Young Justice #22 (August, 2000)
"... the Best Intentions!"
"Father's Day"
"Stakeout"
"Other Interests"
Writers - Todd DeZago, Jay Faerber, Chuck Dixon, & Brian K. Vaughan
Pencillers - Todd Nauck, Coy Turnbull, Patrick Zircher, & Scott Kolins
Inkers - Bud LaRosa, Rodney Ramos, Norm Rapmund, & Dan Panosian
Letterers - Clem Robins, Ken Lopez, & Albert DeGuzman
Colorist - Jason Wright
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Hey, there's a familiar cover... well, kinda familiar.
It's pretty reminiscent of New Teen Titans #8... "A Day in the Lives"... except here, we have a red robot instead of a red menace!
That Titans issue was a classic. Does Young Justice have any hopes of living up to it?
Read on...
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We open with the Red Tornado who is having a good hard think on whether or not he should consider himself a "father" to Traya. He's struggling with the fact that he feels so much like a father... but, technically, isn't. Just then, his attention is drawn to a playground where children are... well, playing. He sees a certain group, and they instantly remind him of... well, you know.
He then hears a girl crying. He approaches her to find out what's up... and she tells him that a boy just hit her. When Reddy confronts the boy... he explains that he saw that she was all by herself and was just inviting her to play "tag" with the rest of the kids.
We wrap up with a woman who was watching (but, for some reason didn't get involved when she saw a girl crying) tell Reddy that he's a "natural" when it comes to parenting.
Then... an interlude! Back at the temporary Young Justice HQ in the Poconos, Bart is trying to figure out a way for Superboy to get his powers back. Ya see, this is on the heels of the "Sins of Youth" event, in which all of the teen heroes swapped ages with the adult heroes... so, say... Superboy became Superman, and vice-versa. Anyhoo, when Superboy returned to his "real" age, he no longer had powers. And so, here we have Bart Allen rummaging through his issues of Secret Origins to try and concoct Kon's return to a super-powered state.
Our next vignette features Robin and Nightwing as they stakeout a fella named Billings in Bludhaven. Robin's having some trouble readjusting to being in his teen-age body after briefly becoming Batman. He's also struggling with the fact that... being Batman was hard. Who better to chat up than the original Robin... and short-tenured Batman himself, Dick Grayson?
They continue to chat, and the subject shifts to secret identities. Ya see, Tim hasn't shared his with his Young Justice teammates... because, with his comes (in theory) the whole Bat-Family. Dick points out how funny it is that Tim felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of being Batman... however, feels right at home leading an entire superhero team.
Just then, they see their ticket into Billings' house. Hungry Harry's Deli delivers! When Billings goes to answer the door, we find out exactly what kind of sandwich he ordered... a knuckle sandwich! (Yeah, that was pretty bad... I apologize).
Turns out he'd actually ordered cheesesteak fajitas... which, I feel like they were trying to establish as the "tourist food" of Bludhaven. As they tie the baddie up, Nightwing is convinced that everything will eventually work itself out.
Back to the interlude... Bart has read his comics and has a few ideas on how Kon-El might get his groove back. First he tops off his Soder Cola with some Super Soldier Serum Syrup... then places a non-radioactive spider atop his sushi rolls. It's a cute scene.
Our next story features Cassie as she finds out she'd scored the lead in her schools presentation of Our Town. She's not at all sure how she feels about this... after all, she only tried out so her gal-pal wouldn't have to do it alone. Said gal-pal then starts getting on her about planning her life. Wow, that escalated pretty quickly.
Later on, Cassie returns home... and unfortunately for her, it's report card day. Her mother is furious that her daughter got a B in history... and forbids her from meeting up with her Young Justice friends on school nights until she raises that grade.
She can, however, train with Artemis. The pair discuss some of Cassie's trepidation when it comes to heroing. After the age-swap of "Sins of Youth" Cassie knows that she most definitely does want to be a superhero when she grows up... but, what about now? Maybe she'd like to have a semi-normal teen-age experience... maybe even be in a school play. Welp, that's not what "Artie" wants to hear... and she dismisses her.
