Count me among those folks who were thrilled when Brian Michael Bendis announced his Wonder Comics imprint and Young Justice #1 specifically.
I am a fan of classic Conner. I am a fan of Cassie. And I am a huge fan of Amethyst. So knowing they were coming back, in a way that makes sense and that honors those characters, tickled me. I was on board. And the first issue didn't disappoint. It was a rollicking good time with the reintroduction (somehow) of these classic versions of the Young Justice characters with a big dollop of Gemworld on top. Bendis and artist Patrick Gleason are solidly on their game.
I have always wondered why I didn't collect the first Young Justice series from 1998. I was in the middle of residency and I wasn't reading an extended pull list. That probably explains it best. Somehow it slipped by. What makes this doubly amusing is that I was all in on Peter David's Supergirl book which was still on the shelves at the time. Back then, I tended to try anything David wrote.
But like the current run, this team consisted of Conner, Tim, and Bart. Others would join shortly afterwards.
I was reading reading the Waid Flash which occasionally had Impulse crossover. I had read the early Kesel Superboy stuff too. But somehow it missed this.
I recently ran across some of the issues in the bargain bins and grabbed a handful, including the old Young Justice #1. I was surprised to find a Supergirl moment tucked in it.
So we see Superboy sporting flame wings and Superman talking about a 'holier than thou' attitude. That is clearly a funny take on the Supergirl book.
Supergirl #25 was on the stands when YJ #1 was released. That was just 4 months after the Supergirl flame wings made an appearance in her title. It was just as she was starting to unravel her origins as an Earth Angel formed by the merging of two.
Pretty funny.
We also see Robin with a batarang hand, consistent with Aquaman's hook hand. And we see Impulse hulking out, appropriate given David had a long run on that title.
I suppose at some point I'll need to get to the three-part crossover between Supergirl and Young Justice from the late 90s.
But let me talk up the current Young Justice a bit more.
We get to welcome back lost friends.
And loved this sight gag of the diner Rogol Zaar destroyed in Action Comics #1000 get redestroyed here.
Give it a shot!
If you love Amethyst, you should be bothered that Brianne Drouhard isn't even getting a credit nod, let alone compensation, for DC using her animated redesign, while other animation-to-comics redesigns have received that courtesy.
ReplyDeleteBut odds are you didn't like them cuz Amethyst wasn't a blonde.
Ah, the 90's. I'm happy that you enjoyed those comics, Anj, but I started reading DC comics in the 00's and I generally regard that decade as a real weird time that I'm not in a hurry to go back to.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is a good example of it. I'm sure that the jokes were funny back then, but twenty-years later they make little sense to new readers who will probably fail to understand why Superboy growing wings or one-handed Robin growing a beard is hilarious. Those jokes allude to two-decade-old storylines and a status quo that was discarded twenty years ago. In a nutshell, those scenes aged badly.
Like much 90's stuff.
(As far as I'm concerned, Kon's earring will NEVER stop looking stupid, I'm sorry)
Not ALL of it, of course. There're also good stuff. Like Kingdom Come.
Anyway, the newest Young justice book is a funny romp. And it was nice to seeing classic-looking Cassie once again.
And the destroyed dinner gag is hilarious. I bet the owner will be thinking of moving their business.
The PAD in-jokes weren't actually that funny at the time, just self-indulgent; the book, though, found its feet and got better and better as more characters were added and relationships formed.
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to see YJ back. That Amethyst design, though, is poor compared to the original Ernie Colon look, which combined the martial with the elegant. Purple hair? That's so obvious. The blonde added contrast to the overall look. As for the lack of a credit for Brianne Drouhard, few people get credits in subsequent uses. That's not a snub, it's just business.
David always has been a bit self-congratulatory.
ReplyDeleteI just always like to see mentions of the Flame Wings Supergirl in unexpected places. Thought I'd share.
I think with Cassie already on the team, having 2 blonde white females might be 1 too many. I don't mind the purple hair.
And I certainly don't know enough about creator credit rules to know if this was a snub or not.
"I just always like to see mentions of the Flame Wings Supergirl in unexpected places. Thought I'd share."
ReplyDeleteSecond Anonymous here. It wasn't my intention to come across as rude or unappreciative. I may not be overly fond of the 90's but it's always nice/cool to learn more things about Supergirl or discover homages that might have slipped my notice.
Thank you for sharing.
And anyways it's your blog. Share and discuss whatever you want.
By the way, DCSHG's first short is already online, featuring delightful Kara/Babs' interaction:
Super Sleeper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuex1QPFTlI
And a new video in about half an hour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_nrW2F3Evw
I look forward to read your thoughts on it and on this week's Supergirl issue. I have mixed opinions on it.
By the way, Amanda Conner is credited as variant cover artist even though it's an Artgem -splendid- cover. Last minute change?
Office snafu, apparently ... the same thing happened with this week's Superman, Adam hughes is internally credited with David Finch's cover. DC plan to correct it in future, I assume that means in trade, any second printings, and perhaps ComiXology.
ReplyDelete"it's an Artge[r]m -splendid- cover"
ReplyDeleteIs there any other kind from him? His Kara is perfection.
This particular cover is actually not a new piece, having first appeared as an original print a year or so ago. I have one, and really need to get around to framing it.
I'm happy that Young Justice is back, but Bendis is using a too chaotic writing style for my taste in Young Justice #1. It feels like reading a cartoon network episode.
ReplyDeleteThe everchanging focus combined with half of the speech bubbles is someone wondering where Superman is, made for a headachy read.
I would love to follow YJ, but I need Bendis to dial back on the chaos in the writing.
"I suppose at some point I'll need to get to the three-part crossover between Supergirl and Young Justice from the late 90s."
ReplyDeleteActually, it was a FOUR-part crossover. But the entire "Heck's Angels" storyline between PAD's Supergirl and Young Justice can be found in the Supergirl: Book Four TPB collection that DC Comics published last year.
KET
I recently read the entire run of Peter David's Supergirl, plus its Young Justice tie-ins, and I didn't much appreciate his sense of humor. From that, and the overall weirdness of the title, it wasn't clear to me where his great reputation came from.
ReplyDeleteBut long before then, I had caught up with all of his Fallen Angel series, which I thought was better.
The current Artgerm Supergirl cover is clearly old, with the older costume. The artist turnover on Supergirl is -- well something to discuss when Anj publishes his Supergirl review.
The solicit of the Artgerm variant for Batgirl #31, on sale 1/30, is also "dated" - featuring the obsolete Burnside costume, which was replaced in the book several months ago. But it's a good drawing - it looks like he drew a young woman, not a tween.
T.N.