CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

I would to say that "Usual Suspects" is one of the very best episodes of Season One. You and your co-workers did a fantastic job! Now for the questions.

1. This Rocket character… I believe that she had a non-speaking role for at least two episodes if I’m not mistaken. I’m glad she’s been given a voice actress, which almost sounds similar to the person who voiced Virgil Hawkins’ sister in “Static Shock.” “Usual Suspects” has already have her established as a member of The Team at this point. Why wasn’t she shown to be properly introduced to the other members of The Team (within the show) and vice versa? I think this was the only point within the episode that has gotten me somewhat confused; otherwise, everything else was great.

2. The crowd was laughing (but not in an insulting way) after Superman made a comment about how one of the three values that the Justice League upholds is also part of the team’s name. Was that supposed to be Superman’s bad attempt at humor or something? Is it rare for Superman to try to be humorous?

3. If Miss Martian was able to permanently remove/block the “red sun” programming in Superboy’s mind, did Superboy had to TELL Miss Martian about it first in order for her to help him or was she presumably able to LOOK into all of the potentially dangerous programming (that was installed) within his mind and got rid of them all?

4. As demonstrated in the episode, Batman preferred working at the Watchtower rather than joining the celebration party for the new Justice League members. When Green Arrow and rest of the previous Justice League members joined within the last seven years (prior to 2010), did Batman ever did that same routine of “business first and celebration later”?

5. While the cliffhanger on “Usual Suspects” took me by surprise, why was it ultimately decided to have this episode to show the cliffhanger instead of the final episode of Season One, which will air in the coming week? If it seems like this question sounds ridiculous, please recall/remember the question from one of my earlier postings, in which I told you my thoughts about the nature of cliffhangers on television shows.

Thanks for taking the time to read my questions. I look forward to the Season finale with much anticipation!

Anonymous writes...

Just saw "Usual Suspects". Just wanted to say that I love, LOVE the fact that Superboy knew about Miss Martian's true form all along. The simple fact that he already knew makes their relationship seem so much more "real." It would have felt so false if he found out for the first time and then immediately accepted it. It's more believable that he already knew.

Colton gambrel writes...

Does the public know about miss Martian,superboy,zatanna,rocket,artemis,sphere and wolf,or do the justice league hide them for covert reasons

Nino Escobar writes...

Mattel has announced that they are cancelling the Young Justice toy line (along with all current DC action figures, which just plain sucks!) Now, I know that the show isn't as merchandise-based like, say the Transformers, but does this have any effect at all on the likelihood of renewal for a third season?

Keep up the good work!

Greg Bishansky writes...

The Usual Suspects

In the early promotion of "Young Justice," Greg Weisman said that the theme of the first season was "secrets and lies." He was not kidding, that theme was a major factor in "Young Justice" being one of the darkest animated series in a long time. Both this show and "Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes" premiered around the same time, give or take a few weeks, and I remember my brother and I remarking to each other that it was kind of funny that the series about the adult heroes was bright and rather cheerful with occasional dark moments, while the series about the teen sidekicks was the dark and rather dire with occasional cheerful moments. Well the secrets and lies are out now...

But what surprised me was that the none of Superboy, Miss Martian, or Artemis's secrets and lies were exposed by villains. They confessed them on their own. This by no means a complaint of mine. One thing heroes are defined by is their courage. What can be more courageous than facing your own fears, which each of them did here.

Superboy came clean about his use of the shields, and that Lex Luthor is his other father. Following that, we found out that "Red Sun" was the only bit of programming Cadmus successfully got into his brain before Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad liberated him. And Miss Martian was able to remove the "Red Sun" command from his head.

Artemis came clean about her family connections, and wasn't shunned by anybody. Her moments were quite cathartic, I think. I did enjoy it when Cheshire saved her life, and even though Cheshire managed to escape, I bet she enjoyed kicking her father in the face at the end. I know I would have.

