Young Justice S02E20 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: As if Earth’s atmosphere didn’t have enough problems already.

The Review: There’s a reason why sitcoms usually go for an hour when they do their series finale.  While half an hour may be enough to deliver a neatly wrapped story for that one episode, a finale has more than just one story to resolve.  Over the course of a show’s lifetime, you have a lot of individual plot threads that need revisiting, loose ends to tie up, and of course, plenty of goodbyes, not just among the characters themselves, but between you and the show, too.

Although I have no evidence of this, I imagine the producers of Young Justice probably fought for an hour finale only to be, as so many of us have been, cruelly disappointed by Cartoon Network.  As a result, they were forced to deliver an epic conclusion to their Invasion storyline and hit a ton of other beats besides, all within a twenty-one minute episode.  Unsurprisingly, the finale ends up speeding through nearly every scene, leaving you winded when it’s all over.

Young Justice S02E19 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: No one’s back is safe in this arena of betrayal.

The Review: Gah, gah—this is the second to last episode of Young Justice.  Did you hear that?  We only have one more episode before it all ends.  I can hardly believe it myself.  I always hoped that this show would go the way of Justice League (Unlimited or otherwise): a cartoon staple, one everyone will look back on as a high-water mark for American serial animation.  To think that it’s getting canned before its time is heartbreaking, to say the least.

For one thing, I can’t think of any other cartoon currently running that takes its characters as seriously as this one does.  I never felt that the show’s writers ever took advantage of the team’s youth to deliver sloppy, silly, or haphazard personalities or behaviors.  All YJ ever wanted was to be recognized for their efforts and treated with respect, and they have always gone above and beyond to earn that recognition and respect from everyone.

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 S02E10 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: This will teach Miss Martian to look before she leaps—into someone’s brain.

The Review: As I understand it, there’s some weirdness going on with the release of these episodes.  The official schedule set this episode to come out in January, but apparently, you can the jump on the television viewers if you have iTunes—or various “other sources,” as I do.  I won’t say more, just in case Cartoon Network’s intelligence community catches wind and breaks down my door, demanding turnover of my Young Justice episode.

They would have to pry it from my struggling fingers, too, because this was a highly enjoyable episode.  It puts on display every virtue this show has boasted from the beginning, and all the others it’s gained since its second season.  It also starts the show on the path towards the culmination of every major plotline it’s introduced in the last nine episodes.

Young Justice S02E09 – Review

By: Jon Weisman (story)

The Story: The team’s HQ may not be a Mt. St. Helen, but it sure blows up like one.

The Review: During the show’s first season, I complained frequently about how the characters didn’t seem like “real” teens, whatever that means in a world of superheroes.  As much as I appreciated that they never rushed into anything without looking first, I sometimes longed for a little more spontaneity and humor from them.  After all, what teenager doesn’t like doing something completely random and laughing a bit stupidly about it afterward?

So among the many improvements this season’s brought, I like most how much more often you laugh during an episode now.  The addition of purely comedy-driven characters, like Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and especially Impulse has something to do with that, I imagine.  Kid Flash kind of served this function in season one, but his counterpart from the future really relishes his role as team jester.  Bart’s happy-go-lucky attitude is infection, and has the potential to draw the others into fun outings they’d never have taken with the first-gen YJers.

Young Justice S02E03 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: Now this is the textbook definition of “frienemies.”

The Review: One thing that has really impressed me with this show is how well the writers have paced themselves in terms of revealing major plot points, throwing in the occasional twist, and building up character storylines.  Although season one had the rare filler episode, they always felt like enjoyable breaks rather than irritating distractions because the nearly every episode had some overarching importance to it.

Season two continues that trend, only now the writers have to do double-duty in setting the grounds for future events, but also bringing us up to speed on the current state of affairs for the characters.  Of course, we’re all wondering about the missing YJers, the ones that haven’t stayed on as mentors or that haven’t moved up to the big leagues.  You have to wonder if their departures were amicable, violent, or something uncomfortably in between.

First Impressions 6/16/10

First Impressions 6/16/10

Pale Horse #1
By Andew Cosby & Michael Alan Nelson
Price: $3.99

Brief Thoughts: Cole is a hard man who knows no hesitation with a gun or a blade.  Being a Negro in 1865, he can’t afford to.  And as he cuts a bloody swath on his journey to discover why several people want him dead, he’ll teach everything he knows to one person:  his 3-year old son.  Pale Horse was a fantastic read, especially if you’re a fan of westerns in the vein of Unforgiven or The Man with No Name trilogy.  Heck, if you’re a fan of bloody revenge stories that are well told with great art, then this is well worth the price of admission.  Cosby tells a violent tale that’s instantly captivating and it’s perfectly brought to life by Nelson’s artwork.  Boom! continues their trend of putting out really good comics in all genres. Click here to read more.

Verdict: Give it a shot.  Definitely.
Amazing Spider-Man Presents Black Cat #1
By Jen Van Meter & Javier Pulido
Price: $3.99

Brief Thoughts: Javier Pulido was born to draw caper/heist stories.  He was also born to draw Spider-Man.  While he’s no Marcos Martin on that last point, he certainly does a wonderful job with the little Spidey he’s given here.  Unfortunately, he’s penciling a Black Cat comic book, and surprisingly, his rendition of the femme fatale is lacking.  Van Meter’s script is also lacking, sadly.  While there’s certainly interest in meeting Black Cat’s support staff and trying to figure out why someone is framing her, the tale comes off feeling too light and ordinary to justify the four dollar price tag.  Softening the monetary blow somewhat is an 8-page back-up that serves as a prologue to the Grim Hunt storyline beginning in Amazing Spidey this week, which is actually intriguing.  Every little bet helps right? Click here to read more.

Verdict: Save your dough.

New Avengers #1
By Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen
Price: $3.99

Brief Thoughts: Well, I’m not really sure why we needed a new issue #1 for this series, but Bendis and Immonen sure make it so much fun to read that you certainly forget that little annoyance.  While Avengers #1 a few weeks ago felt a bit stiff and disappointing, New Avengers’ premiere issue continues the fun “group of buddies” tone that the series has always succeeded with.  Adding the ultimate Marvel Universe uber-buddy in the Thing to the cast just injects this title with even more potential.  The tale, concerning something stalking the mystical experts of the MU is also pretty intriguing.  The Avengers oral history also continues as a back-up, and while it’s nothing spectacular, it certainly makes the issue feel a bit meatier. Click here to read more.

Verdict: Give it a shot.

The Light #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (story) & Brett Weldele (art/letters)

The Story: A virus is infecting people who look at electric lights and causing them to burst into flames.  Amid the confusion a father and his daughter try to get to safety while avoiding looking at “the light”.

What’s Good: Thank goodness looking at the lights doesn’t turn people into zombies.  That’s such a crowded genre and even though I love zombies, unless someone really has something unique to say about them, it’s better left alone.  This first issue (of five total) is really just a set-up for the rest of that story, but it looks like Edmondson is in a good position to tell a nice post-apocalyptic story and that is always a fun genre.

This first issue quickly establishes our two main characters: a lousy drunk father and his teenage daughter.  I think their relationship is handled pretty well.  The crap hits the fan pretty suddenly in this issue and we wouldn’t expect the teenage daughter to respond well to her lousy father storming into her bedroom in the middle of the night demanding that she wear a blindfold.

The art is scratchy and moody.  It isn’t hyper-detailed, but it tells the story effectively.  The cover is a pretty good exemplar of what the issue looks like.