Young Justice, Wildcats Trilogy

Last new comic of the week:

Young Justice 1

The first title from Brian Michael Bendis’ new Wonder Comics imprint at DC.  From what I can tell, it’s the “young DC heroes” line, something Marvel has had in place for years, just without the official banner.  (See: Moon Girl, Ms Marvel, Miles Morales, Unstoppable Wasp, Champions, Iron Man (the Riri version)...Leave it to the guy who just came from Marvel to help DC catch up.)

This sounds like a no-brainer for me - Bendis writing a superhero team that includes Tim Drake Robin and Impulse, two of my favorite characters from the 90s.  Plus, Jinny Hex, Wonder Girl, and Connor Superboy are all likeable characters as well.

Sadly, it’s not the home run I was expecting and hoping for.  Too much time spent getting the group together coupled with a plot that I don’t care about.  (I know next to nothing about Gemworld, I’ve never cared enough to learn more, and Bendis doesn’t do anything here to change my mind.)

Bendis gets most of the heroes’ voices, but he’s off to a really bad start with Impulse.  Mark Waid’s run on the original Impulse is one of my favorites, and that’s the characterization I’m both familiar with and partial to.  Bendis writes Bart Allen as a hyperactive hummingbird who can’t shut up, exuberant and energetic.  The one I’m used to is...quieter. He still doesn’t think ahead, but his lack of forethought manifests in his actions, not his words.  I’m really not looking forward to an annoying Impulse.

I’ll stick around for a bit longer, but things are off to an uneven start.

Wildcats Trilogy 1-3

Jae Lee’s art singlehandedly pulls this series up like two notches.  Also, the shiny cover of issue one uses metallic colors in a way I’ve not seen before or since, and I still love it all these years later.  Together with Joe Chiodo on colors, his pencils blew me away then and do the same today.

As the resident (repairable) android, Spartan always gets wrecked in battle.  Poor guy.

Having Void means that the team always has dramatic entrances.

Love the fine line work in these last two images.

The writing by Brandon Choi and Dafydd Wyn isn’t worth talking about much, expect for the fact that it centers around Zealot betraying her Coda roots, a plot that’s going to show up again very soon.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice