FLASH, MAX MERCURY & JOHNNY QUICK versus REVERSE-FLASH

Suicide Run (DC)
Where: Flash #77 When: June 1993
Why: Mark Waid How: Greg LaRocque

The Story So Far...
When the multiverse was in crisis, The Flash laid it all on the line to defend infinite Earths from The Anti-Monitor's plans for cosmic annihilation. The only evidence of his heroic sacrifice was an empty costume collected by his protégée Kid Flash.

Adopting the mantle in honor of the missing hero; Wally West never imagined he would see his mentor again - but the sudden return of Barry Allen challenges everything he thought he knew about his uncle!

Joy turns to anguish when The Flash lashes out at those who carried on his legacy in Central City. Having left Wally West for dead, the scarlet speedster sets out on a warpath to punish those who embraced the new Flash -- forcing veteran speedsters Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury to step in!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Professor Zoom 5 (Professor)
Speed: Professor Zoom 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Max Mercury 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Max Mercury 3 (Explosives)
Total: Max Mercury 30 (Super)

It's three speedsters against one, but don't think for a minute that means an advantage! The Flash, Max Mercury, and Johnny Quick are acting under the misapprehension that the opponent they're facing is their friend: Barry Allen!

In truth, the trio are pulling their punches against a chronologically confused super-villain of the highest order: Professor Zoom, better known as the yellow clad Reverse-Flash!

Eobard Thawne came from the 25th century to assume the mantle of the Silver Age Flash, who we know sacrificed his life to save the multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. The makeover is so convincing, he successfully fooled Barry's best friend Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #40 -- and even himself!

The miraculous return of the fallen Flash may seem too good to be true, but the heroes aren't foolish for believing their lost friend could return. Their knowledge of his demise is uncertain, and as we now know, he will return in Final Crisis and Flash: Rebirth, revealing he'd actually spent years lost in the Speed Force.

Rebirth was where we saw Professor Zoom demonstrate the destructive power of his polarized Speed Force against the living Barry Allen, and Max Mercury, earning a vicious victory in Flash: Rebirth #4!

In today's battle Max is fighting beside the original Flash from the Golden Age: Jay Garrick! We've seen him grapple with the nightmares of Sand in JSA #64, and the horror of Morgauth in JSA Strange Adventures #1. He's a hero of true grit and great experience, but it's Max Mercury who has the distinction of being known as the "Zen Master of Speed" -- a mentor to Garrick and Johnny Quick!

In some ways Max Mercury is Professor Zoom's opposite, with origins dating back to the 1800s. His speed was supplied through Native American mysticism, and although he isn't as fast as Zoom or Jay Garrick, his study of speed, and disciplined approach allows him to be a powerful force for justice!

Professor Zoom has the benefit of hindsight, with the full exploits of Barry Allen and his knowledge made public knowledge in the 25th Century. He's suffering from traumatic amnesia and genuinely believes he's The Flash, but will that in any way diminish his ability to cause mayhem and destruction? Let's find out...

The Tape: Flash, Max Mercury & Johnny Quick Ranking: Reverse-Flash (#149)

What Went Down...
Construction scaffold begins to tremble violently as The Flash sends super-fast vibrations up its supports. It looks like certain death for the construction workers above -- until a blur of red & blue dashes upward to make the save!

Jay Garrick, Johnny Quick, and Max Mercury defy gravity - running so fast along the edge of the structure they can catch the tumbling men, and race back down to safety without falling. A heroic act before they confront the cause!

The original Flash leads the charge as they confront the scarlet speedster they believe to be their wayward comrade. Garrick makes it clear they won't let Barry Allen run the city ragged any longer. He doesn't take it to heart.

Johnny Quick is the first to make a run for battle -- darting at the disguised Reverse-Flash when he's singled out. He isn't quick enough, taking a vicious elbow to the back of the head as the target easily side-steps him!

Though rattled, Quick keeps up chase with his much faster opponent, providing a target for derisive mockery and distraction. Reverse-Flash notices the brick wall he's running toward, and arrogantly laughs it off, relying on the super-fast vibration of his molecules to easily pass through it...

The presumption allows Flash and Max Mercury to spring the real trap, catching their opponent unawares on the other side of the wall with a devastating right cross and double-fisted uppercut!

The blow sends Zoom hurtling across the construction site into a mound of gravel. He recovers and scoops fistfuls of the stones at super-speed, sending a hail of projectiles streaking across the battlefield and into Johnny Quick!

The gravel rips through Quick like buckshot, but his dramatic fall is dampened when the classic Flash zips ahead to make the save. Max Mercury volunteers to take up the fight while Jay tends to their injured ally.

The phony Flash lunges for Max, but quickly finds the old timer is much faster than Johnny Quick! Mercury slips under the villain's grip and leaps straight at him to deliver a stinging knee to the face!

Zoom resumes chase with confidence he can outpace Max Mercury now that the element of surprise is gone, but he still under estimates the Zen Master of Speed. Max makes a beeline for the towering steel structure where Zoom finds it difficult to maintain top speed along narrow girders. An even playing field!

Mercury proves a far more agile speedster, springing nimbly across the girders to deliver a flying kick, before restoring distance on the other side of a void.

The false Flash looks to mitigate range by snatching a rivet gun and opening fire, but the streaming projectiles are easily avoided by a leaping Mercury!

Max dives into the open air, catching a sagging cable that swings him up and over one of the higher girders -- and back down to once again tag Reverse-Flash with an acrobatic kick!

The blow sends the phony scarlet speedster plummeting to the ground below. He lands near startled construction workers, which inspires a fiendish idea. He races back up the framework, carrying a few innocent bystanders to be hurled from up on the rig! Max Mercury has no choice but to leap to save them!

