Young Justice: Sidekicks in the Spotlight

Sidekicks are often seen as a sideshow to the omnipotent superhero, but the Cartoon Network series, Young Justice, loosely based after the DC Comic of the same name, puts the young superheroes in the spotlight. Having already aired 9 episodes, including a one hour special introducing the group, the series seems to be shaping up to be a solid animated series.

The series follows 6 sidekicks: Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Aqualad, Miss Martian and later comer to the team, Artemis. Their superhero counterparts are featured in the storylines, but most only play supporting roles. The team finds themselves faced with difficult assignments, given to them by Batman, which test their novice skills.

Since the entire roster of characters are young superheroes, mostly in their teens, the series presents a refreshing glance at heroes who have not yet learned to fully control their skills and abilities. Robin boasts the same detective skills as Batman, yet has problems understanding how to communicate to a team. Superboy has teenage rage problems and daddy issues making him a wild card team member. Miss Martian has difficulty understanding human relations and Kid Flash takes very little seriously. These types of quirks and flaws make these young heroes often more interesting than their adult counterparts.

The writers haven’t been pulling punches either. The story has taken on topics such as black market steroid smuggling, possible subterfuge by internal members of the team, love triangles, dead beat superhero dads and secrets foreshadowing foes to come. Classic villains like Bane, Amazo and Clay Face, each of which is handled with surprising insight, make their appearance in the storylines.

The new episodes are scheduled to air Friday, June 3rd, at 7:00 P.M. (ET) on Cartoon Network while reruns of the current episodes are scheduled to run on Friday nights at 7:00 P.M. (ET) until then. Whether you are a fan of the DC Comic series or not, this animated series is definitely worth checking out.

Written by Ryan Heuer

Tags: Robin, Batman, Young Justice, Cartoon Network