Young Justice

[RogueIce]

Okay, so we have Virgil, Hurricane Girl, and Grows really big American Indian placed. (And while I don't know beans about the Superfriends-and am probably better off that way- I liked the way they did it with the Ultimen in JLU better) So who's I can teleport except I have to be able to see where I'm going and I can't take anybody along except it turns out that yes I can?
The obvious suspect would of course be Marvel's Nightcrawler, except that a) he's Marvel, and b) he's been taking people along and porting into locations he's never seen before for decades.

Well the "if I can't see it" thing was in the X2 movie, so there's that. But he was obviously able to teleport people with him so it's only half.

I really can't think of any DC teleporters, but then I'm not super familiar with the comics. Could just be someone they made up, with only the half-hearted reference to Nightcrawler. Not everything has to be a full on allusion, after all. Maybe they just wanted a teleporter for their stories.

[Batman]

Um-if Warworld is slightly smaller than Earth's moon, how comes it's got somewhere upwards of 3 times the diameter of Rhea, which is itself slightly more than 1500km across? Methinks somebody didn't do their homework and/or messed up the scaling
Silliest drone design I've ever seen and I've seen pretty damned silly. And pretty damned fragile given Bart can smash them with his bare hands and those didn't look like superspeed punches. Shouldn't have spent the entire budget on the planet destroying superweapons
What, exactly, did Fate need protection from? His shield already gave the damn superlaser the finger and he was behind it the whole time, and Warworld's missiles seemed to destroy reach ships mainly because they were in their way. Better be safe than sorry I guess?
Let's see how the Reach try to explain away them having a warfleet when they claimed to have only one ship 'for peaceful exploration' before.

[frigidmagi]

Given that the Reach has control of Warworld and has taken out the Team and rendered the Justice League a nonfactor... I don't think they give a fuck about explaining shit now!

For the record, I thought the Superboy/Mongol fight was done well. While Mongol did slap him down... Look Mongol has pushed Supes and even taught him how to get more milage out of his powers in the comics. Superboy doesn't have all of Superman's juice (on the flip side I wouldn't be shocked if Superboy got stronger with age, I mean he's only what? 5 years old and Clark has been soaking up the rays for decades now). I was dissatified with Connor going down against Blue Brainwashed but you know after going 10 rounds against Mike Tyson, I don't think I would stand up so well against (rolls dice) Marcoa right off the bat either, so it makes perfect sense.

On the flip side... Vandal Savage set this up. He sicced Mongol on Earth, knowing he would take out a good chunk of the Reach's fleet and deplete conventional military stores (I did like that the conventional militaries of earth weren't sitting there watching with their thumbs up their asses, they were slinging missions and had an affect on the fight.) The reach also removed his biggest native competitors. I got 10$ Cash Money American that says Vandal and Lex are planning a grand triple cross using their shiny new superhero team to take down the reach, leave the Justice League discredited and crippled and themselves as top dogs for the foreseeable future. Everyone who took part in that fight is weaker and warworld is the only thing to make up for it. Whoever ends up in control of warworld wins (5$ says that the Team or the League either breaks it or throws it across the galaxy to remove it from the field of play, which honestly is in their best interest).

But frigid, you sly handsome dog (shut up), we've seen the future and the reach wins.

Ah, I say. We've seen A future. One where Bart had no impact. There have already been changes (Flash lives), at the end of the Bart's impact, we saw the Cave was destroyed... So it is. We know nothing else about how the timeline has changed.

So here's my call fresh off calling Green Beetle to good to be true (granted low bar, etc). The Reach will now go directly after the remaining Justice League, being the only guys left who can resist them. Vandal and Lex using their new team will make a play for warworld. While at the same time discrediting the Reach. Something will happen to prevent the really big guns of the Justice League from coming home. Artemis, Miss Martian and Aqualad will come off the bench and grab Wally and go to fucking town! I'm seeing at least 1 3 to 4 way brawls happening here, which will be awesome.

