Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2

Sins of Youth: The Stunning Conclusion

Peter David Writer
Todd Nauck Penciller
Lary Stucker Inker
Jason Wright Colorist
Ken Lopez Letterer
Maureen McTigue Associate Editor
Eddie Berganza Editor

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie. Special thanks to Kimberly & Matt B. The Klarion Icon was designed by Sean Taggart.

This cover is a perfect mirror image of the first Sins of Youth issue — a fact I just barely discovered by comparing the two covers side-by-side.

The only missing character here is Secret. But when you think about the past few issues of Young Justice, Secret has kind of been off doing her own thing, or being kidnapped. So I guess you could say the Big Three of Young Justice has become the Big Four since Wonder Girl has become an indispensable member of the team. Still, though, if Wieringo could have found a way to squeeze in Secret, then these two covers would be perfect.

Our story begins with Lois Lane reporting on the whole situation, including interviews with Arsenal, Jesse Quick, Supergirl, Beast Boy and Flamebird. This indicates that the Titans have finally finished fighting Agenda's Wildebeest hordes, but it also raises the question of how Jesse and Supergirl avoided the age-changing excitement. We got an explanation for Arsenal's immunity, and Beast Boy and Flamebird were not seen at that fateful rally. Lois continues her report, mentioning her failed attempt to interview Impulse, and detailing the trail of destruction caused by the teenage versions of Black Adam and Amazo.

Watching this report from a bar is the adult Tim Drake, who has decided to have a drink with his dad, Jack. They talk about all the negative publicity the young heroes have been receiving, and they both think everyone should be giving the teenagers more credit for trying to make the world a better place. Jack tells Tim that he reminds him of his son, and Tim is thrilled to hear his dad only has good things to say about him. Tim then tries his first taste of beer and instantly spits it out all over his dad. The embarrassed child-adult then makes a hasty retreat, regrouping with the young Bruce, who notes the smell of alcohol on Tim's breath. Tim assures Bruce he didn't actually drink any beer, and they load up into the Batmobile to meet up with everybody else at the ruins of the Young Justice cave.

We then head to the cave, where all the kid heroes are goofing off and making a big mess, while the few adults among them try to hold on to some sense of order. Wally and Jay are running circles around Bart, while others are playing video games, trying to get around the V-chip in the TV, giving each other wedgies, etc., etc. Doiby Dickles tells Starwoman to gather up all the child heroes so he can restore their ages with his new ray gun. She attempts to do so, complaining about the whole idea of young heroes. Impulse helps her out, advising her not to make a hasty judgment, and Starwoman laughs about being lectured on decision-making by Impulse. She then realizes for the first time that the Superboys and Wonder Girls are all missing.

But nobody else seems to care about the missing heroes, and Doiby decides to hit the kids with his gun anyway. And ... nothing happens. Batboy theorizes that they'll need to replicate the combination of science and magic that transformed them in the first place, and Robin agrees, saying they need the help of Klarion the Witch Boy.

Klarion, meanwhile, is hot on the trail of Secret and Deadboy, who has possessed the body of Klarion's beloved familiar, Teekl. Secret suggests taking Deadboy and Teekl "between" to an area Klarion won't be able to reach them, but they're too late. The Witch Boy catches up with them and decides to attack with the latest kids fad, Poxy Monsters. These little monsters start coming to life, popping off kids' GameBoys, trading cards and movie theaters. (The best one is a giant blue Pikachu-like creature that shouts, "Peekaboooo!!") Deadboy is glad they're not being chased by the Power Rangers, and Secret tells him to shut up.

Meanwhile, Diana, Cassie and Kon are in chains at the Agenda headquarters in Alaska, while Clark (also chained up) receives medical attention from some doctors. Kon is enraged to see the woman who killed his former girlfriend, Tana. He breaks free and swoops down to attack, only to discover that this woman, Amanda Spence, is a hologram. Kon then regains his composure a bit, hijacks a computer, and sends out a message to all the other heroes, giving them the coordinates of the Agenda HQ. But his call is interrupted by the arrival of the Point Men.

The Grey Lady later reports to the Contessa that they managed to subdue Kon, but not until after he got a message out. She also admits to her boss that something's been bothering her since she battled the Superboys in Metropolis. Remember that quick, strange part where it seemed like Grey Lady recognized somebody in the crowd? Well, it wasn't just someone she knew — it was her, at least what she looked like before she was changed into a winged gargoyle monster. The Contessa explains that all of the Point Men are clones, planted with the memories and personalities of the people they were cloned from. She coldly says the Point Men were always a temporary, disposable measure to fill the superhero gap until some real heroes were acquired. The Grey Lady is devastated by this revelation, but the Contessa just brushes her off.

We then find out that while the Red Tornado did receive Kon's distress call, he wasn't able to mobilize any of the heroes, since they were all off battling Klarion's Poxy Monsters and teenage super villains. Steel, who stayed behind trying to pick up his hammer, delivers one of the most self-aware lines of the series: "Weird transformations ... mob scenes of heroes ... everything coming unglued ... why does stuff like this seem to happen every fifth week or so?" (And in case you're wondering, yes, Sins of Youth was a classic DC fifth-week event, except for this conclusion, which came out two weeks later.)

So we head out to the big fight scene and are treated to an awesome two-page spread. Jay Garrick is fighting a big yellow blob monster, Starwoman is taking on Black Adam, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern have ganged up on Amazo, Aquaman battles Black Manta, Wally fights Captain Cold, Maxima is going around kissing all the boys she can, Sphinx has taken out Plastic Boy with knock-knock jokes and just about everyone else is busy with random Poxy Monsters. But most interesting of all is the sudden reappearance of Empress, who is fighting the Penguin. Impulse sees her and wonders whether she really is Arrowette.

Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy is watching all this from afar, joking that he hasn't had this much fun since he gave Jim Jones his Kool-Aid recipe (that's a pretty dark joke, even for Klarion). The Contessa contacts him via hologram, and Klarion reports the kidnapping of Teekl, saying his separation from her is making it harder to keep his powers focused. The Contessa dismisses this and teleports Klarion to her office, where she informs him of impending attack of Agenda's Alaska headquarters. She orders Klarion to send all his monsters and villains there, threatening to put him in his room permanently if he disobeys. So Klarion reluctantly agrees, and teleports all his troops to Alaska, leaving our bewildered heroes behind.

While, at the moment, in a place that is no place, Teekl finally manages to shake Deadboy loose. But Secret was prepared for this, and knocks out the cat with a nightmarish psychic attack. The trio return to the real world, at the entrance of the Young Justice cave. Deadboy wonders where everybody is, and right on cue, all the heroes come rushing in, trampling poor Teekl in the process. Secret asks what they should do about Teekl, and Deadboy offers a rather dirty joke: "Let's go bum money. After all, no one can resist a girl with a sad puss."

Red Tornado plays Kon's message for everybody, and Robin suggests Dan the Dyna-Mite head to Washington to talk to Senator Perkins. But Dan isn't ready to admit that everything Old Justice said was wrong, insisting that they did make some valid points. He points out the childish behavior of all the heroes as kids, but Impulse makes an important distinction, saying Young Justice were kids as heroes. Starwoman asks if they were that bad as kids, and Merry the Gimmick Girl says they were actually pretty good. Dan finally seems to get the idea, and he calls over the Cyclone Twins. Hearing the twins mentioned, Plastic Boy jokes about activating their twin powers to harness the power of water and turn into the shape of a pail. He turns into a pail and is promptly kicked by Aquaboy, which inspires another, slightly darker, joke: "Hey! 'Aquababy' just kicked the bucket! Whoa! Déjà vu!" Robin says they'd better head out before the jokes get any worse, but first he has a job for Red Tornado. The android calls him the boss, and Tim has a little moment, realizing that he is currently the leader of all the most powerful superheroes on Earth.

Back at the Agenda HQ, the scientists have begun performing tests on the Superboys and Wonder Girls, admitting that they goaded Kon into lashing out at them so they could get a reading on his increased tactile telekinesis. We then see that the Grey Lady has told the rest of the Point Men that they're disposable clones, and they naturally have become somewhat reluctant to continue following Agenda's orders. Cassie tells them that even though they're clones, they're still individuals that can think and feel and follow their own desires.

Our heroes then arrive at Alaska, showing Klarion that they have Teekl restrained to a Green Lantern cross. Secret tells Klarion to combine his powers with Doiby Dickles' weapon to restore everyone to their normal ages or she will kill Teekl. Klarion tries to blast Secret, but as he said earlier, his powers are waning without his familiar by his side. Starwoman quietly asks Robin whether Secret is bluffing about killing Teekl, and all Robin can say is, "It's a secret." Seeing she means business, Klarion begins to cry, and agrees to do whatever they say as long as they don't hurt Teekl. His team of villains and monsters are shocked he'd surrender so easily, but he snaps at them, saying none of them matter — only Teekl matters.

But before Klarion can get to work, he's blasted from behind by an adult version of himself. The Contessa arrives via hologram to explain that the teacup Klarion used back when this whole adventure began was actually a DNA scanner. And since Klarion is a magical being, Agenda had no problem growing his clone so quickly to create Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Man. The two Klarions instantly begin attacking each other, and all the heroes and villains begin fighting each other, as well. And the fighting begins just as Red Tornado arrives with Ace Atchison and a camera man.

Meanwhile, inside, the Point Men, encouraged by Cassie's words, have decided to fully rebel against Agenda. They start taking out the Agenda troops and rescue the four captive heroes. When Clark asks why they're helping them, Short Cut tells him it's a long story and he should go read the miniseries, which completely confuses Clark and Kon. We then return to the action outside, with Bart doing his best to keep Wally and Jay under control.

