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"Metallic Aftertaste" is the 33rd issue of the official Young Justice spin-off comic series and the fifth of Young Justice: Targets. The "Director's Cut" version includes the bonus short "Intimate Connection: Memory Five". It was released first digitally on DC Universe Infinite on October 11, 2022 and the print version was released on November 22, 2022.
Solicitation[]
Just as it seemed that Superboy was about to make some headway, enter a Kryptonite-laced Metallo! Will the team be able to finally achieve their goal and rescue Perdita, or will the Lexcorp robotics factory be their final resting place? Check out this penultimate chapter to find out!
Synopsis[]
Metallic Aftertaste[]
Alone in a dark void, Perdita Vladek demands to be released, but receives no answer.
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Outside LexCorp Robotics, the Outsiders' Mongoose Squad continues to fight the Lex-Bots.
Inside, Gorilla Squad fights Onslaught, and is not doing well. Stargirl is dismayed when Shimmer destroys her Cosmic Staff, and Devastation taunts Wonder Girl as she forces her to watch Superboy at Metallo's mercy. Metallo admits to Superboy he had thought Lex Luthor's plan was overly complicated...
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...As Paula Crock and Lian Nguyen-Harper finish up their visit to Ollie and the other comatose patients at Royal Memorial Hospital.
Back at the Robotics factory, Metallo continues; Luthor turned out to be right. He goes on to explain to Superboy how Luthor won his trust:
- Juan found out he was a Meta-human with self-healing powers, and had worried he would be outcast, but Luthor supported him. He found Juan's mother a job at LexCorp and got his sisters into good schools. Lex had asked nothing in return, but Juan offered. Lex told him about his bad experiences asking for help before, telling him he had approached Superman and Superboy to help Match and been rebuffed.
- Juan was disgusted that Superboy had rejected Luthor, his father, and publicly betrayed him, so offered to be the son Superboy refused to be and do anything to avenge Luthor. He underwent unpleasant surgeries to gain a metal body equal to the Boy of Steel.
Metallo concludes that all he required then was a power source, which Lex too had provided. Now he was ready to kill Superboy.
Outside, while the Outsider's continue to battle the neverending stream of robots, and Blue Beetle and his Scarab hotly debate strategy, Miss Martian under camouflage sneaks from Baby into the building. Noting the large number of Greater Bialyan Army soldiers, M'gann finds Perdita under the thrall of Psimon.
Miss Martian shields her squad from the minds of Psimon and the guards, and Alpha Squad enters Perdita's cell by boom tube. Halo, Tigress, Arrowette, Arsenal and Red Arrow emerge. Having been knocked over by the boom tube's blast, Psimon notes that the noisy entrance will soon attract company, and Arrowette and Arsenal hold the door that is already under siege. Psimon also warns that he planted a psychic booby-trap in Perdita's mind, promising any attempt by Miss Martian to enter her mind will cause her psyche to self-destruct.
In a telepathic conversation, Miss Martian assures Tigress she can overcome the trap with time, but both are concerned for Superboy; their comms are jammed inside the factory, but they got word about the Kryptonite from Oracle before they left Baby. The Bialyan soldiers then blow open the door with a grenade launcher. Halo deploys a shield to protect the Team, but they are soon disorientated by Count Vertigo, who enters with Queen Bee and the soldiers. Bee asks who wishes to serve her, and Red Arrow, Arsenal and Halo all swiftly volunteer. She orders them to kill their teammates, and all three readily obey, leaving Arrowette, Tigress and Miss Martian dead on the floor.
Intimate Connection: Memory Five[]
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At Royal Memorial Hospital, Lian is reluctant to leave Dinah and Ollie alone.
- Ten years earlier, Dinah is stuck aboard her plane as the pilot announces a delay due to a disturbance inside the airport. Dinah listens to Ollie's message on her phone, and notes that it will be her leaving him waiting for once.
- At the baggage claim, Merlyn and Green Arrow ready for a shootout. They agree to a single arrow duel, but Perdita is worried when Merlyn reminds Arrow that he lost their previous 16 duels. They shoot on the count of three. Arrow's arrow slices Merlyn's in two, cuts the assassin's bowstring, then hits the wall behind him, releasing a cloud of knockout gas.
- Perdita and Arrow's celebration is cut short by the arrival of Count Vertigo, who disables them with Vertigo waves and prepares to kill them even as he claims to have arrived to protect his niece only to arrive too late. He is stopped and knocked out by a Canary Cry. Already on his knees, Arrow takes the opportunity to propose to Black Canary and, after some urging from Perdita, Canary accepts and she and Arrow kiss.
Lian tells an unconscious Dinah that as long as they are family, they are never alone.
Title[]
Characters[]
Character | ||
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Arrowette | ||
Arsenal | ||
Blue Beetle | ||
Count Vertigo | ||
Devastation | ||
Dinah Lance/Black Canary | ||
Halo | ||
Kid Flash | ||
Lian Nguyen-Harper | ||
Merlyn (flashback) | ||
Metallo | ||
Miss Martian | ||
Oliver Queen/Green Arrow | ||
Paula Crock | ||
Perdita Vladek | ||
Psimon | ||
Queen Bee | ||
Red Arrow | ||
Stargirl | ||
Static | ||
Superboy | ||
Tigress | ||
Pilot (flashback, not seen) | ||
Non-speaking roles | ||
Baby | ||
Beast Boy | ||
Clayface (flashback) | ||
Denny (flashback) | ||
Forager | ||
Jim Harper (flashback) | ||
Juan Cordero's mother (flashback) | ||
Juan Cordero's oldest sister (flashback) | ||
Juan Cordero's youngest sister (flashback) | ||
Lex-Bot 08 | ||
Lex Luthor (flashback) | ||
Livewire | ||
Mammoth | ||
Match | ||
Serling Roquette (flashback) | ||
Shimmer | ||
Sphere | ||
Superman (flashback) | ||
Terra | ||
Undesignated Lex-Bots | ||
Windfall | ||
Wonder Girl |
3 | Character debut |
0 | Speaking debut |
Continuity[]
- This story continues from the previous issue.
- This story continues in the next Issue.
- Sphere and Forager smash some Lex-Bots by crushing them between them while they are both in ball form. They first did this maneuver in "Rescue Op".
- Metallo explaining Lex Luthor's plan includes a flashback to "Cherry Gig".
- During Metallo's story, Match is shown in storage at LexCorp. He was returned to LexCorp after an escape in "Players, Chapter Six: Rolling Doubles".
- Metallo's story also includes flashbacks to Superboy rejecting Luthor in "Agendas", and publicly exposing him at the United Nations in "Nevermore".
- The flashback in "Intimate Connections" tells the Earth-16 version of events seen in the canon adjacent DC Showcase: Green Arrow short film.
- Dinah listens to the voicemail Ollie left her in "Sorry Excuse".
- Green Arrow's engagement ring was also first seen in "Sorry Excuse".
Reprints[]
- This comic is reprinted in:
Trivia[]
- Number 16: Merlyn boasts about having won his 16 prior duels with Green Arrow.
- The medical equipment in Royal Memorial Hospital comes from Vietti Medical, a reference to Young Justice producer Brandon Vietti. Each issue of Young Justice: Targets has a reference to him.
Goofs[]
Cultural references[]
Questions[]
Questions |
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Unanswered questions[]
- How did Lex Luthor learn about the Kryptonite and the plan to have Perdita Vladek smuggle it to STAR Labs?