Before we get this review underway, I'll have to admit I've never seen an episode of the Young Justice animated series that's currently on the air. From what I've seen, however, it isn't shy to introduce adult characters in the mix, which earns them a little respect. Part of the problems with movies and TV is that it throws teams into disarray - this is especially true if more than one company owns the rights to different heroes.

But from what I can tell, this Young Justice comic is surprisingly sound. My basis for Titans reading was Geoff Johns' "pre-superstar" run with the Teen Titans back in the early 2000's; I loved that book, and I see that there's much of what made it great here.

Things I liked:

• Like I said above, this book feels like a team book should: the members get to bounce off of one another, the conflict between heroes and villains seems to matter, and there's multiple sub-plots all running at once.
• This is, ironically, because this book exists outside of the main DC continuity, and there's a lot more wiggle room as to what the book can be. Part of the downfall of the pre-New 52 Teen Titans book is that it was so trapped in current crossover continuity that it didn't have time to actually be its own book. That and the revolving door of characters meant it never could settle down, which led it to just spiraling out of control. This book seems to have the stability it needs to survive, and I can appreciate that.
• One thing I'm always worried about with "books based on cartoons" is the translation of character between the two mediums; like I said, I've never seen the Young Justice TV show before, but I can at least say that the heroes are in line with their previous comic iterations. That's got to count for something.

Things I didn't:

• At times, the timeskips that are present in this book were really hard to follow; having repeated captions explaining the time switches cluttered up panels, adding to the confusion. Sadly this permeates the whole book, and by the end you're stuck trying to put together this patchwork of a plot. Some timeskips have little-to-no significance, and happen way too frequently.

Young Justice #20
DC Comics
$2.99

The Verdict: Like I said above, this book is a great Teen Titans book besides the confusing time-switching mechanics. All the characters seem on-point with other iterations, but they retain their own personal flair. If the book's mechanics were a little more sound, I'd definitely be giving this higher than the three Titans Towers out of five - there's a lot of potential here, though. If you're looking for Teen Titans the way they were, and the way they should be, look no further.