When Wally comments on a "totally hot" babe in a miniskirt, Bart dubs him "Kid Flesh." Jay loves this joke, but Wally puts him down for sucking up to the adult Impulse. Captain Marvel, who's fighting Black Adam, sees Amazo heading for Merry and he warns somebody to stop the android. Plastic Boy forms a giant slingshot to launch Lagoon Man, but he totally misses. Luckily, Starwoman is there to blast Amazo away, further strengthening her bond with Merry. Secret tells Deadboy to possess the comatose Teekl, and he begins to rush over to the Witch Boy, who has momentarily been knocked out by the Witch Man. The adult Klarion then turns his attention toward our heroes, turning Wildcat, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter into infants. He tries to blast Teekl as well, but Robin knocks him down with a kick. Klarion is finally reunited with his familiar after Deadboy leaves the cat. And the recharged Witch Boy leads an attack against his adult clone.

We cut back inside, where our heroes and the Point Men are battling the seemingly limitless Agenda troops. But when Kon finds the real Amanda Spence, he prepares to actually kill her this time by lifting a huge piece of rubble over his head. Cassie quickly intervenes, reminding Kon of what he did when Arrowette was in this exact same situation. She reminds him that Arrowette walked away from her identity — her name — and she asks Superboy if he's prepared to give up what his name stands for. After a moment's thought, Kon tosses the rubble aside, which causes Spence to laugh. Kon suddenly lifts Spence over his head and quickly slams her down, stopping just an inch above the ground. He says that since he has to live knowing the life he and Tana could have had, then Spence gets to live knowing the death she could have had.

Outside, Klarion the Witch Man is defeated, and Robin begins speculating on how they can bring him into custody. But the Witch Boy refuses that option and incinerates his adult clone, saying he will not suffer that witch to live. He then says he's tired of being lied to and used, and that he wants to go find a new game to play. Secret sternly reminds him of the deal they made, but he tries to back out of it. Teekl, however, catches a glimpse of Secret's eyes and encourages Klarion to uphold his end of the bargain. So the Witch Boy reluctantly agrees, noting, however, that he'll either change back everyone or no one. The Contessa learns of the fall of Agenda's Alaska headquarters, but she's content to cut her losses on that front, noting that it was worth the price to acquire Kryptonian and Amazonian DNA.

All our heroes, meanwhile have gathered inside and are ready to return to their normal ages ... except for Secret. She says she doesn't every want to return to the childlike feeling of helplessness and being hurt by other people. She appeals to Kon, asking why he'd want to be a teenager again after finally getting what he's always wanted. Kon says he wants the Superboy name to mean something as much as the Superman name does, and he thanks Cassie for reminding him of that. Amanda Spence, in chains, says she would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those "blasted grownups." Robin tells Secret that her feelings she wants to avoid don't go away whether you're an adult or a teen. But he says it's easier to handle that "hurt" with the support of friends. Secret asks if Robin promises to always be there for her, and he says, "Absolutely." But Merry and Doiby both get a bad feeling about that promise.

With everything finally in order, Klarion and Doiby combine their powers, and this time it works. The teenage Impulse shouts out, "They did it!" Superboy cheers, "We're back to normal!" And Secret sadly says, "Whoopee." Wonder Girl wraps up Superboy in a big hug and starts to tell him something, but to everyone's surprise, Kon screams out in pain. He asks Klarion why he took away his powers, but the Witch Boy says he merely kept to his word and that "everyone on Earth has been restored to their regular selves." Klarion then teleports away, while Batman notes the odd phrasing of "on Earth."

Ace then begins an interview with Wonder Girl and Merry, asking for the main takeaway from this adventure. Do young people need protection? Are old people out of touch? Impulse quickly interjects, asking if this is the part with the moral because he always loves this part. Cassie pushes Bart away, while Merry tells Ace she's reminded of the Latin proverb: "The sins of youth are paid for in old age." Wonder Girl expands on that, saying the youth can be guided by the old, and the old by the young, and everyone, no matter what age, has a lot to learn. Merry says, "Some more than others" as Impulse and Plastic Man photobomb the interview.

We return to Washington, D.C., where an old man is watching this interview with his grandson. They're about to have a nice moment of growth and reflection, but they're interrupted by the sudden appearance of a teenage Lobo. Wearing a Wink 281 shirt and riding a space motorcycle, he claims he'll find and frag whoever turned the Main Man into the Top Tot.


OK. Let's take a deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

It's over. Perhaps my favorite comic book event of all time has come to its glorious, action-packed ending. Sins of Youth exemplified everything that was great about the Peter David-Todd Nauck Young Justice run. Great humor, great action, strong emotional moments and intellectual philosophies to think about all while exploring the unique relationship between multiple generations of superheroes and having a real fun time while doing it. And to say that Nauck knocked it out of the park (forgive the pun) is a huge understatement. I really consider his artwork in this series to be a masterpiece.

Sins of Youth worked surprisingly well for a 12-issue event involving so many different characters and creators. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the one-shots, except, ironically, the one's for Batman and Superman, the two most popular DC characters of all time. But everything else had pretty decent writing and artwork, and fit into the continuity of the main story fairly well. There were a couple of minor things here and there that slipped through the cracks — most notably the Titans and Marvel family — but nothing major to complain about.

If I could have asked for one thing, it would have been a larger role for Robin and Impulse. Sins of Youth is a Superboy story as much as a Young Justice story. And I think it only would have been fair to tie in Impulse #60 and Robin #76 in addition to Superboy #74. The story doesn't suffer because of this, but I think it would have made everything bigger and better, especially moving forward. Future issues of Young Justice and Superboy will deal with the fallout of Sins of Youth, but Impulse won't really.

You can find the complete collection of Sins of Youth on Comixology, but I must warn you the issues are out of order in that system. If you're lucky, you can still find the original print copies of these issues (I got mine from eBay). Or, you can try to find the trade paperback, which features an original cover by Mike Wieringo.

I don't have this trade yet, so I'm borrowing this image from MyComicShop.com, which has helped me a lot in filling my collection. Interestingly enough, this is one of only two trade paperbacks for the David-Nauck Young Justice. The first one was called A League of Their Own, which collected the first seven issues of the series and reused the cover for Young Justice #6. Perhaps DC could one day put together some sort of omnibus or absolute edition of this remarkable series.

Well, as sad as it is, it's now time to move on. Next time, we'll see Wally West finally get to enjoy his honeymoon in The Flash #160.

Sins of Youth: The Secret & Deadboy #1

"Looking for Trouble ..."

Todd Dezago wrote it!
Michael Avon Oeming drew it!
Jason Baumgartner inked it!
Bill Oakley lettered it!
Pat Garrahy colored it!
Digital Chameleon separated it!
Maureen McTigue associated it!
Eddie Berganza eddied it!

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie.

I really like the design of Deadboy. There's something really creepy about a bald, pale kid. But then you see the lower case d on his chest, and you start to laugh. The adult Secret also looks pretty good. She is showing off her belly now, but no cleavage, which is a good thing.

Our story begins with Secret and Deadboy tracking Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy by following the trail of chaos he's left in his wake. And even though these two heroes are literally able to see a green trail in the air, they really don't need that, since lots of weird things are happening everywhere Klarion was, such as inanimate objects coming to life and walking around. But when Deadboy sees a bully picking on some kids, he insists on stepping in and putting the bully in his place. Secret gets annoyed by Deadboy's impulsive behavior, even saying that he's just like Impulse. But then she wonders if all kids are like this, including herself, and she only now notices since she's an adult.

Eventually, she manages to get Deadboy focused on the task at hand, and she begins to live up to the responsibility of being an adult in charge. They follow Klarion's path to a circus, and Secret gets them there through a type of teleportation she calls "smoke jumping." (I've never seen her use this ability before, so it might be a new skill acquired from becoming an adult.) Klarion has brought all his regressed villains to the circus — Amazo, Captain Cold, Sphinx, Black Adam, Maxima, Penguin and Black Manta. But the young villains don't do anything other than enjoy the circus.

Secret and Deadboy engage Klarion and Teekl in a silent, invisible battle. Secret sucks Klarion into the abyss (a process she also calls "smoke jumping") but Klarion easily escapes, saying he's already been there. Eventually, Secret and Deadboy realize they can't beat Klarion, so they decide to kidnap Teekl. Deadboy possesses the cat, jumps into Secret's arms and they "smoke jump" away. And this causes the Witch Boy to freak out.

CDTV News Top Story

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV News, bringing you the latest coverage on the current "Sins of Youth."

We've tracked down the individual behind the chaos: Klarion the Witch Boy.

KLARION: Excuse, Ace. That's Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy. You understand, it grants importance to the title that I'm due.

ACE: Sure. So, tell me, Klarion ... uh ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy, how are you responsible for what's happening in America today?

KLARION: Magic, Ace. I've made the adult heroes young, the older heroes younger, and have even sought out their enemies and done the same.

ACE: But you had help, sorta. Doiby Dickles from Old Justice used a gun that turned back some of the effects of your magic. That's why the teen heroes became adults too, right?

KLARION: Any help I receive is from my fabulous feline, Teekl. I do not know what I would do without her.


So that interview obviously took place before the end of this issue. And I'm really surprised, disappointed even, that Klarion didn't turn Ace Atchison into a kid. Oh well, let's talk about this issue, written by the creator of Secret, Todd Dezago. Unfortunately, Dezago hasn't done much with Secret since her creation, and I kind of think Peter David took the character in a slightly different direction. For example, Dezago spent some time diving into Secret's memories and fears, but he didn't say one word about her brother, Harm, who killed her. Dezago also spent a lot of time on this new "smoke jump" power, which he may have always wanted Secret to have. But the problem is we've never seen her do this before, and I think it makes her too powerful, anyway. Why does she need to add teleportation to her already large skill set?

The art for this issue was, quite frankly, insane. Very loose and wild and flat-out weird. It did work at some parts of the story, like when Klarion's chaos magic was causing ordinary objects to become alive and weird. But for the most part, I think this issue would have benefitted from more restrained, consistent art.

