Details on Flash: Year One, Godspeed & Impulse's Return

2019 is going to be a big year for the Flash. The Scarlet Speedster is known for racing forward (well, Flashpoint aside), but 2019 is going to dig deep into Barry Allen's past. During New York Comic Con, it was announced that writer Joshua Williamson and artist Howard Porter will release The Flash: Year One next year, a storyline which will explore Barry's earliest adventures after gaining his phenomenal speed.

While talking with CBR at the convention, Williamson stated he was surprised that no one else has already fleshed out Barry's first year as a hero. "It's weird, right? Really his only origin is Showcase #4. There has been little stuff here and there that kind of played out with different takes on it, but a straight out Year One thing? Someone did a little six-pager in the '80s, and that's about it. That's all that I've ever seen for it, and I've done a lot of research on this to see and build."

Fans reacted positively online to the announcement of the upcoming storyline, and Williamson was quick to credit popular Flash artist Howard Porter for the enthusiasm. "A large part of that reaction came from the art that Howard did, the promo piece we made for it," explained Williamson, adding that the promo helps set the tone for the storyline. "It really shows you the kind of direction we're going with it, and I really think it shows how excited Howard is -- Howard's super pumped."

"I had the idea for doing Year One before issue 1 came out," the writer said, promising Year One will deliver plenty of surprises. "Year One is going to be what you expect but not what you expect. I don't want to give away twists and turns of it, but I had this kind of crazy idea on how to do Year One." Because he and Porter have been chatting about the storyline for a couple years, it won't just be a random arc in the title that delves into a past -- there will be buildup. "We worked to make sure it actually does make sense in the story. This is going to sound kind of crazy, but there's a reason that Year One takes place when it does, like, in terms of our schedule. You'll see it actually fits into what we're building for next year. The story's going to be pretty nutty. It's not going to be what people expect at all. Why we're going into Year One, and then what happens during Year One I think will surprise people."

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As for Bart Allen's return in The Flash, Williamson wrote the small speedster into January's Annual, but after that, he's letting Bart have some fun elsewhere. "He's going to be in the Annual, and then he'll be in Young Justice after that pretty much for the year. I do have plans for him after awhile, but I really want to make sure that he has time to grow in Young Justice and make sure Young Justice gets a good -- no pun intended -- running head start.

"I have read the first two scripts for Young Justice and they're amazing. Like, I didn't think they were real." Williamson continued. "I had a flight the next day, and I got them right before bed. My flight was at, like, 5 in the morning or something, and I should've been in bed, and I got both of them because [Brian Michael] Bendis and I are emailing back and forth. I read 'em immediately, right then, but then I had to go to sleep. So I went to sleep and woke up and I was like, 'That wasn't real.' That's how good they are."

The big villain from The Flash's first storyline, August Heart, aka Godspeed, will have a noteworthy presence in 2019 as well. "He's up something really bad. I think he's a character who's on this sort of redemption arc -- he wants to be better -- but that path is so rocky. You can't just say it, you have to do things to get you there. You can't just say, 'I want to be forgiven. I want to be redeemed,' and that's it! No one is entitled to forgiveness, so he has to go on this really, really hard journey. Him and Barry are always on these sort of weird parallel paths that sort of collide with each other occasionally."

As you might expect, given he's the character's co-creator, Williamson has high hopes for fans' reactions to Godspeed's upcoming appearances. "He plays a big part in the book next year and so it'll be really interesting to see what people think of this journey he goes on with Barry next year. This Annual that's coming out in January ties into Heroes in Crisis. However, it's also a teaser of what we're doing throughout 2019. That's why Godpseed is there."

The Flash Annual will go on sale Jan. 2019; Year One is set for a 2019 release; The Flash #56 is on sale now.

KEEP READING: The Flash Annual Will Bring Back Two Major Characters