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These are often different types of speed brought up in comics.

Blitzing/Travel Speed? Moving from point A to B in a burst of speed. Example: Thor


Perception: Tends to be characters who can see things at pretty fast speeds but can't operate at those speeds? Example Hawkman.

Reaction Speed: Reacting to something at a given moment by concentration on the object moving fast? Example: Wonder Woman

Combat Speed: Being able to fight in miniscule time frames. Example: Flash

Best feats of each category? And how would you define each category?

Thats a lot to think about on new years morning.

Perception speed (to me) is being able to track things, to unconsciously know where something's heading/going to be. Hunters, archers, shooters, they all have this ability/skill.

Reaction speed (to me) is the ability to react to whats perceived, physically. While an archer can track a fast moving object and hit it (perception speed), he might not be able to dodge that object if it were coming at him directly.
Someone with the corresponding reaction speed could.

Combat speed (to me) is the ability to respond in kind to something thats perceived. You have MORE than just reaction speed, you can dodge and strike back.

No scans, but i hope this kicks the thread off, as people tell me how wrong my definitions are!

You listed too many categories, quite frankly.

You can't have 'combat speed' without the requisite perceptions/reflexes. They basically amount to what constitutes 'combat speed', which just means any speed you can offensively use.

For example, if your hands and brain are fast enough to rebuild say, a wrecked computer in a 1/5th of a second, then there isn't a human alive that could beat you in a fight, no matter how trained they are and no matter how unskilled you are.

Yeah they layer on each other...like an onion.

Originally posted by riv6672
Thats a lot to think about on new years morning.

Perception speed (to me) is being able to track things, to unconsciously know where something's heading/going to be. Hunters, archers, shooters, they all have this ability/skill.

Reaction speed (to me) is the ability to react to whats perceived, physically. While an archer can track a fast moving object and hit it (perception speed), he might not be able to dodge that object if it were coming at him directly.
Someone with the corresponding reaction speed could.

Combat speed (to me) is the ability to respond in kind to something thats perceived. You have MORE than just reaction speed, you can dodge and strike back.

No scans, but i hope this kicks the thread off, as people tell me how wrong my definitions are!

It looks honestly perfect to me, I wasn't able to wrap my head around a way of explaining this properly.

Reaction I guess would be Perception accompanied with limited amount of movement.

while Combat speed differs or adds on because it's being able to fully operate at faster speed.

Basically saying someone with a fast reaction speed can possibly perceive and tag someone with a fast combat speed but the guy/gal with the combat speed can dance around them for the majority of the time if they use their combat speed.

Originally posted by CosmicComet
You listed too many categories, quite frankly.

You can't have 'combat speed' without the requisite perceptions/reflexes. They basically amount to what constitutes 'combat speed', which just means any speed you can offensively use.

For example, if your hands and brain are fast enough to rebuild say, a wrecked computer in a 1/5th of a second, then there isn't a human alive that could beat you in a fight, no matter how trained they are and no matter how unskilled you are.
How about if your fast enough to react to repetitive lightning?

Does that make you as fast as lightning just in reaction, or can you fight at those speeds as well?

Imagine those bolts of lightning were fists.

If you can move your entire body out of the way of repeated punches that are travelling at literally lightning speeds....it should be pretty clear you can fight at those speeds.

Originally posted by EcstaticGrace
These are often different types of speed brought up in comics.


1. Blitzing/Travel Speed? Moving from point A to B in a burst of speed. This deals with acceleration. Top speed is irrelevant.


2. Perception: Tends to be characters who can see things at pretty fast speeds but can't operate at those speeds? This deals with thinking speed or speed of thought and in some case, extra sensory ability (able to detect the movement of light before it gets to their eye).

3. Reaction Speed: Reacting to something at a given moment by concentration on the object moving fast? This deals with perception speed and movement acceleration.

4. Combat Speed: Being able to fight in miniscule time frames. This deals with 2. and 3.

Originally posted by DarkSaint85
Imagine those bolts of lightning were fists.

