back again with more hate mail. if i could only read THREE issues specifically for bart, what should i read and why? from flash, impulse, yj, mix and match, whatever. either consecutive or not. just ANY. and any criteria. three that are THE CLASSICS, three that would help me write the most canon-informed fic, three that would inspire the most deranged porn, three that are just balls to the wall the most fun out of everything, whatever
only three is hard. But let's see what I can do here.
Presupposing that one already has at least a broad-strokes understanding of what Bart's deal is (so origin story not strictly required)...
Impulse (1995) #3, "How To Make Friends And Influence People"
Excellent all around. Good showcase of Bart's attitude (impatient), problem solving style (direct), memory (perfect), social skills (workin' on it), and luck with the ladies (incredible).
Impulse #85, "World Without Young Justice, Part 2"
Bart's first outing (sort of) as Kid Flash, and this one isn't nearly as depressing as in Teen Titans because he's written by someone who actually understands his character! This Bart is fundamentally the same as in issue #3, but he's had several rounds of character development and is a much cleverer problem-solver. If you want a grasp of how his powers work beyond just "goes fast", this crossover arc does a fantastic job of establishing just how easily Bart Allen could bend the space-time continuum over and make it call him daddy.
Young Justice (2019) #16, "The Emancipation of Bartholomew Allen"
Bendis' writing style is, ah, polarizing, but Bart is easily the best character in YJv3, and is probably still the best-written Bart since Impulse '95 ended. This issue really nails the inner-Bart, who's been kind of the MVP of the series while, as it turns out, juggling a couple different existential crises and doing a pretty good job of hiding it. He's powerful, he's clever, he loves the crap out of his friends, a good time is had by all. Except for Bart, who is suffering. (ignore Tim's costume and stupid not-codename, he was going through a phase)
And I know you said three issues specifically, but I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up "Mercury Falling" (Impulse #62-66), which is a knockout. Honorable mention for Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost, which is Bart's final Post-Crisis story, and actually sends him out on a high note.
