In the 1950s in Crampton, Georgia, Eddie puts on his school uniform and brushes his blonde hair. Then he brushes his teeth. He puts his shoes on. He grabs his backpack and puts a stack of loose comic books in the backpack. Eddie leaves his room and heads downstairs.
Eddie walks into the kitchen. His father, Gary, eats breakfast. His mother, Sandra, hands Eddie a toaster pastry and a sack lunch. Eddie puts the sack lunch in his backpack. She tells him to make sure to eat everything. Eddie tilts the toaster pastry towards his mother in acknowledgment. She tells him to hurry up. He doesn’t want to be late on his first day. He gives his mom a kiss on the cheek. He crams the rest of the pastry in is mouth and drains the juice. Eddie puts the juice glass in the sink and heads for the front door. He tells them he loves them. His mom responds in kind. His father grunts.
Eddie’s house is four blocks from Wolfman Middle school. It’s a straight shot. Eddie walks the sidewalk to school. Eddie looks across the street and sees Mick and Ace playing keep away from Stan, with his Dodgers cap. Stan is a little perturbed, the other boys laugh. Stan makes eye contact with Eddie. Eddie waves, but draws the hand back when Stan frowns at him. Eddie hurries on towards school. Stan punches Mick in the stomach and grabs his cap back.
Wolfman Middle School is a long, flat building that houses 300 students, K-5. Eddie walks to the end of the block and waits for the crossing guard. The crossing guard is Penelope. She smiles at Eddie and asks if he's new. He says he just moved to town. She escorts him across the street with her handheld stop sign. She asks whose class he's in. Eddie pulls his schedule from his pocket and reads it. He says Mr. Wayans. Penelope smiles and says her too. she’ll see him in class. Eddie smiles then walks to class. He waves goodbye to Penelope. She waves back.
Mr. Wayans teaches class. Eddie stands in front of the class. Mr. Wayans asks him to tell them three interesting facts about himself. Eddie looks at Mr. Wayans and confirms it's three. Mr. Wayans smiles and nods his head. Eddie stares out at the class. Penelope sits in the front row, smiling at him. Eddie says he's from Fernandina Beach. Stan asks where that is. Eddie recognizes the kid from fooling around in the neighborhood earlier. He says it's in Florida. Eddie says it’s real. He says he's really good at math, but not as good at writing. And he says he likes to read comics. Mr. Wayans says as long as Eddie doesn’t read them during class time, that’s fine. Eddie nods to Mr. Wayans. Mr. Wayans tells him to take the empty seat next to the window. Mick stares at Eddie as he crosses the room and makes fun of him for reading comics. Eddie frowns, but otherwise ignores the other boy. The girl in the seat in front of his turns around to greet him. She is Mary Jane. She grins at Eddie and introduces herself. Eddie returns her grin as he shakes Mary Jane’s hand.
Eddie and Mary Jane stand in front of the school. Other kids mill about; school is out. Mary Jane continues to shake Eddie’s hand and grin. She super happy to meet him. She says nobody around here likes comics. Eddie looks at the other kids. He’s uncomfortable, knowing no one likes comics. Except Mary Jane. He looks at her more closely, and smiles. He thinks she’s cute. They discuss their favorite comic genres. Eddie thinks he offends her, but it's okay. They walk away from the school.
Eddie sits at the dining room table eating. Gary walks in carrying a stack of comics. Eddie gets excited. Gary says he's got some new ones for Eddie. Eddie wipes his hands off and grabs the stack of comics. He flips through to see what they are. Gary says it's a bit of a grab bag. Gary points to a comic, Patriot Yanks #100 and says it's one of his favorites. Eddie moves that one to the top of the stack, covering up some other war comics, a few westerns and a few superhero comics. Eddie laments that there are no issues of Captain Flag. Gary says when he was younger, Patriot Yanks and Captain Flag were his favorites. Eddie knows, they were the first ones Gary gave him. Gary asks Eddie to mow the yard after he finishes eating.