He succeeds, but the act of heroism gives Zoom the distraction he needs to reclaim the advantage. He barges through the preoccupied hero like a freight train -- but fails to notice Jay Garrick atop the build with a girder in hand!

Reverse-Flash runs straight into the barrier, taking a full impact directly to the body! He drops to his knees for a moment, but quickly recovers to stomp the girder and send a compassionate Garrick launching into the air!

The Golden Ager spins his hands to create enough down thrust to slow his descent, but also allows the evil Flash to run to meet him on the ground!

The phony Flash meets him with brutal, super-fast ground and pound! He spews disdain for Barry Allen's replacement, and forgotten legacy in Central City, while the furious flurry of punches pummels the senior Flash deep into the dirt.

Searching for new headlines for the forgotten Flash; Zoom sets his sights on news helicopters closing in to film. He starts running in a continuous circle, kicking up sand from the construction site and sucking it skyward via vortex.

The false Flash then challenges his bloodied precursor to chase him, knowing full well the legendary hero will put rescuing reporters ahead of stopping his escape.

The elder Flash scrambles to reach them, desperately trying to outrun the threat of their seizing helicopter steering straight toward the construction site. The hero is engulfed in the ensuing explosion as he races the reporters to safety, with only his metal helmet emerging from the smoke.

The Hammer...
A rejuvenated Wally West arrives just in time to dramatically collect the helmet of the Golden Age Flash as it hits the ground smoldering. Professor Zoom wins the battle, but we'll find out in the next issue that everybody made it out okay!

Flash #77 is part of the larger arc that's since been collected as The Return of Barry Allen. The story's reputation has continued to grow in esteem, recently appearing as #1 on Newsarama's 10 Greatest Flash Stories of All Time. Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort also featured its concluding chapter on his blog, calling it the best single issue of The Flash's entire eighty year run. High praise!

I'm not sure I hold the story in quite the same high regard, but it is a highlight from the Wally West years, and there's certainly a lot to like.

On the surface, it's a cruel tale that challenges Wally's post-Crisis tenure as the main Flash. As it unfolds, it becomes a celebration of the legacy of Barry Allen, and a confirmation of Wally West as the scarlet speedster for the modern era.

While the trio of classic heroes challenges the returning Reverse-Flash; Wally is out doing some soul searching after seemingly being betrayed by his beloved uncle, and mentor. The revelation of Eobard Thawne's post-Crisis return to canon is itself a pleasure, as is Wally's redoubling of self-belief and honor.

The arc is effectively a distillation of modern Flash, replete with a shining example of the multi-generational status quo I'd like to take for granted.

I have a real fondness for Golden Age characters, and love seeing Jay Garrick as a supporting player and statesman in the world of The Flash. I don't necessarily need to see the helmeted hero in every issue, but his availability to stories like this really enriches the world of The Flash, and the DC Universe in general. Max Mercury was a nice addition for world building, too.

Now that the Justice Society are being reinstated in the modern DCU, and there's talk of their big screen potential, I'd like to think we can all agree it was a terrible mistake to erase them from DC history in the first place.

The New 52 was generally an unnecessary attack on DC Comics' own brand and strengths, overreaching in its marketing goals, and flawed in concept & construction. Of course, by actually bringing Barry Allen back in 2009 - DC really created its problem before rebooting. If Barry is back, where does Wally fit?

Departing DC Publisher Dan Didio had a well documented belief that the third-generation heroes aged their iconic seniors beyond function. He isn't really wrong. As long as third-generation heroes like Wally West reach adulthood, they require a choice to commit to moving the universe forward -- or halting it.

With stories like the one featured today, DC created an exceptionally compelling case for moving forward. Wally West was very easy to accept as the Flash: one of the greatest legacy heroes on record. They even did a serviceable job with a new Green Lantern, and Green Arrow. That was when they made comic books, though. Now they make movies - and nobody wants to skip the true icons.

Going from black & white reprints of Barry Allen stories to early post-Crisis Wally West adventures was never very difficult. As a young reader, I found Wally very easy to accept. But I also don't think DC should be burning its icons for the sake of advancing to a new generation. Even if that would be interesting.

I like the balance of three active generations co-existing. Grandfather, father, and son, for want of a better analogy. Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West. I think perceiving them relative to one another, without placing them in time, is the best way to tell comic book stories. It's the same suspension of disbelief that allows us all to continue enjoying Bruce Wayne stories after eight years.

Sliding timescales and other complex rationalizations aren't really all that helpful. Stories just need to live in the present and adapt their backstory to fit, where necessary. That's what Mark Waid and company did in 1993, and that's probably a big part of why it's held up as such a modern classic.

If you want to get the full story, there are two collected editions you can investigate: Flash: The Return of Barry Allen and The Flash by Mark Waid Volume 2. By shopping using the Amazon links provided, you'll get yourself a good deal delivered to your door -- and support the site at no extra cost! That's a Flash Fact!

You can also discover more of the DCU and beyond by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive. That's where you'll find every featured fight indexed by publisher, series, and issue number!

Subscribe to Secret Wars on Infinite Earths via Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day. Don't forget to like and share the best battles! If you enjoy what we're about, and the archive of thousands of articles, you can connect with Patreon. Patrons can influence upcoming features and get involved with the schedule, voting, and more.

Winner: The Flash (Professor Zoom)
#87 (+62) Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne)
#391 (-49) Flash (Jay Garrick)
#907 (new) Johnny Quick
#921 (-54) Max Mercury

SUPERMAN versus FLASH
Fast Friends (DC)
Where: Flash #209 When: June 2004
Why: Geoff Johns How: Howard Porter

The Story So Far...
When Barry Allen sacrificed himself to save the universe from the machinations of the Anti-Monitor, he was survived by his speedster nephew, Wally West. The then Kid Flash in turn adopted the heroic mantle of the scarlet speedster, the Flash, becoming a public icon of justice in Central City!

