Young Justice

Young Justice

A junior version of the Justice League of America, DC’s Young Justice was created by writer Todd DeZago and artist Todd Nauck, and debuted in Young Justice: The Secret #1 (June 1998). Most of the team’s subsequent adventures in comics, however, were written by Peter David.

Young Justice’s original core members were the present day Superboy (now also known as Kon-El or Conner Kent), the fourth Robin (Tim Drake), and Impulse (Bart Allen), all adolescents. Bart Allen, alias Impulse, was born in the thirteenth century C.E., and possesses the ability to move at superhuman speed. He is descended from both Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, and the latter’s enemy, Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash.

Three teenage superheroines soon joined the team: the second Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark), the costumed archer Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones), and Secret (Greta Hayes), a dead girl who remained on the mortal plane, where she wielded various supernatural abilities, such as the power to become immaterial. Over time, other young superheroes joined the team. Eventually, however, Young Justice disbanded, and its members joined two other teams, the Teen Titans and the Outsiders.

In 2010, a Young Justice animated series debuted on Cartoon Network. Set on a parallel world, Earth-16, the animated Young Justice differs greatly from the original comics continuity, although it shares the basic premise of being a teenage version of the Justice League. Its original line-up includes Superboy (Kon-El/Conner Kent), the original Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), a new version of Aqualad, and Miss Martian.

Created by writer Geoff Johns and artist Tony Daniel, Miss Martian (M’gann M’orzz, alias Megan Morse) debuted in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #37 (2006). In the comics she is a member of the White Martian race (as opposed to DC’s Martian Manhunter, who is a Green Martian), although she usually uses her powers to appear green. She has the same powers as the Martian Manhunter. In the Young Justice animated series, she is not only a Green Martian, but is also the Martian Manhunter’s niece.

Similarly, writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung created Marvel’s teenage version of the Avengers in Young Avengers #1 (April 2005). The Young Avengers was founded by Iron Lad, who proved to be a teenage version of the Avengers’ archenemy, Kang the Conqueror, and left the team. Other members include a female version of Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), a costumed archer; Hulk-ling (Teddy Altman), a shapeshifter who is the son of Captain Mar-Vell of the alien Kree and Princess Anelle of the alien Skrulls; Patriot (Eli Bradley), the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the “black Captain America” of World War II (from The Truth, 2003); Speed (Tommy Shepherd), a super-speedster; Stature (Cassandra Lang, daughter of the second Ant-Man), who can change her size; Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), who has magical abilities; and the present version of the android Vision. Each of these young people is a counterpart to one of the adult Avengers, and Speed and Wiccan may actually be reincarnations of children of the Scarlet Witch.

Another unusual group of young superheroes debuted in Marvel’s Runaways #1 (April 2003), created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona. They are teenagers who learn that their parents belong to the Pride, a criminal cabal. Discovering that they have extraordinary abilities, the Runaways literally run away and combat the Pride. Unlike conventional superheroes, the Runaways do not wear costumes. Vaughan was succeeded as series writer by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise). —PS