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Young Justice (2011)

Young Justice, Vol. 1

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Don't call them sidekicks!The Justice League needs a covert team that could operate on the sly, so who better than experienced crime fighters Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad? Together with Superboy, recently rescued from the top-secret Project Cadmus, and the crush-worthy shape-shifting alien Miss Martian, these teens are ready to stop being sidekicks and start taking down their own villains—like League of Shadows and the Joker—all on their own. But Superboy may have a secret mission of his own to complete ... destroying Superman!

Based on the hit Cartoon Network series!

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

44 people are currently reading
1106 people want to read

About the author

Art Baltazar

542 books86 followers
Arthee "Art" Baltazar is an American comics artist and writer who currently works for DC Comics.

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5 stars
549 (44%)
4 stars
366 (29%)
3 stars
264 (21%)
2 stars
42 (3%)
1 star
21 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
Profile Image for Rachel.
1,049 reviews141 followers
April 27, 2015
I watched this show a few months ago and got obsessed with it, so I decided to pick up the graphic novel ! Really fun and enjoyable if you've watched the TV series, but one thing I was annoyed by was Artemis is on the cover but she's not in the actual graphic novel at all...Other than that it was just really quick and a fun addition to the Young Justice story.
Profile Image for Robert.
2,191 reviews148 followers
June 9, 2017
Absolutely loooooved the cartoon series, and this volume matches it pretty well in tone and even format (each new story is introduced by date and time!)

And did I mention that I'm a huge Aqualad fan? Kaldur'ahm, baby!

The Death Aquatic with Kaldur'ahm

Definitely lived up to expectations, I'd read the next volume for sure.
Profile Image for Danny.
Author 85 books19 followers
May 6, 2012
The perfect companion to the TV series.

Not only is DC's Young Justice an action-packed all-ages alternative to its less kid-friendly/continuity-heavy mainstream series, but it also provides additional back-up stories for Cartoon Network's series of the same name (currently in its second season).

This first trade reveals the origins of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy (where did Superboy get all of those black t-shirts?!?). It also sheds some light on events merely hinted at in the cartoon, like why the Justice League abandoned Mount Justice in favor of the Hall of Justice.
Profile Image for Missy.
3 reviews
October 23, 2012
I was a little hesitate at first when i saw they were making a young justice. I grew up on Batman, wonder woman, superman, green arrow and all of the original comics. I was mainly a big fan of Batman and so i already was familiar with Robin and again with most of the generations of the super hero's. I was pleasantly surprised by this one and i a very good way. It was well written, not over down and i liked the idea! I can not wait to read Vol.2 and see where the writers will take the young justice league. After reading Vol. 1 i will enjoy seeing the next generation of super hero's fight as a team and learn from their mentors.
Profile Image for Jenny.
284 reviews
January 31, 2012
My son and I are excited to read this together. When I told him a copy was coming in the mail, he got very excited :)

My 8 year old LOVED this book! It's a great book and i would recommend it to all comic book fans.
Profile Image for Nikki in Niagara.
4,381 reviews171 followers
September 6, 2014
I had previously read 2 issues of the comic and greatly enjoyed them so wanted to try the series proper as I'm a Justice League junkie. The JL pops up now and then as the guardians and bosses of Young Justice but mainly they stay out of the picture. This first volume starts off with friends Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash having just rescued (let loose) Superboy from Cadmus where he was being made as an ultimate weapon. He and Miss Martian also come along and the five teenagers form a covert team that the JL will use on League cases where they think it will make a difference sending in the new YJ instead of themselves. First off Superboy has some time adjusting from the things done to his mind while at Cadmus and has a run in with the Joker (who is drawn like David Bowie from his Ziggy Stardust days. What a look!). Then Kid, Robin and Lad take off by themselves to try to figure out how to work as a team before the whole group training starts. Of course their egos get in the way until they can actually gather some effort to try teamwork. The last issue was great as it gives each character a chance to give themselves a background story as they all sit around a campfire and we learn which person each hero is and what their origin story is compared to DC Canon. Here Kid Flash is Wally West, Robin is Dick Grayson but he had more relatives die in the acrobat "accident" with one surviving in a coma. This is a great all ages kids' comic. Not just for little kids, aimed at older readers with the characters being mid aged teens 14-16, but the material is all ages safe and the story is exciting. It has continuity and a large cast of both heroes and villains. It does feel a bit like if I'd watched the show I'd have been a bit more clued in on things. I just had that feeling I had perhaps missed something and that may well have been something from the show. Otherwise, a top-notch comic for kids, but then that's what I've come to expect when I see Art Baltazar listed as an author!
Profile Image for Sana.
1,356 reviews1,147 followers
September 27, 2016
Reading the comics in between watching the episodes of the TV show and it's been a fun experience! The premise of the sidekicks becoming superheroes is the best thing and I'm already sad that there are only two seasons of the TV show and four volumes of the comics.