On the ride home, the Sandsmarks happen across a a woman who had just flipped her car and slammed into a pole. She made it out okay, however, her baby is still struggling in the inferno. Lucky for her, one of those Sandsmarks is Wonder Girl. Cassie saves the tot... realizes the kind of difference she can make as a superhero... and the following day, drops out of the play? Okay.
Our final "interlude" has Bart still trying all sorts of ways to give Kon some (any) powers. He starts by bathing him in a mixture of chemicals... which, I guess isn't the worst idea considering how several of the speedsters got their powers.
When Kon doesn't immediately exhibit super speed, Bart figures maybe he used the "Plastic Man chemicals" instead... and checks to see if Superboy's appendages have become all stretchy. No dice there either.
Superboy then pins Bart down and tells him to back off... then we close out with a look at all the rest of the goofy stuff Impulse had snagged in his attempt to make a hero out of Kon. How did Bart get a hold of a Green Lantern battery?! And 'Mazing Man's helmet?!
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Had more fun with this than I expected. Young Justice is one of those weird books... it was probably in my Top 3 books while it was coming out, but I have such a hard time revisiting it. Not sure if I just "outgrew" 'em... maybe it reminds me how none of "these" characters really exist anymore... or, maybe it just reminds me that this was half-a-life ago, and I start questioning all of the decisions I've made since then. Either way... ahem, had a good time with this.
Should we start with the framing/interlude sequence? These scenes were cute. Bart acting like you'd imagine Bart would in this sort of situation. I mean, he's being a complete pain in the ass... but, his heart is definitely in the right place. He's going to these lengths in order to help his buddy. Gotta remember that Kon is one of his very few "real" friends... and he probably doesn't wanna lose him as a "running buddy" on the team.
It's also always neat to see those "gallery" panels with oddities like, ya know, 'Mazing Man's helmet (which even makes it to the cover!). And all the Bart-takes on classic superhero origins was a lot of fun to see.
Let's talk about the Cassie arc first. I get what they're going for here... but, and I think we've talked about this before... when you bring the idea of superheroes being able to save "everybody", it all kinda starts to fall apart. Here we have Cassie, who just happened to be in the right place to save that baby from the burning car... which says to her that she needs to be a superhero from this point on... and walk away from her role in the school play.
But... heroes can't be everywhere, right? I mean, if Cassie had her way, she'd have been across country hanging out (and heroing) with Young Justice on this night... and that baby wouldn't have made it. So... which is it? You're never going to be everywhere at once... and if heroes could save everybody... then nothing bad would ever happen. Not sure what giving up a role in a school play would help. Again... I get what they're going for... I just think it's a pretty flimsy way to go about it.
Red Tornado's story was... ehh, a bit on the saccharine side. Another where I "get what they're going for", but still... feels a bit trite. I mean, for the entire thing to work, we have to allow for the fact that a grown-up woman ignored the cries of a young girl... who, as far as anyone knew, had just been slapped by one of the boys.
And, really... what exactly did Reddy do besides ask "What happened here?" Is that really being a "natural" father? I think that's just being an adult, no?
Unsurprisingly, (and ignoring it's non-ending) I felt like the Nightwing and Robin bit was likely the strongest of the issue. Tim struggling with how much he should let his teammates "in" has been an ongoing thread in Young Justice from the very start. I appreciate that they understand (and explain) just what a domino-effect giving out his secret identity has the potential to cause. It really could unravel the entire Bat-Family... which wouldn't be a good thing.
I dig that while Tim and Dick have so many similarities, they're also very different young men. I loved that Dick was quick to point out the differences between the Teen Titans and Young Justice. His dismissal of the "Junior Justice League" as perhaps a little "less stable" than his old team was pretty neat... and, also pretty true.
This was a "jam" issue of sorts, with several writers and artists... all of which flowed pretty nicely. The only artist who really stuck out here was Zircher, as he is far less cartoony than the rest of the team. Still, great work all around as far as art is concerned.
