Earth 16: The Best Earth of them All

If you’re not familiar with the Cartoon Network’s series Young Justice, you should be. It’s one of the best iterations of the DC Universe there is outside of the actual comics, and in some cases even then. And in case you couldn’t tell by the title of this blog entry, it takes place on Earth 16 in the DC Multiverse.

The series, like the original comic it gets its name from, revolves around the exploits of younger versions of the Justice League. In essence it is made up of sidekicks. The first members of the team are Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and a brand new version of Aqualad that had not appeared before in the comics or other cartoons. There was also the inclusion of Speedy, the sidekick of Green Arrow, but he declined to join the group.

Initially the team thinks it is a part of the full fledged Justice League but soon realize they are just being kept out of the line of fire of the more serious threats. Without permission they decide to investigate a fire at a scientific facility. At this facility they discover all manner of cloning experiments including the adolescent clone of what appears to be Superman. After defeating the secretive leaders of the cloning facility and convincing the Superboy (as they take to calling him) that they are not his enemy, the team is confronted by the Justice League. The Justice League agrees that the young team of heroes proved themselves. Under the supervision of Batman and the addition of Miss Martian (the Martian Manhunter’s niece) they become a sort of black ops unit for the Justice League.

As shown in my previous blog (see here), I have a soft spot for sidekicks. So of course a cartoon show completely revolving around a team of them would be right up my alley. But it is more than just that fact that makes this a great show. Judging by the art style and the fact that both this show and the movie use the same actor for Batman, Bruce Greenwood, it can be argued that Young Justice takes place in the same timeline as Batman: Under the Red Hood. If you only ever watch one DC Direct film, it should be this one. It has a compelling story, amazing voice talent and looks amazing. And Young Justice carries on that tradition (though I suspect the Red Hood takes place much later in the timeline).

But besides focusing on characters that I already like, the series also features characters from the broader DC Universe. Even the most obscure heroes and villains get featured airtime in this series. Characters like Icon and Rocket are both prominently featured. There have even been cameos by Lagoon Boy (who is actually a team member in season 2), Sportsmaster, Plastic Man, Guy Gardner, and many many others.

The show is only in its second season yet it has already given a well-rounded view of characters throughout the DC Universe. Season two accelerated the timeline by about five years so we were able to see new versions of characters (Robin becoming Nightwing) and have looming storylines and questions that need to be answered. I only hope this upcoming third season keeps up the good work.