The heroes Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are known for many things in DC Comics but their signature trademark is their life-long friendship. Having met during Keith Giffen and J.M DeMatteis’s Justice League, they became best friends and their friendship has remained solid as both heroes have been involved in many major DC events throughout the years. Although they are often overlooked or not taken seriously by other heroes, Booster and Blue’s legacy has proven to survive long into the future, as Wally West will meet their combined successor in his upcoming trip to the 30th century.
Wally last crossed paths with both heroes in 2018-2019’s Heroes in Crisis storyline where Booster was a suspect in the murders of several heroes at a secret superhero rehabilitation center called the Sanctuary. With his best friend Ted Kord, the blue and gold duo investigated and discovered inconsistencies with the murders, revealing the real killer was Wally West. The former Kid Flash admitted to losing control of his Speed Force powers and later staging a crime scene that included his time-displaced corpse from the future. Booster and Blue help him to complete the time loop and Wally willingly gave himself up, later redeeming himself during the Flash Forward and Dark Nights: Death Metal storylines.
After Future State, a bold new direction will begin in March with Infinite Frontier #0, promising to revive several classic concepts while simultaneously treading new ground at DC Comics. In Flash #769, Wally West is involved in an accident that propels him further into the timestream. Wally will not only find himself in the 30th century but also inhabiting the body of Bart Allen, aka the enthusiastic speedster called Impulse. Temporarily stuck in the future, Wally will work alongside the future hero called the Gold Beetle to find out what, or whom, is responsible for these explosions that have him lost in time without his proper body. Check out the cover art and solicit info for Flash #769 below:
- The Flash #769
- (W) Jeremy Adams (A) David LaFuente and Brandon Peterson (CA) Brandon Peterson
- After an accident pushes Wally West into the time stream, the former Kid Flash lands in the body of his onetime partner, Impulse. Now sprinting through the 30th century side by side with the mysterious (and, yeah, ridiculous) Gold Beetle, Wally must uncover what’s causing the destructive explosions that keep propelling him through time and the bodies of other speedsters.
The Flash Family’s use of time travel, intentional or not, has become a common occurrence over the years but the real draw is the debut of the Gold Beetle, a female successor who appears to have amalgamated both heroes’ legacy into one character. Whether she is Michael Carter or Ted Kord’s descendant or someone else trying something new, the Gold Beetle appears to be a silly addition to the universe that includes the Legion of Super-Heroes. Another potential clue to Wally’s mysterious enemy is the appearance of the Dominators on the main cover. They are a highly technologically advanced alien race obsessed with genetics, especially the study and manipulation of the metagene on Earth. The Dominators have been a known threat to both the past and future DC universe, specifically the Legion, who have battled the Dominion on multiple occasions.
Taking Wally West on a trip through DC’s history seems like a clever way to revisit fan-favorite timelines and put new twists on old characters, like this Booster Gold/Blue Beetle mashup. As the Infinite Frontier promises to shake up DC’s status quo, it looks like Wally West’s trip is a little less Quantum Leap and a little more Back to the Future if Zi Xu’s variant cover is to be believed. Flash #769 will hit shelves on April 20.