Eddie mows the yard. He sees Mary Jane come outside. They exchange a wave and Eddie gets back to work. Mary Jane drains her lemonade and watches Eddie cut the grass. Eventually Eddie finishes up and puts the lawnmower in the shed in his back yard. Mary Jane pours Eddie a glass of lemonade and walks it over to him. He drinks with visible appreciation. Eddie says he got some new comics. Mary Jane invites him to come over some time. Mary Jane takes Eddie to her treehouse. It’s covered with comic book posters an teen idol pictures. Eddie laughs at her musical tastes. Eddie says he's an Elvis man. Mary Jane says "you and every other white boy" and says "he’s fine. I just liked all the songs better before he stole them from Black people." Eddie asks where her dad is. Mary Jane says he died in a car crash. Mary Jane says it’s okay, it was a long time ago. He gets awkward. She leads him to a large chest against the wall. It’s filled with comic books. It’s mostly horror comics as well as a few Westerns and superhero comics mixed in. Mary Jane says it was her father’s collection. Mary Jane tells him he's gonna have to stop apologizing for her father. She doesn’t want to be reminded of it every time he comes up. Mary Jane says her mom Carolyn drives a bus for the city.
Mr. Wayans teaches class; algebra is on the chalkboard. Eddie, Mary Jane, Penelope, Ace, Mick and Stan are all present. The class bell rings. The students shuffle from the room: thanking him for giving them no homework, offering hi fives and returning his weekend well-wishes. Eddie, Mary Jane and Penelope are the last group to emerge from Mr. Wayans class. Stan, Mick and Ace are waiting for them. Eddie tries to walk past them, but they block the hall. Stan asks why they never go to church. Penelope says she's always there. She smiles, seeking Stan’s approval. Stan agrees, but says he never sees the other two. Mary Jane says her mom won’t let her go to Stan's church. Stan says he could have his dad talk to her. Mary Jane says no thanks. Stan turns to Eddie, waiting for an answer. Eddie says nothing. Stan invites them to the Revival. Eddie says he can’t go. He almost tells Stan where he's going, but Mary Jane quiets him. He says he's got to get home and mow the lawn. Stan invites him to come another day." Eddie says he’ll think about it. Mary Jane declines the invitation. Stan goes to ask her why, but she walks away. It takes a few moments for Eddie to see she’s left. Eddie runs after Mary Jane. Stan and Ace watch them leave suspiciously. Mick says he doesn’t like them, they seem like losers. Stan keeps watching, but he doesn’t say anything.
Eddie, Mary Jane and Penelope walk home on the sidewalk. Mary Jane explains Stan, Mick and Ace, the Church Boys. Penelope admits Ace is her brother but says he’s not very nice. Mary Jane says Stan’s dad is pastor at the evangelical church on the edge of town. Penelope says Stan’s following in his father’s footsteps. Penelope asks if he's seen the big revival tent near the school. Eddie says "you can’t miss it." Penelope says that’s Stan’s territory. Mary Jane says his dad is super rich and powerful. Eddie asks about Mick. Mary Jane says he’s a thug. She and Penelope argue over Mick. Eddie says there's no way his parents would let him go to the revival. They’re Catholic and his mother, in particular, doesn’t like Southern Baptists. Eddie invites them to meet his mom. Penelope says she can’t, her parents won’t let her. Her father actually times her. She's already running late. If she's a minute late, there will be consequences. Penelope turns and jogs towards her house. Eddie and Mary Jane wave goodbye. Mary Jane follows Eddie inside.
Eddie leads Mary Jane into the living room, where his parents are. Sandra sits on the couch with a cup of tea. Gary carries a box through the living room towards his office. Eddie introduces Mary Jane. Gary grunts a greeting then carries the box away. Sandra stands up and shakes Mary Jane’s hand. Eddie says that Mary Jane’s a big music fan and she likes Ricky Nelson. Mary Jane says she also likes Ray Charles, Brenda Lee, Little Richard, Chuck Berry. Sandra says Little Richard’s a bit wild for my tastes, him and Jerry Lee Lewis. But I really likes the others Mary Jane mentioned. Mary Jane says she also really likes Buddy Holly. Sandra does, too. They sing “Rave On” together, note perfect. Eddie joins in at the end but he doesn’t know the words as well and can’t sing as well as Sandra or Mary Jane.
