What do you think?
Rate this book
Superman vs. Flash
Over the years, people have wondered who was faster, the Man of Steel or the Scarlet Speedster. Various teams of writers and artists have explored that question and for the first time ever, all the classic contests have been collected. See them race on land, on sea, in space and through time--with unexpected challenges, dangers and surprises along each course.
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
E. Nelson Bridwell
286 books8 followersEdward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine (writing the now-famous catchphrase, "What you mean...we?" in a 1958 parody of The Lone Ranger in Mad) and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics. He has been called "DC's self-appointed continuity cop."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 2, 2014
I first found this book on a lifelong quest to find the end to a comic story I read when I was like 9 years old. My 7-11 impulse buy left me hanging with the Flash in mortal danger from his arch-enemy, the Reverse-Flash, trapped in the 25th century while Supes & Flashier try to assist a time-traveler cross the barrier between end and beginning of the universe to save his race from a genocidal war that must be stopped!
Funniest line in the book:
"But I can still warn him...with Super Ventriloquism!"
My favourite story is still the crazy-ass 1978 story I started as a kid - bizarre happenings all over the place, no sense and lots of silly explanations.
The old ones are great stories - for once I'm giving them a pass on their writing style, given how much fun & verve they contain. There's not much I'll say good or bad about the individual stories, except the little details of the heroes' powers that always mystified me, and some inescapable writing quirks:
- with telescopic, microscopic and x-Ray vision, wouldn't Superman be able to perceive the Grand Unification Theory between quantum mechanics and Relativity? (And don't ask me which - general and special always confused me, and I bet without a google search you're not sure either)
- if Barry's costume was contained in his ring and expands on expulsion in air, how the shit does he pack it back in? A vacuum chamber? I can never get the damned tent folded back into the bag it came in, and *never* ask me to get the stupid foam mattress to roll any smaller than the full volume of my trunk.
- Barry's wife actually got an interview with Flash in the '67 story. Exactly what kind of sexually-frustrated moron thinks that a man'a wife won't see right past a flimsy costume and a voice change? My partner sees through every lie, no matter how well-rehearsed they are - and my mom had magical powers when I was a kid.
- How exactly are Superman *and* Flash able to travel faster than light speed?
- does every appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk end off with the most convoluted logic possible to get him to arbitrarily leave - or is it just Jurgens' talent? "Last time I was here Luthor lied to me - he showed me how to set up a false deal! And since I knew you were a shoe-in to win the race, I was only planning to leave if Flash won! Somehow you saw through my trick and threw the race! I must've missed some subtlety of Luthor's technique! So even though you lost the stupid race, Superdope, you win because I have to abide by my own rules and go!"
- did Wally West ever permanently (like, for more than an issue or two) stop whining about struggling to live up to Barry Allen's legacy and that fucking uniform?
- has Geoff Johns ever written a story that didn't hammer you on your flattening head with the "lesson" or the key characteristics (and every one) of his featured characters? I feel like I've read every Justice Society comic ever when I read Johns trot out the old "That's the beauty of who we work with. In the Justice Society and the Justice League. Any one of us would risk our lives for another. That's what real friends do. Life isn't perfect. And it can get downright nasty - but we shouldn't ever just give up." Thanks Mr. Garrick!
Funniest line in the book:
"But I can still warn him...with Super Ventriloquism!"
My favourite story is still the crazy-ass 1978 story I started as a kid - bizarre happenings all over the place, no sense and lots of silly explanations.
The old ones are great stories - for once I'm giving them a pass on their writing style, given how much fun & verve they contain. There's not much I'll say good or bad about the individual stories, except the little details of the heroes' powers that always mystified me, and some inescapable writing quirks:
- with telescopic, microscopic and x-Ray vision, wouldn't Superman be able to perceive the Grand Unification Theory between quantum mechanics and Relativity? (And don't ask me which - general and special always confused me, and I bet without a google search you're not sure either)
- if Barry's costume was contained in his ring and expands on expulsion in air, how the shit does he pack it back in? A vacuum chamber? I can never get the damned tent folded back into the bag it came in, and *never* ask me to get the stupid foam mattress to roll any smaller than the full volume of my trunk.
- Barry's wife actually got an interview with Flash in the '67 story. Exactly what kind of sexually-frustrated moron thinks that a man'a wife won't see right past a flimsy costume and a voice change? My partner sees through every lie, no matter how well-rehearsed they are - and my mom had magical powers when I was a kid.
- How exactly are Superman *and* Flash able to travel faster than light speed?
- does every appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk end off with the most convoluted logic possible to get him to arbitrarily leave - or is it just Jurgens' talent? "Last time I was here Luthor lied to me - he showed me how to set up a false deal! And since I knew you were a shoe-in to win the race, I was only planning to leave if Flash won! Somehow you saw through my trick and threw the race! I must've missed some subtlety of Luthor's technique! So even though you lost the stupid race, Superdope, you win because I have to abide by my own rules and go!"