At this point I got two wild cards on the table, Mars, which in this universe is inhabited (Seriously, you're the Martian Government, is it in your best interest to let the Reach take over and enslave the Earth? Who do you think they'll come after next? They love Earth's meta gene, they would surely love them some shapeshifting, telepathic density shifting dudes to) and Atlantis, because I'm pretty sure Aquaman told the Reach to go something anatomically improbable (can never be sure with aliens).

Sadly the pure awesome so far leaves me disappointed. Why? Because this series as been so cool and is leaving before they can really develop everyone to the point they deserve. I mean, Cassie for example has been stuck in the background for most of the time, which sucks because she's a pretty cool character. Stephanie Brown was seeded in as possible future character, which I would have loved (CURSE YOU DITKO!) and I really wanted to see their take on New Gensis and Darkseid. On the flip side, I'm always happy to see Jamie get more exposure and unlike alot of people... I actually like Bart, he's cool.

Let us all pray that the series ends on a high note, one that invovles the damn fish kid becoming sushi.

[Cynical Cat]

I really like this series, but the alien invasion plots are a little silly with the nearest planet in the solar system being inhabited by a technologically advanced civilization of beings slightly less powerful than Kryptonians. It's like invading Canada or Mexico and not considering the US.

[Batman]

Them being technologically advanced and slightly less powerful than Kryptonians might be why they didn't go for Mars. Earth has plenty of metahumans, both operational and dormant, for them to harvest, and even if it weren't for gullible politicans is technologically pretty much a pushover. Mars-an entire highly advanced planet with an entire race of near kryptonian power mindreaders. Earth likely had a much more favourable cost-benefit ratio.

[Cynical Cat]

Them being technologically advanced and slightly less powerful than Kryptonians might be why they didn't go for Mars. Earth has plenty of metahumans, both operational and dormant, for them to harvest, and even if it weren't for gullible politicans is technologically pretty much a pushover. Mars-an entire highly advanced planet with an entire race of near kryptonian power mindreaders. Earth likely had a much more favourable cost-benefit ratio.

Way to miss my point entirely. Let me restate it: YOU DO NOT ATTACK MARS'S NEIGHBORS WITHOUT ASKING MARS'S PERMISSION OR THEY MIGHT SMACK YOU UPSIDE THE HEAD. WITH A PLANET.

Which is why the alien invasion plots are silly. Planet jacking Mar's next door neighbor is a good way to piss off Martians and that's fucking stupid.

[Batman]

That presupposes Mars gives a damn. We already know the Reach infiltrated Mars at some point thanks to having Green Beetle, so it's a pretty good bet they have a half reasonably decent take on Mars' internal and foreign politics. We know Mars has racial issues (white vs green), we know Mars sent a total of two people here (and that's ignoring that JJ wound up here pretty much by accident) to help with our problems, I don't consider it particularly far-fetched to consider that Mars and the Reach may have come to an agreement. You leave us alone, we leave you alone, and well, it's not like Earth is our planet anyway.

[Cynical Cat]

I presuppose that Mar's acquiescence is important because the planet is loaded with hypertech and aliens who are slightly less powerful than Kryptonians and is in easy travel distance to Earth. On Mars the Martian Manhunter is just a guy with good kung fu, on Earth he's a demigod. And the Manhunter's extended family alone is 10,000 people. Against how many metas on all of Earth?

Earth is the soft target of an invasion. Fuck messing with the Justice League and what Bats and Superman can pull off. If you're going to invade Earth, you better have Mars's permission or some way of taking out a who planet of demigods with hypertech because Earth is the easy part.

[frigidmagi]

I gotta agree with Cat. Look let's sum up what we know about Mars in the Young Justice universe.

