Anonymous writes...

Hi, I just have 1 question for you today :)

What exactly does Wally see in Artemis? I see that he probably likes how she's pretty and she kicks butt, but is that it?

Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg,
I just would like to say sorry in advance if any of these questions turn out to be a spoiler request.

1. Since Zatanna can sense magic/mystic forces near her(as said in "Auld Acuaintance"), can anyone else that can wield magic do the same? What I mean is, can Klarion, Zartara, etc. sense magic near them too?

2. How did Artemis recieve the full scholarship to Gotham Academy? I mean, I guess maybe Batman gave it to her, but why?

3. In Denial, when Artemis and Wally held Kent's staff, why did it fly away with the both of them stuck to it?

4. Why is it that Barry runs at the speed of light and Wally runs at the speed of sound? Was the experiment Wally created done wrong or something like that?

5. In the comics, obviously the story that M'gann told the team about how she became Martian Manhunter's sidekick was a lie, but I was wondering what was M'gann's true story of how she came to Earth?

Thank you for taking your time to answer these questions. I absolutely LOVE Young Justice. It is the most AMAZING super hero show that I've seen in a long time. Congats to you and your team for making this incredible show!

Anonymous writes...

1. Can anybody besides Ra's Al Ghul can use the Lazarus pit?

2. Does the death penalty exist for supervillains?

3. How long has Hal Jordan been a Green Lantern for?

4. How long has the joker and the Riddler been fighting batman for and how many people have they killed?

5. What other teams was the martian manhunter apart of besides the league?

EXALT writes...

I have a couple questions about your version of the Joker...
1)Usually, the origin of the Joker is a mistery to anyone, including himself. But you said that you create backstories pretty much for all your characters, even if you don't necessarely put them in the show. So, the question is: have you created an origin for the YJ Joker, or did you just stick with the "total mistery" thing (of course, if you DID create an origin, I'm not asking you to spoil it here).
2)In Revelation, the Joker claims to have multiple personalities. Was that a reference to his multiple origins?

TheTavarse writes...

Not a question, but a declaration. In a perfect world there would be four clones of you. Original recipe Weisman to executive produce Young Justice, Clone-1 to write the comic, Clones 2 & 3 to executive produce the Arrow and Aqua family animated series and Clone-4 to write the web comic "Suoveihcsim" staring Rocket, Artemis, and Zatanna during the 5 year gap. Seriously, where's Dr. Desmond when you need him?

Anon writes...

Why did Artemis choose the bow and arrow as her weapon of choice?

Anonymous writes...

What was it like when Artemis first met Wally's family, and well do they get along?

Anon writes...

I really love the Wally/Artemis in the show, and I was wondering who came up with the idea for it and how was it developed

Anon writes...

Do you consider Artemis a member of the Arrow family?

Ann writes...

I just have one question.
In the Young Justice ep. Coldhearted, why does Wally say "lucky stiff?" That seems to be a little bit old fashioned for a teen to say that.
Is there a reason why he knows that type of slang?

btgr writes...

In YJ did you based Wade Eiling on disgraced US Marine Lieutenant Colonel "Oliver North"?

Thomas writes...

I notice that with Gargoyles you have given so much information that fleshed their world. Can you give information for the Young Justice Wiki on Kryptonians, Thanagarians, Amazons, Atlanteans, Termians and other races to give the world more dimnension?

Nothing major, spoilerish. Just fleshing material

Tupka writes...

So, we're back, and how. Loved it, though I'm curious who Raquel's marrying. Noble? Is Amistad his?

I can ask a lot more about Satisfaction or the recent comics, but everyone will have those. So instead, I'll just do some questions on obscurity of characters.

1. Amber Joyce - If I've done my research correctly, she was a blonde actress with precognitive powers. What made you decide to use her as a pilot rather than someone else who has a more fitting background (like, say, Deanna Barr or Celia Forrestal or something?)
2. Jeremiah - was your choice to go for him instead of (for example) Starshine Stone a matter of personal favoritism, SPOILER REQUEST, or did the availability of male and female voice ranges for the episode play a role?
3. Jeremiah and Noor Harjavti both had their only comic appearance in the same issue. The same goes for Singh Mahn Lee and the nation of Bwunda. Was it deliberate, coincidence, or did you/your staff/your researcher just came across one in search of the other and thought "We can use this"?
4. You mentioned in an earlier answer you included a WildStorm character, but in such a way that the legal department wouldn't recognize it. You're obviously not going to tell us who you were talking about, but can you point in a general direction (Gen 13? Authority? StormWatch? Tranquility?)

YJ Wiki editor writes...

Previously you've stated that Blue Devil was 25 (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14743), but more recently you said that he's 26 (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=15672). Was this an oversight or did you just change your mind/update your timeline?

The same goes for Serling Roquette (originally 22, http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14763) and Wildcat (91)

Kevin writes...

