Young Justice: The Secret #1

History

The one-shot was written by Todd DeZago and illustrated by Todd Nauck, the creative duo who co-created both the Young Justice concept and the character of Secret, with inking by Lary Stucker and editing by Dana Kurtin and Eddie Berganza. It was published as part of DC's 'GirlFrenzy!' fifth-week event of 1998 — a line of seven one-shot specials spotlighting female DC heroes, each loosely tethered to a parent title — giving DeZago and Nauck a built-in publishing hook to introduce both a new character and a new team dynamic before the proper ongoing series launched. DeZago followed this issue with the JLA: World Without Grown-Ups miniseries, which deepened the trio's bond and fed directly into Peter David's ongoing Young Justice title that debuted that same year.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Secret (Greta Hayes), an incorporeal, ghost-like teenager later revealed to be named Greta Hayes, murdered by her adoptive brother Billy (the supervillain Harm) and left existing as a spectral warder between the living and the dead.
• First team-up of Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Kon-El / Conner Kent), and Impulse (Bart Allen) — the founding trio of Young Justice.
• Published as a one-shot with a cover date of June 1998, part of DC's 'GirlFrenzy!' fifth-week event, a line of seven specials spotlighting female DC heroes.
• Written by Todd DeZago with pencils by Todd Nauck and inks by Lary Stucker; DeZago and Nauck are credited as co-creators of both the Young Justice team and the character of Secret.
• The story centers on the trio investigating a Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) incident in upstate New York, where they discover the 'dangerous gaseous creature' they were asked to capture is actually a girl held against her will — whom they name 'their Secret' and free.
• The issue was reprinted in the 2010 DC Comics Presents: Young Justice #2 collection, and the story was also included in the 1998 JLA: World Without Grown-Ups trade paperback collection.
• Secret was voiced by Masasa Moyo in the Young Justice animated series (Cartoon Network/DC Nation, 2010–2022), appearing in the Season 1 episode 'Secrets'; the animated version streamlines her origin but retains the core sibling tragedy with Harm.
• Secret was later reimagined as a Golden Age sidekick of the Spectre in the 2023 DC miniseries Stargirl: The Lost Children, extending the character's continuity legacy well beyond the original Young Justice run.

Full credits

Variants (1)