Having taken up residence in Keystone City; West is made to regret his unusually public identity when Hunter Zolomon, (Zoom), attacks his wife Linda, causing her to miscarriage their unborn twins.

Grief stricken, West accepts an offer from Hal Jordan, host for the omnipotent entity of vengeance, the Spectre. Jordan, on a mission of redemption, offers his friend in life the opportunity to erase all knowledge of his identity, thus curtailing future retribution from his enemies. The influence of the Spectre, however, erases knowledge of Flash's true identity en masse to include, clues of the Flash legacy, and even West's own alter-ego from himself!

It is not until the Batman deduces the identity of the absent Flash that the truth is once again revealed, but the mystery remains for the Justice League, whose altered memories can no longer pay tribute to the sacrifice of the previous Flash, Barry Allen, and are no longer certain of the fibre of their speedster ally.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Superman 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Superman 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Flash 7 (Lightspeed)
Stamina: Superman 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Power: Superman 5 (Lasers)


- With the planet Krypton on a path toward destruction, a scientist, Jor-El, bundles his only son into a rocket ship designed to take him far from the impending doom. The young Kal-El would be rocketted far from his home to come to land on the planet Earth, where a yellow sun would grant him the powers to become the man of steel - Superman!

A spiritual leader for the superhero community; Superman has a wide array of physical capabilities to back his presence up, the stalwarts being; super strength, flight, heat-vision, super breath, and super speed. He also has a keen intellect, his Kryptonian brain enhanced in much the way his body is.

A keen strategist, Superman has a broad understanding of sciences and battle tactics, but is often hindered by his own sense of caution and responsibility.

- During a fateful visit to his criminologist uncle's police laboratory; a bizarre series of events that once conspired to give Barry Allen the powers of a speeding Flash were to bestow a gift upon the young Wally West! Doused in the same chemicals as his uncle, Wally too was given the ability to tap into the properties of the speed force to move at fantastic speeds!

When Allen gave his life to thwart the Anti-Monitor's plans to destroy the universe; West chose to honor his mentor by retiring his role as Kid Flash, to succeed his uncle as The Flash! In doing so, the new Flash inhereted not only the public responsibility of protecting Central City, but also upholding the ideals of his predecessor. To this end, Wally West has been very successful!

Along with the inherent ability to move at great speeds; West can utilize his abilities to manipulate his molecules to pass through solid objects, harness and channel velocity, and even travel through time with the right peripheral.

Math: Superman Ranking: Superman (#4)

What Went Down...
An emergency League meeting gathers the presence of; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Firestorm, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, and Atom; each asking the same question -- who is the Flash, and why can't they remember him?

The League offer their friend the benefit of the doubt, hoping to give him the chance to reveal the truth himself, but preoccupied by the disappearance of his wife, the Flash proves unwilling to stand and talk. At super speeds he escapes to the JLA Watchtower teleport system, which zips him to New York, where he intends to begin the search for his absent wife.

Intent on getting answers, it's not long before Superman reaches New York under his own power, catching up with the scarlet speedster with a firm, but understanding approach. The Flash remains uncooperative.

Harnessing the powers of the speed force, Flash bursts into a sprint that leaves a red blur marking his path. Superman's mighty muscles manage to propel him right behind the scarlet speedster, but he lacks the inherent abilities that allow Flash total manipulation over speed. He considers funneling Superman's kinetic energy into himself, but fears the destruction his invincible body would cause if his momentum was stripped as they zip across a busy bridge.

Flash continues to evade Superman, heading for a penthouse owned by his in-laws, bought with the fortune the Parks made from investing in KORD Industries.
With no sign of family, Flash heads to the countryside, redirecting his attentions to losing Superman, which he assumes he'll do across the Rockies. He's wrong.

As the pair skim across the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the airborne Superman tries to use a focused beam of heat vision to tag the Flash into slowing. Though a sound strategy, the Flash easily outruns the blast.

The duelling runners blur colours along the coastal vista of the Parks' Californian condo, where the in-laws are sitting down to a home cooked Korean meal.
Linda proves absent, sending the highspeed chase into international waters!

Superman begins deducing the cause for Flash's silent determination, slowly recalling the details of Flash's relationship with the Asian-American TV reporter. The revelation seems to slow Wally West for just a moment, but he vibrates free of Superman's grip, leading the charge across Russia, France, and back to the open sea.

Wally West looks deep inside himself and recalls the many times Linda Park has been his "lightning rod." The object of clarity that pulls him from the void. He reaches deep into his heart and believes she's waiting at home. He feels she just wants to talk about the shock of his newly secret identity. He feels it and with the burst of a second-wind, accelerates into a homeward bound supersonic boom!

Wally powers through Keystone City, blazing a trail toward his apartment!
Superman finds himself left in the crackling energy and dust of Flash's charge, but when the speeding hero comes to a halt, he finds only the deafening silence of an empty home. Finally, Flash stops running, and with Superman arriving close behind, he pulls back his crimson cowl, so that the truth can flood back into the Man of Steel's mind.

The Hammer...
Under ordinary Infinite Wars conditions this 'battle' would probably have been called a draw. Yes, there's some level of physical altercation, but ultimately, the conflict is resolved through non-violent means. However, in the interest of the Olympic spirit, we make another concession to declare Flash the winner!

And the winner Flash certainly was in a period of reinvigoration under the direction of Geoff Johns. This issue marks yet another tidy example of Johns' capacity for writing stories that draw heavily upon surrounding context, but do so with a new-reader friendly approach. If it were a more recent issue, I'd almost certainly recommend it to anyone enticed to jump into the Flash, because it not only recaps elements close to the character, but also reflects upon his position within the Justice League. A position very different to that of the cartoons, which recast the Flash as a less ponderous, comedy relief character.

