Young Justice #15: Kids’ Stuff

There are comics about teenagers written by adults and there are comics for teenagers written by adults. I can only tell you if this was the first since I haven’t actually been a teenager for a couple of years or so. Authors Brian Michael Bendis & David Walker actually cash a check that the cover writes, namely, the mystery behind Connor Kent. They do so by telling an outside-of-the-box kind of story, that works really well and can only be told by a specific character in this book. The cast is big, maybe too big, as some characters only get one or two lines of dialogue, but honestly, that’s all that they need in this case. I know some fans have complained in the past about Bendis only knowing how to write with one voice, but that is far from the truth here and maybe that’s David Walker’s contribution. The characters that have bigger roles this issue have very unique voices, ones that go back, in my opinion, to the original YJ series. I can honestly say that I would enjoy this book just as much if I was 13 as I do at…….older than 13.

Artists John Timms & Scott Godlewski work very well together. So well, that I didn’t even realize they were two separate people until I read the credits!!! They both have a very similar art style and a similar style of storytelling. They have a style that I LOVE, detailed enough but not hyper-detailed like some artists. There are some really cool cinematic shots both by Timms and Godlewski, that make you feel like you’re reading a big company-wide crossover “event” book, and I’m officially suggesting that they get their names in the hat the next time one of those becomes available because either one of these guys could easily handle it.

Maybe you’ve written this off as a “kids’ book,” but give it a try, because the maturity of the art and storytelling will surprise you.