Review: Young Justice #20

Young Justice #20 came out this last week, the last issue of this title which I am very sad to see end,  I have enjoyed almost every book under the Wonder Comic imprint but this book, to me, had the most promise.  There were old school characters - Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, Spoiler,  and Impulse. There was a reimagined Amethyst and Wonder Twins. And there were new characters - Teen Lantern, Jinny Hex, and Naomi. They each had unique personalities. There were mysteries and back stories. And most importantly there was chemistry. This book crackled.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis brought a lot of fun and snark and witty repartee to the proceedings all while dancing around the main mystery ... how did the main characters exist when the countless recent reboots seemed to erase them. I loved every issue of this series even when I wished the underlying plot would move along quicker.

And now, before we even get to answer to the mystery, the book is ending. DC is purging and cancelling in rapid fire. We have another '2 months off' event after Dark Metal finally rusts and crumbles away. And who knows what the future holds? 

In the end, like many books, I have to just be thankful I got what I got and return to it when I can.

The art in this issue is by Scotty Godlewski and his style (like cover artist John Timms) is perfect for the book. I love his take on these characters.

On to this series' finale, chock full of goodness.

Review: Young Justice #17

Young Justice #17 came out this week and continued an interesting little run where the team is still trying to figure out where they are and who they are in this new continuity. Nothing says that as elegantly as the cover where we see three of the members in mirror images sporting their old continuity costumes and their current ones.

This issue has a strong them about mentoring and legacy and leading by example. There is a running theme of a young 'normal' girl from Metropolis doing her part in the aftermath of the Legion of Doom attack on the city. She is doing her part and she is seeing what her contemporaries ... the member of Young Justice ... are doing as well. More importantly, we see several of the legacy members of the team interacting with their mentors: Cassie with Diana,  Bart and Barry, etc.

For me, this book has, since its inception, been a sort of throwback. There is a joy in this book even as the heroes struggle with some major identity issues. These are heroes doing heroic things because it is the right thing to do. And there is that sort of exuberance in the characters that I miss in the more dour proceedings in many comics these days. Writers Brian Michael Bendis and David Walker continue to give us the right mix of fun adventuring while adding the pain of growing up.

The art by Scott Godlewski continues to shine. This is an issue without much action. Instead there are these emotional moments where the tone must be set by expression and body position. In fact there is a panel of Diana in here which sort of floored me.

If I have one complaint it is that the books still seem to be reeling from the multitude of major events happening. This issue takes place before House Of Kent which is now several months in. And that means this book's timeline is delayed and off. But this is a minor complaint.

On to the book.

Review: Young Justice #16

It has been a crazy week and I am just finishing up the reviews from 2 Wednesdays ago today. A wee bit of vacation was snuck in there admittedly. A much needed vacation.

Young Justice #16 continues the deep dive into just what is going on with this old/new team and where the heck have some of them been all this time. Between the Superman books commenting on different universes and calling back to pre-Crisis stories to Lois Lane publicly talking about universal fracturing in her own book and the (presumed since I am not reading it) continuity reset in Death Metal, there are a lot of anomalies running around in the DCU. And for folks like me, who have lived through umpteen reboots, it is getting confusing.

Enter writer Brian Michael Bendis.

Last issue, Impulse told how he discovered the multiversal shenanigans and was able to find Conner and bring him back to reality. This issue we learn that Bart has been witness to more than that. In fact, given the lessons from Flashpoint, maybe he is the cause of all this.

I've never been a huge Impulse fan but I liked him in this issue. He clearly is worried about all he has seen and is just trying to survive. He is a sympathetic young hero here, in over his head a bit.

Add to the the solid pencil work of Scott Godlewski, who seems to be veering into the John Timms/Jorge Jimenez, hyper-style, and you have a winning book. Not many mysteries are solved here. But the enigma stew is getting thicker and more delicious.

On to the book.

Review: Young Justice #15

With no Supergirl book being on the stands and Amethyst just a mini-series, I have been picking my brain over what book I should review on this site next.

Young Justice it is! It has a Superboy in it, keeping with the super-focus of this place. And it also has young, optimistic heroes in it, something I love. So here we are.

Young Justice #15 came out last week and continued a current theme I am seeing in DC books, the acknowledgment by characters that their reality has been disturbed, rebooted, and reimagined. This time, the focus is on Conner Kent, the new/old/new Superboy of the DCU and how he came back to reality.

Brian Michael Bendis already showed us the aftermath of this issue in Action Comics when Conner met the Kents. Now we get the lead into that encounter and the wrap up of his return to Earth here. While Conner is the focus of the bulk of this issue, Bendis and co-writer David Walker also makes this group of Young Heroes an official entity with a roster and everything. That made me happy.

The art is by John Timms and Scott Godlewski. Both shine. Timms style is a perfect fit for the book, just stylized enough to bring a sort of energy to the proceedings, as he did over on Harley Quinn.

And I have to love the 'sort of homage' to Superman #15, the first part of The Truth. After all, this book is about Superboy's truth.

On to the book.