Miss Martian revealed what she really was to the Team, and they all took it rather well. The big surprise for me being that Superboy knew since the Bialya mission, although in retrospect it shouldn't have. I still am curious if Martian Manhunter knows this secret or not. Well, if he doesn't know now, he'll know soon... if he survives. Honestly, I misjudged her entire relationship with Superboy. In my defense, I was assuming based on what I knew at the time, but I don't mind being wrong.

I thought the Santa Prisca battle scene was one of the best in the series. Everyone got something to do, and while it was fun to see Bane again, I can already foresee some 90's fanboys once again complaining. Personally, I never liked Bane, never thought he was worthy to "break the bat" and was happy to see Robin kick his ass. Let's just say that Christopher Nolan has his work cut out for him to convince me that this character can carry a movie once "The Dark Knight Rises" hits this summer.

Rocket is the new member of the Team, and... while I'm sure there will be much more to her than just a sassy black chick, this is a Greg Weisman production after all, she hasn't made an impression on me beyond that yet. But I can't blame her, this is an episode heavy with lots of material and plot threads coming to a head. I did, however, like her scene at the beginning where she said the other sidekicks were her inspiration.

So, who was the mole?

Red Arrow. Who saw it coming? I didn't. I probably should have, I did narrow it down to him and Aqualad last week, but I didn't. I guess I expected the mole to be on the Team, but really all Ra's al Ghul said was that they had an operative on the inside. Red Arrow was... is friends with Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad, so I can easily see them casually mentioning things to him before he tips off the Light. But, considering that Red Arrow had no clue that he was the mole himself, I'm guessing that there is far more to this story... and we'll find out next week.

And what a cliffhanger to leave us on. Red Arrow places the Starro pieces on each member of the Justice League, then they all bow down to Vandal Savage. I love a good cliffhanger, and right now I'm really wishing that this was an hour long special. Well, a week isn't that long a time, and the wait will be worth it to see the Team take on their mentors... while the creative team hits us with one last sucker punch for the season.

Personally, I hope Vandal Savage cuts off Superman's head and chucks it into the nearest red sun, but I doubt that will happen. Aw well, tuning in next week, same bat time, same bat channel.

Thomas writes...

You are....amazing. No character is wasted in your series, they all connect back somehow, somewhere. Little movement is wasted in plot.

How do you come up with this stuff?

Michael writes...

Hi Greg!

Like many fans, I was deeply saddened to see Spectacular Spider-Man get cancelled after only two seasons. The show had so many good stories left to tell and really left a lot of open plot threads (Peter and Gwen's relationship, Norman Osborn's future plans, the Venom symboiote's whereabouts etc.) that were just begging to be explored.

With that in mind, have you given any thought to proposing a Spectacular Spider-Man comic book that would continue the storylines you and your creative team had planned? I know that you've gone this route with Gargoyles, and I think a Spectacular Spider-Man comic would really excite and satisfy fans who wanted to see where the series would have gone without incurring the expense of continuing the show (since I realize a lot of your talent has moved on to other projects -- incidentally love Lacey Chabert as Zatanna in Young Justice!). Marvel is already producing an Ultimate Spider-Man comic based on the new animated show -- would it really be out of the realm of possibility for them to produce a Spectacular Spider-Man comic and/or miniseries? After all, DC produced new issues of the Batman The Animated Series comic book, The Batman comic, and Batman the Brave and the Bold long after the cartoons were cancelled.

Best wishes

Michael

Marvelman writes...

Hi Greg. By the time you read this, season one will be long over. There's one thing that I still don't understand. Who created those ice fortresses in "Coldhearted," and why? I'm not asking for a spoiler; I'm just wondering if there's an obvious answer that I missed. Were the ice fortresses just another part of the favor Vandal owed Vertigo? It doesn't seem to advance the Light's cause which may be something more than just taking over the world. Did Vandal cover the U.S. with snow just to stop Princess Perdita from getting a new heart? Isn't that a bit extreme to kill one little girl?

Amber writes...

Did Black Canary ever wear her horrible 1980s Stephen DeStefano costume on Earth-16? Please say no.

Easter egg writes...