Mary Jane and Eddie sit in her treehouse, reading comics. Eddie says his father’s a writer." Mary Jane says that’s cool. Eddie says his dad writes for pulps. Eddie says he wants to do the same when he grows up. Mary Jane looks out the window of the treehouse. She sees Stan, Ace and Mick picking on a smaller boy, Marshall Wilbert. Marshall carries a stack of comics. Ace and Mick try to take the comics from Marshall, while he dodges them. Stan swivels around to look at the treehouse and almost sees Mary Jane, but she ducks below the window. She keeps Eddie quiet. Eddie joins Mary Jane and they peak over the window sill. They see Ace and Mick grab Marshall by the arms and hold him. Stan snatches the comics from Marshall. He lunges for them, but Ace and Mitch hold him back. Stan crumples the comics in his hand and wags them at Marshall. Stan says these things will rot his brain. Stan says they don’t want evil comics in their town. Stan strikes a match. He lights the comics on fire and they start to burn. Stan says "Burn your comics!" Ace and Mitch simultaneously say "Burn your comics!" They continue to hold him back while the comics burn. Stan rotates them so they burn evenly. Eddie suggests they do something. Mary Jane says they’ll just end up getting hurt. Eddie turns to face Mary Jane more directly. His elbow hits a jar of marbles and they crash to the floor, loudly spilling everywhere. The boys outside hear the crash, but it only distracts them briefly. Ace and Mitch go back to manhandling Marshall. Eddie and Mary Jane hug the floor, trying to stop any marbles from moving or making any sound. Stan stares at the treehouse for a long time. He doesn’t see or hear anything else. The fire from the burning comics in his hand reaches his skin and burns him and he drops the rest of the burning comics. Ace and Mitch let Marshall go. He drops to his knees, crying over the burning comics. Stan, Ace and Mitch stand over Marshall, laughing. Eddie and Mary Jane peek over the window sill again. Stan gives a last warning: no more comics. Stan looks up at the treehouse. He briefly makes eye contact with Eddie before he and Mary Jane drop below the window again. Eddie and Mary Jane stay on the floor for a while. Eventually they get the courage to peek outside. They look over the window sill at the same time. The boys are gone. Only the ash from burnt comics remain.
Eddie and his family drive down the Interstate, wearing church clothes. They all have ashen crosses on their foreheads. Gary pulls the car onto the exit back toward Crampton. Eddie wakes up at the change of speed. Sandra turns around and makes eye contact with Eddie. She points towards the ashen cross on Eddie’s forehead. Sandra tells him not to wipe it off before lunchtime. She tells him he need to spend less time reading the funnies and more time reading schoolbooks. Gary winks to let him know comic books are okay. Gary pulls the car into the front parking lot and they say their farewells. Eddie gets out of the car. Gary drives away. Eddie waits until his parents are out of sight. He wipes the ashen cross of his forehead. Penelope says she doesn’t think he's supposed to do that. Mary Jane defends him. Eddie waves a hand at them and the girls laugh. Eddie goes inside and the girls follow.
Eddie, Mary Jane and Penelope sit with Mr. Wayans. His classroom is otherwise empty. School is out and the kids have stayed after to chat about comics. Mr. Wayans says both of them got into comics because of their fathers. Mary Jane says her favorite comics are horror. Eddie likes war comics the most. Mr. Wayans asks if they know that 'the enemy' is whoever people decide it is. Mr. Wayans says the government, rich people, powerful people. Penelope says her parents only let her read church comics. Mr. Wayans walks to his classroom closet. He pulls out several stacks of comics. He distributes them to the kids. Eddie gets war comics. Penelope gets church comics. Mary Jane gets horror comics. As Mary Jane takes the comics from Mr. Wayans. She notices that he’s wearing a pretty gold class ring with of green- and orange-colored gems on it and rattlesnake carved on it. Mr. Wayans says he was FAMU class of ‘55. Eddie looks closely at the ring and says that’s pretty cool. All three of them are excited and they open the comics and dive in. Mr. Wayans tells them that if they finish those comics, bring them back and he’ll give them some new ones." They thank him and kids leave.