Next time, we finally end this epic event. The big wrap-up!!! Young villains, young and old heroes, and a berserk Superboy, Sr.! Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2.

But before we get to that, let's provide a brief recap of what everyone's been doing the past 11 issues.

Part 1: Young Justice reconciles with Old Justice, who realize they were being manipulated the whole time. But the Contessa's alliance with Klarion turned a would-be superhero rally into a scene of chaos, swapping everyone's ages.

Part 2: Superboy confront Match and helps reclaim Cadmus from Agenda's control. Superboy is turned into an adult, but his girlfriend is killed by Agenda.

Part 3: The Titans attempt to search for a cure with S.T.A.R. Labs, but the Contessa keeps them busy by sending out hordes of Wildebeests to attack various cities throughout the country. Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. track Klarion to a museum, but just miss him, instead battling the younger Captain Nazi.

Part 4: The adult Anarky helps the teenage JLA escape Agenda and get to the Watchtower. The heroes briefly visit Shazam, who can't help them, then meet up with the JSA and Young Justice at the ruins of the Young Justice cave. They all decide to split up and approach the problem from as many angles as possible.

Part 5: Aquaman retrieves a mystical staff that could restore everyone's ages, but its evil powers would corrupt whoever wielded it, so he destroys the staff.

Part 6: Batman and Robin visit Zatanna to allegedly ask her to help them find Klarion. But when they find her, she just tries and fails to restore their ages, and neither of them ask her to try to locate the Witch Boy.

Part 7: Impulse and Flash attempt to improve the media's portrayal of superheroes by giving as many interviews as possible. Unfortunately, the speedsters miss most of the interviews due to interference from Agenda, several random super villains and a handful of natural disasters.

Part 8: The JSA and Doiby Dickles successfully retrieve another age-changing gun from the planet Myrg.

Part 9: The young Superman is injured in a fight against the Point Men and Match. Since the adult Superboy doesn't want any civilians to be caught in the crossfire, he agrees to surrender to Agenda if they give Superman the help he needs.

Part 10: Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl come close to completing a deal with the god Apollo to restore their ages, but when they learn that Superboy has been captured by Agenda, they also decide to surrender to them, hoping to be able to rescue their teammate.

Part 11: Secret and Deadman locate Klarion and separate him from his precious cat and familiar, Teekl.

Got all that? Good.

Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1

Coming of Age

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Pencilled by Scott Kolins
Inked by Chris Ivy
Colored by Rick Taylor
Lettered by Ken Lopez
Edited by Maureen McTigue
Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie.

This is probably the only Sins of Youth cover I'm not a fan of. Sure, it's drawn very well. But, c'mon ... do we really need THAT much cleavage? Sure, I've seen much worse with Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Supergirl, etc., but this is Cassie Sandsmark we're talking about, and she's, like, 14! Even though she's technically an adult now, it's only temporary, and this cover still makes me uncomfortable. Well, enough of that!

Just like with the Superman/Superboy issue, this one could get way too confusing too fast if you try for the Wonder Women/Girls route. DC didn't even try it with the title of the issue, simply going with the generic Wonder Girls. So I'm going to only refer to them by their real names, Diana and Cassie. And our story starts with a young Diana trying to end a war by grabbing two tanks and smashing them against each other. But she's quickly embarrassed when she realizes the soldiers were just training by playing war games. Luckily, the tanks were decommissioned scrap heaps, so no harm was done, but Cassie does realize she needs to keep a better eye on Diana.

Cassie takes Diana back to her room, and Cassie is shocked to see through an adult's eyes how she lived in such a cluttered room with walls covered in Titanic posters. Cassie feels uncomfortable wearing Wonder Woman's uniform, but she does finally feel ready to wear Donna Troy's old red uniform. Diana also changes out of Cassie's usual leather jacket and goggles, throwing together the outfit we see her wearing on the cover.

The two then get down to business and try to contact Zeus to get him to change them back. But they instead get Apollo, who agrees to help them if they first retrieve his lost helmet from a giant, powerful cyclops. (As was mentioned in the Impulse/Kid Flash issue.) So the Wonder Girls fly off to Greece and battle the monster, but get their butts kicked. So Diana tries talking to the cyclops in Ancient Greek, and it turns out he's a nice guy, who was ordered by Apollo to kill anyone who tried to take the helmet by force, but to give it to those who ask for it politely.

However, Apollo betrayed our heroes, and told Agenda where to find them. So before Cassie and Diana can return the helmet to Apollo, they're surrounded by Agenda helicopters. The troops order them to surrender, saying they already have Superboy in custody. Cassie sees this as their best chance of rescuing Superboy, so she and Diana abandon the helmet and surrender to Agenda.

And while all this was happening, Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy paid a visit to Diana's Wonderdome and made Sphinx younger. (I guess they couldn't find a better Wonder Woman villain.)

CDTV Top Story

The is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV news, bringing you the latest coverage on the current "Sins of Youth." And I'm asking who are the Wonder Girls? There's Themyscira's Princess Diana. But is she the kid who's been seen tossing tanks alongside the waaay hot blonde babe calling herself Wonder Woman? Or is that the new, scrawny Wonder Girl, who's Young Justice's leader, in a new costume? Wasn't she wearing something else earlier? Then there's the Wonder Girls with the Titans, but she now calls herself Troia, right?

Artemis, the other Wonder Woman, could not be reached for comment. And to the joker from New York calling himself "Wonder Man," we're not going to interview you! So give it up!

We just hope that the Wonder Girl from Young Justice learns something from all the different Wonder Girls costumes out there and takes a hint.

In other news:
– Flamebird's Casa de Fashion agrees: YJ's Wonder Girl tops the Worst Hero Look, beating out last year's winner, Brother Power the Geek.
– And winning the Best-Looking Hero award is Green Lantern. Looks good and knows how to accessorize.


This comic wasn't too bad, considering I have little to no investment in Wonder Woman and the Greek gods. This issue was well-written and looks really good, which comes at no surprise considering who worked on it. Brian K. Vaughan will later become a big name in comics with Y: The Last Man, and Scott Kolins will enjoy a long run on The Flash. So it's pretty to see these two creators before their big "break out" success.

Up next is Part 11 of the 12-part Sins of Youth. The Klarion the Witch Boy Project! Sins of Youth: The Secret & Deadly #1.

Sins of Youth: Superman Jr. & Superboy Sr. #1

The Adventures of Superboy ... When He Was a Man!

Karl Kesel – Writer
Rob Haynes – Artist
Ken Lopez – Letterer
David Self – Colorist
Mike McAvennie – Editor
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie.

Wieringo's young Superman looks awesome — no surprise there. But his old Superboy looks a little wonky, like his face is stretched out. It's still better than any of the art inside this issue, though. Anyway, I figure now is a good time to briefly review the history of Superboy. Originally, back in the Golden Age of comics, DC began publishing stories of Superman ... when he was a boy. He was still the same Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent, just in a flashback, because he apparently decided to become Superboy before he became Superman. That idea lasted for nearly half a century until Crisis on Infinite Earths reset the continuity and created a reality where Clark Kent didn't put on a cape until he was an adult. The Superboy we know and love, Kon-El, was created in a Cadmus lab after Superman was killed by Doomsday in the early '90s. So this issue is kind of a sweet callback to those original Superboy stories.

Now, to keep things straight, I'm going to call the real Superman Clark and the real Superboy Kon. With these two characters, it gets real confusing real quick using "man," "boy," "sr.," or "jr." This is even confusing for the characters in the story. Anyway, our story begins with Kon finding Clark in Metropolis, battling a random villain and getting his butt kicked. Kon helps stop the villain, but he's not used to his new powers, especially heat vision, and he ends up causing more damage than he intended. This is all caught on live TV, and a reporter criticizes the heroes for their reckless behavior. Clark wants to teach that reporter a lesson in journalism, but Kon holds him back.

Clark and Kon have a quiet moment to talk, and Clark says he's weaker than he normally is as an adult, but is stronger than he really was a teenager. (This seemingly inconsistent change in powers is actually consistent among the regressed heroes in Sins of Youth. Wally West is slower now as a teenager, but he retained some of the new abilities he recently acquired as an adult.) Clark admits that he's worried about his wife, Lois Lane, and he decides to tell Kon his secret identity, which Kon already knew. Unlike Wally, Clark doesn't want his wife to see him as a kid, so he dresses Kon up in a suit coat and glasses, and has him call Lois from a nearby building. But Kon messes it up, and Lois assumes Jimmy Olsen is playing a prank on her, so she hangs up and rushes off to her interview with the Flash (which didn't turn out too well as we saw in the Impulse/Kid Flash issue).

Our heroes are then attacked by Match, the Grey Lady and Blockade. During the course of the fight, Kon's heat vision again gets the better of him, and he accidentally brings down a building on top of Clark. Grey Lady stops fighting allegedly because she saw some old friends in the nearby crowd (the story wasn't entirely clear on this point). Kon wants to take the injured Clark to a hospital, but he doesn't want to risk another Agenda attack with so many civilians nearby. So Kon agrees to surrender to Agenda if they promise to heal the teenage Superman.

And while all this was happening, Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy went off to outer space in a Star Trek-like uniform and a Borg-like eyepiece for Teekl. Klarion turns Maxima into a teenager, dubbing her Minima.


Sadly, this issue doesn't have a CDTV News update. Sadder still, this issue suffered from the worst art we've seen in Sins of Youth so far. Rob Haynes' style is definitely not my style. It almost made this issue unbearable. I also have to make a rare complaint about the letterer. Many of the speech bubbles didn't have enough white space inside them, causing a bunch of words to be running into the edge of the bubbles. It was pretty annoying. But other than that, it wasn't too bad of an issue. We didn't have a whole lot of funny moments — mostly serious, emotional stuff with Superboy mourning the loss of his girlfriend, who was killed just hours ago, and the rather interesting, awkward dynamic between Superman and Superboy. The stuff with the Point Men felt rushed, which is a shame, because I think this issue was supposed to show the Point Men beginning to rebel against their Agenda handlers. But we barely caught a small glimpse of that. So if you add up all these frustrations, this issue is a bit of a disappointment.