The characters are so well-developed and distinct and I like that the team is small as we get to have individual focus on everyone. The best issues are the last two because of the origin stories of the members. Superboy is probably the most ridiculous but I'm giving him a chance. The focus on Kid Flash's crazy eating habits is so great and he's just the funnest. Finally getting to know Robin's backstory was pretty satisfying because there's always such an air of mystery around him. Aqualad has the most ridiculous name but he's the most sensible and Miss Martian is just so ready to go at all times, it's great.

In all, it's exciting to be aware of some of the plotlines and characters and then seeing everything unfold in completely new ways in the Earth-16 setting.
Profile Image for Joy.
1,184 reviews91 followers
August 2, 2012
Like the cartoon to which this the companion, good, but not great. It definitely does not stand alone from the show: the comic issues take place between cartoon episodes, so much of the character development and plot progress takes place (and rightly so) off the page and on screen. It does make a nice extra, though: the tone matches, and I felt like I could hear the voice actors for each of the characters talking as I read. Possibly will improve as it goes on, or at least when Artemis shows up.
Profile Image for Alexandra.
116 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2013
Thanks to Goodreads.com I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
Profile Image for Taha.
546 reviews54 followers
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September 6, 2019
description
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DC'nin filmlerini beğenmesem de, animasyonlarına bayılıyorum. "Young Justice"i de kesinlikle tavsiye ederim. Yetişkinlere yönelik birçok süperkahraman dizisini (hatta herhangi türde bir diziyi bile) rahatlıkla cebinden çıkarır:) Bu çizgi roman da ilk birkaç bölümün yan hikayelerini içeriyordu ve ben tabii ki yine beğendim:)
Profile Image for Azuma-chan.
592 reviews11 followers
August 19, 2017
I found about Young Justice in 2013 and finished both seasons in around 2 weeks or so. It annoyed me a lot knowing a show this great isn't getting a third season. I mean, this is a very good one nowadays were they don't make cartoons as good as they used to do back in the days. Then, I saw a screenshot for it in pinterest and was blown away when I knew there was a comic for the show.

The story is like a fill-up in the timeline. A little bit more for those who didn't have enough from those 46 episodes. In this vol. Superboy hangs around with Wally until the League decides what to do with team.
Profile Image for Ellen.
1,065 reviews21 followers
January 10, 2019
Enjoyable. The best part was when the characters are giving us their backgrounds. I'm hoping, though, that later volumes help explain some of the events that happen between seasons 1&2 and possibly 2&3.
Profile Image for Caroline.
351 reviews33 followers
June 27, 2022
I've seen alittle of the TV series so wasn't disappointed as I loved the art and the short stories showing the origin stories of the Young Justice League.

The group was small, so it was easy for the author to illustrate their individual personalities and try to figure out how to work as a team.

Some of the characters I'm more familiar with such as my favorites are Superboy and Miss Martian! But I still thoroughly enjoyed all the origin stories.
Profile Image for Ashleigh.
925 reviews15 followers
May 7, 2015
I find these kinds of comics to be frustrating at times. Because as they use these well-known characters and add in events not previously covered in the show, I find myself going either "Okay that happened" or "nope, I don't buy it." It can be great for getting extra information, but sometimes that information just doesn't seem trustworthy. For instance, do I believe that Superboy stayed at Wally's after they rescued him from Cadmus? Yes, he had to stay somewhere and that makes sense. Do I believe they had a run-in with the Terror Twins at the mall? Maybe not. Still, it was great to have somewhere to go to heart the character's actual origin stories YJ-style. (How interesting is that that one of the Flying Graysons survived the fall but was paralyzed???)