1. Why are there sorcerers and wizards if there is no difference between them?
2. Are Lords of Order and Chaos the strongest type of magic users on Earth 16?
3. Do the hosts of Nabu become stronger magically the longer they are Doctor Fate?
4. How long has Nabu been active as Doctor Fate?
5. Has Klarion ever consider inhabited a host body like Nabu does?

Someone writes...

How do you feel over the names people give the couples on young justice? For example Chalant for Dick/Zatanna, Birdflash for Wally/Dick? Awesome show ^.^

Christine writes...

Thank you for young justice. Not only did it get me into DC comics, but also I now have a best friend thanks to our mutual love of YJ.
I also have a question though:
Why do a lot of important events happen in New Orleans? As a native New Orleanian, I love it. Was that a choice that was just a happenstance, a love of the city on your part, a secret alien base as yet undisclosed, a magic base that is actually the center of earth-16?(or is it simply because having fights in the float factory is an opportunity one should never pass up?)

Anonymous writes...

What are the designation numbers of Wolf and the sphere?

Irenerb writes...

Love the show! B)
1) what is sportsmaster origin? How did he become who is today?
2) what county is sportsmaster? His nationality?
3) how old was sportsmaster and Paula when they first meet?

Thanks and the show is awesome B)

Lorisa214 writes...

1) How old were Artemis & Jade when Jade ran away?
2) And how old where they when their mom got caught/sent to jail (did it take a year for her to be convicted?)

Kevin writes...

1. What are the blue crystals in the Blockbuster formula?
2. Why did the Light use Kobra Venom on Poison Ivy's plants instead of the Blockbuster formula?
3. Would the Blockbuster formula have a different effect on Mr. Tawny, Wolf, or the other animals in India?
4. Was Rex the Wonder Dog an inspiration for Wolf?

Kevin writes...

1. How long does the Parasite have access to someone's powers and abilities?
2. How long does it take for someone to get their abilities after the Parasite takes them? Do aliens have a quicker recovery time?
3. Why did you decide for the Parasite's absorption ability not to have energy effects like he has in other animated incarnations?
4. Why does Red Arrow have different re-curve bows?
5. What were the alter egos of the team the Dangers based on?

Anonymous writes...

At what age did Sportsmaster start training Artemis?

Curious writes...

I wanted to ask three related questions if it is not to much trouble.

1. What exactly are the 'lords of order and chaos'? I couldn't really find much information on them (plus this being your universe artistic license could easily rewrite their purpose) and I am curious since two of the characters (Nabu/doctor fate and Klarion) fall into this catagory.

2. What made you decide to make Klarion a lord of chaos? Initially he was a young witch boy from another dimension who happened to be versed in magic (and more than a little bit of a nasty streak) and in a later incarnation he was a rebellious kid from limbo town (witch city under gotham) with a confusingly grey moral chompass.
So I am sorta curious what made you decide to go in the direction of 'lord of chaos' for the Klarion character.

3. If Teekl is Klarions connection to the mortal plain then does that make her Klarion's equivalent to Nabu's helmet of doctor fate?

I appologize if one or more of these questions could be considered spoilers but from looking around, few people have bothered to ask anything in regards to this very interesting character.

Someone Not Really Important writes...

please answer my question, and please do not answer my question with another question

In some questions, people asked if we'll see the league's reaction to Robin fighting crime.
In Agendas, we saw that Wonder Woman did not approve of this.
Was the 'spoiler alert'? and if so, is it only a small part of it?

Angela writes...

How is wonder woman able to stay immortal? In the comics she can't age only when she is on paradise island.

Shatter writes...

What Math class is Dick in, in season 1?

Kittygirl56 writes...

Hi! I'm a big fan of Young Justice! and I have a few questions(well,opinon questions,but a question is a question.)Thank you.

1.Why is Kid Flash considerably slower than Flash?
2.Out of the 4 pairings that were created in the first season,which one was your favorite?
3.If Wolf and Sphere(In super-cycle mode)were to travel the entire way around the earth, which one would win?
4.If you had to choose a battle between the season 1 team,who would fight who?
5.Name your favorite line from Young justice.

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Auld Acquaintance. Still happy.

Shorts:
Plastic Man- hee hee New Teen Titan backwards in time costume changes! Starfire has to do a Lady Godiva to coer her naked costume ;) (Toy Wonder- the nerd in my got it, rest of team- nope)

Q1 "He called us 'kids'" was that Batman managing to get a hint on in a funny way? Poor command or subconscious resistance?

The team's psychic link must make things a little easier for the animators...and dubbers.

Q2 Sphere/cycle is a 'her'?

Q3 The Light's cause is described. How would Klarion fit in or even find interesting to watch?
What was Atom dissecting? More Starro?

Lovely misdirection with Reddy,Roy & Dinah- even if knew it was coming.

Nice hanging of lantern on the speed of the cure tech 'small miracle'

M'gan's resorting to form against uncle convinced me he knew and thought it nothing odd- like the 'game'. With all information you chose to share on the Martians I wonder why we haven't seen him in that form at some point.
Wonderful raproachma between the supes.