Stan, Ace and Mitch walk confidently into Mr. Wayans’ classroom. He looks up at them, questioningly. Stan says he heard that not only has he been reading comics, he's been giving them out. Mr. Wayans says that’s none of his business. Stan tells him know how bad comics are. Mr. Wayans shakes his head. Mr. Wayans defends comics, but Stan keeps going. Mr. Wayans says Stan's going a little far. Stan says he's not going far enough. Mr. Wayans stares at him incredulously.
Penelope walks a few steps ahead of Eddie and Mary Jane. She can’t face them as she talks. Penelope says her parents don’t want her hanging out with kids who read comics. Penelope says they should come to the revival. They said they trusted kids who attend. They said Eddie or Mary Jane had to go to the revival or she has to stop hanging out with them. Penelope guilts them into it. Stan, Ace and Mitch sneak up behind Eddie and his friends. Ace grabs Eddie and shakes him by the shoulders. Eddie screams. The boys break up laughing. The girls cower. Eddie and Mary Jane walk faster, trying to separate from the boys. Ace snatches the comics from Penelope. She shies away. Stan asks if they know how bad comics are for them. He compares them to Hitler. Mary Jane says that’s stupid. Ace threatens her. Stan asks where’d they got the comics. Penelope says Mr. Wayans gave them. Stan tells them to give him the comics. Eddie rejects him. Mitch pushes Eddie to the ground. The comics he was holding scatter across the ground. Mitch and Ace gather them up. Stan says they learned comics were evil in church. Mary Jane hands the comics to Ace. Mary Jane helps Eddie to his feet. The two of them walk away. Penelope stays behind.
Mary Jane and Eddie sit in the treehouse, they’re still fuming about the bullying and lost comics. Eddie says they have to go to the Revival, right. Mary Jane doesn’t want to. Eddie says they have to get Mr. Wayans’ comics back. Mary Jane nods. Mary Jane asks if they can go once, get seen, and then they’re through. Eddie agrees.
Penelope walks into the girls’ bathroom. She notices Heather, Kathleen and Steff, primping in the mirror. She quickly goes into the stall, not looking at them. She pees. She can hear the girls mumbling amongst themselves. She stops peeing and leans forward to listen. The girls talk shit about her. The bell rings. Penelope takes a deep breath and exits the stall. Heather asks if she's the girl that reads comics. Kathleen and the girls say bad things about comics and the negative effects on girls. The girls are done in the mirrors and get ready to leave. Heather asks if Penelope asks if she's going to quit reading comics. Penelope says she kinda has to. The other girls smile as they leave.
The Revival tent is large and white, with red streamers decorating the exterior. Dozens of people, mostly young people, enter the tent. Eddie and Mary Jane arrive. They hesitate and exchange a look of trepidation. They steel themselves, then go inside. Eddie and Mary Jane sit towards the back of the tent. The chairs are nearly filled and people are still coming. Stan approaches, followed by Ace and Mitch. He thanks them for finally coming. Mary Jane tells him not to get used to it. Stan leads his boys towards the dais at the front of the tent. Eddie and Mary Jane see Penelope arrive. She walks toward the front of the tent and takes a seat. She turns and makes eye contact with Eddie and Mary Jane. Eddie waves. Penelope looks away without acknowledging them. Eddie puts his hand down, embarrassed. Stan quotes from the work Frederick Wertham. The audience applauds. Stan pulls a box of matches and sets them on the pulpit. Stan continues to denigrate comics. Stan takes a large metal bucket and sets it in front of the pulpit. The audience yells hate at Stan’s words. Eddie and Mary Jane exchange a worried look. The fervor of the crowd is scary.
Eddie and Mary Jane emerge from the tent. Mary Jane says that was terrible. Stan approaches them, followed by Biff, Steff and Heather. Stan says he hopes they enjoyed the sermon. Eddie says it was okay. Mary Jane says no. Stan ignores Mary Jane. Stan hopes they can make it back tomorrow night. The others try to talk them into it. Eddie says they’ll think about it.
Mary Jane and Eddie take seats in the treehouse. Mary Jane asks if they're going. Mary Jane says she’ll go. But she's getting tired of dealing with these people." Eddie says they’ll find out soon or they’ll give up. Mary Jane is skeptical.
