Red Hood and the Outlaws #22 – Review

By: James Tynion IV (writer), Julius Gopez (pencils), Ray McCarthy (inks), Nei Ruffino & BLOND (colors) 

The Story: Jason prepares to lead to the League of Assassins into battle against the Untitled, not knowing that they’ve enlisted Arsenal. It’s up to Starfire to save the world, and, hopefully, her friends as well.

The Review: This month the Outlaws are on their own. James Tynion has created a fascinating web of alliances that pits our heroes against each other. As ever, Roy Harper is a standout character, his combination of brilliance, directness, and unwavering loyalty making him hard to dislike, but easily the most desperate of the trio. He’s even got a new hat!

Starfire is still struggling to find her voice. Thankfully, she’s the one getting things done and working for the good, but the star of the show is still Jason Todd.

Jason’s plotline sees him exploring the underground utopia that forms the core of the League of Assassins empire. Though Jason is a little bit of a blank canvass after his mind wiping adventures, it’s great fun to get to know the League’s members. The Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva give a great sense of the League’s ethos and power, and focus on their interactions with their peers help the issue feel immersive and connected to the greater DCU.

Tynion has also  come a long way in his portrayal of Cheshire since Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #1. Where she came off a little generic and oversexed there, Tynion’s settled into a much preferable playful rhythm for her sophomore appearance that makes her an oddly likable cuthroat assassin.

Young Justice S02E16 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: Artemis is less than enthused when her family attempts to avenge her death.

The Review: The epic scale of last week’s episode in outer space could have easily made you forget that deep beneath the sea, there was another, no less important crisis at stake.  The YJ writers got a lot of glee out of maneuvering Artemis, Aqualad, and Miss Martian into such a precarious situation, without ever disturbing the tension already established by this deep-cover mission.  Getting our heroes out of that situation will take even greater care and cleverness.

While the trio found an effective way to stall for time, this couldn’t satisfy Black Manta for long and he springs a ticking time bomb—quite literally—on them here, spurring them to spring a half-baked plan into action.  Had they actually been able to see it through in its entirety, it’s doubtful they would’ve gotten away with it without some kind of compromise, but luckily, in delightful, superhero fashion, two wild cards enter the scene.

Young Justice S02E08 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: The original Roy Harper proves he can take on Lex Luthor with only one hand.

The Review: I will never understand this show’s habit of going on hiatus mid-season.  Of course, this is the same show which aired its pilot months before the rest of the first season episodes, then took a summer-long break in between.  I’m sure there are some very good practical reasons why all this must be so, but it’s annoying anyway.  You would never put up with this on a lesser show.

However, Young Justice has the good fortune of being a very good show, so it can afford its logistical oddities from time to time.  We left off last time with some fairly gnarly plot twists, and this episode shows that the creators have given plenty of thought over the summer as to how to proceed.  More than any other cartoon I’ve heard seen on American television, this series does not mess around when it comes to exploring its stories from every possible angle.

Young Justice S02E06 – Review

By: Peter David (story)

The Story: It’s like Back to the Future, except without the awkward mom-and-son sexual tension.

The Review: Every time David comes on board as a guest writer, he ends up incorporating some aspect of his Young Justice run into the series—which is fine by me, as that can only boost its credibility in my eyes.  Besides introducing Harm and Secret, he put in probably the biggest effort to develop Artemis’ character (which I suspect is his way of writing an Arrowette story without actually having Arrowette in existence) and Red Tornado’s, both staples of his run.

In this episode, David gets the chance to use yet another staple of his Young Justice run, the incorrigible Bart Allen, better known as Impulse (and the current comics-version of Kid Flash).  Although he matured a great deal in DC’s previous continuity of things, at one point becoming a literal adult, from the moment he appears in the YJers lives here, he’s every bit the hyperactive, enthusiastic, and happy-go-lucky lad his character was originally conceived to be—which means you’re just as inclined to be as exasperated by him as you are fond of him.

Young Justice Episode 25 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (writer)

The Story: Feel free to get real with each other, kids—Young Justice is a safe place.

The Review: I’ve spoken critically about this point a few times over the course of the season, but twenty-odd episodes later, I still don’t feel a genuine group chemistry from Young Justice.  While certain pairings have developed among various members, the vibe you get when they’re all together is a friendly coworker dynamic rather than true friendship.  Besides very rare instances, we hardly ever see them interact in non-mission related circumstances.

So even though this episode offers a feel-good plot and conclusion, with all kinds of big emotional moments and characters reaching new understanding of each other, it doesn’t project a spirit of kinship so much as it does a satisfaction from a job well done.  It’s significant that rather than dwelling on the deeper level of trust they’ve achieved, they simply marvel at having yet again averted disaster.