The post-Johns period saw an eventual decline in quality that pretty much wrote the character off for the bulk of 2007 and 2008. The epitomy of this bungling was two seperate short-lived relaunches of the title, one as Fastest Man Alive which featured the ill fated career of Bart Allen as Flash, and All-Flash which stuttered the welcome return of Wally West and resumed numbering (200's).

One wonders if situations like these led DC Executive Editor, Dan DiDio, to admit, in a recent interview, that constant reboots of characters was counter-productive and only alienating longterm fans.
Such an interpretation would go in the face of unconvincing claims that Bart Allen's tenure as titular star, (under the TV-Flash writing team of Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo), was a planned investment to ruse fans into shock upon his death.

Regardless of post-Infinite Crisis ,it appears Flash will once again enter the race, leaving behind the shock combustion of Mark Waid's unsuccesful return home.
While the solo series meanders it's way through the quagmire of life with two freakish kids, Geoff Johns returns for the Final Crisis tie-in, Rogues Revenge.

The three-issue mini repairs Johns with former cohort, Scott Kolins, and appears to connect to his upcoming Flash: Rebirth, which is said to reintroduce Barry Allen into contemporary continuity and do for the Flash family what Green Lantern: Rebirth did for the Corps! Big claims, but if anyone can live up to them, it seems it's Geoff Johns!

The master isn't without challenge, however.
Hal Jordan's much maligned death was seen to be the result of severe creative mismanagement, making his return a welcome one in the 2004 mini.
Barry Allen's death, as a result of DC's seminal crisis; Crisis on Infinite Earths; was much less insulting. It put to bed a much-loved character with tremendous respect and heroic sacrifice setting the standard for a worthwhile superhero death for two decades, while also launching the legacy of Wally West's legend!

Reversing this has the potential to have the very reverse effect of constant reiminaginings of characters. Fans have already shown tremendous tolerance for treading on sacred ground, in particular the 2005 faux-resurrections of Jason Todd and Bucky Barnes.

We mustn't count our Flashes before they race! There's still plenty of mystery yet to be revealed, with the matter of Black Lanterns and New Gods still to be resolved! We will, of course, continue to watch on with great interest!

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 5

Are you watching with great interest?
Fancy seeing more first-hand? By using TPB and collection purchase links provided, you not only get a chance to glimpse the many races between Flash and Superman up close, but also help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Not enough for you? Be sure to stop-in with the Amazonian Gift Shoppe and survey even more titles on offer featuring issues collected from previous reviews!

MONTHLY PUNCH-UP #31 (July 2008)
FLASH versus PENGUIN
Reconnected (DC)
Where: Flash #210 When: July 2004
Why: Geoff Johns How: Howard Porter

Quick Fix...
This week's quick fix was originally slated to be posted after the announcement of Flash as a playable character in Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe. While continued delays in the Infinite Wars schedule have been disappointing, this random chance of happenstance makes for a suitable situation as we transition into a month of Batmania!

For those who missed it: it was the Flash who took third-place honors in the reveal list of DC heroes to appear in the crossover video game. Some might argue this was surprising, with many expectations still awaiting the arrival of the final member of DC's trinity: Wonder Woman!

In theory this is an opportunity for Mortal Kombat fans to familiarize themselves with prominent elements of superhero fiction. Many have found themselves gravitating toward the well publicized stable of Batman's villains, blissfully unaware of the classic tradition that makes Flash's Rogues some of the most beloved foes in comics.

Of course, no sooner than I say that, than do I remember the Rogues have never actually appeared on the Infinite Wars. It's times like these the sheer volume of content yet to be covered truly astounds me. After ranking five hundred and fifty-two characters, the Infinite Wars still only scratches the surface of the comic book medium.
For some this will seem intimidating, but it's my hope we can provide a friendly gateway to the many names and faces you'll want to come to know.

Let's face it -- statistics suggest at least someone interested in the Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe game will wander out and consider reading a comic. I hope they do!
As their understanding of context grows, I think many MK fans have the opportunity to indulge in fiction that will speak very strongly to them. The trick is to not overthink things at the beginning, and simply keep your eye out for threads and visuals you may like to follow!

This particular issue of Flash isn't really anything super-special, but I wonder what it might be like for a new reader. Those receptive to the information within will find a ticket to explore not only the Flash's world, but portions of DC history.
Geoff Johns dabbles in the friendship between Flash and Nightwing, a duo that dates back to their time with the Teen Titans, when they were Kid-Flash and Robin, respectively. The unveiling of Wally West's tension-filled secret history - his first visit to the Batcave - slides neatly between plot threads concerning discension in the Rogues; post Identity Crisis revelations; a throwaway spat with villains (soon to be united); the life and times of a newly anonymous Wally West (whose identity was erased from the world's minds by Spectre); and a character driven lead-in to a Flash/Nightwing team-up (against Gorilla Grodd).

What this comic does quite successfully, in a fairly classic manner, is lay out quite a few branches for new fans to explore, whilst packaging that broader spectrum in a story they can follow linearly. This is the kind of thing I would've enjoyed picking up as a youngster, quite willing to explore and adopt characters as my own. This, as far as I'm concerned, is comics!

Among his strokes of brilliance; Johns' opportunity to further initiate characters created in 2001's Flash: Iron Heights; using the established modus of The Penguin as a smooth means of introduction.

The Penguin, a well known arms dealer, has travelled his business interests to Keystone City in the hopes of avoiding Batman. It might be the after effects of the Spectre's mind tampering, or maybe it just doesn't matter, but clearly the Penguin has failed to consider the presence of Keystone's resident speedster!