Overall, yeah... this is worth a peek. It's not quite on the level of a Scott Lobdell post-crossover X-Men issue, but if you ask me... few things are. The kids are starting to get their lives back to normal following "Sins of Youth", and it was a pretty good time. This issue is available digitally.
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Batman #590 (June, 2001)
"Close Before Striking, Act Three"
Writer - Brian K. Vaughan
Penciller - Scott McDaniel
Inker - Karl Story
Colorist - Roberta Tewes
Separations - WildStorm FX
Letterer - John Costanza
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Editor - Bob Schreck
Cover Price: $2.25
It's strange how things and folks you come into contact with can change the way you see things for the long-term. This is probably going to sound incredibly silly, but... on Twitter, I got this pal who goes by Matches Balone. He's a great dude, and well worth a follow if you're into the Twitter-machine, by the way. Anyhoo... each and every time I've had to type "Matches Malone" over the past few days, it's gone something like:
M A T C H E S [space] B A [backspace, backspace] M A L O N E.
Every damn time! Anyways... let's wrap this one up!
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We open with a brief shot of the Ventriloquist (which is a much more difficult word to spell over and over again than I thought) and Scarface holed up at a theater until the "heat" blows over. Scarface, being the "brains" of the operation says they'll split just as soon as they can. The Ventriloquist being the... I dunno, sometimes conscience of the duo is worried because if Matches does work with Batman... they just killed one of Batman's pals. Speaking of Batman... he's currently mowing through a gaggle of nogoodniks in attempt to locate the Ventriloquist. Even resorting to rather extreme measures to get 'em to squeal!
Luckily on this night, Batman's got Nightwing in tow... who is able to stop things from getting completely out of hand. Though, if we were to ask Batman, he'd probably tell us everything was in control. It's here that we also learn that Matches did not survive his wounds. Batman buried him next to his brother.
Batman's pretty annoyed by Nightwing's appearance... and tells him to hit the bricks. And so, he does. We follow him back to Oracle's Clocktower where they talk about Bruce taking on very Matches Malone-like quirks. They discuss how easy it is to lose oneself in an alter-ego... considering between the two of them, they've had like a half-dozen.
He then reveals that Batman called off his hunt for the night, and said he had business to attend to at Wayne Enterprises. As he's talking about this, a wave of... I dunno, realization washes over him. He has a pretty good idea what Bruce might be up to... and it turns out that he's 100% correct. He arrives at the office to find that Bruce has made a $50,000 withdrawal from the company, with which he hopes to bribe some scums and find the Ventriloquist.
He sends Dick home... again. Dick pleads with Bruce that it seems like he's turning into Matches... to which, Bruce says "Not yet." It also gives him an idea. Perhaps the only person who might avenge the murder of Matches Malone is... Matches Malone!
Next thing we know, Matches Malone is sauntering back into the Ales of Justice... with nary a hole in his belly! The other patrons, and scumbags are shocked to see him still among the living. After taking his order for a Root Beer, the barkeep heads behind the bar to make a phone call. Luckily, Bruce has Oracle monitoring the place.
The barkeep is calling... the Ventriloquist, who is positively shocked to hear that Matches Malone still walks the Earth. Moments after hanging up, the Ventriloquist and Scarface find themselves in the shadow of the bat.
A battle rages on... and by "battle", I mean Scarface fires a lot of bullets in Batman's direction while Batman acrobatically avoids the shots. After one final flip, Batman hurls a ball of ink at the baddies... which blinds the Ventriloquist. Reminds me of anytime you'd fight an octopus-type character in Final Fantasy... poor Wesker's just got this blob of ink covering his eyes!
Batman pounces on the prone puppet. Wesker pleads with Batman not to kill them... to which, he says "I don't kill." Unfortunately, moments later... they hear the familiar nasal Hobokenese of Matches Malone, who assures them that he has no such qualms about moider. Remember, the Ventriloquist (and therefore, Scarface) is currently blinded... he doesn't see the change of outfit here.
