Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1
Meghan Fitzmartin – Writer
Laura Braga – Art
Luis Guerreo – Colours
Pat Brosseau – Letters
Spoilers for Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1 Follow.
A brand new Dark Crisis has begun and it’s as equally daunting as the previous one, and the one before that….annnnnd the one before that. What I love about Crisis stories is nothing is off the table, anything is up for grabs to wrench out our guts and make us slam the wall Adam Driver style. When you think you’ve got it all figured out another thing comes along and knocks you off an already rocky road.
Let’s get into it, I really enjoyed Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1 but have to be honest and say I wasn’t really seeking it out. However, as soon as I read the first page I fell hook, line, and sinker having formed an immediate sympathetic and personal bond with Cassie. The Justice League is dead, surprise surprise, but it’s up to the Young Justice to fill their shoes and take upon the heavy mantle their relatives and mentors left for them.
Something that stuck out to me in Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1 was how Cassie says: “We are children of the dead but we don’t get to grieve like children.” Powerful stuff and painfully true, how huge pressure comes with being a superhero, you are not viewed as a human, or a child for that matter. You’re viewed as a product of protection, a fallback plan when governments fail. It reminded me of how in the real world, children who have often been through traumatic experiences are told to stay strong, to not let it get to them when all they need is someone to open their arms and say: “I know, I’m here, let it all out.”
I also saw myself in Cissie, Arrowette. She unintentionally distanced herself from Young Justice due to getting busy with life. Like when you see the girl you used to sit at lunch with every day, five years later on the bus, and know you both wouldn’t be the same if you were to talk now. Personally, I am the worst person to get a text back from. Something about my phone flares my anxiety, maybe I’m afraid to be confronted, or be invited somewhere loud with no escape route, possibly what Cissie was feeling here.
The boys of Young Justice literally PLOP out of existence into another universe at the old Justice League headquarters on Rhode Island. Let’s hope the Blue Cross/Shield of Rhode Island exists in this universe and that they’ve enough insurance to cover whatever damage is about to come.
Laura Braga on art never fails to bring a smile to my face, she makes it all look so effortless, her style is a favorite of mine and I always look forward to seeing what she comes out with next. Paired with colors by Luis Gerrero, Dark Crisis: Young Justice has a flawless finish.
Meghan Fitzmartin is a phenomenal storyteller considering I didn’t really have much previous experience with Young Justice, I felt welcome and had a coherent understanding of everything that was taking place. So I’d state Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1 is also ideal for new readers tempted to get into Young Justice. Most importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m delighted I decided to read it because now I have to follow to find out what happens next!