Comic Review: Young Justice (2019-) #8

Young Justice #8

DC Comics

Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis

Artists: John Timms and Gabe Eltaeb

Young Justice #8 hits the shelves after a short hiatus and proves just how beneficial it is to give artists ample time to perfect their work. As a result of this, Bendis and Timms deliver the best issue since the spectacular first.

A big part of why this issue works so well is that it’s one big action sequence, and so it plays directly into John Timms’ strength. It looks amazing from the very first page to the last. The action is delightfully intuitive and draws the eye exactly where it needs to go through strong panel composition. Additionally, it includes one of my favorite one-on-one fight sequences in recent memory between Tim and his evil counterpart. It’s a simple 12-panel grid, but the two characters are entirely in silhouette until the last few panels. This makes the reader a bit uncertain as to who is who, but it’s an intentional bit of storytelling to accentuate their similarities before contrasting them. This page, more than any other, demonstrates exactly why Timms was chosen to replace Patrick Gleason.

Story-wise, this arc has been a big step-up from the previous Gemworld arc. The team is lost in the Multiverse and now find themselves trapped on Earth-3, though they don’t face the Crime Syndicate as you might expect. They fight entirely new characters (as far as I can tell) who mirror themselves rather than the Justice League. I felt that the previous arc, while mostly enjoyable, suffered from its unremarkable Gemworld plot. This arc and this issue, in particular, provides much more fun and interesting vehicle through which to explore these characters.

Speaking of the characters, they continue to be the biggest selling point for this book. Yes, Bendis’ Bart is still particularly well-written, but there are actually a few new interesting characters this time around. They’re likely only around for this arc, but they make a good impression and bounce off the main cast quite well. The issue’s narrator is especially well-done. Though the character’s identity is a mystery until the back-half of the issue, so I’ll leave out the spoiler. I will say though it’s a fun version of a character we’ve already seen.

However, a few of the new team members still don’t contribute much of anything to the book. Jinny, while still quite undeveloped, at least has the mystery of her trunk to provide some intrigue. Amethyst and Teen Lantern, though, are still little more than pieces of cardboard. The next issue does seem as if it will place the spotlight on Teen Lantern so hopefully she’ll become more significant.

Young Justice #8 was worth the longer than usual wait. John Timms is producing his best work on the title so far with some incredible and cohesive action sequences. Bendis flexes his muscles by not only balancing the core four very well but also with some totally new villains. If you didn’t love the first arc, I recommend giving it another shot. This issue is just pure fun.

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