1: There are Martians. They live underground.
2: One family of Martians is numbered in the thousands, JJ mentioning that he has more nephews and nieces then some ethnic groups. Logically, that suggests there are a fuckton of Martians.
3: An individual Martian is frighteningly powerful. S/He can read minds, change shape, alter density and generally wreck shit. This is a group with terrifying spying abilities... Just based off of what they were born with!
4: They are drastically more advanced then Earth, but are not galactically active. This suggest that their interests are rather confined to our solar system.
5: They are as a rule non-aggressive, but as we've seen capable of wrecking shit when provoked.
6: They love Earth T.V. suggesting a general liking of Earth culture, at least the ones making T.V shows (God, I would love to know details, which genres are more popular, does a specific cultural grouping have preference? Do they prefer live action or cartoons? Do they like full length feature films or prefer bite size programming, how do they feel about the various web programs that have risen up? Are video games and other more active means of entertainment popular or just the passive ones? What do Martians do for entertainment otherwise? Why are the various Anthropologists of Earth threatening murder and offering blowjobs to get to Mars, I mean hello? First Anthro to study a completely different sapient species!)

So we know there is a massive population of powerful creatures, with reason to prefer a free Earth (the small bits of the future we see from Bart suggest that Earthlings aren't making T.V. anymore) whose interests are very focused on the solar system. As pointed out we know there is at least one Martian Beetle. Either the Reach has done something to distract the Martians, made a deal with whatever counts as the Martian government or they're counting on Martian passivity and naivety. Because bluntly I must ask, is it in your planet's best interest to allow an aggressive, expansionist, subversive power to set up shop in your solar system.

Guesses:

1: Mars isn't very well organized.
2: The Reach already has agents on Mars focusing on fucking things up there to keep the Martians at home (how you pull this off in a telepathic society I don't know).
3: The Reach as a bigger and badder fleet.
4: Mars won't act unless called... Hey isn't the senior Martian on Earth off in the Galaxy somewhere?

Martians seem more passive then humans (although this from a sample size of two, both of which are unusual individuals as evidenced from their desire to go to Earth and be super heroes in the first place) but also fairly stubborn. It may be that they won't act unless called to for some funky alien reason. Although if this is the case I will call copout and be fairly disappointed.

[Batman]

I don't consider it particularly far-fetched to consider that Mars and the Reach may have come to an agreement. You leave us alone, we leave you alone, and well, it's not like Earth is our planet anyway.

Yeah, okay, double consider, bad language. Yes, if Mars takes exception, the Reach are potentially in for a world of hurt. I'm saying that it's entirely possible that they've seen to it Mars won't.
Especially as unless you assume the Reach are even stupider than your average superhero comic villain (which is pretty damned stupid already) they'd have assessed the threat Mars poses, and either decided 'naw, we can handle them' on the basis that they're not much of a threat to begin with or taken measures to neutralize that threat (which the existence of Green Beetle might be interpreted as being evidence of).

[frigidmagi]

Okay, am I the only one thinking that Jamie was trying to have a completely different conversation with Nightwing? There really seemed to be two levels there.

Artemis' Mom is gonna be pissed off at Wally. This could make for awkward Thanksgivings.

We got a big gun back, a really big gun.

Lastly?

Nightwing is gonna kick some ass.

[Batman]

Calder's back in the game with his cover intact, Artemis remains in the game with her cover intact, Cheshire and Sportsmaster know about the game, and Megan is out of Black Manta's clutches. Also, more evidence of the utility belts using transporter pattern buffer technology or something similar (look at the size of that birdarang, and since when are they called that?) Not entirely sure why Megan felt she needed to include Sportsmaster in their little mental chit-chat.
Super-nitpicky nitpick about the collar controls-the conveniently explicitly labeled collar control panel had four switches-one in the center and a row of three below it. Artemis slapped the center button to shut off the collar completely so that was presumably the general on/off switch. The three switches below it presumably represent the three aspects of Megan's powers they suppress-density shifting, telepathy and TK (TK again presumably including flight, superstrength and invulnerability). Since at that point, two of those were shut off, shouldn't two of the switches have been in the same position with the third in the opposite? And yet we've got one switch all up, one all down, and one at half mast.
Indeed, they still are in those positions when Artemis shuts down the collar for good, at which point Deathstroke had shut down Megan's telepathy, too.
Yeah I know, completely irrelevant to the story, but little details like that irritate me (when I actually notice them, anyway).

