Welcome to the second installment of Judgment Calls. This
month the topic will be about the up-coming spin-off of the JLA,
Young Justice. The title will be kicked off by a 2-part story,
JLA: World Without Grown-ups. The premise of World Without
Grownups is that all the people over the age of seventeen are
put on a replica Earth, while the young heroes of the DCU
(in particular Robin, Superboy, and Impulse) try to maintain
order and try to figure out what to do.
OK, for those of you not familiar with the young heros of
the DCU, let me explain the main characters. Robin is Batman's
side kick. (if you dont know that, you know nothing about
comics). Impulse is Wally Wests (The Flash) cousin from the
30th century. Superboy has no secret ideentity: hes a clone
with powers that mimic Supermans. Each has a current ongoing
series. Speculation as to who will be on the roster in the
future is high. Most people are saying the future cast might
include Captain Marvel Jr., the new Wonder Girl, Arrowette,
and most likely, "Secret" (the mysterious young girl from
Young Justice: The Secret).
Young Justice is really aimed at younger readers, but might
be enjoyed by older readers, too, if they are not turned off by
the immature attitudes of the young heroes. I have heard some
older readers in on-line chat rooms complain that "They act
like 7 year olds, not teenagers like they are supposed to be."
I would like to say that I am the same age as the characters
in Young Justice and thats how I act with my friends. However,
in JLA: World Without Grown Ups, I think Humberto Ramos, the
penciller, makes the characters look too young. This might
contribute to why people think they act too young. Of course,
some people like his style, but I think Ill be happy when
Todd Nauck (who penciled the Girlfrenzy one-shot for YJ,
YJ: the secret) pencils the on-going series. Todd Dezago,
who wrote Young Justice: The Secret and JLA: World Without
Grown Ups, will not be writing the ongoing series. Instead,
that honor will go to Peter David (former Aquaman writer).
As it looks right now, Young Justice could well be a
successful spin off. Hopefully, it will not go the way of
some JLA spin-offs like JL Task Force and Extreme Justice,
but will be a long running series like The Titans. Thats
my view point, deal with it.