The bird-loving Penguin; who reads here like the animated series' compromise between the classic, and Tim Burton's vision; is no schmuck! In the interest of franchising he's recruited local talent - Girder and Double Down; the villains from Iron Heights, mentioned earlier.

Behind the script is justification built around an opportunity to establish a sense of life in the exaggerated city of Keystone. We get a glimpse of what is surely an everyday occurance in the life of themed criminals, but to the unwitting reader, it's just an ecounter between hero and villain that's easily digested.

When an emotional Flash shows up looking for a distraction, he launches into a speeding blur in Penguin's hideout. Forced to negotiate both the Penguin's free-roaming collection of birds, and the enchanted cards of Double Down, he finds himself somewhat restricted. By using his super speed he's able to create a vortex around the pair, knocking them unconscious by sucking the air from them.

Girder proves a more enduring menace, able to anticipate the Flash's speedy on-rush, and counter with a devestating metallic blow! The punch sends Flash rocketting into a nearby bar at high speed. For a moment he's helpless before the lumbering goliath, but just as Girder closes in, a click gives birth to a deluge.

"Water. Like pouring lemon juice on a cut when it comes to Girder."
The rusting villain drops to his knees, howling in agony. Nightwing emerges from the darkness, revealing himself as the Flash's unlikely savior, having spent a brief exchange earlier in the day, where Flash obviously brushed off his friend.

Johns casually provides an interesting commentary on the nature of the Flash; once popularly defined as a very public hero; by virtue of a comparison with Batman, [as delivered by Nightwing]. The story ends in the Flash Museum, where the heroics and villainy of the Flash's world are celebrated and preserved, setting the stage for the peculiar sense of social agreement between the citzens and villains of Keystone City.

Upon reflection, I wouldn't want to overstate the accessibility of this comic. The simple fact of serialized fiction is that you are not going to know every character and every situation, but that is one of the inherent charms of the medium, and genre.
This is definitely a comic for those new readers ready for what they're in for, but for the Mortal Kombat audience who may find themselves curious about the Flash, I think it's managable.

I love that Flash #210 can have this kind of information in it, presented in a way that's palattable to both new and old readers alike. Johns does a tremendous job of telling very classic tales in his Flash, and I can only hope he finds his way back to the title, which has since languished in creative hell.

The Fix: 3 The Issue: 4
Winner: Flash & Nightwing

Flash #210 not only gives us a chance to look at Flash and some interesting villains, but also commemorate the June 27 passing of superstar artist, Michael Turner. Turner, who provides pencils for the cover, passed recently as a result of his battle with cancer, he was only thirty-seven. I myself lost a family member June, and can appreciate the loss. Those wishing to make donations can follow links from Turner's production company, Aspen Comics. Very sad, indeed!

---

POINTS
[030/245]
[015/155]
[013/079]
[010/184]
[010/133]
[008/077]
[004/075]
[-01/196]
[-02/162]
[-07/097]
[-09/058]
[-09/049]
[-18/000]TEAMS
#1 (+4) The People's Team
#2 (-) The Black Death
#3 (+6) The X League
#4 (+8) The Corps
#5 (+6) The DC Illuminati
#6 (-4) The Revolution
#7 (-) Makin' it w/Cap'n
#8 (-7) Divine Judgment
#9 (-5) The Legends
#10 (-4) The Knights of Right
#11 (-3) X-Party
#12 (-2) The Ghost Walkers
#13 (-) The Elite Fleet

Join the list! Draft a team today!2008 Fantasy League...
Ladies and gentlemen, we have in our midst a two-time champion as Rokk reclaims the crown with The People's Team taking it out for month three of the Fantasy League!

It continues to be the triumvirate of Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman that hands Rokk the keys to victory, and it doesn't look to be slowing as we head into July's Dark Knight month, and onward to more coverage of the video game sensation, Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe!

The good news for all concerned will be relatively bouyant returns from June on the Infinite Wars, even though production has screeched to a near-halt! DC heroes and villains have helped many teams secure continued income, while May's market crash absorbed much of the damage for the top rated teams.

Sadly, for some, the news wasn't so good. Those gambling on farther reaching characters still suffered under limited movements in the Super Stock. A cruel twist of fate saw The Elite Fleet bottom out, spending the very last of their points to round-off perfectly to zero. Such is the nature of predicting the fickle and often counter-intuitive design of the Infinite Wars, but the good news is, the Elite Fleet have nowhere to go but up, and with Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, and Nova all in the spotlight, hope is somewhere on the horizon!

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Heading into July, we can expect another crumple zone.
Sadly distractions have gotten the better of the Infinite Wars, which means even the much anticipated release of The Dark Knight will struggle to lift flagging updates.

The popularity of the Joker and Batman mean they're sure to be the movers and shakers of the month, but for each, it's uncertain whether that will mean returns, or career-lows! The Bat-universe also welcomes back Catwoman to the pages of Batman as Catwoman goes under the cancellation hammer despite inclusion in MKvsDC!

DC Universe, an MMORPG, will also provide encouragement from the DC portion of the website, but Marvel fans needn't jump ship just yet. August marks the 2008 Beijing Olympics which is sure to grant some measure of amnesty to a diverse cast of inclusions!

The Fantasy League isn't an exact science. Points are derived from the daily goings on in the Infinite Wars, and refined through the Super Stock [found further into this post]. While we try to represent key events in the community, weekly comics aren't the focus of our reviews, meaning our superhero fight club resembles something like a stock market, more than a precise sports league.