Additional thoughts: In regards to Superboy, the comic was able to leave a impression of me, that the show never quite hit. It has to do with the idea of what your purpose on this earth is. Conner was full-on created to defeat Superman and it really shows in this collection. Every question he asks is about Superman, and when he zones out in his dream of "destroying Superman" I felt a different kind of connection to the character. That right there is central to Conner's story and it made me see him differently. Of course he's so angry and grumpy-seeming at first, his purpose is to destroy. That twin desire of wanting to be acknowledged by Superman and needing to be capable of destroying him--there's something so beautiful about how it's handled. It added additional meaning to the Young Justice experience for me, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
Profile Image for Amy.
190 reviews6 followers
November 22, 2014
Slightly different than the television series, just as a warning. But that's not to say that this is a bad thing. I actually like the slight differences :) They don't go through the whole rescuing Superboy from Camus thing (it starts right after they break him out) but it still keeps pretty accurately to the TV show :) Great read for YJ fans!
Profile Image for Emilce.
159 reviews23 followers
October 15, 2017
Amazing! Oh my God, I don't know how to describe it, I just really loved it. About to start volume 2 right now. (I'll try to write more later).
Profile Image for cauldronofevil.
1,159 reviews4 followers
April 17, 2023
This was the comic book I paid $10 for at the Vintage Paperback show this year. When I got home I found that I already had it and the sticker on the back says I paid $5 bucks for it. And before you ask, YES I had a list of comic books I have in my phone. But the list just said “Young Justice #1” and since comic book companies print more “#1’s” than they do any other issues, I decided I didn’t want to change not having it. So, hey ladies, just line up on my left…

This comic book is based on the animated “Young Justice” TV show which I really liked. I found all the episodes on DVD I could but I don’t think they ever put the whole series on DVD.

Books like this - based on TV shows - have a bad reputation for being ‘dumbed down kiddie fare’ and I have found that to be true occasionally, but while certainly not ‘gritty’ in any way, I’ve also found them to be sometimes clever and fun to read. And since they try to match the art style of the show often, that’s a plus point in my book. No apologies, I’m just sayin’.

So far, it’s pretty good. It takes up where the show was, they freed Superboy is his an angsty douchbag. Miss Marvel is an innocent chump. Kid Flash is a hyper teenager, Aqualad is a too serious guy and Robin is a clever hacker.

Lots of fights, it’s all good so far.

Interesting, they retell Robin’s origin story and say it occurred four years ago to nine-year-old Dick Grayson. Meaning he became Robin at 10 years old and was now 13 years old. I’ve never seen it pinned down.

Another new element I haven’t seen before. Dick’s aunt and cousin were also killed in his parents accident and his uncle was paralyzed for life.

These are nice light stories. They follow the idea of the cartoon pretty closely, but they are nice reads and the art is good. I’m giving it 4 stars and keeping it - at least one copy.
Profile Image for MatiBracchitta.
582 reviews
February 26, 2023
Debería dejar de decir que no sé demasiado del universo DC, pero cada vez que leo un cómic de este universo reafirmo esta idea. Quizás sea porque justamente DC tiene una infinidad de personajes demasiado amplia y pocas veces se toma el tiempo para detenerse y presentarte a algún nuevo personaje.

En esta ocasión, recién en el sexto número vemos el final de las presentaciones de nuestros protagonistas. Para entonces ya los hemos visto ligar, pelear, discutir, celarse, luchar, perder y ganar. Es un estilo raro para quien está acostumbrado a la formula Marvel, pero bueno.

Esta es la segunda vez que voy a incursionar en una serie regular de DC, por ahora el resultado es mejor que con el Escuadrón Suicida, pero estoy algo perdido dado que leo en todos lados que el cómic está basado en la serie de TV, pero la serie que yo vi estaba muuuuuy alejada de los eventos de este cómic.

