Title: Impulse
Issue: 56
Story: "The Best of Both"
Writer: Todd Dezago
Pencils: Ethan Van Sciver
Inker: Prentis Rollins

My Comments
I didn’t know this issue would come so soon, but it was definitely one of my favorites. I think this must have been an issue both Dezago and Van Sciver were looking forward to doing. The art this issue was fantastic. If Nauck ever leaves Young Justice, I’d definitely love to see Van Sciver’s pencils on it. While Todd and Ethan were preparing to do this book, one of the most interesting ideas I actually heard Van Sciver come up with, was an idea regarding the Composite-YJ. Ethan has a definite fascination of the Pre-Crisis villain “The Composite-Superman”. Here it is, 8 months later, and it seems like Ethan’s idea was a huge success. I can’t wait to see if anyone would ever pick up on him again as villain that could oppose the entire Young Justice team again some time. Congrats Ethan.

I also think this may have been one of Todd’s favorite issues so far. It almost seemed like a homecoming to me reading this issue. Todd’s writing was a big influence on me starting my “Young Justice: The Hangout”. I’ve read his JLA: World Without Grown Ups and Young Justice: The Secret almost 20 times. Todd has such a natural touch for writing these characters that it was a shame to not be able to see him behind the writing of the actual Young Justice book. Todd and Ethan are definitely a good team. Whether it is on Impulse, Superboy, Young Justice or any comics’ series, there combined skills are a total thrill to see and read. Fantastic Issue.

 

5 out of 5 stars

Story Summary (Spoilers)

We join Bart Allen and company again in the latest issue of the ongoing story of the fastest kid alive. Like every other teenager in the world, we join reading a comic book in the messiest bedroom on Earth. Just like an over anxious mother, Helen walked in and demanded for Bart to clean the mess up. But, Bart’s super-speed couldn’t help him this time, as Helen opened his closet door and spilled the mess back into the room. Starting again at normal speed, Bart began to take on the task of cleaning his room. Going through the contents of the destroyed room, Bart stumbled upon a jar of green goo. The jar containing the “techno-plasm goop” created by Inertia. “Techno-plasm is an oozy, slimy, gelatinous substance that can be programmed to take on the shape and abilities of both animate and inanimate objects alike.” Agreeing with Helen that some of the stuff in his room could be dangerous Bart, quickly changing into his Impulse costume, with a jar of “techno-plasm” raced towards Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, the headquarters of Young Justice.

When Impulse arrived at the cave he found Secret, Superboy and Robin all “drilling” to the gangsta rap music of “Hard Core.” As Robin stopped “drilling” to turn off the obnoxious music, Superboy and Robin instantly got into an argument about the merits of the rapper. On the other side of the cave, the bottle of “techno-plasm goop” started to take life of its own as it slowly slipped out its bottle and started to access the “gene-martix” files on the Headquarters computers.

As Superboy, Impulse and Secret walked away listening to how cool Hard Core is, Robin noticed that someone had used the computer and was looking at the files of the Young Justice members “gene-matrixes”, specifically Robin and Superboy’s. Robin didn’t have to speculate long on whom it was, as the “techno-plasm” began to take shape behind him, then suddenly launch him across the cave. As Robin, Impulse and Superboy picked themselves up, the soon came face to face with a mysterious Half Superboy / Half Robin.

Back in Manchester, Max and Helen discuss fixing her damaged home/office. After the recent events with Kalibak and Max’s battle, Helen refused to let Max fix the house. Suddenly Helen was caught with her mouth wide open as she met the home repairman, Matt Ringer, owner of “Ringer Construction.”

In the Young Justice Cave, “The Composite Young Justice” AKA Craydl was giving the team a lesson in fighting. Robin tried to match a fighting style against Craydl only to be quickly defeated as Craydl used Robin’s exact skills and weapons as well as some assistance from Superboy’s speed. Robin quickly sent in Secret and Impulse to try to throw Craydl off-balance, but unfortunately the opposite happened, as Secret’s and Impulse’s powers clashed causing Secret to dissipate. As Craydl was trashing Robin and Superboy, the both started demanding answers from Impulse as to how he defeated Craydl last time. Trying to go on an offensive, Robin directed Secret to get inside of Craydl and possibly shut him down from inside, much to the horror of Secret, she went for it. Inside Craydl, Secret tried to keep calm inside the eerie darkness that is Craydl’s insides, but was soon reminded of her childhood within the DEO and the horror that it brought her, that she could no longer hold it together inside of Craydl and exploded from his mouth into the waiting arms of Impulse. Things are starting to get desperate as Impulse realizes that he can’t Craydl the same was that he did last time. A comment by Secret about “imitate(ing) something that could stop it” gave Impulse an idea. Sending Secret back into the work out room to get the “Hard Kore” Rap CD, Impulse went costume shopping. Craydl began to start up the computers to download the “gene-matrix’s” of the Justice League as well as Young Justice, Craydl attention was suddenly demanded by Inertia, the evil twin brother of Impulse, or was it? Just long enough for Craydl to be distracted by the fake-Inertia, Secret inserted the “Hard Kore” CD into the computers, as quickly as Craydl thought he was downloading the files of the Justice League, he was in reality downloading the files and music of “Hard Core”, even morphing into the body of the rapper, much to the delight of Robin, who laid him out with one punch.

Our Impulse / Young Justice story ends as John Smith, AKA The Red Tornado mentor of Young Justice, is spending a quiet day in the park with his daughter Traya flying a kite. The Tornado got a strange visit from a small old man in a derby, the former sidekick to the Golden Age Green Lantern, Doby Dickles paid Red Tornado one last visit to get him to join “Old Justice”. The team of “Old Justice” will soon be making the lives of Young Justice even tougher as they see the group as “trouble waiting to happen”. This story continues in Young Justice #16.