REVIEW CORNER: Young Justice # 31

Writer: Peter David

Penciller: Todd Nauck

Inker: Lary Stucker

Letterer: Ken Lopez

Colorist: Jason Wright

Cover Date: May 2001

Rating: 10/10

For this week’s Review Corner, I’m going to take a look at Young Justice # 31 which features a very unique forum of storytelling in which the writer tells a story without any dialogue and it’s very plot-driven. Not since the classic G.I. Joe # 21 (Which was indeed a silent issue) has a story similar to this has been done (I mean, Marvel dedicated this theme to where they had their entire line of books to be silent stories) but this particular issue of Young Justice was very entertaining, as all of Peter David’s stories are.

This issue sees Impulse wanting to hang out with Superboy, but the big problem is that Kon-El already has his day planned out by watching a national cheerleading championship special on T.V. (Hey, what can you expect?! He’s a teenager!) and all he wants is some peace and quiet to do so. Now, Impulse heads off to find whatever adventure comes his way. Already he interrupts filming of a silent movie, crashes a librarian book fair, causes the ire of a deaf man, and finds no fun in a picnic with a couple of monks who has to remind Bart of their Vow of Silence.

With these plot devices, it’s the little things that David finds humor in which in turn keeps the reader entertained, and I also loved how the entire story just came together when Bart spots a group of mimes who are robbing the box office at the ……get this!….. cheerleading event that Superboy’s enjoying (So, So Funny!); The ending to this issue really made this a very hilarious issue in the original Young Justice run, invoking the spirit of Marv Wolfman and George Perez run of “Teen Titans” with the great campy stuff that Stan Lee did in his run on “Amazing Spider-Man” and with this issue’s silent plot also bringing in some of the timeless essences of the vintage films that Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton did in their heyday was also a joy so you’ll be in for quite the amazement when you get to this particular issue, basically because this is the type of issue you’ll want to read over and over.

That’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.