Equally nice, though less obvious, is the body language between Roy, Ollie and Dina. That's family...makes what comes later a bigger shock.

I missed the implication that Guardian was a clone too.

Not to the mystery of the 16 hours..

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Another happy review: Usual Suspects-

First the shorts-
Green Care Bear-not a bad parody. Odd it seems it wouldn't be my thing, but I liked it better than the Ardman one, and that would ordinarily be my thing.

On to the show.
Rocket has nice line that needed saying, "Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing?" (So here too she convinced Icon to be a hero? For now I am assuming her original back story.)

Icon- "You don't know Raquel...though I thought she'd at least stick around." Nice beat. Icon has a strangely stilted form of speech, like someone new to the language and not, presumably, here for 150 years already.

Old times for Artimas and Jade = "Dad pitting us against each other." No, that's not at all dysfunctional....

Great voice acting "OK Fine. We're sisters, I don't actually want you dead." Sheepish- like a bad guy has to apologize for not always being the absolute worst.

Zatanna & Rocket walk off together here... and are inducted together the JL 5 years later.

Super Boy coming clean is a rare instance of someone choosing that moment to NOT dig deeper.

Didn't notice the first time I saw the episodes, but when Conner inspired Artimas to come clean Cheshire was already on the way to pick her up. She was actually past the time to not dig deeper and was probably in the hoping something unexpected saves her stage. M'gann too, even deeper, since Artimas has said no to her father's face before. Queen Bee was exerting power over M'gann. (It also has a slight parallel to Superboy handing the arrow back to Arrowette in the original Young Justice- trying to give her a chance to unmake a bad decision.)

"Who's next?" "I am." "I swear I was kidding." Great timing and image.

mmm... Robin knew Artimas's secret, Conner knew M'gann's (wish I could recheck his reaction to bald M'gann.) Nice that they took the involuntary step back. Accepting is not the same as not being startled.

Q1{All that recent Martian info!! I wish we knew what magic trigger gets you in the mood to share that much info. Was that something that would have been in the comics if they had longer to hold off the time skip?"

Q2 The Martians have War of the Worlds' looking alien hands-despite two fingers? Do their mouths move and do they talk?

Conner standing still as ruse till Queen Bee was down was great strategy.

Lex's reserve is lovely

"This has been a good day." Meanwhile at the Watchtower... Irony

Q3 "RECOGNIZE VANDAL SAVAGE A04" Vandal has a low number League designation? Is that a real indication of former membership?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I've finally read all the answers and questions in the queues. (Wow!) Now, before the queue is closed I can post...really old reviews. (All positive ;)

Performance- very nice...

...But first a very quick review of the DC Nation shorts:
"Animal Man...!" bwahahaha SBFF...happy happy.

Question 1- apropos of very little, what do you think of the new DC logo? Personally, I like it fine on tv, especially when they can fill the bottom image with moving images. Although it still strikes me as a good logo for a different product when I see it still, mostly I don't notice it any more.

Haly's Circus...you can go home again!

Question 2 (a little long) - Haly's always seemed to me a bit of a golden childhood that Dick can revisit at any time and has a lot to do with why he is nowhere near as dark a character as Bruce. They couldn't raise him after his parents' death, but they were still family. They saved money to support him. They always welcome him to visit and step right back into his old life.

I'm working on the assumption that you are too busy to keep up with the current main universe comics, but are you aware of the current Court of Owls storyline? In it it turns out that the circus and the Graysons were part of a centuries old kabal that controls all but only rises to the knowledge of the public as nursery rhyme references. The circus exists to provide enforcers who are made somewhat dead somewhat immortal and unquestioningly loyal. Dick would have been next had it not been for the accident that killed his parents and took him away.

Divorced from Batman and Dick it is an interesting story, but I find it galling that they have so changed the circumstances of Dick's life- it has made monsters of his circus family, of his own parents; they all knew what was in store for him. It seems too far a departure from the basic truths of a character.

{Oddly I'm enjoying the heck out of the current Wonder Woman storyline which does the same to Thymiscara - now there are no men because they go out on ocean raids, take over ships, get pregnant, kill the men and give away the male babies. They would have killed the boys, but instead they trade them for armor and weapons because Hephaestus insists upon it. His own history making him particularly empathetic to unwanted children. I should object to the change on the same grounds, but the new mythological based series is so different my mind has simply been treating it as a fantastic elseworld run.}

If you are familiar with the City of Owls story, what do you think of it? In general, what do you think are the limits to how far you can push a story while remaining true to its essence? You've done several adaptations, what are the guideposts you use to what is and what is not acceptable?