[RogueIce]

Calder's back in the game with his cover intact, Artemis remains in the game with her cover intact, Cheshire and Sportsmaster know about the game, and Megan is out of Black Manta's clutches. Also, more evidence of the utility belts using transporter pattern buffer technology or something similar (look at the size of that birdarang, and since when are they called that?) Not entirely sure why Megan felt she needed to include Sportsmaster in their little mental chit-chat.

He was trying to kill Artemis. That seems like a good enough reason to me. Plus, in theory, he might have kept coming after Aqualad to "avenge" his daughter/get his rep/whatever. His words to the contrary notwithstanding.

Super-nitpicky nitpick about the collar controls-the conveniently explicitly labeled collar control panel had four switches-one in the center and a row of three below it. Artemis slapped the center button to shut off the collar completely so that was presumably the general on/off switch. The three switches below it presumably represent the three aspects of Megan's powers they suppress-density shifting, telepathy and TK (TK again presumably including flight, superstrength and invulnerability). Since at that point, two of those were shut off, shouldn't two of the switches have been in the same position with the third in the opposite? And yet we've got one switch all up, one all down, and one at half mast.
Indeed, they still are in those positions when Artemis shuts down the collar for good, at which point Deathstroke had shut down Megan's telepathy, too.
Yeah I know, completely irrelevant to the story, but little details like that irritate me (when I actually notice them, anyway).

Slade's controls were entirely seperate from that panel. Boom, problem solved.

[Batman]

Which explains why the switch positions didn't change but not the odd initial arrangement. And I put the Super-nitpicky nitpick there for a reason

[RogueIce]

Because Slade's controls were the ones to activate it and were always the primary.

And you'll accept this or I'll inform the Joker as to the location of the Bat Cave.

[Batman]

Oh please. Is there any of my adversaries who hasn't broken into the Batcave at one point or other?

[Batman]

Great going there Dick. I don't think I could have antagonized Luthor's team any better myself. Luthor's ex-team, I should probably say.
The 'my fault/my fault' sequence between Dick and Megan was well done I think and much as it hurts me to agree with that for want of a better word person-G. Gordon had a point
I liked the variation on the Boom Tube visuals, too. Can't make up my mind about whether I should be pissed about not being shown how Dick and Megan plowed their way through the Reach defenses till they meet up with the team or being proud of the producers for assuming I'd know enough about the characters to take their ability to do that for granted.

[Batman]

Apparently Dick made some upgrades to their new 'headquarters'.
So, Blue's back on the side of the angels, as is Green (or so it appears anyway), Megan finally ditched AFB (and there was much rejoicing) and Toyman is more scared of Blue Beetle than he is of Clark? Wow.
Surprisingly smart move by Bart there, making Green effectively shoot himself. I wonder if he saw that one on a TV show. And yeah, I'm surprised he managed to keep his mouth shut too.
And, of course, it was all part of The Light's plan.

[Dark Silver]

Well...the past few episodes have been pretty bad for the Light and the Reach.


Today's shinnanighans have been VERY bad for me personally (in my part time role as the Demon's Head).

Also for Manta and the Reach's Ambassador.


Hopefully Ubu gets me a Lazarus Pit in time...

[frigidmagi]

That was amazing. Loved it.

Hope Cal feels better over beating the crap out of his father soon.

[Batman]

That was one awesome episode. Beautiful setup, I so loved when half of The Light's contingency troops turned out to be Young Justice, Evil Gorilla Guy looks patently silly with that beret, Wally is at least for the time being back in uniform, Artemis is officially back among the living and Calder is officially on the side of the angels again, and AFB was actually useful for a change.
Now let's see what Savage plans to do with The Warworld (and what's with the 'The'? Hasn't the thing always been just plain Warworld in the comics?)