Up next is Part 10 of this 12-part event, Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1.

Sins of Youth: Starwoman & The JSA Jr. #1

Stars and Tykes

Geoff Johns Word Boy
Drew Johnson Pencil Lad
Rich Faber & Rodney Ramos Inkin' Boys
Joe Rosas Color Kid
Albert T. de Guzman with Dave Lanphear Alphabet Kids
Maureen McTigue & Mike McAvennie The Wonder Twins
Special thanks and apologies to Big Peter Tomasi

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie.

Now that we've had the Impulse/Kid Flash issue, we're not going to see Impulse in Sins of Youth again until the finale. But this issue does contain the original Flash, Jay Garrick, shown here holding onto Starwoman's cosmic staff, along with the rest of the Junior Society of America, or JSA Jr., or whatever it is they want to call themselves these days. I do like young Jay's design, with the loose tang top and shorts, while retaining his trademark hat. Aside from Jay, there really isn't anyone else here with a strong connection to the Flash family or Young Justice. We have crossed paths with Courtney Whitmore, the Star-Spangled Kid, a couple of times now, but nothing that's felt really major. That said, this issue is one of the more important issues in Sins of Youth.

Courtney, now Starwoman, has decided to help Doiby Dickles travel to the planet Myrg to find a replacement for his aging gun. Accompanying them is Merry the Gimmick Girl and the entire JSA, including her stepfather, Pat Dugan. Pat does explain that he needed to make the trip since he was the one who built their spaceship, the Steel Eagle, but that doesn't account for the rather unwise decision to bring the rest of the JSA, who are all very hyperactive, emotional children below the age of 10. Regardless of the logic behind this, it does make for some fun storytelling.

The story does explain that under normal circumstances, Doctor Fate and Hourman would be able to restore everyone to their normal ages. But this transformation robbed them of their powers, or at least take away their confidence in using their powers. (At this issue's climax, Jay encouraged Doctor Fate to try to use his powers, which he did, successfully saving the day.) This issue also gives us a brief history of Myrg, which Doiby and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, encountered during their Silver Age adventures. Doiby was married to a princess, became king and transformed the planet into a replica of Bronx in the 1930s. But Myrg was later invaded by the planet Gren, Doiby was declared public enemy No.1 and exiled. Doiby hopes to one day be reunited with his princess, but for now has to settle on merely grabbing that ray gun and making a hasty retreat.

There's also a fun subplot between Courtney and Merry. Apparently Merry's brother, Sylvester Pemberton, was the original Star-Spangled Kid. And Merry has always resented Courtney for stealing Sylvester's equipment and tarnishing his legacy. Happily, though, Merry does gain some respect for Courtney by the end of this issue. All the kids in this issue are predictably cute, annoying and funny. Jay is probably the best-behaved kid of the bunch, always looking out for others and encouraging safety, but never resorting to becoming a tattle-tell. He does get a little excited and wants to "gogogogogogo!" but he does listen to the adults around him and shows some restraint.

Anyway, the ship full of 16 people (that's a lot to keep track of) arrives at Myrg easily enough. But as soon as they land, a bunch of kids run off to an amusement park, while the others are captured by the despotic authorities of Myrg. The kids who took off learn of this and come back to save everyone. There's a brief fight, then Doiby grabs the gun, and they all take off back home, with all the little kids falling asleep on the journey back to Earth. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy, rescues Black Adam from the D.E.O., making sure to turn Black Adam, Agent Chase and Director Bones into kids.

CDTV News Top Story

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV News, bringing you the latest on the current "Sins of Youth."

We caught up with another old guy, Dan the DyaMite, to get some info.

ACE: So tell me, Dan, you and Old Justice, by having the government trying to outlaw YJ, are really responsible for the whole mess, aren't you?

DAN: Watch how you speak to your elders, young man. Old Justice was just trying to watch out for the welfare of the next generation of superheroes. my team has been there, and it hasn't always turned out well. We're trying to make sure it goes better for these kids.

ACE: Don't you think instead of "deciding" what's best for the kids, you should have ASKED them?

DAN: Nonsense. We have the experience.

ACE: And that's the problem.

DAN: Don't know what you're getting at, son. Old Justice is making restitution. Doiby and Merry are off to get a device that will restore everything back to normal.

ACE: Where no one TALKS to each other. Great. We'll be back with more.


Even though we didn't have a very strong connection to many of these characters, this was still a very fun issue. And significant, too. Doiby's gun will be the key to saving the day at the end. And we will be making a return trip to Myrg in Young Justice. Geoff Johns did do a good job of playing into the legacy of these characters, especially the unexpected, yet realistic dynamic between Courtney and Merry. The art was a bit uneven, which is mostly the result of having two inkers and 16 different characters to focus on. But the art never became a hindrance to the story, nor did the couple of lettering mistakes I noticed. All in all, this was another fun installment in the Sins of Youth event. So far, I'd say the only real disappointment was the Batboy & Robin issue.

Up next is Part 9 of our series, Superman Jr. & Superboy Sr. #1.

Sins of Youth: Kid Flash & Impulse #1

Media Blitz

Dwayne McDuffie Writer
Angel Unzueta Penciller
Jaime Mendoza Inker
Chris Eliopoulos Letterer
Moose Baumann Colors/Seps
Mike McAvennie & L.A. Williams Editors
Impulse created by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie. It really is great to see Impulse co-creator Wieringo drawing Impulse and Kid Flash (even if Impulse is an adult now). Back in 1994, Wieringo drew teenagers the way most comic book artists did — just as short adults. But in 2000, he's shown that he's learned to draw teens skinnier and in more realistic proportions. I wish he would have drawn Impulse a few more times before his untimely death in 2007. Anyway, Impulse's adult outfit keeps the general look of his original uniform, right down to the fingerless gloves. The big difference, obviously, is his hair is no longer flowing free in the wind, as he's now covered his head in a more traditional Flash manner. It's better for secret identities, but not quite as fun, in my opinion. Wally, however, is pretty much wearing the exact same uniform he wore back when he was the original Kid Flash, which is a nice callback.

Our story begins with an angry Wally running away. He's feeling awkward, clumsy, slow, and he can't concentrate since he has teenage hormones overwhelming his smaller body. Bart catches up to Wally, saying he's been chasing him for nearly 300 miles now, and they're supposed to be working together on a public relations tour. Bart asks Wally if he think he's being just a little impulsive, and Wally says he'll defer to Bart's legendary expertise in that area. Bart calls Wally a surly kid, then finally asks him where they're going, and Wally says he plans on spending his honeymoon with his wife — alone. Bart says talking to Linda's a good idea since she's a reporter, but Wally says P.R. is going to be the last thing on his mind with his beautiful wife in their honeymoon suite in Paris, and the prospect of him learning Victoria's secret. This innuendo appears to go over Bart's head (even though he's physically an adult, he still only knows what he knew as a kid). He says he'll go get Max and then they can all get together later. Wally reluctantly agrees to this plan, but he tells Bart to not give him orders, reminding him that he's still the Flash.

In Manchester, Alabama, Max is watching the coverage of the Sins of Youth on the news when Bart walks in behind him. Max initially thinks Bart's voice is starting to change, but when he sees the adult Bart, he asks if he's a time traveler from the future. Bart says he wishes that were the case, then advises Max to sit down as he tells him what happened. In Paris, France, Linda is prepared for a romantic evening with her husband, but she gets quite a shock when she sees what Wally looks like now.

Back in Manchester, Bart is sitting on the floor, finishing his story to Max, adding the detail that Superboy had to be different and didn't grow up at first with everybody else. Bart jokes that the JLA Watchtower is now full of Hard Kore CDs, but he's confident that somebody will figure out how to put things right, sooner or later. In the meantime, Bart asks for Max's help as an elder statesman to tell the media the real story. Max compliments Bart for his extremely well-thought-out plan, but he has to decline the invitation for reasons he can't say. Bart doesn't press the issue, saying he knows it's his responsibility, and Max praises him for living up to his grandpa's legacy.

Bart says he knows he goofs off a lot, but he's always understood what he's training for. Max actually gets a tear in his eye as he says the world needs the Flash. Bart prepares to take off, but first tells Max that if he'll support him if he ever decides to let him in on whatever it is he's hiding. Max wishes Bart godspeed, and he says he'll try to keep it just under godspeed as he zooms away.

We return to Wally and Linda, who actually are talking about public relations. Wally asks Linda to help them get their story out, but Linda says that'd be a conflict of interest, since everybody knows she's married to the Flash. Linda starts to go through a list of names of people who could help, ultimately deciding to call on a media consultant who works for Regis Philbin and Booster Gold. But Wally's hormones get the better of him, and he tries to lean in for a kiss. Linda pushes the boy away, telling him to wait until he's old enough to shave again. Wally apologizes, and Linda asks if it's this bad for the other JLAers, and Wally says she should be thankful she's not married to Aquaman. Linda gives Wally a hug and says she's thankful she's married to him, while Wally has an Impulse-like pictogram thought of a hotel's Do Not Disturb sign.

Shortly later, Bart and Wally meet up in front of Chiang Restaurant (named in honor of longtime Impulse letterer Janice Chiang). Bart brags about how he's much bigger as an adult than Wally was, a comment that Wally deems infantile. Bart then asks Wally why he's wearing that "goofy outfit" and isn't just using the Speed Force to change it back. Wally says his Kid Flash costume is "one of the all-time classically cool super-suits" and he only stopped wearing it to honor Barry Allen's legacy. But while he's temporarily a teenager, Wally figures he might as well indulge in a little nostalgia. Bart offers to let Wally wear his old Impulse costume so they could be Impulse and Kid Impulse, but Wally still hates being called Kid ... even though he's dressed as Kid Flash ...