Personally I reference the movie The Iron Giant when, er...spoiler free version...when the Giant makes a momentous decision at potential great cost to himself, he remembers a previous discussion with the boy, "You are who you choose to be". He smiles and says, "I am Superman". Any none elseworld depiction of Superman must be one in which that thought make sense. To my mind, Dick is always an orphan of a loving family, not someone who narrowly escaped the family job of unkillable assassin. If you want to have a Batman protégé who was created to be a killer make a new one. (I guess a new new one besides Cass and Damian.)

Back to commenting on the episode. (mostly just listing what caught my eye.)
mmm...Flying Grayson poster is reminiscent of Nightwing's costume...not the high collar version. Clever. Of course now I wonder what Dead Man's costume looks like on Earth 16.

Love:
Q;"Who knew a Martian could be vulnerable to a human virus?"
A;"Uh...HG Wells"
(Also, nice body language with Conner on edge of M'gann's bed in that scene.)

Question 3 No one questions them staying in costume and mask on the train?

"Does this circus have an elephant I don't know about?" "Not on foreign tours."
2 pts - one for actually show how their observation skills would work and another probably being realistic for a traveling circus.

Chuckle: "Uh guys, I found Ray"- mask

It is interesting how in sync Artimas and Roy are. They actually work in concert as well as Bat Family members work with each other.

Robin spy camera tube is more or less real world spy tech.

"There is no mole." The irony!

Question 4 I love that the closing credits are for the Danger family- It ups the fun of them generally being listed according to whether or not they are in costume. Was the series idea to credit characters as they appear in a particular ep just for fun, or was it humor borne of necessity?

thanks and more to come...

Anonymous writes...

regarding your post about not owning a smartphone... i saw you playing on your phone one year at sdcc. i think it was way old school, with the green screen and all. haha. :)

anyway, my question is: are the yj stories in the dc nation magazine new stories, and are they canon? (trying to decide whether i need to pick it up.)

Anonymous writes...

Thus far, when members of the Justice League attend meetings at Watchtower, they have:

a. Vote who joins/leaves the Justice League (which has been seen in Season One as an example).
b. Vote on who becomes the overall leader of the Justice League (a term of one year according to archives; no example has been actually seen yet).

What else normally goes on during these meetings besides other than what is just mentioned above?

btgr writes...

1. Did you based the character designs of both that thug voiced by John DiMaggio from the Green Arrow DC Showcase and Henchy from the YJ episode "Coldhearted" on video game character Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War series, or was it just a coincidence?

2. Who do you think would win in hand to hand combat? Merlyn or Count Vertigo?

EXALT writes...

Would you ever consider doing rambles about YJ like you did for Gargoyles?

Anonymous writes...

Does Sportsmaster have a favorite daughter?

JAC writes...

Sorry for the multiple posts in a row...I would have put this question in with the first, but the rules say to make seperate posts for differant topics (but I swear this is the last one for today) so here goes:
What was the reasoning behind not giving Artemis the "Tigress" persona, whether or not she eventually becomes a villianess...

Was it to keep at least one thing true to her origional character? Brcause that was her name when you wrote about her and you dont like other peoples ideas? You just like the name better? Other reason?

Personally, I usually detest the idea of writers making hero monikers rxactly the same or similar to given names...but im also a HUGE Greek mythology buff, so I dont mind it much this time, im just curious about your (was it your...?) decision.

Thank you for all of your time spent.

JAC writes...

I didnt include these questions in my last post, lest the entire thing get deleted again, as they may encroach "spoiler reqest" territory maby a smidge further...

1. WAS there an origional "James" Harper? (its establised that hes a clone, but not of whome).
2. Did he (Guardian) ever find out who he was really working for?
3. Are he and Dublex still in contact?

Thanks again.

Marvelman writes...

Did you have Beatrice and Benedict in mind when you created the Wally-Artemis dynamic?

Marie writes...

I want to ask something and it's really random, but stil:
I was watching Homefront and I saw that there are no individual showers, I mean one in one cabin. There are just many in one room. Why? XD

Hammer writes...

First off, GW, I have to applaud you for such a well crafted series. I can't applaud your team enough for this series. Here's hoping we get favorable news on Season 3 soon!

As for questions:

#1.) We know Wonder Woman and Red Tornado were part of the All Star Squad. Were any other members of today's Justice League in the All Star Squad (such as Captain Atom) ?

#2.) In regards to the countdown:
#2A.) To the best of your knowledge has there ever been any characters you counted on your countdown that didn't show up in the series due to time constraints?
#2B.) Are characters from your countdown counted if they are mentioned or are they required to show up in an episode to be counted? (IE In the episode Terrors, Headmaster is mentioned but doesn't show up. Is he counted?)
#2C.) Are characters counted even if we don't know we've seen them yet or are they only counted once we (generally) know who they are (IE Were both Speedy and Red Arrow counted in episode 1 even though we met "Clone Speedy" in episode 1 and didn't see the real Speedy until episode 26?).
#2D.) In the countdown, are you currently (up until episode 26) counting Guardian and Clone Guardian as two characters or one?