There are no prizes and no real losers here. The Fantasy League is designed to build a greater sense of community around the combative corners of the Infinite Wars. You should, of course, follow team sponsor links to familiarize yourself with some of the sites in this corner of the blogosphere, because as illustrated by the league -- we're all here for pretty similar reasons.

The Fantasy League can be as involving or stagnant as you like it to be, and every month you get the chance to spend your points on perfecting your team. The sign-up post will keep you informed when it comes to the availability of characters (those already drafted are struck out).

The category restrictions of the draft are now replaced by point values for those already playing. Everyone must have five characters on a team, but you can now sell a character (at half value) to use your points to draft new characters.
This is where it gets a little complicated, because it's just too time consuming to post full lists for the values of characters each month. You can request a character value in the comments section of this post, before trading through e-mail in the same fashion as your original drafting.

Values are based upon the total number of characters in the Super Stock rankings, with character dropping a point in price from top to bottom. Currently we have 539 characters ranked, making that the value of top-ranked character; Spider-man. If Daredevil is ranked #10 that values him at 530, Wonder Woman (#40) is 500, Darkseid (#176) is 364, She-Hulk (#231) is 309, and so on.
Unranked characters are a flat 100 points, making them mixed investments, given no movement return on their first month of entry.

To keep proceedings fluid; all trades should be completed by July 15!
If you're happy with your team, or not keen on over complicating things, just sit on your stocks and let them mature! I think the Fantasy League has been a very fun addition to the site, and hope to see more teams emerging in the coming months. If you're already reading/playing, suggest it to a friend!

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Spider-Boycott 2008: Week 23
Bitten by a radioactive spider; Peter Parker gains the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a spider. After the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter learns that with great power must come great repsonsibility. Thus, this tortured hero launches himself into a selfless career as Spider-man!

The Amazing Spider-man earns the attentions of many enemies, but when the Kingpin launched an attack on his foe, Peter's Aunt May was caught in the crossfire! With the elderly May in critical condition, Peter proves unable to find sufficient aid from his superpowered fellows, leading him to accept an unlikely deal from devil, Mephisto: Erase the romance and marriage to Mary-Jane Watson, and save the elderly woman's life.

Originally posted June 1st:
It was the premise for a story that had been brewing off-the-page since the promotion of of Joe Quesada to Editor-In-Chief. Ultimately the task befell J. Michael Straczynski in a story that will go down in Spider-man infamy.
Five decades into the history of this character, a poor excuse for a story saw this deeply responsible man make a deal with a devil to save a frail old woman. In reality, the move was little more than a nostalgia driven cop-out for the development of a character that had matured and grown with earlier audiences.

The result was Brand New Day, the follow-up that relaunched Spider-man with a revised history more garbled than the revisionist standard of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The erasure of Spidey's big screen romance was allegedly to refresh and simplify the character, but instead resulted in a vague deconstructed history, and the return of standards and motiffs thirty-years old.

The site has been without Spider-man for five months, and at this point the Boycott is more incidental than ever. I have very little interest to discuss or read what has been an uninspiring relaunch of the Spider-man title(s). This running section of the Punch-Up is now mostly academic, an exercise in tracking the monetary response measured by camps of fans each with strong opinions.

This modern gestation of a post-internet industry seems to be in the second stages of it's development. Vocal minorities now represent the basless claims of the blindly positive, as much as unmotivated shit-stirrers and provacateurs.
While the sales figures are not indicative of quality or relevance, they provide some assemblance of a mean average of opinion. I'm not terribly interested in Amazing, but I am interested in the reactions to this continued fiasco.

ESTIMATED SALES FIG.
(Sep 07) Amazing Spider-man #544 OMD [146,215]
(Oct 07) Friendly N'hood Spider-man #22 OMD [110,405] -24.49%
(Nov 07) Sensational Spider-man #41 OMD [100,300] -9.15%
(Dec 07) Amazing Spider-man #545 OMD [124,481] +24.11%
(Jan 08) Amazing Spider-man #546 BND [136,109] +9.34%
(Jan 08) Amazing Spider-man #547 BND [108,485] -20.29%
(Jan 08) Amazing Spider-man #548 BND [105,122] -3.1%
(Feb 08) Amazing Spider-man #549 BND [101,112] -3.81%
(Feb 08) Amazing Spider-man #550 BND [90,874] -10.12%
(Feb 08) Amazing Spider-man #551 BND [88,084] -3.07%
(Mar 08) Amazing Spider-man #552 BND [89,835] +1.99%
(Mar 08) Amazing Spider-man #553 BND [82,648] -8.00%
(Mar 08) Amazing Spider-man #554 BND [81,072] -1.91%
(Apr 08) Amazing Spider-man #555 BND [86,902] +7.19%
(Apr 08) Amazing Spider-man #556 BND [78,458] -9.72%
(Apr 08) Amazing Spider-man #557 BND [77,057] -1.79%
(May 08) Amazing Spider-man #558 BND [76,966] -0.12%
(May 08) Amazing Spider-man #559 BND [74,206] -3.59%
(May 08) Amazing Spider-man #560 BND [74,012] -0.26%

As the repeat of last month's monologue might have suggested, I've all but lost interest in the topic of BND.
Suffice to say I'm still none too pleased by the overall conceit of regurgitating ancient history at the expense of recent history, but by now that's probably taken second-priority to sheer disinterest in said regurgitated history. Amazing Spider-man three times a month has meant, for me, three times the disinterest, although, that might be about to change...

At this point I'm pretty content to let the numbers do the talking for this running feature. While the decline in sales remains steady, one must acknowledge a consistent decrease in sales across May. This, of course, only accounts for some measure of the immediate drop, but even then, the failings of other titles don't really discount the slippery slope of other books.