If you can move your entire body out of the way of repeated punches that are travelling at literally lightning speeds....it should be pretty clear you can fight at those speeds.

How would stuff like this fit in your interpretation.

Namor reacting to a speedster.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/102575/1940163-namor_speed_7.gif

Aquaman dodging lightning
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/13/137442/3420924-aq_lig+1.jpg

Black Bolt reacting to speedster
http://m.imgur.com/a/JHBCb


Injustice Game cutscenes. Aquaman reacting to Flash and Shazam
http://static7.comicvine.com/uploads/square_medium/11124/111244877/5097645-9ddk93.gif

Aquaman reacting to a speedster
http://static6.comicvine.com/uploads/square_medium/11124/111244877/5097646-1nwjqd.gif

Originally posted by h1a8
1. Blitzing/Travel Speed? Moving from point A to B in a burst of speed. This deals with acceleration. Top speed is irrelevant.


2. Perception: Tends to be characters who can see things at pretty fast speeds but can't operate at those speeds? This deals with thinking speed or speed of thought and in some case, extra sensory ability (able to detect the movement of light before it gets to their eye).

3. Reaction Speed: Reacting to something at a given moment by concentration on the object moving fast? This deals with perception speed and movement acceleration.

4. Combat Speed: Being able to fight in miniscule time frames. This deals with 2. and 3.

I like this analysis as well.

Originally posted by EcstaticGrace
These are often different types of speed brought up in comics.

Blitzing/Travel Speed? Moving from point A to B in a burst of speed. Example: Thor


Perception: Tends to be characters who can see things at pretty fast speeds but can't operate at those speeds? Example Hawkman.

Reaction Speed: Reacting to something at a given moment by concentration on the object moving fast? Example: Wonder Woman

Combat Speed: Being able to fight in miniscule time frames. Example: Flash

Best feats of each category? And how would you define each category?

All of those things are bi-products of a character that can move extremely fast. Trying to make real world sense out of characters that can not run extremely fast but are still able to react to another character or object capable of moving several times faster than them is what comic books are all about.

If for example, Thanos tags Quicksilver on the chin interrupting his speed assault, and then turns around and does the same to Gladiator, we know that he can and will be able to react to another fast character. This is especially true when narration specifically states that the speedster is pouring it on. Does it make sense? No, but there it is all the same.

Originally posted by Stoic
All of those things are bi-products of a character that can move extremely fast. Trying to make real world sense out of characters that can not run extremely fast but are still able to react to another character or object capable of moving several times faster than them is what comic books are all about.

If for example, Thanos tags Quicksilver on the chin interrupting his speed assault, and then turns around and does the same to Gladiator, we know that he can and will be able to react to another fast character. This is especially true when narration specifically states that the speedster is pouring it on. Does it make sense? No, but there it is all the same.

So reaction = combat speed in comics? It just doesn't make sense?

I feel like there's more to it, writtenly cause there's instances where Speedsters get more hits in by the virtue of being faster, and character who can eventually perceive and react to a few days get many hits in.

Look at Namor tagging Whizzer for instance.

Or the most constant recently seems to be Flash vs Superman. Both characters have all around speed in these categories. But Flash's combat speed in general is depicted as greater.

Flash vs Superman (JL Origins) N52.
Flash vs Superman (Injustice 2 trailer)
Flash vs Superman (JL vs TT)

Superman might only get one hit on Flash out of ten but that's because he usually has to time it right. That's what I'd put reaction on.

Originally posted by EcstaticGrace
It looks honestly perfect to me, I wasn't able to wrap my head around a way of explaining this properly.

Reaction I guess would be Perception accompanied with limited amount of movement.

while Combat speed differs or adds on because it's being able to fully operate at faster speed.

Basically saying someone with a fast reaction speed can possibly perceive and tag someone with a fast combat speed but the guy/gal with the combat speed can dance around them for the majority of the time if they use their combat speed.
Thank you.
This thread just made for fun reading. Great question.

Superman (thousandth a second) in Batman/Superman #6:

http://imgur.com/a/kUmCI