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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Young Justice" Comics

Young Justice #9

Young Justice #9

Scheduled to arrive in stores: October 19, 2011

Cover date: December 2011

"Cold Case"

Writer: Kevin Hopps & Greg Weisman
Penciller: Christopher Jones
Inker: Dan Davis
Cover: Christopher Jones

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge



Roll Call: Team Instructor: Captain Atom. Team: Dick Grayson/Robin, Wally West/Kid Flash, Artemis Crock/Artemis, Kaldur'am/Aqualad, M'Gann M'Orzz/Miss Martian, Superboy.

Robin is disinterested, Kid Flash is hungry, Artemis is nervous, Aqualad is intensive, Miss Martian is daydreaming and Superboy is bored. It is of course tutoring time with the covert understudy Justice Leaguers and though slow on the uptake Captain Atom realizes that his class on espionage is failing to drive any information home. Time of course, for a practical!

Opening a digital archive he pulls up a file on Captain Nathaniel Adams, convicted of murder in 1968. The team's mission, reinvestigate the case and confirm his guilt or prove him innocent.

Miss Martian invisibly enters the Pentagon and assumes the identity of a young Captain, officially reopening the Adams case and interviewing General Eiling, the judge at Adams' court martial.

Explaining what he remembers, he points out that Adams had blamed his victim, General Lemar, for a Viet Cong ambush that had almost gotten them killed in action. One night the two were arguing in Lemar's quarters and MP Sergeant Polk arrived catching Adams wielding a knife over the body. He also reveals that Adams committed suicide in prison.

Former Lieutenant Yarrow meanwhile is in Las Vegas, playing cards in a casino. Superboy & Wally pose as journalism students after a story. Yarrow was a former friend and defense counsel for Adams. His account of events is vastly different to Eiling's.

Adams was Air Force intelligence, a weapons smuggling ring was in operation and he intended to bring it down. He had confided that information to Lemar before embarking on a mission that was later ambushed leaving only Adams and Yarrow alive.

With Lemar being his only confidante, Adams was convinced it was a set up and went to confront him. Adams insisted he must have been drugged as upon meeting with Lemar he collapsed, waking later only to find a large knife and the General dead.

Being his best friend, Yarrow took on Nate's defense but couldn't save him when both the prosecution and medical examiner testified that the knife was Nate's and that no drugs were involved. Yarrow was clearly upset over the events. Superboy and Wally were shocked to find that Judge Eiling had soon after married Adams' widow and raised his children as his own.

Relaying the information to Miss Martian and Robin, the two pick up on the trail and go to meet Medical Examiner, Shirley Mason. Sadly they find a dead body and under her corpse is a photo of a group of people from the sixties. Using her shapeshifting skills M'Gann is able to confirm the girl in the photo and the dead woman are definitely one and the same.

Over in Honolulu, Artemis and Aqualad meet up with Randy and Peggy, Adams' children. Randy had completely divorced himself mentally as son of Nate Adams while Peggy was more sympathetic and believed like her mother, that Adams was not guilty.

Examining the evidence Kaldur and Artemis' minds wander into their own past as children of men with dark pasts. Kaldur revealing that his father was a human operative, Calvin Durham, for Black Manta that allowed himself to be genetically modified so he could infiltrate Atlantis. Falling in love caused Calvin to betray Manta and fight for Atlantis. He drives the point home to Artemis that they should reserve judgement till all the facts are in.

Now we visit Annapolis. Robin's analysis of the photo revealed that a North Vietnamese General was posing with Mason and her colleagues. Puzzled, the team hunt down former General Trang to find out why. Superboy alerts them to the fact Trang is home but arguing with an armored man with a sword!

As they must operate as covertly as possible they send in M'Gann to investigate.

Trang talks to the armored man revealing him to be named Rako. He points out to Rako, he knows that Shirley Mason was just murdered and that he is also about to fall. Instinctively M'Gann disarms Rako revealing her presence and signing her death warrant.

Superboy crashes into the house between Rako and M'Gann but is hit in the process, a blow that for the first time in the Teen of Steel's life... draws blood.

To Be Continued...

5Story - 5: Kiddie comic? If ever there was an example as to why the DCUA books shouldn't be brushed off as youngster fodder, this is it. Hopps and Weisman deliver a fantastic - FANTASTIC, adventure that proves you can tell a decent adult story that can be enjoyed by all. Sure some kids are going to say Vietnam? The 1960s? Huh? (Some adults will too sadly) but this story doesn't spoon-feed, it just delivers a story, it's down to you to satisfy your curiosity. Each facet of the team is given a specific mission and all the threads join together for a thrilling, enigmatic climax.

Who is Rako? Was Adams guilty? Why of all cases did Atom chose this one to train the team? Plenty of questions and I look forward to the answers!

If you haven't seen the show or read the comics, go check it out!

5Art - 5: There isn't a lot to be said here except that it, like the story is true to the show and expanding on its feel and influence in leaps and bounds. The artwork is growing stronger with each passing month.

5Cover Art - 5: Captain Atom means business! I'll admit Atom is a character I've never ever warmed to, but here he looks cool and in command. If anyone (besides Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman) could tutor the team, well I'd pick Wonder Woman, but hey Atom definitely looks the part here.


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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