Todd Jensen writes...

The local library finally got a few copies of the Season One Volume Three DVD of "Young Justice", and I watched it last evening. I enjoyed it, too. Here are a few thoughts about the individual episodes.

BEREFT: Psimon was one of the creepiest villains I've yet seen in the series - I especially liked his "Psimon says - forget!" line. I'm curious about this partner of the Light, and look forward to finding out more about him/her/it/they in later episodes.

Makes a change to have Superboy rather than Kid Flash wind up with a souvenir.

TARGETS: Hearing Ra's al-Ghul voiced by somebody other than David Warner takes a bit of getting used to (when I hear Warner speak, I can understand why you brought back the Archmage in Season Two), but another good episode. Lex Luthor was certainly impressive here, and his conversations with Red Arrow were a delight, contrasting Red Arrow's passion and suspicion with Luthor's calm, amused tone. (A bit like the confrontation between Goliath and Xanatos at Castle Wyvern in "The Edge".)

I picked up the "Superfriends" joke with Marvin and Wendy as two of Connor and Megan's classmates - and thought it was hilarious when Connor and Megan thought that "Kent" was a reference to Kent Nelson (clearly Superman hasn't been sharing his alter ego with them - though in light of his troubled relations with Superboy, that's not surprising). I also liked Connor's explanation about Rhelasian history and his bewilderment over humans at war with each other.

TERRORS: I'd seen Professor Strange in a few episodes of "The Batman", where he was a villain (and an especially creepy one, ready to plunge Gotham City into chaos more than once just so that he could study Batman), so I wasn't surprised when he turned out to be another agent for the Light.

Icicle, Sr. made an impressive villain, and I liked the parallel between the two Icicles and Superboy and Superman. Though I kept wondering who the guy with the odd helmet was, who'd recognized Superboy; my memory of some of the earlier episodes must be getting fuzzy.

And now we know why all four of those ice-themed super-villains were on the rampage all at once in the first episode.

HOME FRONT: The two Red Tornado-like intruders were truly creepy, and I look forward to seeing what their connection is with Red Tornado.

Among the highlights: Artemis commenting on how cliched the secret entrances behind the library bookcases were, the "They're all dead!" moment, Kid Flash helping Robin set up the EMP even while a prisoner, and Kid Flash and Superboy bluffing their captors. (Though the book-lover in me felt horrified when the intruders were on the loose in the library - I kept wondering what kind of damage those torrents of water and the toppling bookcases were doing to those books, even if it was less important than whether Robin and Artemis would be able to escape.

I hope that the local library will be able to get the rest of the episodes on DVD soon (I understand that the remainder of Season One comes out on DVD next month).

Cooper writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman I have 2 questions:

1. Does Aquaman's telepathy in the show only affect fish life or can it also affect mammals/humans in some way?

2. If Aquaman can affect humans does Black Manta's helmet protect him from telepathy?

Moe writes...

It has been confirmed for a very long time that next year there will be a new batman series for DC nation. But recent information says there will also be a new Teen Titans go series[which is supposed to be comedy heavy..not sure how I feel about that. And it looks like its animation went very down]

Anyway my point is next year 2013 if those two shows will be on DC nation block what does that mean for Young Justice? Will DC nation be extended to two hours. Or maybe every week they will switch up the shows?

Anonymous writes...

On Earth-16, if you had to make an educated guess, which ocean would Atlantis be located on the world map?

Zodisgod writes...

I was wondering if you could shed some light on the process of breaking a story for young justice. Does the storyline come first with characters who you feel will suit the story being plugged in afterwards, or do you decide on certain characters being spotlighted then working a story around them?

Anonymous writes...

If there were any cartoon series that eventually become spin-offs of Young Justice (though I'm not saying that I'm thinking that it might actually happen), then would the unofficial term for all shows that take place on Earth-16 then be collectively called the "Weismanverse?"

Daniel writes...

3. Has DC approached you guys yet with the possibility of a spin-off series in the Earth 16 continuity (JLA, JLI, Green Lantern Corps, LoSH perhaps)?

Anonymous writes...

Since Klarion was on board the Watchtower in "Auld Acquaintance", does that mean that he was A-05?

Masterdramon writes...

Well, I haven't submitted a post in over a year-and-a-half and certainly none since I became an AskGreg moderator, so while I always feel a little guilty adding to such a lengthy queue I think I've earned a YJ review or two.

Besides, it's a reminder that no matter how much frustration this show's fans cause me sometimes, the series itself is FAR more than worth the price, LOL.

What follows will be a catch-all of reviews I wrote for the benefit of a friend, tracking all of the Season 1 episodes since "Coldhearted." I may do another collection of "Young Justice: Invasion" reviews at a later date, but for now, I figured I might as well share what I have with you as long as they're already written.

Now, without further ado...

