Young Justice finally returns for the last leg of its first season as part of the Cartoon Network's new DC Nation block of animation. The series picked up this weekend with "Misplaced," another episode that plays with the concept of a world where all the adults are gone and it's up to the kids -- and the team -- to pick up the slack.
Actually, that's only half the story, as it turns out -- in a post-commercial break twist that's worthy of Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Cause and Effect" -- that the nasty Klarion the Witch Boy and some other magically-inclined friends have somehow split reality into two dimensions: one where all the adults have disappeared and the other where all the children are gone. So who better to troubleshoot such a problem than the man-child hero himself, Captain Marvel?
Since Marvel's secret identity is that of the boy Billy Batson, he finds that he can straddle both dimensions simply by uttering his famous "Shazam!" and switching between child and adult. He's a conduit between the two worlds, which actually is a pretty clever exploration of his unique persona. I also enjoyed that Batson is the only hero who can essentially play as a member of the Justice League as well as a part of Young Justice. And now that his Batson identity has been revealed to the team, will he become an even more integral part of it?
(And by the way, isn't it interesting how the YJ world is more of a deviation from the DC comic-book universe than ever before now that the New 52 is in place? Take today's announcement that Captain Marvel has been renamed Shazam for the New 52. I think it's great to offer up a multitude of takes on superhero continuities, but I wonder how the corporate higher-ups feel about their cross-platform synergy getting all messed up.)
Meanwhile, back on Young Justice, Zatanna is the other hero to get the spotlight here, as her status as a full-time team member is finally confirmed -- albeit under less than ideal circumstances. The young heroine's trepidation about her powers and her ability to locate the adults through a spell serves as a nice set-up early in the episode for what is to come later, when the girl dons the Helmet of Nabu in order to defeat that whiny little Klarion. And Papa Zatara's sacrifice for his daughter and his ultimate fate as the new, uh, Doctor Fate will surely resonate for Zatanna as we move forward. (And hey, is there anyone in town who won't put the Fate helmet on? Young Justice has relied on the thing, what, three times now to save the day?)
All in all, this is a fun episode that also sneaks in some potentially game-changing twists. A small quibble about "Misplaced," though, might be the show's trotting out the well-worn plot device once again of having the main action be a diversion for The Light's real plan. All that just for a piece of calamari?
Some other notes: How great was it when Superboy saved that baby who was wearing a Super-hoodie? So Red Arrow apparently is the oldest sidekick on the show, since he seemed to disappear with the adults. Kent Nelson is gone, dispatched to the afterlife by Doctor Fate. And check out Commissioner Gordon on crowd control (while the Riddler pulls some sketchy maneuvers right under his nose)!
IGN Movies Editor Scott Collura made a Kid-Flash costume for his son last year. Follow him on Twitter at @ScottIGN and subscribe to his Facebook updates.
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