- did Wally West ever permanently (like, for more than an issue or two) stop whining about struggling to live up to Barry Allen's legacy and that fucking uniform?
- has Geoff Johns ever written a story that didn't hammer you on your flattening head with the "lesson" or the key characteristics (and every one) of his featured characters? I feel like I've read every Justice Society comic ever when I read Johns trot out the old "That's the beauty of who we work with. In the Justice Society and the Justice League. Any one of us would risk our lives for another. That's what real friends do. Life isn't perfect. And it can get downright nasty - but we shouldn't ever just give up." Thanks Mr. Garrick!
March 18, 2020
This was a fun collection. Some of the stories were more entertaining than others due to the era in which they were written. It was interesting to see these two characters reflecting the various times in which these stories were written.
June 10, 2017
A collection of convoluted stories that get Superman and Flash to "race." I liked the Key Garrick story best.
August 14, 2019
These stories, mostly pre-1980, are totally fun. And they reveal one of Superman's least known powers: "super ventriloquism".
March 5, 2017
It would be rather pointless to provide a detailed review of this book, as you will either be intrigued by it (i.e. comic book or superhero fans) or have no time for it.
As a life-long fan of Superman (and thus The Flash if only by his association with Supes) in all media outlets, I found that the most interesting aspect of reading this book was seeing how the comic themes evolved over time.
In the first couple of stories, during what I consider to be the light-hearted comic book years (I'm not too good with all the different comic book "Ages"), the emphasis is placed not on the "Big Race" itself, but on what it is for or what happens along the way. Usually, the race is either run for charity or to keep Metropolis/Central City from being destroyed. Along the way, Superman/Flash run into obstacles that would allow the other to take a clear victory, but each helps out his fellow man. By the end of the race, the "world crisis" is averted and both superheroes cross the tape (rather predictably) in a tie.
In the later, more serious stories, though, more competitive nature is shown by each hero. While the base story is the same (race to save the world from evil-doers), there is much more subtext given to how badly each hero wants to win the race. Though altruism always prevails, it is clear to see that it is much more difficult for the "modern" Supes/Flash than for their comic predecessors.
So, if you are a Superman/Flash fan, or just like comic books in general, this compilation will intrigue you. Plus, if you are a history buff like myself, you will find it interesting to observe how the definition/actions of superheroes change throughout the decades.
As a life-long fan of Superman (and thus The Flash if only by his association with Supes) in all media outlets, I found that the most interesting aspect of reading this book was seeing how the comic themes evolved over time.
In the first couple of stories, during what I consider to be the light-hearted comic book years (I'm not too good with all the different comic book "Ages"), the emphasis is placed not on the "Big Race" itself, but on what it is for or what happens along the way. Usually, the race is either run for charity or to keep Metropolis/Central City from being destroyed. Along the way, Superman/Flash run into obstacles that would allow the other to take a clear victory, but each helps out his fellow man. By the end of the race, the "world crisis" is averted and both superheroes cross the tape (rather predictably) in a tie.
In the later, more serious stories, though, more competitive nature is shown by each hero. While the base story is the same (race to save the world from evil-doers), there is much more subtext given to how badly each hero wants to win the race. Though altruism always prevails, it is clear to see that it is much more difficult for the "modern" Supes/Flash than for their comic predecessors.
So, if you are a Superman/Flash fan, or just like comic books in general, this compilation will intrigue you. Plus, if you are a history buff like myself, you will find it interesting to observe how the definition/actions of superheroes change throughout the decades.
February 28, 2011
A combination of the bad (the earliest story & the last stories) and the decent (the middle few).
The early are far too obvious, while the latter try too hard to make them fit into the ongoing plot and give them reasons for existing. I make no secret that, to me, the best are the middle few, where there's enough of an attempt to build a bigger plot than the "Supes & the Flash race" of the first, but still enough goofiness in general that it doesn't seem too out of place.
The early are far too obvious, while the latter try too hard to make them fit into the ongoing plot and give them reasons for existing. I make no secret that, to me, the best are the middle few, where there's enough of an attempt to build a bigger plot than the "Supes & the Flash race" of the first, but still enough goofiness in general that it doesn't seem too out of place.
April 6, 2011
Harmless, goofy fun. Picked this up because it was cheap and I really was just curious to see who would win. Also, my four year old nephew is just starting to get into superheroes and he was asking me, just a week ago, if Flash really was faster than Superman. I plan to give him this book to get him hooked even more on this genre I love.
December 17, 2016
The races got old quick. They obviously found a way out of every predicament, and found a way to make sure they never really answered the question of who is faster. Didn't help all of these comics, except the last one, was from the era when comics had to tone down the reality and be campy.
April 23, 2013
Top notch. Been saving this for a rainy day and it was a great pick me up.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews