Young Justice #14 review

It’s a wet Wednesday morning in Scotland, I’ve work in an hour, coronavirus has everyone in a panic and I need some fun. And goodness me, Young Justice #14 delivers.

Another recap page that’s as good looking as it is useful is followed by the gathering of the team. Make that the new team, sub-team, reserves, extras… who knows, but it’s safe to say that at the rate characters are signing up with Young Justice, they’ll soon be as big as the Legion of Super-Heroes. Impulse, Bart Allen, flits from city to city gathering old friends and potential pals, starting with Sideways, whose ability to cross dimensions is very useful when you need to get somewhere quickly and you can’t carry everyone.

Soon Impulse and Sideways, aka Derek James, have collected new Aqualad Jackson Hyde, Spoiler Steph Brown and someone not seen on the hero scene for something like a decade, our time…

Bart wants reinforcements to help him find Superboy Conner Kent, who’s been cast into the subterranean world of Skartaris by rogue Star Labs scientist Dr Glory.

Finding out where she’s sent Conner to allows Impulse, Sideways and Wonder Girl to attempt an extraction, while the rest of the team fights the inter-dimensional creatures being flung at them by the insidious Dr Glory.

That’s a great series of panels from regular artist John Timms, with words and direction from writers Brian Michael Bendis and David Walker. It looks like big, daft action but is justified in the larger story, it’s not ‘just’ glorious page filler. Likewise the Skartaris-set scenes by guest artist and longtime Bendis collaborator Michael Avon Oeming, with the contrast to Timms’ work nicely making the point that we’re in a different world. Every page is coloured by Gabe Eltaeb, who doesn’t get nearly as much attention as his work deserves. Likewise, Wes Abbott letters with aplomb.

I love the portrayal of Warlord Travis Morgan – fatherly, funny and formidable.

The book closes with Young Justice receiving a very interesting offer, one I’m keen to see taken up.

At the other end of the issue we see a splendid cover from Timms and Eltaeb, with a delightfully unmerited blurb… ‘the real Young Justice’?

There’s a bucketload of great moments throughout this instalment, but Steph’s pointed comment on Tim’s new look is my favourite. And wait until she learns his new hero name. Just be Robin, already.

Kudos to the writers for properly introducing the newest cast members with pithy, precise hero legends.

I find it ever-more amusing that after about 18 months of appearances, Naomi is still in her first week as a powered person.

The only question I have about this issue is, is that bearded fella on the Steph intro page meant to be her dad Cluemaster? If so, I must have missed something.

Young Justice #14 is a cornucopia of all that’s great in superhero comics. There’s action, characterisation, a clever use of continuity, mystery, shining heroes, a great guest star, a dastardly villain and the promise of more fun to come. At the clip the writers are digging into Young Justice history, it surely can’t be long before classic members Secret and Empress show up. Just no Li’l Lobo, please.

That would ruin anybody’s Wednesday.