Bart and Wally then meet with media consultant Ted Barton, who quickly shows them what all the news channels are saying about Young Justice. And none of it is good (one reporter even wildly speculates about "alleged misconduct" between Superman and Wonder Woman). But Ted Barton, who enjoys cigars and speaking in the third person, says he loves a challenge and will gladly help our heroes. He explains that like most Americans, he loves Mount Rushmore and is mad it got destroyed. He admits to fearing metahumans, but is secretly ashamed at owing them so much. Ted Barton also wonders why so many of them wear their underpants on the outside. Wally jokes that they have to do that so they don't soil their underpants when they're three feet away from Darkseid.

Ted Barton loves Wally's humor and says he wishes he had time to book him on Leno. Wally says Letterman's funnier, and Bart says Conan's funnier than both of them. Wally is surprised to learn that Bart is awake at 12:30, and Bart asks him not to tell Max. Ted Barton then gets the speedsters back on track by suggesting they heavily promote their intention to set a world record for the most interviews in one hour, an event he calls "Media Blitz." Ted Barton quickly puts together press kits and an itinerary to fax to news outlets across the country, but Wally rushes the papers out to everybody in person.

So Wally and Bart head off on their publicity tour, but Wally complains that their schedule has them zigzagging back and forth across the country. Bart advises his young companion to not read while running, or use his portable Playtendo. Their first interview is with Bethany Snow, a noted critic of the Titans. But before they can get there, Impulse receives a call from Red Tornado. The android is enjoying his first childhood by listening to Hard Kore, but he's also responsibly monitoring the world. He tells Impulse that a villain named Major Disaster has summoned a giant tidal wave to destroy North Carolina, even though he's currently in jail.

Impulse and Kid Flash rush off to North Carolina, and Wally asks Bart how he wants to handle the situation. Bart tries to think what his grandpa would do (possibly still a holdover from the last issue of Impulse). He considers building a wall of sandbags, digging a trench to stop the wave, redirecting the water with a wind vortex, draining the water with a hole in the ocean floor, absorbing the water with millions of sponges, evacuating the entire coast, and even traveling back in time to prevent the tidal wave from ever occurring. While Bart is lost in thought, Wally quickly steals the speed from the tidal wave to dissipate the water. (This demonstrates that even though Wally is younger, he still has the same powers he recently acquired as the Flash.)

Wally's mad that they missed their first interview, but Bart believes they're bound to get some good press from saving the Eastern Seaboard. However, Bethany Snow criticizes the speedsters for not showing up, calling them cowards. Wally and Bart head off to Gotham next, and Bart admits to Wally that he froze because he never realized there were so many options before. Our speedsters race past Robin and Batboy in the Batmobile, and Wally praises Batman for his "business as usual" attitude. Bart says it's because Batman stays focused on the problem at hand, something that Wally should try sometime.

Over at MBC, Jack Ryder is interviewing for a job. He believes somebody ought to give the superheroes a "fair shake," so his prospective employer agrees to hire him if he can deliver on this promised live Flash interview. But when Bart and Wally arrive at MBC, they find a squad of A.P.E.S. waiting for them. Bart blames Wally for spreading their itinerary around, and notes that these agents have come prepared with equipment to battle speedsters. Wally says they shouldn't confront the A.P.E.S., since that would endanger all the people around them, so he suggests they just move on to their next interview at Metropolis. So the speedsters take off, assuming no harm was done by skipping one more interview, but poor Jack Ryder was denied the job.

At Metropolis, we encounter a familiar foe, the Green Cigarette! Returning to a life of crime, the Green Cigarette is robbing a bank by emitting a type of gas to subdue the guards. Wally somehow manages to clear out all the gas and even "extinguish" Green Cigarette's flame head, rendering it a pillar of smoke. Bart asks Wally to show him how he did that sometime, and Wally questions the logic behind Green Cigarette's move from Manchester to Metropolis.

The two speedsters then finally sit down at a press conference. Bart begins to answer a question from Lois Lane, but is interrupted by the arrival of more A.P.E.S. agents looking to arrest the heroes. So Bart and Wally quickly run away. Wally rescues some people from a burning building, while Bart reads the local paper and comes across a reporter who has written some fair stuff about Superman. So Bart uses a pay phone to call Clark Kent, but only gets his answering machine. Bart angrily assumes Kent is a lazy reporter, sleeping off a three-Martini lunch. But an editor's note tells us that Clark Kent is actually helping Superboy fight Match right now. (I'm not sure if Wally knows Superman's secret identity, but Bart never mentioned the name of the reporter he was calling, so it's a moot point.)

Later, Wally complains that they're not doing a good job at their Media Blitz. Bart point out that in addition to stopping the tidal wave, they've stopped an earthquake, caught a bunch of crooks, rescued a crashing airplane and stopped a bomb from destroying the Hub City Arch. Wally says he did most of that stuff himself while Bart just stood around thinking or ogling girls. Bart denies looking at girls, but does admit to being paralyzed by indecision, since he now feels like he can't afford to make a mistake. Bart also turns things around on Wally, blaming him for ruining the few interviews they did have. Apparently Wally yelled at Katie Couric, insulted Rush Limbaugh and pulled down the pants of Roy Raymond Jr.

The speedsters then run into Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl in Gateway City. Diana says she and Cassie are heading off to battle a Cyclops, and Wally tells them he and Bart are heading to their last interview with Jaqueline Cabrero of KGCW-TV. Bart, who isn't interested in girls as a kid, suddenly becomes smitten by the beauty of the adult Cassie, proving that Wally was right about Bart ogling girls. Cassie says she's surprised that the speedsters are here and not in Keystone City, where the Folded Man has returned and captured billionaire Norman Bridge. (I'm not sure if they meant Devlin Bridges, who was involved in the Folded Man stories in The Flash.)

Anyway, the Folded Man has his captive held in his own house, and although Wally has not encountered this villain before (that was Walter), he does know the basics of how Folded Man can travel through higher dimensions. Since Wally assumes Bart will sit around thinking once again, he rushes in to save the hostage. But Wally is immediately thrown out of the house by Folded Man ... twice. Bart, however, has spent his time drawing figures in the dirt. He tells Wally that the Folded Man and his hostage are in a 3-D shadow of a fourth-dimensional object, just like the popular 30th-century game, 3-D Holographic Tessertris. Wally thinks Bart is goofing with him, but Bart assures him he's very good at that game, and he can apply the knowledge from that to this situation.

So Wally follows Bart's plan by zooming in and out of the house and rearranging furniture and walls in a seemingly random order. But they did manage to evacuate Bridges and his nearly three dozen employees before the estate vanished into a wormhole. Most of the employees praised the heroes, but Bridges told reporters that the Flash destroyed his house and enabled the Folded Man to escape.

Wally calls the whole exercise a bust since most of the media are still reporting the wrong story about the heroes. But Bart points out that they did spend their day helping a lot of people, which is more important than how they look. Wally laughs a little at this, saying that Bart now reminds him of Barry.

Later, Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy pays a visit to Captain Cold. He offers the Rogue a job, but Captain Cold turns him down, saying he's not for sale. So Klarion turns him into a kid and leads him off to "go play with the Flash."

CDTV News Top Story

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV News, here today with the Flash and Impulse to get everything cleared up on the mess that the super-hero "Justice for All" march in Washington, D.C., turned into.

ACE: So what happened, Flash?

FLASH: Um, I'm Impulse. He's the Flash ... Kid Flash, really ...

KID: Don't YOU call me "Kid."

ACE: Things are a bit mixed up, huh?

KID: Duh. That's putting it mildly.

IMP: Wally, be nice! You see, Ace, this ... witch boy ... Klarion put a spell on the JLA and the others to make them into little kids. But then Doiby Dickles from Old Justice pulled this gun out of his hat ...

ACE: Uh-huh ...

IMP: No, really. And the gun started to make the hero kids older, but it backfired with Klarion's magicandwewoundupwiththeadultsbecomingteensandthekidsbecomingadults.Theolderoryoungeryouwerethemoreitallaffectedyouinreverse.

ACE: You're going a bit fast for me. Let me get this straight ...

KID (running off with teammate): No time. We're late for our next interview ...

ACE: Stay tuned. We'll be trying to make sense of this.


This was a really fun story. I feel like it did a good job of focusing equally on Wally and Bart, as well showing realistic, humorous responses from each of them in this wacky situation. Any 13-year-old boy who knew he had a beautiful woman waiting for him in bed would do exactly what Wally tried to do. And we've seen before how disastrous it can be when Bart, who's not an experienced thinker, tries to think too much. We've also seen an adult Bart before, in an alternate future in The Ray, and he was pretty serious then, too.

One reason this issue worked so well was because we had a lot of familiar names working on it. Besides co-creator Wieringo providing the cover, we had guest writer McDuffie and guest penciller Unzueta return, as well as former Impulse letterer Eliopoulos and current Impulse editor L.A. Williams to make sure everything fit together. I still would have preferred Todd Dezago, but McDuffie is a solid replacement. And while I'm not a huge fan of Unzueta's style, the art was decent enough to move the story forward and never became a distraction.

I also liked how this issue was placed in the middle of this 12-issue event. Impulse and Kid Flash are the best-equipped heroes to bleed over into other storylines and give us a quick glimpse of what happened before and what will happen later. I only wish this issue was longer to give us more interactions with all the other heroes. Also, this issue had the best CDTV News segment at the end, hands down.

Next time, Part 8: Doiby Dickles's space gun reversed the aging effect once. Now Starwoman has to babysit her team on a star trek to get a new one! Sins of Youth: Starwoman & the JSA Jr. #1.

Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1

Big Magic

Chuck Dixon • Story
Cary Nord • Pencils
Mark Lipka • Inks
Noelle Giddings • Colors
Sean Konot • Letters
Eddie Berganza & Matt Idelson • Stunt Coordinators
Batman created by Bob Kane

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie. All these covers have the same design and the same high level of quality. I feel bad that I don't have much to say about them, but that's just how it goes, I guess. I'm not exactly sure why the Batboy costume has a mask completely covering Bruce's face, but it does look pretty cool. Maybe it's to help distinguish him from his normal Batman form. Ironically, the bulk of this issue has Bruce dressed like Robin and Tim as Batman.

This issue also doesn't have Impulse in it, so this will be another quick synopsis. Bruce and Tim have returned to Gotham City and, in an effort to maintain the illusion of normalcy, have put on each other's uniforms. But kid Bruce is a bit bigger than Tim was, so the Robin outfit is tight on him. Tim is nervous about driving the Batmobile for the first time, but he quickly grows to love it. And poor Alfred has to lie down after seeing these age-swapped heroes.

Bruce says they need to find Klarion the Witch Boy, and he suggests they ask Zatanna to help them. Some highlights along the way include Tim awkwardly calling Jim Gordon "Commissioner" instead of just "Jim," and Tim having a nice discussion with Bruce, where he admits he has never considered growing up to be Batman. He still plans on fighting crime throughout his life, just not necessarily as the Dark Knight. Oh, and Klarion turns the Penguin into a kid.

To make a long story short, Tim and Bruce rescue Zatanna from a couple of very random villains. She then tries to restore them to their normal ages, but all she can manage is to change their costume back to what they were on the cover, saying Klarion's magic is too powerful for her. Oddly enough, neither Batboy nor Robin tells Zatanna that their ages were changed by a combination of magic and science. Nor do they ask her to help them locate Klarion, which was their plan all along. They just ... leave.

CDTV News Top Story

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV news, bringing you the latest coverage on Sins of Youth. And let me tell you, Gotham City blows! We've been here for just a couple of hours, and so far we've had most of our equipment stolen, our van is missing and we've been attacked twice. The last one could have been fatal, if not for some huge Batguy and a very serious kid who was with him. They showed up at the last minute to kick some much deserved bad-guy butt. This means the urban legends are true about a Batman in this city, but I can't prove it because our video cameras were TAKEN!!!!

All I can say is that he's nicer than has been said. It's his kid sidekick who gives me the creeps.

So If you can avoid Gotham City, do it. Good goth music, but THAT IS IT!

In other news:
– Zatanna says for her next trick, "kcehc tuo ym wen noitca erugif."
– Waynetech mini-CD system not compatible with LexCorp Music's new Big Boom Tube Boxes.


Sadly, this was the weakest installment of Sins of Youth so far. The art wasn't that great, and the story was really meandering. It was kind of fun to see Tim struggle with being an adult, but the kid Bruce didn't act different at all. Batboy was a lot more entertaining in JLA Jr. #1. Oh well. We're bound to have a few hiccups in such a large story with so many different creators involved. The fact that duds like this are the exception and not the rule is a testament to the awesomeness of this event.

Next time, Part 7: The speedsters do a world press conference to clear up the current Young Justice mess, and you are there! Sins of Youth: Kid Flash & Impulse #1!

Sins of Youth: Aquaboy & Lagoon Man #1

Turning Back the Tides of Time

Ben Raab – Writer
Sunny Lee – Penciller
Lary Stucker & Norm Rapmund – Inkers
Ken Lopez – Letterer
Tom McCraw – Colorist
Maureen McTigue – Associate Editor
Eddie Berganza – Editor

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie. These standard covers are very straightforward, leaving very little to be said about them. Lagoon Man is an incredibly massive beast, who now has a tail for some reason. Aquaboy, the most girl crazy of the youthened heroes, smartly appears just a bit older and taller than the rest of the shrunken JLA members. This makes his constant oggling of women and inappropriate jokes a little more palatable.

Speaking of inappropriate jokes, our story begins with a great one. Surrounded by six beautiful women on a beach, Aquaboy asks if any of them like sushi. One of them leans in close, and says she just loves it raw. Of course, the boyfriends of these women are none too happy with this scene, but Aquaboy has the massive Lagoon Man to protect him.

(Before I forget, I should note that Impulse technically doesn't appear in this issue. My weak justification for reviewing this is that Impulse does appear on the cover. But mainly, I just want to hit every Sins of Youth issue, even if it's just a quick one, like this will be.)

It is interesting to note that Aquaboy is the first adult-turned-teen who is actually happier with his new age. He tells Lagoon Man that for the first time in his life, he feels like a normal person, not weighed down by the burdens of being a head of state. He uses the word "complete" to describe how he feels, but sadly acknowledges that this is only temporary. Lagoon Man is simply thrilled by the freedom granted from being an adult.

Of course, their fun and games can't last forever. A mermaid washes ashore, telling Aquaboy that his old enemy, Black Manta, has acquired a very power ancient artifact and is using it to wreak havoc on an underwater city. So, long story short, Aquaboy, Lagoon Man, and a few other people take down Black Manta and acquire the mystic staff. Aquaboy realizes he could use this staff to return himself and all the other superheroes back to their right ages, but he's warned that he can only use the staff once before its power corrupts him. So the King of Atlantis selflessly uses the staff to repair all the damage caused by Black Manta. He then snaps the staff in half, so no one can be corrupted by it in the future, and he and Lagoon Man swim off, looking for another solution.

We then get a quick epilogue of Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy visiting Black Manta in his prison cell. Klarion has put on a jacket decorated with goldfish for the occasion, and even has a cute little air bubble around Teekl's head. The Witch Boy takes out Black Manta's guards and transforms the super villain into a teenager.

CDTV Top Story

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV news, bringing you the latest coverage on the current "Youth Movement" or what some are now calling the "Sins of Youth."

Young Justice's "Justice for All" superhero march turned out to be a disaster for all. It blew up (literally) into a major free-for-all, and this reporter is trying to track the fiasco, because it looks like the adults have been turned into kids and the kids are now adults. A sucky situation indeed!

The heroes all busted out in different directions. The government Point Men were on the JLA's tail but lost them. But now CDTV has heard a kid and his giant monster are jamming' off the Santa Monica Beach area, and, you know, where there's a party, Ace Atchinson is there first!

In other news:
– Frontstreet Boys upset and suing Ace Atchinson for earlier comments made about them by him.
– OutofSync — mad that Ace didn't mention them — are suing as well.


So there you have it. This event is officially called the Sins of Youth both inside and outside the comic world. It's always a weird, exciting moment to see characters use the story's actual name, like, "This is a real Crisis!" I guess it helps keep things organized. Anyway, I have little to no knowledge on Aquaman, so I didn't know or care about half this issue. But overall, it was still a fun read, complimented with some decent art that fit the tone of the story. I was kind of surprised that nobody talked about Aquaman getting his hand back, but I guess that's a fairly obvious observation that doesn't require any discussion.

Next time, Part 6: Reports say everything is normal here, but what can you believe in from a city whose heroes are only urban myths? And check out Zatanna's appearance here! Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1.

Sins of Youth: JLA Jr. #1

You Gotta Be Kidding!

Written by "Danny" Curtis Johnson
Pencils by Carlo "Carlito" Barberi
Inks by Wayne "Wayne" Faucher & Juan "Tito" Vlasco
Colors by Pat "Patty" Garrahy
Letters by Dave "Davey" Lanphear & Clem "Clem" Robins
Edits by Minnie Mo McTigue & Eddie "el Nene" Berganza

Cover by Mike Wieringo & Terry Austin. Colors by Tanya & Richard Horie.

Now we're into the full swing of things. The rest of the covers and issues of this event will follow the same format. On this cover, Wieringo wisely gave the focus to the members of the JLA who will not be appearing in other issues — Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Steel, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman will get their turn later on. This cover also sets the precedent of altering the small images on the bottom. Since Red Tornado is in the main image, his small picture has been replaced with Lagoon Boy.

The bulk of this story takes place before that short JLA/JSA story in the Secret Files issue, which was a little disorienting initially. So we pick up in Washington, D.C., right after everyone has been transformed, and is chaotically trying to split up and regroup at the Young Justice cave. Doiby Dickles is blaming himself for making things worse; Merry the Gimmick the Girl is trying to console him; the media is trying to sort everything out, erroneously reporting that a group of heroes clashed with government agents and that Superboy started the fighting; Senator Perkins is trying to restore order and get rid of the reporters; and Klarion the Witch Boy gladly welcomes chaos, his old friend.

The JLA has grouped together by some trees, and Wally immediately starts asking a bunch of questions that no one can answer: How'd they become kids, who're those other super-people who suddenly showed up (Point Men), and where'd Young Justice go. Superman suggests they find those "super-goons" and kick their until butts until they're changed back. Wonder Woman astutely notes that they don't know who transformed them, and maybe they shouldn't be fighting anyone until they can figure out what's going on. All Batman cares about is that nobody sees him.

Superman tells Batman that if he was so worried about being seen, then he shouldn't have jumped out after that "weird little kid" (Klarion). Batman says he thinks Deadman made him do that, but Superman says he's just making excuses. He also starts a running gag of calling Batman "Bats," which he hates. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel occupies himself by messing with Steel's armor, and Green Lantern, an artist by trade, literally changes his costume every single panel.

Wonder Woman begins to speculate that that weird little kid may have been some sort of sorcerer, but Captain Marvel interrupts her by tugging on her lasso and saying a bunch of people are looking at them funny. The people think that Superman is Superboy and his teammates are Young Justice instead of the JLA. Aquaman tries to explain the situation to them, but he's soon blasted from behind by the Agenda troopers. Soon, the JLA is surrounded by troopers and the Point Men, but they're rescued by the adult Anarky, who uses a couple of well-placed smoke bombs to cover their escape.

