Young Justice

"Don't call them sidekicks."

- Tagline

Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaption of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice series of comics, but rather, an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young superheroes.

The series follows the lives of teenaged superhero sidekicks, who are members of a fictional superhero team simply known as the Team, and their relationships with their Justice League mentors. The story is set at a time where superpowers and superheroes are a recent phenomena.

Production
Development for the series began sometime in 2009, when Sam Register, Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs of Warner Bros. Animation (and executive producer of the show) wanted a show based on the Teen Titans and Young Justice comic series, but was not solely one or the other.

Register sought Greg Weisman immediately after he finished work on The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, and after seeing Brandon Vietti's work on the DC Universe Animated original movie Batman: Under the Red Hood, hired him also. After taking the production name of Young Justice League, Weisman and Vietti created characters, ideas, and story arcs for at least two seasons, although the number of seasons Warner Bros. Animation wants from Young Justice is unknown.

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More news &gt; Although there were several characters the producers were not allowed to use in the first season, a list that has gotten shorter throughout the course of the development, they were usually in charge of the decisions determining which DC Universe character would or would not be used. Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, and Phil Bourassa, lead character designer for the show, also played a role in the conception and development process. Peter David, who penned the Young Justice series of comics, was approached to write several episodes. The show continued to remain in its development stages in early February 2010, when Stephanie Lemelin announced on her blog that she had been recently cast.

The first two episodes of the series, Independence Day and Fireworks premiered on Cartoon Network as a special one hour event of the series.

The Team

 * Aqualad/Kaldur'ahm (Khary Payton) is the Atlantean leader of the Team. He is able to manipulate water at will, and breathe underwater through the use of his gills. His mentor, and his king is Aquaman, a member of the Justice League. Aqualad holds great respect for his mentor.
 * Kid Flash/Wally West (Jason Spisak) is the speedster of the Team. He's always joking around, hitting on girls, and wants to have fun. His mentor is the Flash.
 * Robin/Dick Grayson (Jesse McCartney) is a vigilante crime-fighter in Gotham City, and the Team's chief hacker. He's not only an incredible acrobat, but also the most experienced member of the Team and the youngest. His mentor is Batman.
 * Superboy/Conner Kent (Nolan North) is a genomorph and a clone of Superman. He is quiet, brooding, serious and is constantly worried about living up to Superman.
 * Miss Martian/M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse (Danica McKellar) is a shy, caring, happy and kind Green Martian, with the abilities of flight and telepathy. She is also the Martian Manhunter's niece.
 * Artemis/Artemis Crock (Stephanie Lemelin) is a confident, flirty, and very outgoing, sixth member of the Team. She is an archer, and claims to be the niece of Green Arrow, although this isn't actually true.

Allies

 * Red Arrow/Speedy/Roy Harper (Crispin Freeman) is the former partner of Green Arrow who now works as a solo hero, but helps the Team from time to time.
 * Zatanna/Zatanna Zatara (Lacey Chabert) is a rebellious, teenage magician who was introduced to the Team by her father, Zatara.

Mentors

 * Batman
 * Aquaman
 * Flash
 * Black Canary
 * Zatara
 * Red Tornado
 * Martian Manhunter
 * Green Arrow
 * Captain Marvel

Season One
The first season of Young Justice follows the origins of the Team, starting from July 4. The season then proceeds through the Team's missions, and how they interact with one another on and off duty. The big bad for the series is the Light.

Season Two: Invasion
A second season in the form of a ten episode serial was confirmed shortly after the show's regular release in early 2011. Greg Weisman has since confirmed that the second season will contain 20 episodes instead, and he is currently pitching the idea of the arc to DC, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network. More information on the series is yet to be revealed.

Other media
The characters and settings of Young Justice will appear in an official tie-in outside the television broadcast. A comic book series faithfully based on the animated television series will be released by DC Comics. It will be written by Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani, with Mike Norton providing the art. While children are said to be able to enjoy the series, it is aimed at an older audience as well.

Geoff Johns took a liking to the show's version of Aqualad, who was consequently introduced to the comics slightly altered in issue #4 of Brightest Day as the second incarnation of the mantle. In Brightest Day, he is portrayed as an "average student, with an on-and-off girlfriend, that’s pretty bored in New Mexico" by the name of Jackson Hyde.

Home video releases

 * Season One, Volume One
 * Season One, Volume Two
 * Season One, Volume Three