Why It’s Fun to Be Young.
“Who’s next?” my junior friend asks as we continue our game of “Guess The Character.”
“ME! ME!” I scream enthusiastically. I knew who I would pick even before we began the game.
I take my place at the center of our circle and wait for quiet. Suddenly, I slap my forehead in a ‘duh’ gesture.
“Hello Megan!”
My superb imitation is met with confused looks and a pitying gaze between two of my guy friends.
“Uncultured swine,” I think to myself sadly.
“So, who are you?” My first friend presses.
I sigh dramatically, not knowing why I expected them to react otherwise, “I’m Miss Martian, from Young Justice.
The first time I ever heard of Young Justice was when I was discussing another group of superheroes with a nerd friend of mine. “You should watch Young Justice,” she said, Then she proceeded to tell me about the death of one of the main characters that occurred right before the show was cancelled. I refuse to say “ended”. There’s no way that could be an actual ending. At first I didn’t care very much, since my parents needed to do a background check before they’d even consider letting me watch one episode. But once the disk arrived from Netflix with the first five episodes of season one, there would be no turning back.
“A superhero!” of course, is what a die-hard fan of the show wants to be when they grow up. I know I want to be a hero, or maybe even just a friend like Mal Duncan who stays behind to coordinate the team during missions. I mean, how awesome would it be to be friends with superheroes? Whenever I felt alone, like my friends had left me or didn’t understand me, I’d turn to the characters. Constant and caring, never abandoning their friends. Pretending Kid Flash was running alongside me in gym or helping me with my science homework made those tasks seem just a little bit easier. Sometimes Robin would take a break from stopping crime to help me with Algebra homework. Miss Martian is always by my side when I bake cookies. When I took archery last year, Artemis was there too, shooting bullseye after bullseye. Aqualad is racing with me in the pool on a hot summer’s day, or is just always there to listen with his sage leadership counsel. Zatanna’s always up for a shopping trip, no matter what mood she’s in. And when I’m totally sick and tired of my parents pressuring me or pushing me or just yelling at me and making me feel like I’m not adequate, I can always complain to Superboy, who knows how it feels to have troubles with your family.
The main characters of the show may be superheroes, but they’re also normal, everyday citizens of Earth, just like you or me. Aqualad has love troubles, as does Kid Flash. Superboy has “daddy” issues. Miss Martian is insecure. Artemis is trying to fit in at her new prep school. Zatanna and Robin are both dealing with the loss of family. They may be superheroes, but they have your problems too. Just ask Wally, who’s unsure how to tell his feelings to the girl he has a crush on. Or Kaldur, who can tell you how to handle rejection. Or Connor, who will tell you that the popular guy isn’t exactly as cool as you think he is. Or Artemis, who knows the consequences of keeping secrets.
The thing about Young Justice, is that everyone can relate. Whether it’s watching the typical teasing banter between two teammates, eating burned cookies just to make a friend feel better, winning a fight against your inner demons, pushing through a difficult breakup, trying to prove yourself to a parent or idol, finding a connection with the characters about getting used to new places; protecting your friends and family with your life; or just showing that life can move on when all hope seems lost, anyone can relate. Especially when you discover Miss Martian’s infatuation with a certain TV show, and realizing that you’ll soon be in a similar situation. Young Justice is a show about growing up and accepting yourself, learning what it really means to be a hero. And what does it mean? Well, I won’t tell you. Spoilers. The answer is different for different people. Perhaps you’ll be alone on your quest. Perhaps you’ll have the help of a trusted mentor. Or maybe you’ll even have that one friend who won’t stop bugging you and keeps urging you on. Young Justice has changed me, it has made my life easier, and helped me with my little, everyday problems as well as inspiring me and tons of other artists and authors who are dedicated fans of the show. I hope that what I have said here may inspire you to check out the partners of the Justice League just a little bit. If you are interested, just ask me! I'm always looking for fans to talk with (And just make sure you don't skip the first five episodes of season two, like I did at first) And in the immortal words of the very rebellious Red Arrow, “Don’t call them sidekicks.”
