Warning: SPOILERS for Superman: Up in The Sky #4
Look, anyone who knows DC Comics is fully aware that the idea of anyone being faster than The Flash is far-fetched. The idea that Superman could ever match his speed is absolutely ridiculous. But in the latest Superman comic, the two heroes finally put their speed to the test... with the Man of Steel coming out on top.
Before fans shout 'heresy' or being their letter-writing campaigns to DC Comics, it's important to appreciate the larger story being told--and why Superman's victory embodies something everyone can appreciate. After all, Superman and The Flash have raced several times throughout comic book history, typically ending in a tie (when Flash doesn't beat Superman easily). But in Superman: Up in The Sky #4, there is more on the line than bragging rights.
The story from Tom King and artists Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, and Brad Anderson recounts one such race between Flash and Superman, televised around the globe as people everywhere root for their favorite racer. Naturally, Superman falls behind soon after they start, rallying once or twice and closing the gap. But with the result seeming clear, Lex Luthor decides to pour some salt on the wounds of his famous foe.
Promising to double all charitable donations raised by the race--but only if Superman manages to win--Lex makes the Man of Steel responsible for "billions" of dollars NOT going to help the world's least fortunate. But Lex doesn't know that Superman is always listening for his enemy's voice... meaning he hears every word of the wager. And as the child narrating this unforgettable race explains, only then does Superman prove why he's one of a kind:
He was going to lose. But he knew if he lost, all those charities would lose, too. All that money. A billion dollars going from Lex Luthor's pocket into making a better world. So he couldn't lose. So he came to what I like to call a contradiction... A contradiction means there are two things that have to be true but they can't both be true... Everyone was saying it was over. He couldn't catch up. People were upset. But I wasn't upset. I was watching. I knew something they didn't know...
A person flying is a contradiction. No one can fly. it's impossible. But Superman. He flies. Having hope when there is no hope is a contradiction. But Superman always has hope. The world is full of contradiction... No matter what you do, how much you try or even cry or even do anything at all, that's everything and everything. But... but Superman. But Superman.
The child recounting this story is soon revealed to be the very same girl whose kidnapping kicked off the Superman: Up in The Sky story. And while the facts of her account may be (intentionally) heightened as only a child's could be, there's no question her life was saved once she found a new home, at "The Lex Luthor Center for Displaced Children" built as a result of the race.
So while it goes without saying that Flash is obviously faster than Superman, putting the two against one another in a race changes the question. Who's faster? Flash. Who would win in a race when the future of the world is on the line? That's exactly the kind of scenario Superman is made for: doing the impossible for the sake of all humanity. We doubt even The Flash himself would argue the result.
- SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #4
- Written by: Tom King
- Art by: Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope, Brad Anderson
- While Superman searches the galaxy for a kidnapped girl, she retells the tale of the Man of Steel’s race against the Fastest Man Alive! Then, the human and Kryptonian sides of Superman clash as the hope of finding the girl becomes increasingly unlikely. Originally published in SUPERMAN GIANT #9 and #10.
Superman: Up in The Sky #4 is available now at your local comic book shop, or direct from DC Comics.