Young Justice #19 – Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, Writers; Scott Godlewski, Artist; Gabe Eltaeb, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: After waiting almost the entire run, it’s Cassie Sandsmark’s turn to take the lead in the penultimate issue of Young Justice. With almost a thirty-year history in DC Comics, the second Wonder Girl has undergone a lot of changes, and her current backstory has her as the granddaughter of Zeus. And to say she’s dealing with family issues is putting it lightly. While she’s trying to put her life together—with mixed success, as a tense conversation with a former boss makes clear—Zeus is stalking her, trying to get her to embrace her Godhood and ascend to Olympus. He’s getting less and less patient, but the problem is that unlike some of the other YJ members, we don’t know where Cassie has been for much of this time. She hadn’t appeared since Rebirth, but there’s no explanation for that like there was for Superboy or Kid Flash. We don’t even really know how old she is, so catching up with her is a bit disorienting.
There’s no time to dwell on it, though, as a giant monster soon attacks and Cassie becomes convinced Zeus was behind it to force her hand. The story shifts a lot this issue between traditional comics and gorgeous fantasy splash pages by Scott Godlewski, and the reveal of who the true villain is comes late in the issue and with some stunning visuals. The other YJ members have very little to do this issue, but the ending delivers some satisfying emotional punches—especially for anyone who’s had to deal with cutting off toxic families. With only one issue to go, it feels like this did a good job of starting Cassie’s journey as a character—but who’s going to continue it? Unlike Tim, Bart, and Kon, she still doesn’t feel like a fully fleshed-out character like she did in the original Young Justice. I’m a super-fan of the character, so my hesitations with this issue are more me having high standards. This remains easily the best DC teen team book in a decade.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
