In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over to peers, parents, teachers, mentors, and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains, and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis will find out whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero. From Warner Bros. Animation and based on DC Comics characters, Young Justice is a bold new animated series. Are you in?
A lot can change in five years, as our super heroes are about to find out. And there are some new residents to be found at Mount Justice: new team leader Nightwing, Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, Batgirl, Bumblebee, and Beast Boy. Young Justice will need all the help it can get as an alien presence has infiltrated Earth, while certain members of the Justice League are forced to stand trial at the criminal hearing off-world. Watch as The Reach, spearheaded by the quick-talking Ambassador and backed by the muscle of Black Beetle, manipulates a trusting public while maintaining its shadowy maneuvering with The Light. Report in for an epic 20-episode adventure, as the risks have never been greater and the conflicts never so far-reaching. The epic finale will shatter everything you know!
They survived the schemes of The Light and saved the Earth from the Reach invasion. But this season on Young Justice: Outsiders, the team will face its greatest challenge yet. Kidnapped teens are being transformed into superpowered weapons! Metahuman trafficking is a terrifying threat to a society caught in the crossfire of a genetic arms race spanning the globe and the galaxy. Now, Nightwing, Superboy, Miss Martian, Tigress, Aqualad, and Black Lightning will need help from a new generation of heroes to save the world from the war games of Super-Villains controlling the system from the inside. What’s needed is a team of Outsiders.
Note: Seasons One, Two, and Three of Young Justice are sold individually. The grouping of these releases together is only for the purposes of this review.
For thoughts on Young Justice, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Young Justice mostly looks incredible on Blu-Ray with its 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The first two seasons are provided with two discs each with 26 and 20 episodes respectively, while the third season ticks back up to 26 episodes across four discs. Even with so many episodes packed on a disc in the earlier seasons, there is rarely a sense that the disc struggles to reach the high standards we expect from the format. Thankfully, across all three seasons, compression artifacts rarely creep into the frame. If you only ever viewed this show during its original broadcast, you will be impressed by the quality of these discs. The streaming version is also a good option, but these Blu-Ray discs finesse the image even further by eradicating any unwanted compression artifacts or digital nuisances of that nature.
Black levels stay deep with no ounce of crush detected. There is the occasional jagged line inherent to the source or background banding, but overall deficiencies in the transfer are kept at bay. No damage or dirt was spotted while checking out these episodes. Colors are wonderfully vibrant and bold throughout each installment. The animation style provides crisp, bold outlines and detailed backgrounds that appear to be even more exciting in high definition. Everything about the transfers on these sets is a win thanks to the hard work from Warner Archive.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray sets come with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track for the two seasons, while the third season gets an upgrade to a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. No matter which season we are working through, these tracks serve the show very well. The show is a consistent source of exciting environmental effects that render effectively in the mix. Dialogue is always at the forefront with a crisp, clear presentation in the center speaker that stands resolute even when the action is challenging it for prominence. The score is incredibly commanding without drowning out other vital elements. Sound effects from action scenes and other kinetic moments provide a notable punch in the low end that is beast. Warner Archive makes sure the show comes through without a hiccup. This release comes with optional English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
Season One
There are no special features provided for this season.
Season Two
- Audio Commentaries: A pair of commentary tracks are a very welcome addition to the set as you get insights into these episodes from both a behind-the-scenes storytelling perspective as well as the experiences of the performers bringing it to life.
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- Summit: Producer/story editor Greg Weisman, producer Brandon Vietti, and voice actors Jason Spiask (Kid Flash) and Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis)
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- Endgame: Producer/story editor Greg Weisman, producer Brandon Vietti, and voice actors Jason Spiask (Kid Flash) and Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis)
- Invasion – Behind The Scenes: A 16-minute featurette that provides some interviews with the creative team including Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti in which they discuss the plotting of the season arcs, drawing from the comic book source material, the artwork featured in the series, and much more.
Season Three
- Bringing Back Young Justice with Whitney Moore
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- Inside The Writer’s Room: A nine-minute featurette in which Greg Weisman, Brandon Vietti, and various writers discuss the process of bringing the series back, figuring out where the characters are at this point in the story, the themes of the season, and more.
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- The Animation Process: A nearly 13-minute piece that takes a look at how the animation team brings an episode to life from the beginning to the final product while keeping the visual language of the show intact.
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- Voice-Over Recording: A 13-minute look at the voice actors who bring these characters to life, the process of recording, and more.
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- The Post-Production Process: A nearly 12-minute look at how all of the elements of the episode are brought together into the final form.
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- Recording Doom Patrol Go!: A five-minute look at how the team wanted to honor their collaboration with Teen Titans Go! with a catchy song.
Final Thoughts
Young Justice is one of the best animated series outings that DC has released that has been taken for granted – by the network more so than the fans. The series has consistently improved itself as it upped its storytelling and animation style, naturally progressing over a long timeline to give us thrilling arcs and rich character development. Yet, the network has treated the series like an afterthought with lengthy delays, cancellations, revivals, and variations of all of these configurations. It’s a wonder that the series has remained as consistent as it has, but we are grateful that it has persisted and carved itself out such a formidable place in the DC pantheon. The Blu-Ray sets of the first three seasons from Warner Archive excel in the A/V department while offering some nice supplemental features in the latter two seasons. When the storytelling delivers, superhero shows are some of our favorites, and this delivers on every front. Recommended
Young Justice: The Complete First Season can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Young Justice: The Complete Second Season can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Young Justice: The Complete Third Season can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.