/21/99
 Posted
09/27/99
 Tracking updates from The Flash #111
10/29/99
 Tracking updates from Impulse #12
07/27/00
 Format correction
Notes update to 22:3
09/18/00
 Reprint status update

Tinted cells and text indicate missing or incomplete information.

Character and Object Tracking

Heroes   

Villains   

Locations   

Name

Previous Appearance

Next Appearance

Heroes
XS (Jenni Ognats) The Flash #109 Impulse #11
 
Max Mercury (Max Crandall) The Flash #109 The Flash #111
Flash I (Jay Garrick) The Flash #109 The Flash #111
Johnny Quick (Johnny Chambers) None in Legion books None to datte; absorbed intomthe Speed Force in Impulse #11
Jesse Quick (Jesse Chambers) No appearance; behind the scenes fromThe Flash #110
Impulse (Bart Allen) The Flash #109 The Flash #110

Villains
Savitar No appearance; mention only
Speed Ninjas (3) The Flash #109 The Flash #110

Supporting Characters
Principal Randy Sheridan No appearance; dialogue only
Linda Park The Flash #109 Impulse #11
Iris Allen The Flash #<91> Impulse #11
 
One-shot or Untracked Characters:
     unnamed nurse
     unnamed police

Locations
Manchester Junior High No appearance; mention only
 
One-shot or Untracked Locations:
     Max Crandall’s hospital room, Manchester hospital

Technology
Speed Force No appearance; mention only
3X2(9YZ)4A formula None in Legion books None in Legion books
 
One-shot or Untracked Items:
     Speed Ninja swords
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Analysis Notes
General Only pages 5-6 and 13-22 are dealt with here.
3 As indicated on the cover, this is the “third lap,” not the second (that was The Flash #109).
5:3 Coloring error: between the word balloons and Jenni’s hat.
6:5 Max has claimed that Johnny’s (and Jesse’s) use of the speed formula is a crutch, something which they do not actually need to access the Speed Force.
16:2 Max Mercury has a secret identity to protect, so Linda has barred the door.
16:3 Jenni is drawn here with he Legion flight ring, but she had given it to Jesse Quick inThe Flash #109.
17:1 The “how” is Jesse Quick’s destruction of Savitar’s speed dynamo in The Flash #110.
17:6 What happened here is that the lead Speed Ninja sacrificed one of his underlings in order to have more room to maneuver.  (It’s all for the cause, after all.)  In part, he probably expected the other speedsters to at least be distracted, if not to actively try to save the underling, allowing him free reign to kill Max Mercury.
19:3 This is the remnants of the Speed Ninja who was kicked out the window.  (Speed Ninjas turn to dust when they get beaten.)
21:1, 22:1 Observe that both Jenni and Jay were cut by the Speed Ninja’s sword, but Jay’s facial cut has apparently healed already.  Both Max and Savitar have shown the ability to use their speed to metabolize wounds; Jay must be able to do that as well, but Jenni has yet to learn the skill.
22:2 Like Max had much choice?  He was rather unconscious at the time.
The third word balloon is poorly positioned; it should be pointed at Jenni, not Johnny.
22:3 Max knowing Jenni’s name may simply indicate that he was aware of the discussion in The Flash #109 for Jesse Quick to use Jenni’s flight ring.  This occurs prior to Impulse #21, where it is indicated that Legionnaires met Max Mercury at some point, in a tale not yet told. (That untold tale, though, occurs in Max’s future.)
Gee, Jenni.  You don’t feel like a fifth (seventh?) wheel or anything, do you?  First you get yanked from the 30th century to do this crossover, and then you sit most of it out.  (Sure, you get a key part in the conclusion, but you still got sidelined for most of the action.)
Reprints This issue was reprinted in The Flash: Dead Heat trade paperback collection.
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