Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1: Back to Back When

Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1 picks up after the fall of the Justice League with a reunion of the original members of Young Justice. Framed from the perspective of Cassie Sandsmark, aka Wonder Girl, as she reflects on how her generation is impacted by the various crises of the DC Universe.

Meghan Fitzmartin opens the comic with wrought emotion followed by a level of melodrama that can only occur from the reunion of estranged teenage friends. It works with the setting of the story. The teens are forced to not only deal with the grief of losing their mentors and parent figures but also the trend of the younger heroes bearing a disproportionate brunt of the trauma of these cataclysmic events. Cassie’s awareness and internal reflection of the latter justify her frustration as she tries to find help from heroes who can’t be bothered.

The art by Laura Braga and colors by Luis Guerrero provide the tone and setting for the various scenes. The gravity of the memorial is established by the large crowds and contrasted with the more intimate shots of the various “families” erecting the statues of their respective fallen hero. As the story progresses, the art conveys the contrast between Cassie’s concern for her missing teammates and the other heroes’ dismissive responses.

Despite being an event tie in with a plot that is a literal dive into continuity, the story does the work to provide the necessary information in its own pages. The issue feels character-driven and doesn’t allow the event to create a barrier of necessary background reading to understand the emotional stakes.