Something amazing has happened recently. For the first time in my life, I witnessed a miracle. And not child birth, that's not a miracle. Not when a sixteen year old can do it. No, what I saw was truly inspiring. I saw the life of a franchise reemerge. Not through money. Not through threats. Through will. Through unyielding support. Ladies and gentlemen, Young Justice is coming back.
In 2011, Brandon Vietti and Greg "Really Good at Cartoons" Weisman created the best DC Comics cartoon of our generation, "Young Justice". Borrowing the name of an early 2000's comic book series and pulling inspiration from 75 years worth of material, "Young Justice" was a show about the sidekicks of notable DC Comic's superheroes finally stepping out of their mentor's shadows and forming a division of their own. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Artemis worked alongside their mentors and expressed their individuality at the same time. With characters like Zatanna, Rocket, and Speedy/Red Arrow appearing later, this show was packed with great stories, a compelling narrative, and amazing character development. Truly-after years of just Batman stuff-it was a good era to be a DC Comics Fan.
In 2012 the legacy continued with it's second season which raised the bar considerably. A five year time jump would show us our favorite characters in new roles: Robin became Nightwing, Aqualad betrayed his friends, Red Arrow becomes a washout, and Kid Flash goes into retirement. As season two goes on we're kept on the edge of our seats, watching as two villain factions come to blows and a visitor from the future warns of an impending doom. The new characters of Blue Beetle, Impulse, Static, and the original Roy Harper/Speedy bring new perspectives on the world of superheroes.
And then...poof. After season two's cliffhanger the show was cancelled. Ratings, toy sales, and other studio concerns brought Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. to dump the show Greg and Brandon had planned. And I stress "planned". Did you know Greg Weisman had a "show bible" for "Young Justice"? Essentially a "show bible" is a timeline within the continuity of the show. Greg had the entire history of his show from World War II with The Justice Society of America all the way to the 30th Century future with The Legion of Super-Heroes. I'm not great at math, but that's a long time! It's not crazy to assume how many important DC events were in there too. Batman Beyond, The Death of Superman, The OMAC Project, who knows what else could be part of this universe? What we knew for sure was the hype train had died. No season three, no closure on our favorite heroes, and no answer as to what comes next. On November 7th, 2016, the world was told what comes next.
"Young Justice Season 3 confirmed". Four words and a number I once thought to be a joke. As true as "Illuminati confirmed" or "Half-Life 3 confirmed". For four years the fans of Young Justice petitioned and downright begged for another season. Greg and Brandon agreed with the sentiment, they wanted to make the show as badly as the fans wanted it. But nothing solid ever came to be. The studio didn't want to do it, not with "Teen Titans Go" making soooo much money. The animators and voice actors and producers had all moved on to other projects. But just because the show was over didn't mean it didn't have it's after-party. "Young Justice" season one-and eventually season two-made it to Netflix where fans like myself were able to rewatch it in all it's glory. I even converted my friend Seth into a fan of the show. And as if that experience was great enough-watching it with a friend-all that whining and begging and support led to the impossible. A third season will come to Cartoon Network.
What will happen? What will change? When will we see it? I don't know and I don't care how long it takes because I am still in shock. To know we as a fan community actually made this happen. I know Greg and Brandon and many voice actors turned the gears for this, but how often do we get what we want as comic book fans? It was so refreshing to see a smart comic book show again. No chibi, meme-bait. No dower repeats. A show that had actual heart put into it. And now thanks to Greg, Brandon, all the people on the show, and all the people like you and me who loved it dearly, we will see Young Justice return. Because a show as amazing as that deserves praise, attention, and remembrance. And with the fan response this show has gotten over the past couple of years it's going to be hard to forget.
Thank you for reading.
In 2012 the legacy continued with it's second season which raised the bar considerably. A five year time jump would show us our favorite characters in new roles: Robin became Nightwing, Aqualad betrayed his friends, Red Arrow becomes a washout, and Kid Flash goes into retirement. As season two goes on we're kept on the edge of our seats, watching as two villain factions come to blows and a visitor from the future warns of an impending doom. The new characters of Blue Beetle, Impulse, Static, and the original Roy Harper/Speedy bring new perspectives on the world of superheroes.
And then...poof. After season two's cliffhanger the show was cancelled. Ratings, toy sales, and other studio concerns brought Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. to dump the show Greg and Brandon had planned. And I stress "planned". Did you know Greg Weisman had a "show bible" for "Young Justice"? Essentially a "show bible" is a timeline within the continuity of the show. Greg had the entire history of his show from World War II with The Justice Society of America all the way to the 30th Century future with The Legion of Super-Heroes. I'm not great at math, but that's a long time! It's not crazy to assume how many important DC events were in there too. Batman Beyond, The Death of Superman, The OMAC Project, who knows what else could be part of this universe? What we knew for sure was the hype train had died. No season three, no closure on our favorite heroes, and no answer as to what comes next. On November 7th, 2016, the world was told what comes next.
"Young Justice Season 3 confirmed". Four words and a number I once thought to be a joke. As true as "Illuminati confirmed" or "Half-Life 3 confirmed". For four years the fans of Young Justice petitioned and downright begged for another season. Greg and Brandon agreed with the sentiment, they wanted to make the show as badly as the fans wanted it. But nothing solid ever came to be. The studio didn't want to do it, not with "Teen Titans Go" making soooo much money. The animators and voice actors and producers had all moved on to other projects. But just because the show was over didn't mean it didn't have it's after-party. "Young Justice" season one-and eventually season two-made it to Netflix where fans like myself were able to rewatch it in all it's glory. I even converted my friend Seth into a fan of the show. And as if that experience was great enough-watching it with a friend-all that whining and begging and support led to the impossible. A third season will come to Cartoon Network.
What will happen? What will change? When will we see it? I don't know and I don't care how long it takes because I am still in shock. To know we as a fan community actually made this happen. I know Greg and Brandon and many voice actors turned the gears for this, but how often do we get what we want as comic book fans? It was so refreshing to see a smart comic book show again. No chibi, meme-bait. No dower repeats. A show that had actual heart put into it. And now thanks to Greg, Brandon, all the people on the show, and all the people like you and me who loved it dearly, we will see Young Justice return. Because a show as amazing as that deserves praise, attention, and remembrance. And with the fan response this show has gotten over the past couple of years it's going to be hard to forget.
Thank you for reading.
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