Batman angrily claims that he was just about to do the same thing, which Superman highly doubts. But Batman does begin reasoning out their next move, saying they won't be able to get to the meeting place with the Point Men trailing them like this, so he suggests they go to the Watchtower. Wally points out that the nearest teleport pad is in the D.E.O. building, and there's no way they could get in there in with "everyone and their grandmother" hunting them. Anarky once again comes to the rescue, saying he's been developing a teleport pad, but would need a few more codes to adjust it to send the team to the Watchtower.

Since they have no other option, the JLA retreats to Anarky's base, and Steel makes the adjustments to send the team to their base base on the Moon. Steel also makes sure that this is a one-time teleportation only, so that Anarky won't be able to go to the Watchtower at a later date. But once the JLA arrives in their base, the security system is triggered and begins to detain the heroes. Apparently the key parameters they used to have the Watchtower identify them were their size, mass and voices. One would think that the shape-shifting Martian Manhunter would be able to turn himself into an adult to turn off the defense mechanism, but the computer is smart enough to tailor its attacks to each intruder, and it surrounds J'onn with a ring of fire. So it's up to Batman to evade all the obstacles and punch in the manual override. And he can't help but brag a bit when he accomplishes this.

The heroes get a brief moment to relax and regroup. Steel adjusts his armor, Captain Marvel begins tying Plastic Man in a bunch of knots, and the rest get the monitor board on to see that, sadly, the media seems to be milking this story for all its worth. But one reporter, Ace Atchinson, is providing a fair report, asking how much of the truth they aren't hearing, and suggesting that they listen to the kids to learn what they need. Green Lantern says they just need a few more reporters like him to spread the truth, and Wally sarcastically says he'll just interview every reporter in the country at super-speed. Red Tornado tells Wally that's not a bad idea, but there's no guarantee he'll be believed as long as people think they're part of Young Justice. The android argues that their priority should be to return to normal so they can be in a better position to help the real kids.

Martian Manhunter begins a telepathic search for Klarion the Witch Boy, who is currently in a cave, reaching back in time for the android Amazo. However, Amazo emerges as a teenager, which Klarion hadn't intended, but speculates is a residual side effect of all the chaotic forces he's been throwing around today. Klarion then notices J'onn's presence, and psychically repels him. The young Martian Manhunter was a bit shaken by this, but he did manage to confirm that it was Klarion who de-aged them, and that Klarion is working with somebody else.

Aquaman, who is busy looking at pictures of Power Girl and Fire, suggests they "just chill until the bad guys reveal themselves." Superman hates this idea, saying they also need to worry about their home cities like Metropolis and Gotham. Wally reminds everyone that he's supposed to be on his honeymoon right now, and he tersely tells Superman he's free to "go babysit" his city while the rest of them "actually work on the problem." Wonder Woman prevents Superman and Flash from attacking each other and all of them realize that their emotions have changed to match their younger bodies. Green Lantern cries out that he'd rather be a monkey, a caveman, a potted plant, anything but a teenager again. Steel jokes that Kyle is only two or three years younger.

Wonder Woman returns to her magic theory, asking if anyone has a sorcerer handy. Captain Marvel tells everyone he knows a wizard, but many of his teammates doubt this, especially Wally, who says the "squirt" would claim he knew an electric pocket monster just to get attention. But, once again, since nobody has any better options, they all decide to follow Captain Marvel's lead. He takes them down to Shazam's cave, where the wizard opens with a lesson on the Seven Deadly Sins of Man. Batman is linked with Injustice, Green Lantern is Laziness, Aquaman is Selfishness, Flash is Hatred, Plastic Man is Greed, Red Tornado is Envy, and Superman is Pride. Naturally, none of these youthened heroes take this message well.

When they do get to speak with Shazam, the wizard explains that he is unable to help them since their ages were altered by a strange combination of magic and science. Shazam advises them to meet up with the other heroes at the Young Justice cave, then disappears. Wally criticizes "Wonder Chick" for this stupid idea. She says it wasn't her idea, she just said it sounded workable. Wally says that's the same as it being her idea in the first place, which launches a classic back-and-forth of "Is not!" and "Is too!" Naturally, Wally is too fast for Wonder Woman to keep up with all his "Is too!"s.

Superman gets fed up with everything, and he flies off to Metropolis, which makes Captain Marvel start to cry. Batman says Superman had a good point, so Wally mocks him, asking if he's worried about his mommy and daddy back in Gotham. Batman flips out and almost attacks Wally, but Martian Manhunter stops them, who realizes they'll never be able to solve this problem in their emotional condition. Finally, at the urging of Red Tornado, they all head to the Young Justice cave, catching us up to the Secret Files story.

After the brief (and hilarious) fight between the JLA and JSA, the adults of Young Justice show up and restore order. They all agree that they should approach their problem from as many different angles as possible. Aquaman says says he'll check out the high technology and old magic in Atlantis, and Lagoon Boy plans on having some fun with his king in their new ages. Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman plan on trying the gods of Olympus. Red Tornado says they also need to deal with the matter of public perception, so Wally brings back the idea he initially suggested sarcastically. He and "Impulse-Man" could go get the word out. Impulse agrees with this idea, but he calls Wally "Kid," which he doesn't like.

Superboy says Superman shouldn't have taken off so impetuously, but he did have a good point. Superboy will head to Metropolis to keep their enemies believing things are business as usual, and he advises Batman and Robin to go to Gotham. Doiby heads off to the planet Myrg with the JSA to try to repair his aging gun, and Secret says she'll take Deadman with her to track down Klarion the Witch Boy. Red Tornado volunteers to remain at the cave and coordinate everything. He says they don't have time to wait for the Titans, so everybody rushes off toward their own adventures.

CDTV News Top Story:

This is Ace Atchison reporting for CDTV News, continuing the latest coverage on the current "Youth Movement."

We're her live from Washington, D.C., where Young Justice has called for a superhero "Justice for All" march, to defend themselves against the crimes that they believe they have been wrongly accused of. It looks like anyone who's anybody in the superhero community is here to hear their case: the JLA, Titans, the JSA, plus a lot of other heroes.

Wait ... some government officials have come to greet the heroes and ... what's this? Superboy is turning against his teammates, saying that all the accusations are true and that Young Justice is dangerous! But wait! Another Superboy has shown up, and a major fight is starting!

Hey, who's the little kid in the suit waving his hands around? Some showy figure is jumping on him! Heck is breaking loose, people! There's smoke all around, it's hard to know what's going on. All we can make out is loud zappy, zappy sounds.

The smoke is clearing ... and what the ... ?! Is it me or did all the adults get turned young, and the kids are now adults?! We'll be right back ...


This was another fun installment in this Sins of Youth event. It's so wild and silly and simply wonderful. What can I say? I love seeing the Justice League as kids. This reminds me a lot of the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Kid Stuff," although that was on a much smaller scope — only turning Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman into kids. And everything else was completely different, so that's where the comparison ends. But the root of the idea, turning adults into kids, is always an amusing concept, in my opinion.

The art was handled wonderfully by newcomer Carlo Barberi, who also drew the JLA/JSA story in the Secret Files issue. Barberi has a fun, light-hearted style that works perfectly for a story of this nature. I see hints of Humberto Ramos, a splash of Craig Rousseau, and just a smidge of Todd Nauck in his work (in fact, I even like Barberi's Klarion more than Nauck's — not quite as chubby). Later, we will see how Barberi's style will help him become the next penciller on Impulse after Ethan Van Sciver leaves.

This story did a good job of providing enough information for anyone who might have missed a previous issue or two, but there were a few continuity problems I noticed. However, these are small quibbles in the grand scheme of this story. But I do have to ask, what was everyone else doing before they met up at the cave? We know that Wonder Girl and Superboy were at Cadmus, the Titans were at S.T.A.R. Labs, Mary Marvel and Freddy Freeman tracked down Klarion to a museum ... and that's it. Specifically, I want to know what Robin and Impulse were doing, since they're now two of the most responsible superheroes on the planet. Oh well. Like I said, it doesn't really matter that much.

Up next is Part 5: The JLA has tried to get its act together by separating, but Aquaboy and friend are more interested in catching rays and babes than finding a solution to their problems. It's good to be the king! Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man #1.

Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files & Origins #1

Cover art by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker. Cover colors by Digital Chameleon. This is a great cover, but it doesn't really show what's happening in Sins of Youth. Instead, it shows what we thought might have happened before Sins of Youth — a showdown between the JLA, JSA and Young Justice. Naturally, each member of Young Justice is directly confronting their mentors. Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl in her lasso, and Superboy, Robin and Impulse are being closely followed by Superman, Batman and the Flash, respectively. Secret, who doesn't have a natural adult counterpart, is double-teamed by Plastic Man and Green Lantern. Like I said, this is a great cover, but it's not particularly applicable to our story anymore.

This issue is 64 pages of wonderful information, telling us everything we'd ever want to know about the dozens of characters involved in this event, and how Klarion's spell has effected them. However, Impulse's involvement in this comic is quite limited, so I'll be doing a lot of skimming here.

Our main story focuses on the Titans, beginning with a slight continuity contradiction by showing Cameron Chase telling Arsenal that he and the Titans need to support Young Justice at their rally two days from now. The problem is, Wonder Girl announced the rally just one day before it happened, and we saw how the Titans decided to attend. Arsenal thought it could be a trap, but the others pressured him into going.

Anyway, the story jumps ahead to the aftermath of Klarion's spell and Doiby's ray gun. Damage and Argent have been turned into adults, Cyborg and Starfire have become young teenagers, but Nightwing, Arsenal, Troia and Garth remain the same. And even though we saw Jesse Quick with the Titans in Sins of Youth #1, she is nowhere to be seen here, which is sad, because I really would have loved to see what the serious, CEO Jesse would have been like as a girl.