[RogueIce]

So, the finale is here.

Felt a little rushed. Don't know where to put blame on that: they had six fewer episodes this season for one, and two despite the obvious cliffhanger I don't know if they tried to do anything else to wrap things up when they found out this season was their last. That "business as usual" line from Nightwing and Savage's echo could go both ways: either set up for next season or as one of those open endings: evil is never really defeated, etc...kinda like the way JLU ultimately ended. That in this universe The Light is always going to be there, plotting and scheming, and neither the League or Team will every truly best them. The cycle will just continue.

But all in all it was good stuff. I did like the echoes with how the series began: ending on July 4th, having The Team "fly in" on the Justice League, being Officially Accepted to the Watchtower, etc. Also a nice ploy to have the Heavy Hitters only show up after Earth was saved, rather than Superman flying in at the last moment or whatever.

Wally's death felt a little sudden, but I liked the way he just Zeta-ed out when it was clear Flash and Impulse needed help. No big moment or heroic stand, just right out the door like a real hero. Again with the stupid cancellation nonsense we'll never know if Wally was going to stay dead or not, which might well affect how I felt about his death scene.

All in all it leaves me a little conflicted: overall enjoyable but uncertain what I could call actual faults with the writing or issues cropping up from a premature cancellation.

What I can say with absolute certainty is this: Fuck you Cartoon Network. Fuck you long and hard and without lube.

[Batman]

I'll believe Wally's dead when I see his body. That scene looked a lot more like he decided 'To hell with it' and went so fast he ended up in the Speed Force, but with the series cancelled I guess we'll never know. And I heartily second RI in his fuck you to Cartoon Network, except I think it should be a really seriously pissed off Dr Banner doing it.
I agree that the Big Guys returning after everything was said and done was a nice touch. Yes, YJ can save the world all by their lonesome (technically untrue, there were still a lot of Leaguers about, but still).
The 'My planet off limits' thingy by Savage and Luthor's induction as UN secretary indicates to me that they did have plans for a third season if not more but had to shelve it thanks to Cartoon Network being idiots. The 'business as usual' on both sides works both ways-yes, you can end a series that way, saying that never bad nor evil ever truly wins, or you can use it to say that yes, we're never going to stop fighting, see you next season (which apparently isn't going to happen).
I was rather impressed by Conner's (with some support from Megan, admittedly) argumentation in the Rimbor court. Deflecting their not particularly subtle demand of a bribe by pointing out that if they this once actually judge fairly, there's bound to be a lot more cases coming their way which not inconsiderably increases their chances of getting that bribe was pretty damned smart.

All in all, pretty good episode, except for the fact that it was the last one, left us with at least three major cliffhangers, not to mention Bart (no, he's not a cliffhanger, but we're still left with him, though again, without a third season that's likely not to matter much).

And I'm sorry, Cassie and Tim? Sure there's precedent, what with Dick and Donna, but I don't recall any indication of this before in the series?

[frigidmagi]

Darkseid? DARKSEID? 3rd season would have had DARKSEID!?!

FUCK YOU CARTOON NETWORK! FUUUUUCCCCKKKKK YOU! I could have had an entire season that was devoted to Twilight of the Gods style heroics.... AN ENTIRE SEASON! OH YOU BASTARDS!



Okay, I'm better. I liked this episode. I like that they got Lex Luthor as General Security of the UN, moving away from repeating the Lex becomes President story while keeping with the theme of Lex getting political on top of economic power. Of course I should note that I liked this Lex Luthor, he was a suave, in control villian who was always ready with a deal. His handling of Roy was... Impressive. And yeah both Roy's got fucking handled.

I do not believe that Wally West is dead. Because I believe in Wally West. Frankly I think Dick is on that train with me, which is why he took a leave.

I do think the episode suffered from what was the criminal shorting of the season and the series. They had to develop things on a run that they wanted to work at. But despite the handicap, it did well.

[Steve]

Cartoon Network is run by assholes, unfortunately.