COLDHEARTED: I thought this was simply fantastic. The extended plot reference to Greg's "Green Arrow Showcase" was a lot of fun, and it really helped to emphasize just how much of a badass Count Vertigo is in this version (plus, given that he was able to co-opt L-1 himself into his scheme, I think a lot of credence is now lent to my theory that he's part of the Light's inner circle of minions, alongside Sportsmaster and the Riddler).

Speaking of which, we got Vandal Savage's first substantive appearance in the show here, and I was loving every minute of it. The animation and sound-effects teams really knocked it out of the park here in getting across the sheer WEIGHT of his every movement, emphasizing the fact that he is first-and-foremost a hulking neanderthal. And of course, there's no one better to deliver those bonechilling lines than Miguel Ferrer himself.

But of course, the real "heart" (pardon the pun) of this episode was Wally West, and Jason Spisak really rose to the occasion and carried this episode from start-to-finish. Everything was hit perfectly, from his earnestness in celebrating his sweet sixteenth to his reaction to FINALLY being informed of the M'gann/Conner relationship to the heartbreaking guilt in his voice both times he believed Perdita to be dead...to the point where the performance fully convinced me that the girl had really died, BOTH times.

The voice work (Steve Blum doing his Spike voice for Mr. West = WIN) and score were most top-notch, as per usual, but the real accomplishment here production-wise was the animation. Good LORD, was the animation fantastic in this episode - possibly the best this series has seen yet, and that's saying something. The snow effect was perfect, and just look at the close-up of Wolf on the ice fortress...that level of detail is rarely seen on something that moves so fluidly.

All-in-all, one of my favorites of the season.

IMAGE: First of all, can we all give it up for a Beast Boy origin story that actually MAKES SENSE?! I loved Gar to pieces in the comics, but there's no denying his origin makes zero sense...until now. This was some excellent pipe-laying, and the shift of his eyes from blue-to-green post-operation was a brilliant touch.

I've been looking forward to seeing Queen Bee in action since I learned that Marina Sirtis (AKA Demona, the evil sex goddess of my childhood) would be voicing her, and I was NOT disappointed. That last scene had me in chills, with her cold and calculated delivery, rather predatory treatment of the eight-year-old Garfield, and lack of concern for M'gann's physical boundaries very much evoking an image that I can only describe as "female rapist." One thing's for sure: I definitely understand now why Greg and Brandon decided to include her as a member of the Light.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of her...allure, may I just say that I loved this pair of lines:

Robin: "Doesn't she have the power to enthrall most men?"
Batman: "And some women."

Thus YJ may well have become the first "kid's cartoon" to admit that homosexuals, y'know. Exist.

But of course, the meat of this story was M'gann, and Danica McKellar's performance was quite frankly breathtaking throughout. She may not have turned out to be the mole, but she's still easily the darkest character on the Team now...and I'm not talking about her monstrous appearance. She basically LOBOTOMIZED Psimon to keep her secret, and continues to keep it - which, given the last scene, I'm guessing is going to have consequences that stretch into Season 2.

And finally, "Hello Megan!" itself...very, very cute. Reminds me of "Blossom" in its delightful cheesiness and grown-up-to-be-a-scientist teenage star, and the theme song is quite catchy. And as for "Greg Vietti and Brandon Weisman"...well, it definitely managed to put a smile on my face.

AGENDAS: Quite possibly my favorite episode of the season, and that's saying something. The highlight was of course Lex Luthor, and as an avid fan of the character in the comics and elsewhere, I can state firmly that this WAS Lex - his absolute best moments from the comics, translated perfectly from page to screen.

But as much as Rolston's Lex completely stole the scene whenever he showed up, this was first and foremost Superboy's story...and fortunately, Superboy is only barely edged out by M'gann as the most-developed character throughout the show's history. He's clearly developed a strong personal philosophy and principles regarding "freedom" since his own liberation at the hands of Kaldur, Dick, and Wally, which makes it all the more tragic when he has to compromise those principles in agreeing that Match is too dangerous to himself and others to be "allowed" freedom. In general, it's a very effective "confronting the demons of his past" story, especially considering that it's been so long since we've even SEEN Cadmus onscreen.

Still, arguably even more engaging was the episode's B-plot revolving around the Justice League. Being a political wonk, getting this behind-the-scenes look at the League's parliamentary procedures fascinated me to no end. The back-and-forth between personalities as strong as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, etc. is something I couldn't get enough of, especially when going back knowing what we know about the results of their decision now. The Green Lanterns' double "NO!" regarding Guy Gardner remains one of the most memorable laugh-out-loud moments in the show, and Batman's answer to Wonder Woman's accusation regarding Robin's age breaks my heart every time. And speaking of Wonder Woman...DAMN does Maggie Q knock that performance out of the park.