Eddie and Mary Jane sit in approximately the same place as the previous night. Penelope still sits in the far front, ignoring them. Stan is already mid-sermon in his talk from the Book of Wertham. He denigrates comic books a lot. He takes a match and lights the Zeus comic book on fire. He tosses another comic in the bucket. The flame burns higher. Stan asks who is willing to burn their comics. A dozen or so people approach the stage, carrying stacks of comics. Stan grins. He waves his hand at the metal bucket. He grabs the matches. People start tossing their comics in the bucket. The audience stands and cheers. Eddie and Mary Jane hesitantly. Stan lights a match and throws it in the bucket. The comics burst into flames. The crowd cheers. Mary Jane says they should leave. Eddie nods. They get ready to sneak out among the crowd fervor. Eddie looks back and sees Penelope toss the comics Mr. Wayans gave the three of the. The comics burn. Stan makes eye contact with Eddie and grins widely. Eddie grabs Mary Jane’s hand and they run out of the tent. Stan watches and laughs. The comics burn. The crowd cheers loudly.
Jessie’s Diner is an afterschool hangout for teens and pre-teens. A large group dominates the back half of the restaurant with tables pushed together, an army of sodas, pizzas, fries, and other snacks. Stan, Mick and Ace sit at the head table, keeping the other kids in rapture. A dozen or so kids surround Stan’s table, including Chet, Johnny, Biff, Heather, Steff and Kathleen. Stan leads a discussion about what their next steps are. Stan says the adults of this town are ignoring their desires. Mitch says they have to do something about them. He says they ran into some kids who had brand new comics. Given to them by Mr. Wayans. Stan says the kids are gonna come around, but they have to stop the teachers from giving comics out and undermining their efforts. Stan says they have to make an example of Mr. Wayans. Heather asks what if that doesn’t work. Stan says then they’ll have to do something about all the adults. Nervous kids get more nervous. Excited kids get more excited. Stan grins the most.
Mr. Wayans sits on the couch in his living room. He’s reading comics and drinking red wine. Someone knocks at the door. Mr. Wayans is surprised. He closes the comic he was reading and sets it on the couch. He crosses the room and opens the door. Standing outside are Stan, Mick, Ace, Chet, Biff and Johnny. Mr. Wayans asks what they're doing here this time of night. Ace and Johnny grab Mr. Wayans by the arms and shove him back inside. Chet punches Mr. Wayans in the face and he falls backward. Stan says Mr. Wayans has been very naughty. Mr. Wayans tells them to leave. Ace and Johnny converge on him again. Stan says Mr. Wayans has been giving comic books to kids, Mr. Wayans. Disgusting, evil comic books. Ace grabs Mr. Wayans’ arm. Mr. Wayans punches Ace in the face. His FAMU class ring leaves an imprint on Ace’s cheek, drawing blood. Johnny, who is now wearing brass knuckles, punches Mr. Wayans in the back of the head. Ace punches him in the stomach. Mr. Wayans falls to his knees. Stan says they are going to make an example of him. Stan pulls out a baseball bat and beats Mr. Wayans to death.
Mary Jane and Eddie sit in the treehouse reading comics. The kids stand up as Carolyn climbs the ladder and sticks her head inside. Carolyn says some people broke into Mr. Wayans house and beat him to death. Mary Jane covers her mouth and starts to cry. She goes inside the house. Mary Jane hugs Eddie, she’s still crying. He’s hesitant at first, then he hugs her back. Mary Jane asks who would do such a thing. Eddie says he thinks they know who it was, Stan and his followers. Eddie says they have to do something about it. She leans in and kisses him. He enthusiastically kisses back. Mary Jane says she's hungry. She climbs down the ladder. He follows with a grin on his face.
