#i tried looking up joyce porter to see who exactly she was but got no where even with the school attached to her name and the year

[radioactive-earthshine]

Let me just... talk about an issue I really really love for a while, okay? It's my day off.

One of the best issues of Impulse is issue #6 Monsters written by Mark Waid with special thanks to Joyce Porter from E. T. Richardson Middle School. This issue is the first issue that Bart really steps up into the role of a hero and decides that the safety of his friend means more than his secret identity. It also conveys the sense of terror and dread in an impactful way with foreshadowing that I have only seen a handful of time in comic format.

TW: abuse, child abuse, guns.

The comic opens up with Mr. "Randy" Sheridan the Assistant Principle reaching out to Preston and pleading with him to speak up about the abuse he suspects he is receiving, like we got to see M'gann with Harper Row in Young Justice Outsiders. Only Preston refuses to talk in this so he asks Bart to keep an eye on him.

Bart does so and accompanies Preston into the swamp for some monster hunting where Preston loses an expensive camera and they stay out late past curfew which leads into Preston's father finding them and giving us one of the most terrifying foreshadowing page spreads I have seen.

"You never learn. You know you're gonna get it when we get home, don't you?"

"Preston... How many times have I warned you about making your father angry? You know better. You know what it does to me when he gets unhappy. We don't want him unhappy."

"There's nothing I can do now. You know you have to take your punishment. Get on home, Bart. Preston will see you tomorrow..."

This page is chilling in its blocking and transition in particular the middle panel where we see both Bart and Preston looking away from the father and the pile of firearms in the pickup truck where there are at least 3. The dialog sets the reader up to assume that the father is the abuser of the household as is common in American homes, then and now.

Bart goes to Max for help in what to do because this is the first time Bart has ever even come across this concept. How can a parent, a loved one, hurt their own family? Why should a child be afraid of an adult?

Ignoring the irony and comical edge of this conversation as Max throws sharp weapons at Bart, Max lays down some sound advice that Bart needs to be sure of what he saw even though the prior evidence is very compelling. Bart asks the right questions of what happens if he sees something while as Impulse and not as Bart because up until this point Max has been drilling that keeping their IDs secret is at the crux of their security.

Later at school that same day Bart finally sees for himself some more strong evidence that Preston is absolutely in crisis, we as the reader don't actually see Preston's back but you can imagine what he went through the night before by Bart's expression.

Preston is desperate to get the camera he lost back for two reasons; one because he believes he got 100% proof of the swamp monster of Manchester and it's his ticket out of town AND because he knows if he doesn't get the camera back he is going to face more abuse. Bart moves in to help him because that swamp does have something in there, but it's no monster.

It turns out the "swamp monster" was just a person with a terminal condition called Acromegaly and was unable to comply or control himself and looked monstrous, the man's family loves him dearly and simply wanted to be left alone. After talking with Bart and leaving a firm message that "Every son deserves to be loved" Bart moves in on Preston's real monster which he is certain is the father.

It turns out that is not the case and just as with the "swamp monster" things were not as they appeared.

It was Preston's mother all along and the Tom was revealed to be very ignorant (and negligent) of how severe the abuse was in his own home. Susan is stunned she is discovered and Tom rushes to stop her and pulls in Preston for a long hug.

We cut to the next day where Bart finally has solid, undeniable proof of the abuse because of what he witnessed and being faithful to his word to Mr. Sheridan he makes his decision to tell him. Even though Bart saw all of these events as Impulse and he knows that means he will effectively terminate his secret identity it is a sacrifice he knows is necessary and is worth it.

Bart was 100% prepared to do the right thing and out himself for his friend but the abuse had already been reported, and Bart sticks by and asks the right sorts of questions to make sure he is okay. We find out that Tom fought to keep guardianship of him, that Susan was going to be removed from the house and put in a home "for observation" (code for committed in a mental hospital), and counselling was mandatory for Tom. Bart is surprised when Preston reveals that will be able to see his mother later and asks if he's certain he wants to do that.

As with many cases involving abuse it is not so black and white and there's emotions involved. Preston stands by that she's still his mother and he simply wanted her to "Get better."

It is heavily implied later that Susan has some form of mental illness that had not been ever properly managed and confirmed that she too had been abused but worse as a child by her grandfather Ezra (see issue #32).

What makes this issue so exquisitely well done and executed is the use of foreshadowing and pacing to lead the reader to believe in conclusions that ultimately are proven false as there are extenuating circumstances that could not be observed immediately. From the man who was suffering from Acromegaly to the true abuser in Preston's home it kept the reader engaged as it told a story of abuse in a believable and relatable way.

This is Bart's first true real case that is on a heart to heart level where he had to make a decision and chose to do the right thing by his friend and even though he didn't need to he stayed by Preston as his friend. Bart up until now had only really seen violence from "bad" people that had no relationship to their victims, having seen first hand his best friend being abused by his family had to be a profound moment for Bart; it is grounding and character building and shows the reader once again that Bart does actually think before he acts.

10/10 highly recommend go and read this issue.