Young Justice: Invasion “Runaways” Review

Today’s Young Justice: Invasion episode, Runaways, was a departure from the norm…but in a good way? And no, this isn’t about the Marvel Comics group, silly! This is DC! MAY BE SPOILERS! I WARNED YOU!

In this episode, teenagers Virgil Hawkins (Bryton James), Tye Longshadow (Gregg Rainwater), Asami Koizumi (Janice Kawaye), and Eduardo Dorado Jr. (Freddy Rodriguez), who were all abducted and experimented on by the REACH and given powers, are sick of being tested and prodded at S.T.A.R. Labs, so the kids stage an escape. But once outside the lab, they come to a startling conclusion: now what? Most of them are estranged from their families, they have no money, they can’t trust anyone, and some of them can’t even control their powers!

Nightwing (Jesse McCartney) decides to send Blue Beetle (Eric Lopez) to track down the kids, before they can hurt themselves (or someone else). Unfortunately, getting those kids back to S.T.A.R. Labs might be a bad idea, since the Lab is under attack by Red Volcano (Jeff Bennett).

One thing that I immediately liked about this episode is that the main team aren’t the main focus in this episode. In fact, Blue Beetle is the only member who actually appears here. I like it because it feels ambitious of the writers; some shows nowadays seem almost scared to feature an episode without the main characters.

“Dude, don’t fire at the press!”

Young Justice is still at the top of it’s class. All of the “Runaways” are likeable and sympathetic, and big DC fans will enjoy pointing out who each are. The tone of the episode is also well-set. These kids are alone, scared, stressed, and they have nowhere to go. The music and animation help set the atmosphere. One scene I liked involves Eduardo and his dad; its a very realitsic, emotional scene. You should never take what a teenager says at face value. The dialogue is also still very strong.

The voice acting for all the kids are very convincing, and I like how Asami can only speak Japanese; it adds detail to this. The action scenes are still a strong point. And the ending will shock some people. Teams keep shifting on this show, huh?

I had some gripes, nothing large, but I suppose I should list them now. Red Volcano’s plan, which involves stealing AMAZO’s powers, feels random. We do get an explanation, and it makes sense, I just think that the reason involves a plan that is really risky. Meanwhile, the episode plainly says that it was bad of the kids to run away from the Labs….and yet the scientists were such jerks. I don’t blame the kids.

Anyway, a very solid episode. I still can’t believe that we’re nearing the end. Good job, Cartoon Network!