Eddie, Mary Jane and Penelope stand apart from the rest of the class. Penelope asks if they heard about Mr. Wayans. Eddie says yeah. Mary Jane crosses her arms and tears fill her eyes. Ace, Mitch and Biff walk by. Ace smirks at Mary Jane. She stares at the snake imprinted on his face. Mary Jane puts a hand on Eddie’s arm and sends him a look to keep quiet. Mary Jane and Eddie say they're going to investigate the murder. Penelope tells them they should leave it alone. Penelope says her parents told her that Stan was abused by several adults when he was in nursery school. Mary Jane says the killers might be involved in the revival. Penelope says that’s crazy. Mary Jane asks her to gather information. Penelope refuses. Mary Jane tells her to forget it, then, she's no help. Penelope is offended. Penelope says she tried then walks away in a huff. Once Penelope is out of range, Eddie steps close to Mary Jane. Mary Jane notes the bloody mark on Ace's face. Mary Jane says it looked exactly like Mr. Wayans’ class ring. Eddie is shocked, but he nods in agreement. He says this means they have to go back to the revival." She frowns. Eddie says to figure out what Ace and the others are up to. Mary Jane sighs and says okay.
Mary Jane and Eddie sit at the front of the tent next to Penelope. People continue to file into the tent. Stan walks up to them, a grin on his face. He welcomes them back. Mary Jane asks if Eddie saw it. Eddie confirms that Ace definitely got punched by Mr. Wayans. Stan starts reading from Frederick Wertham's “Seduction of the Innocent.” Stan brings out the metal bucket. He asks who is willing to burn their comics. Penelope and several others bring comics and toss them into the metal bucket. Stan lights a match and torches the comics. The audience cheers and applauds. Stan says it’s time to put the newcomers to the test. The audience sits down. Stan tells Eddie and Mary Jane to stand. The two hesitantly stand. Stan says they’ll loan them comics today and they can pay us back next week. Stan gestures to Ace and Mitch. They walk over to Eddie and Mary Jane and hand them each a few comics. Eddie reluctantly takes them from Mitch. Mary Jane refuses to take anything from Ace. She says no. Stan’s face fills with rage. Eddie and Mary Jane simultaneously say run!. Eddie throws the comics in Ace and Mitch’s faces, confusing and delaying them. Eddie grabs Mary Jane’s hand and leads her running from the tent. Stan says get them. Most of the kids in the tent hesitate. Ace, Mitch and Biff run after Eddie and Mary Jane. Chet and Johnny follow. The other kids give chase. Stan brings up the rear. Penelope bends down and collects the comics from the floor. She tosses them in the fiery metal bucket.
Mary Jane and Eddie run between the houses and for the treehouse. They climb inside and slam the door shut. They stumble in and sit down, out of breath. Eddie crosses the treehouse and pours two glasses of lemonade. He hands a glass to Mary Jane and they both take big gulps from their glass. Stan tells them to come on out, losers. Eddie takes a peek outside. He sees Stan, Mick, Ace, Chet, Biff and Johnny, along with numerous other kids. Stan tells them how bad comics are for them. Stan asks Mary Jane if she will burn her comics voluntarily. Mary Jane says no. Eddie says not on your life. Carolyn asks what the kids are doing in her yard? Everyone turns and looks at Carolyn who holds a rifle on Stan and the kids. Carolyn cocks the rifle and aims it from kid to kid and tells them to get the hell out of her yard. Stan holds up his hands in surrender. He starts leading the kids back to the street. Carolyn turns toward the front door of her house. Eddie says Carolyn is a total bad ass. Mary Jane agrees. Eddie says they need to try to save Penelope. Mary Jane wonders if they do. Eddie says she looks brainwashed to him. They remain quiet for a while. Eddie says they have to kidnap her and try to talk her out of it. Mary Jane says she doesn’t like it, but they don't have any choice.
Penelope is waiting alone by the front door of the revival tent. Eddie and Mary Jane come rushing around the corner, yelling at Penelope. Eddie tells her to run. Penelope is blind-sided and doesn’t know what’s happening. She goes with Eddie and Mary Jane. The rest of the gang meets behind the revival tent. Stan talks to Mitch, Ace, Chet, Biff and Johnny. Stan says the big plan is in motion. The adults won’t stand in their way any more. Stan says they have a plan for Eddie and Mary Jane, too.
Sandra stands in the kitchen. She sprinkles a layer of grated cheese on top of a casserole. Out of her line of site, a half dozen kids enter the house. Three break off and sneak up on Sandra. The other three sneak towards Gary’s office. A tall boy creeps up behind her and puts a cloth over her nose and mouth. Sandra inhales and passes out. The other kids catch Sandra. They tie her hands and set her on the couch. The other kids go to Gary’s office. He sits at a desk, writing longhand in a writer’s journal. A Black kid puts a cloth over Gary’s nose and mouth. Gary reacts quickly and pulls the cloth away from his mouth. The Black kid is strong, though, and he presses the cloth more deeply into Gary’s nose. He resists but he eventually inhales. Gary passes out. The other kids tie his hands.
