Under the Surface...

Young Justice #14: "Under the Surface..." is the 15th issue of the official Young Justice spin-off comic series. It was released on March 21, 2012.

Solicitation
Aqualad visits Atlantis with Superboy and Miss Martian. But can they stop an insidious new menace that threatens to plunge the undersea kingdom into civil war?

Tagline: Unhappy Homecoming

Synopsis
Topo desperately tries to flee from hooded pursuers. He unleashes a dose of ink to cover his escape to a nearby cave, but as he is about to catch his breath, he notices his enemies have found him.

The Team returns to the Cave after a mission. Artemis, Robin and Kid Flash prepare to head home in the Zeta-Tube. Before activating, Artemis asks Aqualad if he needs any help, but he answers that it's not necessary, he'll head home himself.

As soon as his friends have left, he turns to Miss Martian and Superboy, and asks them if they would like to join him on his trip to Atlantis. He had waited with the question until the others had left, because their bodies could not withstand the pressure of the ocean.

Title
This title has several literal and figurative meanings. The plot takes place in Atlantis, which is underwater—literally under the surface. T.O. Morrow and Jim Lockhart exhume the body of Danette Reilly, which is buried under the ground. Also, the Atlantean Purists are discriminating against and targeting "impure" Atlanteans for their inhuman attributes. So, figuratively speaking, they judge others by their "surface" and not by what's underneath. Finally, the identity of the man underneath the costume of Ocean-Master is revealed to the reader.

Characters
! colspan="3" | Non-speaking roles
 * colspan="3" | Aqualad
 * colspan="3" | Artemis
 * colspan="2" | Blubber
 * colspan="2" | Calvin Durham
 * colspan="2" | Chian
 * colspan="3" | Garth
 * colspan="2" | Jim Lockhart
 * colspan="2" | King Sha'ark
 * colspan="3" | Lagoon Boy
 * colspan="3" | Lori Lemaris
 * colspan="2" | M'Chiste
 * colspan="3" | Miss Martian
 * colspan="3" | Ocean-Master
 * colspan="3" | Queen Mera
 * colspan="2" | Ronal
 * colspan="2" | Sha'lain'a
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | T.O. Morrow
 * colspan="3" | Topo
 * colspan="3" | Tula
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="3" | Lagoon Boy
 * colspan="3" | Lori Lemaris
 * colspan="2" | M'Chiste
 * colspan="3" | Miss Martian
 * colspan="3" | Ocean-Master
 * colspan="3" | Queen Mera
 * colspan="2" | Ronal
 * colspan="2" | Sha'lain'a
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | T.O. Morrow
 * colspan="3" | Topo
 * colspan="3" | Tula
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="2" | Ronal
 * colspan="2" | Sha'lain'a
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | T.O. Morrow
 * colspan="3" | Topo
 * colspan="3" | Tula
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="3" | Superboy
 * colspan="3" | T.O. Morrow
 * colspan="3" | Topo
 * colspan="3" | Tula
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="3" | Tula
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="2" | Wyynde
 * colspan="3" | Danette Reilly
 * colspan="3" | Kid Flash
 * colspan="3" | Robin
 * colspan="3" | Kid Flash
 * colspan="3" | Robin
 * colspan="3" | Robin

Continuity

 * The story of this issue overlaps with the events of "Bereft" and "Targets".
 * Superboy mentions Aqualad has just been to Atlantis, which was shown in "Downtime"; he had left Atlantis three days earlier.
 * The body that Jim Lockhart digs up is that of the heroine "Firebrand", seen in a flashback of "Humanity".

Trivia

 * This is the first issue published under DC's DC Nation format.
 * Wyynde and Chian are characters from the more mythological and magical Arion stories of Atlantis; the world of Arion was one of the inspirations for the character of Kaldur'ahm.

Goofs

 * When Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash enter the Zeta-Tube, Kid Flash is to Artemis's left. In the next panel, he is to her right.

Unanswered questions

 * Who is Jim Lockhart, and why does he unwittingly obey T.O. Morrow?