When all the heroes scatter, the Titans head straight to S.T.A.R. Labs to look for a cure. Nightwing has a theory as to why he and the other original Teen Titans weren't affected. Long ago, Robin, Speedy, Wonder Girl, Aqualad and Kid Flash prevented a robbery of an anti-aging formula. In the process, they were all exposed to the gas, except for Wally, which is why he became younger. Nightwing believes the doctors at S.T.A.R. Labs can analyze their blood to find a cure, but before they can do so, they learn of an attack of a group of terrorists called the Wildebeests.

Leading the call to action is the adult Damage, who is now calm, composed, in complete control of his powers, and is beginning to wonder if he wants to return to being a teenager. The Titans eventually defeat the Wildebeests at the JFK International Airport, but soon learn of another attack at Grand Central Station. So they rush off to save the day again, further delaying their search for a cure. Naturally, this is all part of the Contessa's plans. Not only is she arranging things to keep the heroes busy, but she was also behind that original robbery years ago.

So this story was a bit contrived, but it is nice to see what the Titans were up to doing this whole event. And I found Damage's reaction to his new age rather interesting. Everyone immediately starts looking to return to normal, which is a natural inclination, but he's the first so far to wonder if he's actually better staying like this.

CD-TV ad

Written by Lary Stucker
Pencilled by Pascual Ferry
Inked by Rob Stull
Lettered by Comicraft
Color by Tom McCraw with separations by Digital Chameleon

This is a sweet, goofy little demonstration of Ace Atchinson's personality. At top, is Ace getting punched by Superboy's favorite rapper, Hard Kore. In the middle, Ace is cowering under the table beneath the Joker during an Arkham Asylum riot. And at the bottom, Ace prepares for an interview with Young Justice. I really like the concept of this fake ad. I just wish it was drawn a little better ...

After that ad, the issue dives into the Profile Pages, beginning with Robin. After providing a brief background on Tim Drake, his bio says that he was dismayed to see his adult self is under six feet tall, but he does learn there are advantages to being Batman instead of Robin.

Impulse

Text by Todd Dezago
Pencilled by Matthew Clark
Inked by Ray Snyder
Color by Tom McCraw with separations by Digital Chameleon

Real name: Bartholomew "Bart" Allen (II)
Occupation: Student/Costumed adventurer
Base of Operations: Manchester, Alabama
Ht: 5'3"
Wt: 114 lbs.
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Brown
First Appearance: The Flash #91 (June, 1994)

Born in the 30th century, Bart Allen was brought back to our time by his grandmother, Iris Allen (widow of Barry Allen — the Silver Age Flash!), in an attempt to cure him of a hyperaccelerated aging process. That cured (by none other than current Flash, and Bart's cousin, Wally West!), it was decided that the future was not a safe environment for Bart to grow up in and that it was best that he remain in the 21st century. Unfortunately, Bart's hyperaccelerated attention span requires that he be under the guidance and supervision of a uniquely patient individual. And so Bart — later called Impulse — was put into the care of his mentor, Max Mercury — the Zen Maser of Speed! Bart spends most of his days trying to conform to the "mind-numbingly slow" pace of "normal" life ... and Max spends most of his time keeping Bart out of trouble! Of his recent experience as an adult, Impulse's response was, "No thanks! Too much thinking!"

I'm very glad that Impulse writer Todd Dezago was brought in to write this Profile Page, which perfectly sums up the backstory of Impulse in a concise manner. I just wish that Impulse artist Ethan Van Sciver could have drawn this page. Matthew Clark's art isn't necessarily bad, it's just that Van Sciver's art is amazing! And I miss it. He's been MIA for the past three months. Anyway, one interesting note here is Impulse's height and weight. In previous Secret Files and Origins, he was listed at 5'1" and 110 lbs. Now it appears our little speedster is starting to grow up!

The next Profile Page is Superboy, which mostly recaps Superboy #74. Wonder Girl is next, which talks about how Cassie enjoys being a grown-up, and may be the perfect candidate for Young Justice's next leader. The Empress page follows that, and it doesn't offer any details on who or what she is. It does speculate that she could be a new heroic identity for Arrowette, but immediately dismisses that possibility as hopeful speculation.

We then get Cissie Jones-King, which talks about how she has retired from being Arrowette. Everywhere else I've seen her name as Cissie King-Jones, but I think Jones-King makes more sense, since her dad's last name was Jones and her mom's last name is King. Next is the Secret, which briefly details her tragic past, her brother Harm, and the D.E.O., before saying that she, too, is reluctant to return to childhood. Lagoon Boy portrays him as a fun-loving party animal, able to find enjoyment both as a teenager and an adult.

The Star-Spangled Kid talks about how Courtney is now the adult Starwoman, and her stepfather, Pat Dugan, is now the child S.T.R.I.P.E.S.Y. with his tiny robot S.T.R.I.P.E. The Junior Society of America gives us the new names for the youngest oldest super-hero team in history — Hawkbaby, Starwoman, Teen Lantern, The Star-Spangled Kid, Hourboy, Bigg Boy, Cry Baby, Kid Mid-Nite, Wildbrat, Terrific Lad, Li'l Fate, S.T.R.I.P.E.S.Y., The Golden Age Kid Flash, and Sandy, the Golden Boy and Chairman of the JSA.

We then get a very fun short story about the JLA and JSA going to the partially destroyed Young Justice cave to collect some rocket fuel the JLA may have left there back in the day. Apparently Doiby Dickles has another de-aging gun on the planet Myrg, and the JSA intends on flying there with their spaceship. But the JSA and JLA all get into a fight over this just because they're wild, rambunctious kids.

Some of the best jokes involve Aquaboy hitting on Starwoman. He boasts that he can "dive for hours without having to come up for air," which is hilariously dirty if you think about it. Wally teases the younger Jay Garrick that he better slow down or he'll break a hip, to which Jay says, "That's so funny I forgot to laugh!" Wally responds by asking if Alzheimer's is kicking in already for Jay. Kyle Rayner immediately steals that Alzheimer's line when he teases the younger Alan Scott. The two young robots, Red Tornado and Hourboy, have fun trading arms and capes. And the young Captain Marvel tries to restore order by lecturing everyone about how they should remember who they really are and stand up for truth, justice and the American way. But this speech is promptly ignored.

Eventually, the JSA gets their rocket fuel and takes off. Aquaboy asks Starwoman one last time if she wants to "get a little ... wet," but she again flatly turns him down. Wonder Woman realizes the adult Young Justice are going to be ticked at them, and Batman asks the others to not tell Robin that he was here. Aquaboy laments to Kid Flash that Starwoman left him "high and dry," and Wally tells him that they all do.

After this most amusing, and also informative story, we return to the Profile Pages, starting with JLA, Jr., which gives us the new names for these heroes — Superman Jr., Batboy, Kid Flash, Aquaboy, Li'l Steel, Green Lantern, Li'l Captain Marvel, Plastic Boy, Li'l Red Tornado, Wonder Girl and Martian Kidhunter. Up next is the the Marvel Family, which sadly doesn't mention their new status in the Sins of Youth world.

But I guess that's OK, since the next short story shows us that Mary Marvel has become an adult, while Captain Marvel Jr. is just normal teenager Freddy Freeman, unable to transform into his heroic identity for some reason. The two of them track down Klarion the Witch Boy to a museum, where they also find a youthened Captain Nazi. Klarion quickly teleports away. While Mary Marvel protects the bystanders, the depowered Freddy saves the day by electrocuting Captain Nazi. And sadly, we get no explanation as to why CM3 didn't also become an adult.

We then get The Titans Profile Page, which recaps the big story we just had in this comic. And sadly, this also fails to mention Jesse Quick, who I guess just went home before any of the age-changing occurred. Up next is Li'l Lobo, which reminds us that he made a cameo appearance as a statue in Young Justice #1,000,000. This bio doesn't explain exactly how or why Lobo was affected by Klarion's spell, but remember, the explanation of the magic/science blast did say it spread heavenward. So, I can only assume that Lobo happened to be however many light-years directly above that exact spot in Washington, D.C., and got hit by the lingering effects of the blast. I guess.

The next page goes to the Point Men, telling us a bit about all the members we've seen, except for the enormous Groundswell, who we only saw briefly during the big fight in Washington. We then have a page devoted to Young Villains — Li'l Amazo, Li'l Pengy, Mini-Maxima, Private Cold, Li'l Sphinx, Li'l Manta and Li'l Black Adam. Next is Klarion ... bum, bum, BUM ... the Witch Boy. This explains that he's primarily a villain of the demon Etrigan, but he's now teamed up with the Contessa to cause chaos and have fun. And now that he's altered the ages of the heroes, he's decided to travel the country and de-age a bunch of supervillains, as well.

And our final story shows Klarion doing just that. He interrupts Catwoman during a routine jewel heist and turns her into a little kid, then promptly disappears. And our issue ends with a final Profile Page for the Agenda. This explains that their leader, the Contessa, was once the bride of Lex Luthor. As part of her grand scheme, she has manipulated both the D.E.O. and the A.P.E.S. into discrediting Young Justice, while she simultaneously infiltrated Project Cadmus and Young Justice via Match. She genetically engineered the Point Men to assist in this plan, and has allied herself with Klarion to maximize the chaos and increase paranoia against superheroes.


I always love these Secret Files and Origins issues. A longtime collector of basketball cards, I love learning the players' (or in this case, heroes') height, weight and backstory. The highlight of this issue was the JLA/JSA fight, which gave us a great preview of what these teams will be like in their own issues. The Marvel story was frustrating since it presented what appeared to be a direct contradiction to the rules of this event without offering any explanation. And the main story with the Titans felt contrived and was a bit boring. But other than that, this was a very fun and informative comic book. And speaking of Todd Nauck's workload during this event, in addition to drawing the cover, he also drew five Profile Pages here. And as always, his work was held to his amazing high standard, which stood out in stark contrast compared to a lot of the other artists' work in this issue.

Up next is Part 4, where we begin the special one-shots, starting with Sins of Youth: JLA, Jr. #1!