Carolyn gets up from her chair to refill her wine glass. She walks into the kitchen and stops short. She sees a kid standing next to the fridge. A tall girl sneaks up behind Carolyn and puts a cloth over her mouth. Carolyn passes out and is bound. Eddie and Mary Jane bring Penelope into the treehouse. Mary Jane pulls a gag from Penelope’s mouth. Mary Jane says they’re afraid of what the bad kids are going to do. They're not sure about Penelope's loyalties. Mary Jane says "We think they’re going to do something big. Soon." Eddie says "If you know, you need to tell us." Penelope shrugs. She says she doesn’t know. They climb out of the treehouse and walk towards the revival tent.
A standard one-story middle class suburban home. This one is blue. The daughter of the family sneaks into the kitchen after her mother leaves. She pours poison into a pot that’s cooking on the stove. Another middle class suburban home. A pot cooks on an empty stove. A preteen boy enters and pours poison into the pot then leaves. A woman comes in and stirs the pot. Another middle class suburban home. Twin sisters cook dinner in the kitchen. One of them pours poison into the pot while the other stirs. The mother and father sleep at the dining room table, the poison having kicked in. The daughter ties them up then picks up the telephone. The preteen boy’s mother lies on the floor, passed out from the poison. Her hands are bound. Someone knocks at the front door. The preteen boy opens it. Biff and Chet enter and pick up the unconscious mother. They carry her to a van waiting outside and put her in the back. The twin sisters watch while Ace, Mitch, Stan and Johnny carry their bound and unconscious parents out the front door. Stan puts a comforting hand on one of the sisters’ shoulders. They take the parents outside and load them into the van.
Eddie, Mary Jane and Penelope walk briskly towards the revival tent. There are many people inside. Eddie says they’ve already started, we should get inside. They head for the entrance. Penelope makes eye contact with Ace, who hides outside, behind the tent. He motions towards the school, behind the tent. Penelope nods. Penelope points toward the school. Eddie and Mary Jane look in that direction. Penelope says it was Stan. He’s not in the tent. Eddie leads Mary Jane towards the entrance to the school. Penelope lags behind them. Penelope says he went inside and points towards the door. Eddie tries the door. It’s not locked. Eddie goes inside. Mary Jane follows. Penelope stays outside. Ace, Stan and Mitch follow them inside. Ace thanks Penelope. The door closes behind them.
Eddie and Mary Jane enter the school. Penelope doesn’t follow. Eddie and Mary Jane round the corner and come face-to-face with Stan, Ace and Mitch. Eddie and Mary Jane turn and run. They round the corner, which is now blocked by Chet, Biff and Johnny. The six boys surround Eddie and Mary Jane and begin tying them up. Ace gags them. Stan preaches against superhero comics. He says parents should not permit children to bring comics into the house. Forbid children to read them. But parents aren’t enough, we have to tackle this problem together as a community. Stan says they have to stop it. They follow him towards the tent.
