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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Young Justice" Comics

Young Justice #4

Young Justice #4

Scheduled to arrive in stores: May 18, 2011

Cover date: July 2011

"By Hook or By Web"

Writer: Art Baltazar & Franco
Penciller: Mike Norton
Inker: Mike Norton
Cover: Mike Norton & Alex Sinclair

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge



We rejoin the headstrong boys trapped upside down in webbing having been bested in combat by two villains who introduce themselves as Black Spider and Hook. Mouthing off, the boys reveal that they know the assassins are in the service of the League of Shadows and that Selena Gonzalez is the latest in a series of their secret missions.

That cockiness proves a mistake as the duo begin to question how the teenage heroes knew their plans, potentially revealing their team before they are even official. All isn't lost though as the villains had forgotten to disarm Robin before tying them up. Cue a quick utility belt facilitated escape.

The three heroes attack and find that fighting solo doesn't work. Each are bested again and again. It slowly dawns on them to work together and utilizing their skills together they are able to escape their opponents and rescue Selena.

They reveal to her she is being targeted for her business dealings with Cadmus. Now they have the upper hand and Selena is out of the Assassins' clutches. Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash go on the offensive as a team. Finally in sync, they make short and easy work of Hook and Black Spider.

Selena meanwhile took the opportunity to slip away, so, mission accomplished the boys head back to Mount Justice. Unfortunately their triumph to prove to the Justice League they are ready for battle turns sour. Selena hasn't checked in with police or family and the news report reveals that Hook and Black Spider had escaped shortly after they left.

The magnitude of taking on an organization like the League of Shadows hits them. The Shadows must have had operatives nearby that had helped the assassins and if they were nearby when Selena escaped then their entire mission has failed.

They realize their headstrong cocky attitude has proven more than ever that they aren't ready to be Justice Leaguers. More than that, it cost the life of an innocent.

Selena Gonzalez is dead.

5Story - 5: Wow.

Not so much a kiddies book after all. This is perhaps the most intense story of the DCUA books. Brilliantly written and leading superbly into the future episodes of the show but retaining integrity as a story all on its own.

Initially the first part of the storyline in issue three seemed to go out of its way to make Dick, Bart and Caldur unlikable and heavy on the overconfidence, but as they mature through the arc they really grow on you and I really wanted them to succeed.

The shock that they failed as the twist was a very emotive direction I wasn't expecting and fits perfectly in line with past issues.

4Art - 4: It's just like watching an episode of the show. The character models are spot on, the facial expressions through to the dynamic sequences look superb. Therein lies the problem. The action sequences are a little too in your face in places and the coloring too bright. Not a fault really but I would personally have preferred it to be darker especially to match the darker tone of the story.

3Cover Art - 3: The cover just seems too comedy orientated, I don't feel like they're in peril at all. I know it fits in with the final panel of issue three but perhaps that's why it doesn't have the stun factor of last issue's cover. I think it would have looked better if they looked like they were genuinely facing a life or death situation.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2011

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2011

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