Matches fires one up... and notices a note written on the matchbook. I can't remember if I had mentioned it last chapter, but this matchbook was more or less Carver Malone's "suicide note". It was a message to Matches to "Remember who you are". Well, it's a good thing it was there, because it helps nudge Bruce back to sanity.
Matches throws the Ventriloquist to the ground, and tells him he won't take his life. At the same time, however, he does have a dyin' man's request he's promise-bound to keep. He promised to kill the one that shot him... and so, with the last match in the book, Matches Malone "kills" Scarface.
The issue (and story) wraps up with Batman and Nightwing having a chat atop a building. They are right by the... oi, theater that showed The Mask of Zorro that one night, where life-changing stuff happened. This is worse than Spider-Man and the bridge, ain't it? Anyhoo, they talk about how maybe Bruce Wayne also died that night, yadda yadda yadda... yawn. We end with Bruce thankful for Dick being there for him, and how he trusts that if he ever go off the deep end again, he will continue to be there to pull him back.
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Well... I gotta say that didn't go the way I remembered it. I could've sworn that the whole MPD aspect was just a ploy... however, it looks to have been legit. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Actually, yeah I am... didn't like it.
I think it's strange that Bruce would be so susceptible to losing himself in a non-Batman identity. Especially one with such a drastically different moral code. Maybe he fell into a sort of fugue state... but, I wouldn't think his sense of identity would be quite this fragile. I mean, we get that Bruce Wayne is sort of a broken dude... but, let's consider for a moment that this is a guy who has the Justice League (and their technology) at his fingertips. Should a guy who can (in the matter of hours) fall into a different identity have that kind of access? I'm almost definitely thinking too hard... because, far as I know, this story arc is never referred to again.
As a story... if we remove the bit about Bruce Wayne's fugue, I really quite enjoyed it. I still can't shake the feeling that this is a bit fan-ficcy... seeing as though it plays with some long-standing lore, but ends with everything "back in its place" as it were. Future writers never need to address Matches Malone being a real dude, but it's there should anyone find use for it. Batman losing himself in the Matches persona doesn't need to be addressed, but it's also there.
Overall, a fun little story arc... so long as you don't think too hard on it. Definitely worth checking out. Vaughan has always been a great storyteller (though, I really could have done without the overused The Mask of Zorro chestnut), and McDaniel's art here perfectly fits the vibe. Just like the previous two installments, this is available both digitally, and as part of the Batman By Brian K. Vaughan trade paperback collection.
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Batman #589 (May, 2001)
"Close Before Striking, Act Two"
Writer - Brian K. Vaughan
Penciller - Scott McDaniel
Inker - Karl Story
Colorist - Roberta Tewes
Separations - WildStorm FX
Letterer - John Costanza
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Editor - Bob Schreck
Cover Price: $2.25
I enjoyed yesterday's discussion so much, figured we may as well get to the bottom of Who is (was?) Matches Malone...
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The chapter begins with the Batmobile peeling out in front of the Ales of Justice bar. Nightwing is pleading with it's driver to wait. That request falls on deaf ears, and so Dick calls in an Oracle trouble-ticket... which provides us with the perfect opportunity for some juicy flashback-age.
Upon hearing that Matches Malone was shot (at the end of last issue), Batman and Nightwing suit up and head to the bar. Along the way, Dick inquires just how one of Bruce's phony-alter egos could possibly be bleeding out on the floor of a dive bar. Batman tells him that this story begins very early on in his crime-fighting career... even before Dick wore "the R".
Batman knew it would behoove him to have a fake scumbag identity in order to blend in with and learn about some of the seedier members of the criminal underground. His first attempt was under the guise of Irving O'Neil... who raised quite a few criminal eyebrows... leading to one baddie tearing open his shirt to reveal the Batman costume! Oops!
