Review
Young Justice Season One Blu-Ray
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Archive Collection
Release Date: August 12, 2014
Closed Captioning: Yes
Run Time: 311 minutes
MSRP: $24.95
Aspect Ratio: 16x9
Episodes: All 26 Episodes - Independence Day, Fireworks (Independence Day, Part Two), Welcome to Happy Harbor, Drop Zone, Schooled, Infiltrator, Denial, Downtime, Bereft, Targets, Terrors, Homefront, Alpha Male, Revelation, Humanity, Failsafe, Disordered, Secrets, Misplaced, Coldhearted, Image, Agendas, Insecurity, Performance, Usual Suspects, and Auld Acquaintance
Synopsis: "Don't call them sidekicks anymore!" Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis have become Young Justice - The Justice League's secret weapon against the forces of evil. Based out of The Cave, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the League proper (with its incandescent starpower) to handle covertly. In addition, these kids are in constant training to take their place alongside the great heroes. Red Tornado will be their supervisor, Black Canary will be in charge of their training, and Batman will hand out their assignments. And of course, Young Justice will push their missions, often turning a simple assignment from Batman into something much larger, discovering that what they've been tasked to do is just the tip of the iceberg. From India to Cadmus Labs, these superpowered sidekicks must think fast and use teamwork in battles that test their loyalties and reveal hidden secrets.
Young Justice revolved around the Justice League's black ops team of teenage proteges navigating the dangerous and complicated world of superheroes and supervillains and facing secrets and lies at every turn. It was not a short while ago that fans were collectively disheartened when the season finale for Young Justice: Invasion became the series finale. The final arc of the tie-in comic book series and video game Young Justice: Legacy softened the blow. But if you were go on social media or check Ask Greg website, Young Justice isn't over yet in the hearts and minds of the fans. I don't think a day goes by when creator producer Greg Weisman doesn't get a season three question. But once more, fans have a reason to feel heartened. The complete Young Justice season one is now available on Blu-Ray through the Warner Archive Collection.
Watching the season again from start to finish brought me back to 2011 and I was hooked again. The premise and the storyline, it all still held up. There was no inclination this was a dated show nor what was explored during the season was no longer relevant. The animation was still brilliant. The acting was still superb. The writing was still the cream of the crop. It all came rushing back - the time stamps, Robin's word play, watching Kid Flash eat, Superboy's growth from angry clone weapon to Connor Kent, Miss Martian's "Hello, Megan!", the influx of DC characters from A-list to obscure of obscure (Amber Joyce ring any bells?), the Mole mystery, trying to figure out who the members of the Light were, waiting to see if Red Arrow would stop being a butt head, my jaw dropping to the floor when Icon and Rocket appeared for the first time, Spitfire, Zatanna getting grounded for life, watching the Team take on the heavy hitter villains and saving the Justice League, trying to figure out the DC character count, and over analyzing every episode to see how it connected to the Light's plan. Good times. The world of Earth-16 mattered. Every choice had a consequence that had ripple effects through the characters and built up escalation after escalation until the culmination of the first phase of the Light's grand objective.
The Complete Season One is offered by the Warner Archive Collection division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. While the 2 disc Blu-Ray set lacks any bonus content, this show was born to be viewed on the high definition format. The audio and video quality is top notch. The music even sounds better! A commentary track with the cast and crew for the first or last episode would have been great. I did have a few minor issues with the Blu-Ray set. The subtitle track is ripe with a lot of misspellings, the disc and case art reuses from past Young Justice DVD releases, and some past errors weren't corrected such as the swapped "Failsafe" credits. But overall, this is totally makes up for that weird Season One Part One release that was more like a three pack of the soccer mom volume releases. The less aster, the better.
Warner Archive has done it again and bestowed another gem. Relive the critically acclaimed fan favorite DC Comics animated series Young Justice on Blu-Ray without worrying about getting a spoiler request no comment! The creative team behind Young Justice have crafted a rich and diverse mythology that appeals to an older or younger audience. Young Justice Season One on Blu-Ray is a recommended purchase. Better yet, get it with the Young Justice: Invasion Blu-Ray and let the binge watch commence!