Eddie and Mary Jane are brought into the tent by Ace and Chet. Essentially all the adults in town sit in a massive cage that covers half the tent. They are bound and gagged and quiet. Their spirts have been broken by their children’s betrayal. Eddie and Mary Jane look in the cage to confirm their own parents are there. Mary Jane sees her mom and makes eye contact. Carolyn nods and it calms Mary Jane. Stan heads to the pulpit and the kids in the room rise in applause, cheering on Stan. Ace shoves Eddie and Mary Jane to the floor and joins Stan and Mitch near the pulpit. Eddie bangs into a pew. He notices a loose nail hanging off the leg of thew pew. He positions himself so that he can cut his ropes on the nail without being seen. Mary Jane scans the room. Among the things she sees is an emergency fire hose whose cabinet is unlocked. She files this fact away for future use. Stan preaches the evils of comics. The crowd grows angry. Stan asks who is ready to burn their. The whole crowd screams. Several young people carry stacks of comics and toss them on the fire. The crowd cheers them on. Someone drops a comic book on the ground. Nobody notices it except Mary Jane. She stares at the open comic. It shows a picture of several funny animals blasting other funny animals with a live fire hose. She gets an idea so big she has to smile. No one notices. She directs Eddie’s gaze to the fire hose. Eddie notices and nods affirmative. Chet and Biff come out, directing two bound and gagged adults, Thomas and Karen. Stan says these are some of the many adults who stand in their way. They have shirked their duty. Stan waves to the side of the stage. Ace and Mitch walk out carrying large kitchen knives. Stan tells them to cull the adults. Ace and Mitch slice the throats of Thomas and Karen and drop their dying bodies to the floor. Blood sprays forth as the kids look on. At first they all stay quiet. Stan raises his hands to the sky and the crowd roars with approval. Mary Jane runs for the hose. Eddie follows, blocking anybody who tries to follow her. Most people don’t see her. They’re still transfixed on the murders in front of them. The crowd cheers louder. The parents in the cage struggle, but they can’t get free. Mary Jane grabs the hose and unravels it. Eddie cranks the handle. Water comes gushing from the hose. Soon it’s strong enough that Mary Jane can barely hold it. Eddie helps her. The blast hits each of the teen cult leaders. Mitch and Ace go down. Then Chet and Biff. Then Johnny. Then Stan. Then Eddie and Mary Jane turn the hose on the crowd, washing them away. Eddie tells Mary Jane to grab the key from Ace and set the adults free. He keeps hosing down anyone who tries to get up. Mary Jane ties Ace up and takes the key from him. She opens the cage and starts setting the parents free. They start to drag their kids home. As they go, the spell the crowd was under is broken. The leaders of the group arrested. Carolyn hugs Mary Jane. Gary and Sandra hug Eddie. Everyone goes home or to jail.
Months later, the kids and adults all sit in the school’s auditorium. Nearly everyone in town is present. Notably absent are Stan, Ace, Mitch, Chet, Biff and Johnny. Eddie and Mary Jane sit near the back with their parents. Penelope sits near the front with her parents. At the podium is Mayor Jeffrey Dennis, and the town’s Reverend, Minister Frank Devin. Mayor Dennis calls up Eddie Witwer, Mary Jane Francis, and Penelope Skelton. Eddie and Mary Jane walk to the front of the auditorium, joining Penelope in front of the mayor. Mayor Dennis awards them with a Mayor’s Citation for their bravery in the recent conflict. The mayor shakes each of their hands as he hands them their citation. Mayor Dennis gives Stan and Ace, who are not present, after-school suspension. The town applauds. Eddie and Mary Jane glance at each other incredulously, upset at the lightness of the punishment. The Mayor says they don't want the filth of comic books invading this town.
The crowd bursts into enthusiastic applause. Eddie and Mary Jane exchange a look of fear. Dennis asks Minister Devin to tell them more. The minister steps up and opens “Seduction of the Innocent.” Minister Devin talks about comic books and drugs. He shakes the mayor’s hand. He says that drug-users are inveterate comic-book readers. The crowd cheers along with Mayor Dennis. Mayor Dennis lights a small stack of comics in a metal bucket on fire. Minister Devin says that crime comics lead children to moral disarmament. Mary Jane notices that her mother is caught up in the speech, cheering against comics. She motions towards Eddie’s parents who are also under the thrall of the minister. Minister Devin talks further about how comics corrupt. As Devin speaks, kids line up to throw more comics in the bucket. Penelope approaches the burning can and tosses a stack of comics. Without a hint of regret or irony, Penelope cheers on the crowd. Minister Devin notes that 90,000,000 comic books are read each month. As the crowd cheers, Eddie and Mary Jane sneak out the back of the tent.
Eddie and Mary Jane run away from the school. They run past the tent, where Stan and his friends wait for them. The boys watch Eddie and Mary Jane run by. Stan yells "Get em!" All six guys give chase. Eddie and Mary Jane keep running and running. Eventually, they run past the city limit sign on the way out of town. The boys keep chasing them. In the distance smoke plumes from an open door to the school auditorium as people sing church songs from inside.