INSECURITY: Green Arrow is my favorite comic book superhero of all time and I've really dug the addition of this version of Artemis Crock to his mythos, so along with the fact that the scriptwriter was Peter David, responsible for the tightest script of the series so far ("Secrets"), I was greatly looking forward to this one. And I was not disappointed. Both Sportsmaster and Cheshire were in fine form, and do I even need to mention Brain and Klarion? The two make a fantastic "odd couple" in so many ways, and overall Klarion's pretty much been the breakout villain of the whole show...followed closely by this very Deathstroke-ish Sportsmaster. And to top it all off, Ivo's back for another round of tinkering...and any excuse for more Peter MacNicol is good with me.

I also liked that the Light's plans really came together here. Even before getting to see Starro-Tech in action a couple episodes later, it just felt supremely satisfying to witness the installation of Warden Strange, the echinoderm from Atlantis, the Fog with data stolen from STAR Labs, Kobra-Venom, and Klarion's Chaos magic all combine into a product that justified a full season of subterfuge. The banter and cooperation between the bad guys is one of the things that really makes this show stand out for me, and this episode delivered that in spades ("Morrow's in a coma? Did I already know that?")

But yeah...back to the heroes. Specifically, Artemis and Red Arrow. Both perform as spectacular foils to each other, and while it's easy to get really peeved at Roy for his treatment of her (particularly in hindsight), I can also greatly sympathize with his viewpoint. He's a professional - it's quite literally the only life he's ever known - and even without the mole suspicion on her head Artemis has got to seem somewhat superfluous to him, a back-up archer who should be stepping aside when the moment really counts, as it so often does on missions involving the Shadows.

The two work very well in concert, but it's hard for him to see that when she's objectively just not in his league and for her to see that when she's quite justifiably concerned about exactly that same "superfluousness." It gets to the point where, even after all we know about her from the rest of the season (especially "Homefront"), the tag can really play with our expectations. Lawrence is damn good at manipulating his "baby girl," and she knows it.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention Joshua Keaton's cameo as the Spectacular Black Spider(-Man). Pure, unadulterated WIN right there.

PERFORMANCE: Now this was a gem, though perhaps not quite to the SAME level as the phenomenal episodes both preceding and following it; still, even when YJ is merely "really good" as opposed to "bloody fantastic" it still beats the snot out of pretty much every other show airing right now, "Legend of Korra" excluded.

Dick Grayson's been overdue for his own showcase, and this episode definitely delivered on that score. It's a really difficult task to take a story most everyone already knows and make the tragedy ring in full once again, so this show made a FANTASTIC choice in going with a "less is more" approach regarding Dick's remembrances of his family. The music, Wally's vague hints, and that distant cry of "Ladies and gentlemen, the Flyyyyyying Graaaaaaysons!"...gah, it gives me chills every single time I hear it. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.

As for the main plot, while Parasite is far from my favorite villain of the season, he plays his part quite well. This is a guy who should be terrifying - after all, he merely has to go around and tap some shoulders at a Justice League press conference and suddenly he's the most powerful entity on Earth - and this series did a MUCH better job at conveying that than the DCAU version ever did. His constant (but never over-the-top) food metaphors, his voice as supplied by the great Adam Baldwin, and the fact that he spends the entirety of his first major scene in a creepy-as-Hell clown suit all add up to a suitably unnerving villain.

The rest of the episode isn't the absolute best - but that may just be my personal preference, since I don't tend to like "circus episodes" very much - but it's filled with some fantastic moments. Superboy's B-plot is hard to watch but also highly sympathetic, as most addiction metaphors are (after all, if you could make yourself fly and shoot laser beams from your eyes with the ease of basically pushing a button, wouldn't YOU find it hard to stop?) and Nolan North pulls out some of his best acting chops in tracking the devolution of his higher mind as the Shields exert greater and greater influence. The mole plotline also continues, and we get some great lines from both Roy and Artemis out of it. And circus episode or no circus episode, that final scene with Jack Haley and Dick is utterly heartwarming.

USUAL SUSPECTS: Now, here's where things get a little tricky. Unfortunately, thanks to my position as an AskGreg moderator and some supremely idiotic and/or trollish posters who saw the Brazilian episodes weeks ahead of time, I was forced to be spoiled on several significant plot points for both this episode and "Auld Acquaintance" (including that Red Arrow was the mole, that he was a clone, that the Light has the original Roy and he's missing an arm, that Vandal would end up on the Watchtower, that Cheshire would save Artemis' life, etc.). Fortunately they were both of such ridiculously high quality that it didn't matter all that much in the long-run, but I can't pretend it didn't color my impressions watching them for the first time.

Anyway, with that out of the way...where do I start? SO DAMN MUCH happened in this one that it's almost mind-boggling. Rocket/Raquel Ervin joined the Team and four new members (five if you count the re-branded Doctor Fate) joined the League, and while we still haven't yet gotten heavy-heavy on characterizing any of them apart from Red Arrow, it really helped to further improve the "realism" of this League. The induction of new members is cause for a press conference held by Superman and broadcast live; reporters immediately take advantage of the almost unique gathering of League members to ask questions like, "Will Atlantis be joining the UN?"; they even hand out membership cards! It's the little details like that which truly impress me on this show.