July will see Daredevil and Hammerhead make an appearance in Amazing which, one assumes, might recall the New York gangland struggles of the 80's and 90's. This is certainly a subject of interest for me, and while I probably won't have sufficient moneys to warrant a purchase, it does mark the first real interest I've had in the title since the change. I will look very eagerly to next month, when we see if a DD/Spidey reunion does anything for sales! If it encourages more Daredevil in connected Marvel titles, I might like that!

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The 2008 Top Five...
We've been talking about it since last year, but the wait for the Batman Begins sequel is finally over! July 18 sees the release of Christopher Nolan's cinematic masterpiece, the last film completed before Heath Ledger's untimely passing. So positive is early reaction to the movie and Ledger's performance, that The Dark Knight is already promising the first major Academy Award nomination for a comic book film of this type! Post-humous accolades are being heaped mostly upon Ledger's chilling depiction of the Joker, for which the Goyer/Nolan script deserves some recognition.

Also on the slate are feature film adaptations of Wanted and Hellboy, but given the difficulties in maintaining a regular schedule, updates pertaining to these films are unlikely. Such is true especially for the Wanted film which, despite boasting a cast of Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and Terrence Stamp, bares little resemblance to the source material, and even less to our interests.

#1 Batman (-) (28) (DC)
Class: [Meta] Last Opponent: [Fatman & Little Boy]
Win Percentage: [67.74%] Features: [31]
2006: [#1] 2007: [#2] Cumulative: [#2]

Batman's third consecutive month at the 2008 top leaves little doubt for his chances of finishing the year in the top spot. Despite stronger competition than years past, the Bat has soared even without a film! With The Dark Knight hitting cinemas July 18, Batman is poised to be among the only characters featured during July while the Infinite Wars recover from personal and professional distraction. Pretty condemning for Batman's nearest opponents!

Gotham Knight has as yet escaped the grasps of the Infinite Wars, but hopefully that will be rectified at some point. My excitement levels might have finally tipped in favour of the looming Dark Knight, but I'm also still very keen as a casual animé enthusiast to check out Gotham Knight.

It's probably worth noting that not everything is working in Batman's favour. As the unknown quantities of The Dark Knight, Two-Face and Joker seem likely to steal a good deal of the spotlight, particularly the latter clown prince of crime!
Meanwhile, in the comics, a mixed bag as Morrison's RIP indulges every Silver Age wetdream, while in Final Crisis, Batman is among the first heroes to drop.

#2 Iron Man (+3) (10) (Marvel)
Class: [Meta] Last Opponent: [Wong-Chu]
Win Percentage: [62.5%] Features: [24]
2006: [#3] 2007: [#3] Cumulative: [#3]

Iron Man makes a late jet propelled leap up the rankings after starring in his own feature film in May! It looks like Batman might have his number here, and at the box office, but the current Director of SHIELD might just have the dark knight detective's number in comics sales!

Unfortunately nothing much can be said from the Infinite Wars perspective regarding the quality of said comics. A catalogue of Iron Man books inspired by the film have hit the shelves, ranging from the film-inspired introduction of Obadiah Stane's son, to continuity fostering meetings between Stark and Doom!

Being at the centre of the Secret Invasion might prove to be yet another curse disguised as a blessing! Brian Bendis shakes through the middle section of his latest crossover attempt with sobering results, very little about the series able to maintain the enthusiasm it first garnered! Like the antagonising role of Civil War; Iron Man may ultimately come out of this series worse-for-wear, but we'd still expect shellhead to figure into the stakes heading into the last half of 2008.

#3 Hulk (RE) (7) (Marvel)
Class: [Meta] Last Opponent: [US Military]
Win Percentage: [60.87%] Features: [23]
2006: [#6] 2007: [#10] Cumulative: [#4]

Rounding out the trio of mainstream icons hitting cinemas this year, Hulk, who sits comfortably third in what might be an order of preference for said adaptations. Incredible Hulk surprised at the box office, providing the follow-up the franchise needed to escape the heady dramas of Ang Lee's experimental character study. The future looks green again for Hulk!

The saga of the Red Hulk has brought Bruce Banner back to action far sooner than originally anticipated, and while this is a welcome event, it seems to have come at the cost of recognising many details featured in World War Hulk.
Jeph Loeb's meandering plotlines haven't done big things for anticipation of the Hulk title, but an upcoming clash with Thor is exactly the kind of mindless fun this comic's been promoting, only at a more enticing scale! We can only hope this isn't the beginning of a digression into Skrull-related silliness!

#4 Superman (-2) (6) (DC)
Class: [Meta] Last Opponent: [Massacre]
Win Percentage: [56.52%] Features: [23]
2006: [#7] 2007: [#13] Cumulative: [#5]

A quiet month sees the Man of Steel slide discreetly down the list, bringing up the rear of the feature film icons. Superman might not have anything on the agenda in the immediate future movie-wise, but as with most DC icons, the promise of appearances in video games is quite an enticing one. Superman lines up not only for the collision with Mortal Kombat, but also the Massively Multi-Player antics of DC Universe online! Both games face a grim legacy, looking to put an atrocious gaming history behind them!

The print side of things has had it's own demons to contend with, but there's cause for hope for Superman fans. Geoff Johns continues his run on Action Comics where he'll follow-up work with the Legion of Superheroes to attempt a definitive reboot of the arch-villain, Brainiac! Few men would be wise to approach the garbled history of the sci-fi fiend, but in Johns, we trust!

Joining Johns in the Superman stakes is his titular counterpart, James Robinson, who appears to be taking a balanced look at both sides of the character. While Kurt Busiek mans the ship of Trinity - the weekly series detailing the DCU through the eyes of it's leading icons. In the early-goings, one would have to say, it's been a mixed bag, so far...