I just notice the Aqualad poster in Gar's room during Image.
And I know is there other hidden thing secrets in earlier episodes?
P.S I think Aqualad is the breakout star of show.

Charlie Grayson writes...

Hey! Just a quick question, I know sometimes Robin or another character is missing from an episode because they're off with their mentors and what not, but I noticed that in a couple episodes since Misplaced, Zatanna has been absent. I was just wondering why? Or where she was?

CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

Your response to one of my questions from my first posting (which was posted by me on March 3rd, 2012) stated that you are not familiar with the Smallville interpretation of Krypton’s destruction. The circumstances behind Krypton’s destruction were made clear within an animated series related to Smallville (but also which is not shown on TV) called “Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton.”

The website, http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Kara_and_the_Chronicles_of_Krypton, should hopefully be able to help out in some way to help you understand.

If you want to know more about Smallville’s interpretation of Krypton, here is this website, http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Krypton.

If you want to know about the DCAU interpretation of Krypton and how its destruction came about (which you claimed to some difficulty remembering), here’s the website, http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Krypton.

Does this information appear to help in any way to let you understand the nature of my question from the first posting (which I believe was question #5)? I feel that that these sources are well-informative, so please let me know how it all works out.

PS. I would also like to let you know that two days ago (from the date of this posting), around nighttime, I noticed in the unanswered questions archive that an anonymous person posted a very offensive and insulting message towards me; which also accused me of posting too much. Whoever’s posting it belonged to was deleted by whoever is in charge of the approval of the postings, so I don't remember the anonymous person's exact words. If you feel that I AM posting too often, I sincerely apologize and wish to be advised as to how to avoid the problem. Otherwise, I will not post anything from this point forward unless I feel that I need to ask something important regarding Young Justice.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this posting.

Anonymous writes...

1. Despite having a criminal record (as clearly mentioned in “Agendas”), when and why did Plastic Man decided to become a hero in the first place? Was it to make amends for something he did wrong or was it for some other personal reasons?

2. What grade level are Barbara Gordon and Bette Kane in (currently) at Gotham Academy?

3. Was Barbara Gordon’s enrollment into Gotham Academy of her own decision, or was it her father that pushed for the suggestion that she should enroll there?

4. When Wally was sent to the hospital after trying the experiment to receive super-speed, were his parents furious with him at first (for doing something so reckless and dangerous)? If they were, did Barry ever tried to explain to Wally’s parents that what happened to Wally was actually his OWN fault, and not Wally’s?

5. Out of curiosity, when did “Hello, Megan!” first aired on TV (on Earth-16), and how many episodes did the show have (despite it only being one season)?

Anonymous writes...

It’s good that Robin was given the chance to lead The Team at least once so far (in the real world), but he didn’t feel 100% confident in his own abilities just yet (given what happened in “Failsafe”). If more situations dictate the need for Robin’s leadership more often (I'll wait to find out), then do you believe in your most honest opinion that he will gradually improve overtime (both in his own confidence and in his own skills)?

Anonymous writes...

I'm a big fan of multiverses in DC and Marvel Comics, and that's just because each universe presents something that makes them unique from other universes. The problem with handling a multiverse in a comics industry appears to be that sometimes you introduce a parallel Earth, give it a little background information, and eventually you never hear about it again or it is rarely mentioned at all. I remember some time ago that when the DC multiverse crossover event called "Infinite Crisis" ended, the result created a mainstream Earth (New Earth/Earth-0) and 51 other parallel Earths. The parallel Earths (most of them anyway) were introduced in some way in a comic book series called "52." In the years following the introduction of that particular series, I have noticed many contradictions concerning what is canonically the official 51 parallel Earths (not including the mainstream Earth) within the DC multiverse. The problem got bigger when I realized the DC multiverse was rebooted when the DC crossover event "Flashpoint" was finished. After reading Action Comics #8, the tagline at the end of the issue mentioned the introduction of a Superman from Earth-23 in the new DC multiverse. This confused me because I thought that the cartoon series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" took place on Earth-23 (pre-relaunch of course), which already had its own version of Superman in it. I read on the Internet last night that some people believe that DC cartoons that take place on parallel Earths may not be canon. SO, in the case of your Young Justice cartoon/comic series, is your interpretation of Earth-16 truly a part of the official DC multiverse as one of the 51 parallel Earths, even NOW since the DC multiverse is rebooted?