At any rate, this is a very minor criticism, the equivalent of saying the soup tastes good, but not like ma’s.  After all, you get some major character growth in this episode, particularly from the three “outsiders” of the group.  Kudos for the choice of having Superboy, of his own accord, be the first to come clean about his secrets, without any pressure from the plot.  When you consider the rage-ridden, aloof, and stubborn clone he started this series as, this is a huge step for him, proof positive that he’s become his own person.

Young Justice Episode 23 – Review

By: Peter David (writer)

The Story: Imagine hanging with your boo’s ex—that’s the awkwardness we have here.

The Review: I waxed poetic about David in my review of the last episode he wrote for this series, so there’s no need to fall over myself again here.  I just have to wonder, though: how does he really feel about this show that took on the name of one of his most reputable works, yet reflects his tone and concepts in virtually no other way?  How must it feel to adapt himself to characters and conceits that in some ways go against his sensibilities?

These are all rhetorical questions, of course, best left to private but ultimately fruitless musings.  The only thing that matters is how David works the material he’s given—which is pretty darn well, actually.  Watching this episode, it occurs to me that in many ways, David takes the YJers at hand treat them like the ones he knew.

Case in point: Kid Flash and Artemis.  If any of you followed the Young Justice comics back in the day, you might remember the bit of puppy love Impulse had for Arrowette at the time.  Though that particular romance never really panned out, David seems to revive it here through their TV-screen counterparts.  The show has labored to convince us that a Kid Flash-Artemis pairing would be a great idea, but only under David’s writing do sparks actually fly.  It’s a sweet moment when Wally tells Art she has nothing to prove, made even sweeter by his bashfulness and her pleased reaction.  If we get more of this, we can look forward to their courtship.

Unfortunately, the plot throws several obstacles in their path this episode.  Despite Wally’s reassurance, Artemis does let the presence of Red Arrow get to her, though not, perhaps, for the reasons everyone expects.  It’s not about the difference in their skill levels, or even of his long history with most the team.  Artemis set out on her own to rise above the criminals all around her (apparently including her mother—as the Huntress, of all things); to discover the acceptance from her heroic mentor and teammates is unearned and tenuous is a painful experience, indeed.

Young Justice Episode 10 – Review

By: Andrew R. Robinson (writer)

The Story: Good luck!  Try not to get us involved in World War III, hm?

The Review: From the start, this show has aimed for a more sophisticated, mature kind of tone, which is still something of an oddity for American cartoons.  While the creators’ efforts to produce that kind of show has run into sharp corners from time to time, the admirably high quality it’s brought demonstrates just how committed they are to ensuring the series’ success.

Still, they have to keep a younger crowd in mind, which they’ve done admirably by scripting plots that have enough topicality with the real world to stimulate the grown-ups, but dumbs it down enough for the kids to keep up (and maybe get a little enriched in the process—who knows?).  This time around, we have peace talks between the squabbling North and South Rhelasias, the results of which apparently crucial for international stability.

Arbitrating the talks is none other than Lex Luthor, not the greatest choice as he gets targeted by the League of Assassins, who doesn’t give a hoot about collateral damage.  Mark Rolston delivers a fine slipperiness as Luthor, chiding reluctant bodyguard Red Arrow with a finely-tuned degree of condescension.  When Red comments he should let Luthor and Ra’s al Ghul duke out their enmity themselves, the business mogul delivers one of the best lines of the series: “Your stab at pragmatism is, well, adorable.”

Powers #5 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Christian hits rock bottom as his relationship with Heather suddenly falls apart but unbeknownst to him, Heather has two very big secrets.

What’s Good: Oeming’s artwork is absolutely superb this month, but it’s really unique in that its greatest strength isn’t jaw-dropping visuals or stunning splash pages.  In fact, this is arguably a pretty restrained issue as far as Powers goes.  What makes the art stunning is how Oeming emphasizes the “sequential” in “sequential art” and what exactly that means.  The panel-to-panel transitions are incredibly smooth and both physical actions and mental processes are incredibly well plotted out.  There’s a great sense of logic and movement from panel to panel that leads to a really organic feel.  Honestly, it’s the sort of work that  makes most other comics feel stilted by comparison.  It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a comic with such a natural flow to it.

Plot-wise, quite a bit happens this month.  As the opening issue to a new story-arc, this issue certainly fulfills its function, offering tantalizing bits of some very major things to come.  When a first issue is giving you visions of an apocalyptic future, you know you’re going to be in for on heck of a ride.

It was also a very good month for Enki Sunrise, who Bendis is clearly trying to build up as a character.  He, more than ever, shows a softer, more human side to the character, letting us see a more sympathetic, even maternal Enki which really stands in juxtaposition to the hard-nosed Enki we’ve mostly seen these far.  Bendis is quickly adding texture to Enki and is making her a fully realized character and I like what I’m seeing.

Speaking of vulnerability, it’s hard not to feel for Christian when he’s down in the dumps.  Bendis has always done a great job of writing his leading man’s heavy burden(s) and that’s no different here.  It’s just always so easy to feel bad for Christian.