He would use several fake personas in the months that follow... each more unsuccessful than the last. One funnier bit is when he hid in blackface... which the Joker was able to see right through. It was after these failed attempts that he finally met... Matches Malone. The real one!
Matches and his brother Carver were a pair of orphans who had worked a racket in which they torched buildings for insurance money. Batman came in contact with them when they decided that Gotham would be a good place to set up shop. Batman reveals that the Malone brothers split their profits 50/50, even though Matches did all of the heavy lifting. Turns out that shortly after their Gotham arrival, Carver was found dead... bullet through the head. All signs pointed to Matches "doing" his own brother.
Batman found Matches at his brother's grave... and informed him that he's got his eyes on him. Wasn't long after that, Matches Malone was found dead. Body burned, a result of (probably a very painful) suicide. Nobody knew that Matches was dead... and so, Batman figured nobody would mind if he "used" his identity. And so, Batman buried Matches Malone next to Carver without reporting the event into the police.
Wouldn'tcha know... it worked like a charm! Batman suddenly had an alter-ego that already had a reputation among the scumbags of the world. We get a cute scene of Bruce working on his Hoboken accent.
The dynamic duo finally arrive at the Ales of Justice... we're still in flashback mode... but not the flashback-within-a-flashback mode we were just in. They find Matches Malone with a hole in his gut. Nightwing questions whether Matches is going to "die again"... which leads us back into flashback-within-a-flashback mode! Ya see, during one of their "jobs", the Malone brothers accidentally killed a transient who had squatted in one of their burnt buildings. Carver starts panicking... but Matches tells him to go home. He promises that he'll make it all go away.
Matches continues, informing Batman and Nightwing that he didn't kill Carver... Carver killed Carver. In order to protect his brother's legacy, Matches made the suicide appear to be a hit. He then used the body of the burnt hobo to make people think Matches had killed himself. He did a pretty good job on both, didn't he?
From here, Matches left town... changed his name, the whole nine. In the very recent past, he was sitting at a bar minding his own business, when he overheard a couple of mooks talking about the $10,000 bounty on the head of Matches Malone! He decides it was time to return to Gotham to see what this was all about... and he gets shot in the belly by a puppet for his curiosity!
Back at the bar, Batman is trying to convince Malone to come with him so he can be taken care of. Matches figures he's as good as dead anyway. Batman promises that he won't let him die. While on the subject of promises... Matches asks for one. He asks that Batman kill the person responsible for shooting him... and... Batman agrees!
Back in the present, we wrap up with Dick finishing up his story to Oracle. He's troubled, because, when Batman made the promise to Matches... he didn't sound like Batman at all... he actually sounded like... Matches Malone!
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Another strong chapter in the Matches Malone saga... and another great straddling-the-line issue from Brian K. Vaughan. We get plenty of exposition here, however, at no point does it feel like a lecture or info dump. It would have been awfully easy to turn this into an overwritten espository mess. Glad that was sidestepped.
Matches Malone, for all intents and purposes, is a brand-new character being introduced here. I mean, the identity had been around for a long time, but it wasn't until this arc that we find out that he's a real dude... who lived a real life. I remember around the turn of the century there were a few creators who entered the field through being recognized for their fan-fiction. Names like Devin Grayson, Jay Faerber, and... Brian K. Vaughan. Now, I know fan-fics get a bunch'a grief... and much of it is well-deserved... but this story kinda feels (to me) like a really good fan-fiction.
A fan-ficcer might see a concept like Matches Malone and imagine the storytelling possibilities just waiting to be explored and mined. I could easily see this being nothing more than a fan-fiction story had Vaughan not been picked up by DC. It has the distinction of leaving a "soft" imprint on the character and lore of Batman... something that I think fan-fic writers look for. They want to write something meaningful... but not to the extent where it changes the core of the character they're writing about. Or, perhaps... I'm projecting. That's always a possibility.
Anyhoo... like the issue before, this one comes recommended by the humble blog. Also, like the issue before, this bugger is available digitally, and as part of the Batman By Brian K. Vaughan trade paperback collection.
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