B writes...

"What exactly are you asking here? Whether or not I'm going to give a free pass to people who phrase the request sneakily? Or whether folks will stop asking when I make it clear that it's not going to work? "

The latter, of course. You constantly refuse to give spoilers and yet they keep trying that "in your opinion" thing as if it's not a spoiler request.

Crystal writes...

Hello. First off, I love Young Justice. The characters (both heroes and villains) and the plot are amazing. I would like to ask you two questions about Rocket specifically.

Are Rocket and Icon related? And are Rocket's powers something she was born with or does she have them thanks to her belt? In the comics, it did say they come from her inertia belt.

Thanks in advance and great job with Young Justice!

Steel writes...

Hello! First off, my sister loves "Young Justice" and is a really big fan. I have yet to see it, but I plan to over the summer. However, I've got a few questions on a much older series you freelanced two episodes for, namely "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command", if you wouldn't mind answering them. (Loved all the inside "Gargoyles" jokes in "Clone Rangers", by the way!) I know it's been almost a decade since then, but I figured I'd give it a go.

1. How were you selected to write the episodes, and how did the process go? (e.g., did you yourself come up with the ideas, or did they present you a premise you had to stick to?)
2. How did you come up with Romac's character? Was there a reason behind him being the only "intelligent" Grounder around? Someone who served as a source of inspiration? (And, this is more trivia than anything, but how old would you say Romac is?)
3. How about the relations between Tangean Royals and Tangean Grounders? The story has a "Romeo and Juliet" kind of feel to it, but did you ever expand on why the two races live apart when they're on the same planet?

Thank you very much in advance! :)

AQ writes...

Regarding Zatanna's spells, does Ms. Chabert have a difficult time pronouncing some of them on the first go? Do you choose to write the spells a certain way that allows for them to be more easily read?

russianspy1234 writes...

These might be spoilerific but I'll try anyway.

1. Is the green martian body that Miss Martian showed as her "true" form what green martians really look like in this continuity, or do they look like their typical more monstrous selves shown in other continuities?

2. Has Dr. Fate not thought to split body time with someone? It would have been a lot easier for him to convince someone to give up their body a few hours a day than permanently.

3. Parasite's plan was to open a black hole, directly above him... Did he have an escape plan?

6f6ea3 writes...

Hey again, Greg. Hopefully this question will catch you while you're at your office or Beverly Hills office, but I'm just dropping by a follow up inquiry about posting the SpecSpidey bible.

Sorry if I'm being a pest, I know by the time you read this you'll have slogged through a couple hundred questions about Red Tornado's shoe-size or the like since you answered my last question. Keep the faith, you're made of sterner stuff then I.

Esteban writes...

Hey Greg, I'm a big fan of Gargoyles and I actually have a question for it concerning Brooklyn. How much has his personality changed after he got back from his Timedancing adventure? I didn't see this question posted at the archives but if you did post it then I apologize.

CGYJ writes...

Hello, Mr. Greg Weisman,

This is posting #36. I've got some questions to ask you.

In regards to things involving the Daily Planet on Earth-16:
a. How long has Perry White been in charge of the Daily Planet thus far?
b. Who was in charge of the Daily Planet prior to Perry White?
c. How long has Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent each have been working at the Daily Planet thus far?

Thanks for taking the time to read these questions!

Colton gambrel writes...

Are Hawkman and hawkwoman's wings nth metal or part of their bodies on earth 16?if they are part of their bodies,how would they hide their large wings to conceal their secret identity?

Chaz Alexander R. Clark writes...

Can you ask Disney Archive to released the early artwork from 1991-1993 on a book called "Gargoyles as never before seen" I hook up with a publishing company called Royalty Publishing LC.