Young Justice #17

The Now

Brian Michael Bendis and David Walker Script

Scott Godlewski Art

Gabe Eltaeb Colors

Wes Abbott Letters

John Timms and Gabe Eltaeb Cover

Mirka Andolfo Variant Cover

Bixie Mathieu Assistant Editor

Brittany Holzherr Editor

Jamie S. Rich Group Editor

Superboy created by Jerry Siegel.

By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.

Our cover shows the three founding members of Young Justice, contrasted with mirror images of their past selves. Well, sort of. It kind of feels like Timms was working from memory — especially with Superboy. It's a close approximation, but not as accurate as I wish it could be. Yet another example of a great idea hampered by less-than-ideal execution.

Our variant cover (courtesy of dc.fandom.com) is bright, fun, unique and joyful. This series has had a lot of ups and downs, but the variant covers have almost always been incredible. There are so many talented creators out there who want to tell fun, delightful stories with these characters. I just wish this series could capture some of that joy.

Our story finally catches us up to Action Comics #1021. Young Justice is in Metropolis, helping the Justice League clean up after that big, underwhelming battle with the Legion of Doom. A family that owns a food truck stopped by to give the heroes free food and water, but Tim obnoxiously tells his team to not eat anything until after they've cleaned up everything. He reasons that there are still some kids out in this dangerous area, to which Bart replies, "Yeah, us!"

Wonder Girl has an inconsequential conversation with Wonder Woman, while Bart geeks out with Tim about how cool Conner was an hour ago (especially since, you know, he was the only one who actually did anything). Bart describes Conner's deeds as drop-kicking the Legion of Doom "Darth-Vader-head" headquarters into the water. He also reveals that he filmed the whole thing on Tim's phone. That's right. Instead of doing anything useful, Impulse used his super speed to steal Tim's phone and make a video of Superboy punching Lex Luthor, all while moving too fast for anyone to see him.

Conner is surprisingly touched by this reckless, idiotic gesture, and he wraps Bart up in a big hug, telling him to never stop being the best friend a friend can be. Batman then pulls Tim aside, calling him Robin, leaving Conner and Bart to a few moments of awkward silence. It's hard to tell if Batman actually said anything, or if he and Tim were just too far away for us (the readers) to hear. Regardless, that exchange is interrupted by Barry Allen asking Bart if he's Kid Flash.

At long last, Bart is reunited with his grandfather, and it's incredibly awkward and disappointing. Bart, who has normally been a big hugger in this series, doesn't seem too thrilled about being embraced by Barry here. He also insists on having their conversation at super speed, using his teammates as an excuse. And, frankly, it's hard to blame Bart for his reluctance to talk to Barry. The Flash offers absolutely nothing in this joke of a conversation. Bart tries to tell him about his quest to solve the mystery of changing realities and memories, but Barry just brushes all that aside and talks about how Bart needs to live more in "the now" and appreciate the time he can spend with his friends. Never mind that Bart and Conner are currently homeless and most likely from a different dimension. Let's just go with high school yearbook slogans.

Bart again tries to describe the massive conundrum he's currently in (I mean, he just had a full-blown panic attack last night!) but Barry again brushes him off, saying he's currently dealing with some stuff that has his head spinning. Barry then unceremoniously ends the conversation, saying he needs to get back to his "whole deal," but he encourages Bart to come find him later. He repeats his "live in the now" message, then takes off, leaving Bart to complain to his friends about how stupid that advice is — especially since the time-traveling, dimension-hopping Bart doesn't even know what "the now" is.

Naomi is the first to head off (and again, there was no sign of Amethyst anywhere — I just love it when Bendis forgets which characters he's using). Bart admits to Tim and Conner that he is doing alright, considering he went from drowning in an existential crisis to almost being killed by Brainiac in the span of a few hours. Superman congratulates Young Justice for an outstanding job done, then he flies away with Superboy. Then everybody else takes off, too, with Teen Lantern creating a large, flying surfboard to carry Jinny Hex's truck, with Bart riding on top. Where are they going? Who knows!

Look, if Brian Michael Bendis couldn't think of anything interesting for Bart and Barry to talk about, then he should have let Joshua Williamson handle their reunion. Of course, Williamson would have given us a 20-page sermon on the inspirational qualities of hope and family, but at least we wouldn't have had to wait two years for this garbage. And yes, this issue is garbage. After saving Superboy from an alternate world and learning that reality has somehow shifted around them, Young Justice decided to meet with the Justice League to explore this massive, urgent mystery. When they got to the Hall of Justice, Metropolis was under attack, so they joined in the fight and helped with cleanup. But when all that's over? Everybody just leaves! There was barely an effort made to discuss the huge mystery we've been teasing out for 16 issues!

I think this is what happens when you can't keep your separate stories in sync. Bendis was writing Superman, Action Comics and Young Justice all at the same time, but they somehow drifted months apart. By the time Young Justice caught up to that battle in Metropolis, Superman and the Justice League have already moved on to bigger and better things. Superman had already had his separate adventures with just Superboy, so he couldn't sit and talk with all of Young Justice. It's like Bendis had painted himself into a corner, forcing him to write this issue in which nothing is said and nothing is accomplished. 

Well, for better and worse, we only have three more issues of this series. Let's close with the new house ads:

Get ready for new dark knights! Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights. Yes, that's the name of the comic. It's the most obnoxiously titled event I've ever seen. And guess what? We'll get a small taste of it on this blog. Whoopee.

Cosmic chills and supernatural thrills! Starting this fall in Superman, Action Comics and Legion of Super-Heroes, all written by Brian Michael Bendis. Maybe Young Justice could have been included in that list. But Bendis really messed things up. And that is a rant for another day.

DC Nation spotlight on Teen Wonders. Bendis himself introduces this new segment, which highlights real teenagers who have made a positive impact on their community. Sadly, I don't think this feature lasted too long.

Next time, Impulse will finally reunite with the Flash family (for reals) in The Flash #759.