Both the Team and the Light were at the top of their game here, and it was magnificent. Riddler gets some great lines and, assuming the idea of passing the Starro-Tech along through a loss to the Team was intended, some great strategems as well. Plus Bee, Luthor, and Sportsmaster remain at their high points as established by the previous string of episodes; "Young man, if you wish to detain me, contact my attorney" is easily one of the best lines out of anything ever.

In general both of the major fight scenes feature some of the best action in this series yet, and THAT is saying something. Everyone, including Rocket, got something to do and a chance to shine, and setting the big showdown on Santa Prisca - where the Team first truly came together and succeeded at their first official mission - was a brilliant way to show how much these young heroes have grown. As for the canyon fight, Superboy's final Shield-induced rampage looked like it was ripped straight from Guts in "Berserk," and the fanboy in me was sallivating at the utter AWESOMENESS of his rapid-fire pummeling of Mammoth. And speaking of which, it was a great touch to give us more than just generic mooks to take out by bringing back Mammoth, Shimmer, Blockbuster, and Bane. Again, it shows just how far the Team has come...especially Kaldur, whose tactical skills (especially in the appropriation of the mooks' Apokoliptan tech to neutralize Sportsmaster and Blockbuster) now rival even Batman's.

The real meat of this episode, though, wasn't the eye-gasmic action...but the confession scenes intercut throughout it. Magnificent bastards as they are, the one thing the Light continually underestimates is the familial bond that links this Team together. This is in contrast to the League, which as "Agendas" displayed quite thoroughly is a mixture of friends, colleagues, and begrudging allies. So getting to see Conner, Artemis, and M'gann choose - CHOOSE - to detach themselves from the narrative theme of "secrets and lies" showed a level of heroism that is beyond incredible. And kudos again to Kaldur for his completely nonchalant response to Miss Martian's true form. The man runs a tight ship, and this was the episode that truly showed it.

And finally...that last scene. Fortunately, the fact that the ENTIRE League was going to get Starro-Tech'ed was NOT spoiled for me, so while I was expecting Red Arrow's unconscious betrayal I certainly wasn't expecting to see every member of the Justice League bow down to Vandal Savage. It was ridiculously chilling imagery, and got me pumped as Hell for the grand finale.

AULD ACQUAINTANCE: This. Was. AMAZING.

As I said in my previous review, the Team has truly proven themselves as a tight-knit family and a well-oiled machine under Aqualad's expert leadership...and this episode provided the ultimate test for said proof. One moment of pure awesomeness from Red Tornado is enough to give them the opening necessary to take on the entire Justice League one-by-one, and WIN. A full season of gathering resources and allies, of training in stealth attacks and subterfuge, and it all pays off here.

It helps that they made it extremely clear that this was not opposition the Team could beat head-on; in a straight fist-fight Superman would pulverize Superboy, and in a straight race the Flash would leave Kid Flash in the dust. Instead the Team takes down the League through intelligent application of teamwork, the element of surprise, and no small amount of "dirty" tactics...allowing Crowning Moment of Awesome after Crowning Moment of Awesome without making the League seem to weak by comparison. This was especially true of the "World's Finest" duel that closed out the final fight scene, with an epic Fastball Special and a suitably dramatic first unveiling of Kryptonite on Earth-16.

The character that most shines here, however, is Vandal Savage himself. After "Coldhearted" showed us just how much of a beast the man is in terms of physical attributes, more "force of nature" than mere supervillain, this episode did the same for him on the mental and strategical side. The speech he gives to Dinah, Red Tornado, and Roy aboard the Watchtower underscores him as a very different type of Big Bad than most superhero shows, displaying a worldview and aspirations befitting a man who's been seeing the bigger picture for longer than recorded history.

He's a monster with a point, which is certainly the worst kind...but he's a monster nonetheless. And while what he's selling - an intergalactic empire with a utopian Earth at the center of it - can sound incredibly appealing, to the point where individuals as diverse as a leading captain of industry to a genius scientist to the personification of Chaos could buy into it completely, the price he demands is far too great. The world he represents is one where the individual has no protection from the supercriminal...and when that world includes powers, magic, and tech capable of killing hundreds, Vandal's vision is horrifically unacceptable.

There's so much I haven't yet mentioned about this incredible episode; Greg Weisman is without a doubt television's greatest expert at fitting the most action possible into 22 minutes, without making it seem cramped or forced. Red Arrow quickly becomes probably the show's most tragic character (and THAT is saying something) in a revelation that makes one revisit the entire season in a new light; the romance and sexual tension reach their peak in one glorious New Year's moment (followed by Red Tornado delivering one of the funniest lines of the season); Clark and Conner finally find their accord and my heart explodes with rainbows; and a mystery reaches through into the next season that leaves the viewer in chills.

This episode was the perfect season finale. I have no complaints.