#5 Goro (-2) (2) (Midway)
Class: [Meta] Last Opponent: [Raiden]
Win Percentage: [60%] Features: [5]
2006: [NR] 2007: [NR] Cumulative: [#28]

Rounding out the top five is last month's unlikely inclusion!
June's reduced schedule left little competition for the four-armed Shokan anticipated to lead the iconic charge in MK vs DC Universe.

At this point there are no plans to revisit the Malibu books in July, giving Goro few avenues of ascension. All hope is not lost, however! The MK team from Midway will join Jimmy Palmiotti at the San Diego International Comic-Con at the end of this month, where they will announce four new characters from the game!
The Infinite Wars expects a couple of big bads (Shao Kahn and Darkseid?) to be the big reveal here, perhaps in tandem with a mini-series designed to elaborte on the story of the video game. This would not only mean a potential means of boosting Goro back into the rankings, but hype in general!

Before Comic-Con; Goro has the opportunity to emerge as two new characters are revealed at the E3 gaming convention. With Gamespot having just revealed Liu Kang and Captain Marvel, one hopes this is not a breakdown of communication, indicating playable builds, versus previously unrevealed characters. If the latter is the case, this will bring the August tally up to sixteen of the expected twenty-two characters revealed.

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Cumulative Super Stock...


Dr. Light leads the strike for
Libra's new Society of Super-Villains,
forming a "blindingly obvious"
team-up with Mirror Master!
[Final Crisis #1]1. Spider-man (-) (M)
2. Batman (-) (DC)
3. Iron Man (-) (M)
4. Hulk (+2) (M)
5. Superman (-1) (DC)
6. Wolverine (-1) (M)
7. Mr. Fantastic (-) (M)
8. Captain America (-) (M)
9. Invisible Woman (-) (M)
10. Daredevil (-) (M)
13. Black Adam (-) (DC)
15. Ryu (-) (C)
17. Catwoman (-) (DC)
50. Hawkgirl (-) (DC)
69. Dr. Light (+110) (DC)
91. Sonya Blade (-1) (Mid)
100. Black Panther (-1) (M)
134. Zod (ammendment) (DC)
135. Non (ammendment) (DC)
136. Jax-Ur (ammendment) (DC)
150. Forge (-4) (M)
179. Mirror Master (new) (DC)

Thunderbolt Ross's feud with the
incredible Hulk sees him tumble
to the bottom of the ranks!!
[World War Hulk #3]200. Machine Man (-4) (M)
218. Captain Marvel (-4) (DC)
236. Scorpion (-4) (Mid)
250. Photon (-4) (M)
300. Alfred Pennyworth (-4) (DC)
350. Kingpin (-4) (M)
400. Grey Gargoyle (-4) (M)
450. Clayface (-4) (DC)
500. Kid Impala (-3) (DC)
517. Wong-Chu (new) (M)
518. Sparx (new) (DC)
519. Empress (new) (DC)
520. Más (new) (DC)
521. Menos (new) (DC)
522. Crypto-Man (new) (M)
523. Jarella (new) (M)
524. Fatman (new) (DC)
525. Little Boy (new) (DC)
527. Hercules (-8) (M)
545. Gen. Thunderbolts Ross (-64) (M)
548. Lizard (-13) (M)
549. Taskmaster (-13) (M)
550. Zangief (-13) (C)
551. Magneto (-13) (M)
552. Dan Hibiki (-13) (C)

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The Hammer...
Well, we've reached a new low of almost two weeks late, but better late than never! As has been expressed during the month, I'm doing everything I can to get the Infinite Wars back on track, but distractions in various arenas continue to make that difficult.

Never the less, we've got another big month lined up for you! Come rain or snow we'll be delivering reviews for Friday entries (focusing on Joker and Batman), while the weekends remain dedicated to a mix of Smash Hits music videos and Cover to Cover flashbacks to previous Batman entries.

Also continuing through July will be our MKvsDC Mondays, now focusing on some of the DC characters we didn't get to mention during the Fantasy Fights! These bonus rounds will bring the DC tally up to over one hundred characters, including some hotly requested heroes and villains by readers!

Once again, I have to send thanks to all the supportive readers that continue to read and make use of the Infinite Wars! A special shout out to my new friends from Italy at the Blue Area message boards! Any Italian-speaking fans might like to check their boards out, where you're sure to find a very hospitable bunch!

As much as I hate to end on a bit of a downer, I'm afraid I've got to.
For the past few months I've been content to discreetly place the [following] KMI ad banner in the shipping list, and other places of relevance, including the top of the page. I haven't wanted to bring it up too often, but I feel it's worth drawing attention to!

The Kirby Martin Inquest is a series that took a very long time to get started, and now, almost a year later, the second issue is only just starting to take shape. Any and all support is exceptionally important to the life of this small press venture, and at $1.99, I think it's a pretty affordable price for twenty-two pages of black and white comic. The first issue serves as introduction to the world and character of the White Ghost, and you can learn more about some of the mystery of the series, as well as online purchasing details [come on! If you've got a PayPal account, use it!], from here and the home site of Nite Lite Theatre!

We really need your help, guys!
Buy one yourself, tell your friends, use the banner on message boards! Just lend a hand, because sales have been shite, quite honest. Cheers!

READ THE PREVIEW - VISIT THE SITE - BUY THE COMIC
Ciao for now!

- Mike Haseloff; Commanding Officer
Mike Haseloff is a little known writer who, when strapped for cash, was bullied by local gangsters into orchestrating a break-in at a chemical plant. When a masked vigilante intervened, a panicked Haseloff fell into a vat of chemicals, emerging from the sewers a discoloured madman. Or at least, that's what he told us Thursday. It's entirely possible he'll deliver an entirely different story today...

June Hit Count: [11555/116358] (+2%)