Young Justice #1

DC Comics

Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis

Artist: Patrick Gleason

There’s no better feeling than hyping yourself up for a comic that is months ahead of its release, counting down the weeks until it’s time, and then having that book surpass your expectations. That’s what Young Justice #1 does. This first issue is an astounding accomplishment and a perfect representation of what I want out of my comics.

Considering the size of this new team and Bendis’ track record, I fully expected to have to wait until issue 6 to see them all in action. However, after a brief one page of setup, we’re thrown immediately into the action, and just about every character on the cover is present. It wastes no time trying to answer questions about where certain characters lie regarding continuity. Bendis knows that’s not what’s important to a first issue, and extensive continuity isn’t one of them. As a result, we’re given some of the most fun banter, action, and splash page reveals I’ve seen in comics in recent memory. The plot requires very little setup, and yet makes perfect sense. It’s one of those ideas that makes you slap your head and shout “Of course!”. Gemworld, to my limited knowledge, is just an alien world, and that world is given a solid motivation for invading. I never wondered why it was happening, and I never found myself bored by any exposition regarding it.

As much as the above is wonderfully done, that’s not the main draw to this book. The return of Tim, Cassie, Bart, and Conner is what we’re all here for. While one of those four is only in the issue very briefly, it’s as good a return as you could hope for. There’s no angst (yet), everyone has a great costume, and they feel like old friends again. It feels like they have history, even if the New 52/Rebirth era has muddled up exactly what that history is. Each character has at least one moment where they’re able to shine. Bart undoubtedly gets the best of those moments, as he’s clearly a favorite of Bendis’. We’re not given much in terms of characterization for the new guys, but what little we are given is interesting enough. Plus, the Green Lantern’s name is “Teen Lantern”, so I love her unconditionally.

I’ve always liked Patrick Gleason. I’ve never loved Patrick Gleason like I do now. He’s such a pitch-perfect choice for this kind of book, and additionally a perfect artist to draw Impulse. He’s as worthy a successor to Ramos as we’re likely to get on that front. Expressive doesn’t begin to describe his pencils. It’s so on-point you don’t even think about it while you’re reading because the storytelling is so seamless and effortless that you’re just engrossed. That has as much to do with the words as it does the pretty pictures. This is Gleason’s best work to date, and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

I hate that Young Justice #1 has come out in January because it’s going to sound like I’m joking when I say that this is the best book I’ve read all year. If 2019 wants to surpass this issue, it’s going to have to kick things up several notches. This book is everything I love about Young Justice, comics, and entertainment in general. It’s silly, it’s funny, and it has a soul. Bendis and Gleason’s enthusiasm seeps through the panel borders, and that enthusiasm was enough to improve my mood going forward in my day as I kept thinking about it. I want more. Young Justice #1 achieves every goal it sets for itself, and that is by my definition, a perfect comic.