Young Justice / Batman: The Brave And The Bold Super Sampler

Title: Young Justice / Batman: The Brave And The Bold Super Sampler
Date: 2011
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Art Baltazar, Franco, Sholly Fisch
Artist: Mike Norton, Rick Burchett, Dan Davis
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual, Travis Lanham
Colorist: Zac Atkinson, Gabe Eltaeb
Cover: Mike Norton, Alex Sinclair
Editor: Jim Chadwick, Michael McCalister, Cynthia Clugston Flores

This is the 2011 offering from DC comics for their all-ages titles.

First up is Young Justice taking on Psycho Pirate and Atomic Skull. Young Justice, we are told is a special team of "sidekicks" who handle covert missions for the JLA. They are quite possibly the least-covert team of heroes of all time. Let's see, who do we have that would be good at keeping secrets and remaining discreet? I know! Teenagers! In brightly-colored costumes! And this was the Batman's idea?

They attempt to do a scene where the characters have to face their greatest doubts/fears, but it comes off as wordy and clunky compared to many, many scenes that have done a better job with this same (and rather tired) idea. Once we get back to action it gets better, and Kid Flash gets a well-deserved spotlight.

The second story was from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It was also an idea I've seen done before. There was a charity party, which Bruce Wayne was supposed to be attending. He was a no-show, because he was off doing his thing as the Batman, so all of the high society guests took turns mocking him. Their observations were then contrasted with the action of the story, which was the Batman and the Flash battling Heat Wave and Firefly (The third-rate villain, not Joss Whedon TV show, but you knew that, right?). Much like the facing-worst-fears bit in the first story, this came across as wordy and forced.

I feel like in the effort to write for a younger audience the writers here lost track of the need for good writing.

Rating: 5/10