Supongo que será alguna serie nueva o algo así. Volviendo al tema: El guion se enrosca por momentos de forma innecesaria, y el dibujo no logra trasmitirme demasiado solamente que estoy en otro cómic juvenil, sin embargo hay algo en los personajes que hace que te enganches y quieras seguir leyendo.

Dudo mucho que se convierta en una de mis series favoritas, pero creo que al menos me va a resultar un viaje entretenido.
Profile Image for Allan Olley.
307 reviews17 followers
July 13, 2019
So I recently binged the second season of the Young Justice (Invasion) cartoon series, which I missed when it aired and was catching up on the series now that there is a third season. I realized watching the various extras on the blu-ray that the comic tie-in actually contained lots of unstated background material. I had downloaded a preview of the comic long ago and decided to give this collection (issue 0-6) a try.

The stories are a bit thin but give some nice background and characterization to fill out the series a little. We get a few early looks at villains like the Terror Twins who appear later in the show. Also some filling out of the background characters including a vignette of Snapper Carr as teen mascot of the Justice League. The plot of these issues at least is pretty thin, not much of consequence occurs, but there are some minor battles, origins and motivations of the heroes are explored and filling out the mythos of the show.

The artwork is a good match to the style of the show, a solid slightly stylized minimalist approach. I actually go this on ComiXology and it works well enough.
Profile Image for Tania Reads.
105 reviews6 followers
July 23, 2018
I really like that we get more introspection with Superboy in the comics. He was my least favorite male character from s1. I'll probably still like him the least from the OG Young Justice show-verse but that's because I just love the other boys so much. Sorry "Supey" lol. Kaldur and Dick remain tied at number 1. And Wally's excessive flirting with M'gann has never bothered me because it's so cringey that it's impossible to take him seriously. I don't find anything he's said to be creepy, he's just being ridiculous and incredibly cheesy, and Robin often calls him out for the flirting too (bless you Robin). There wasn't much on M'gann in here that I didn't already know, and she was also my least favorite of the girls in both seasons, but I hope to learn more about her that will make me like her more. And of course I'm excited to see my girl Artemis in vol 2!
Profile Image for Ryan.
101 reviews
September 20, 2020
After finishing season 2 of the show I wanted more young justice, season 3 isn't available in Australia so the comics would have to suffice.

It's entertaining and has a very similar feel to the show. I can appreciate the balance struck here between the retelling of events that happened on the show and totally new comic-exclusive stories. While the art is quite flavourless, I dont mind it.

Might read the next couple volumes and see if the series holds up.
Profile Image for Nico.
169 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2022
your enjoyment on this book really depends on how much you like the cartoon and just want more stories, even if it is just filler
personally i think the show is just okay and didnt get much out of these stories. when it comes to young justice comics, you could do better like with the peter david or todd dezago stories, but you could also do worse like with the meghan fitzmartin or brian michael bendis stories. these run right down the middle, being "just okay"
13 reviews1 follower
December 20, 2017
Anime lovers, if you are a true DC fan and hates Marvels and hope that DC makes better movies in the mere future. Well sorry, because of now you can read the manga version of the new justice league. There called the Young Justice. They fight many foes and win because of the helps of the Justice League members, aka their parents. They learn respect, discipline, honesty, heroism and teamwork.
Profile Image for Timothy Pitkin.
1,995 reviews8 followers
July 3, 2021
I do like we actually get to see more of the Joker as I was disappointed Joker only got one appearce with the Injustice League. The rest is okay as we get to see more the group growing use to each other and explore the tv shows backstory for most of the characters as we really did not learn how any of them became sidekicks in the tv series so it was nice getting an in universe backstory.
Profile Image for Danah.
24 reviews
November 24, 2024
I LOVED this, things that didn't make sense in the show finally did. For example, seeing Artemis save Kid Flash from Amazo with her arrow, which was stated in the show but we didn't see it. This was such a good comic, adds so much to the show. I grew up watching the show, I absolutely love it, and this comic was just perfect.
Profile Image for Vanessa Yeazel.
556 reviews
December 13, 2018
This was highly enjoyable, and just what I needed! I've been missing young justice recently, with the new season coming out soon, so I decided to read the comics. They're entertaining and fun, especially for those who have watched the tv show.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews

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