Fans of Young Justice have been getting excited for the surprising new season of the fan-favorite DC teen superhero show. Now, the creators behind the series have revealed which comics viewers should check out before the series returns.
During an interview with Comicbook.com at Comic-Con International in San Diego, series co-creator Greg Weisman (Gargoyles) said “Batman and the Outsiders, I suppose, is a big one. Specifically for the first few episodes.”
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“We’re kind of riffing on that, doing our Earth-16 version of that story,” co-creator Brandon Vietti (The Batman) added. “Our entire series has been granted by DC the designation of Earth-16 and we really lean into that. There are a lot of reminders of that throughout the season. The number ‘16’ pops up quite a lot. It also allows us to kind of riff on the comic books rather than have to stick to them very faithfully. What we try to do is at least really pay respect to the characters or storylines that we’re riffing off of so that hardcore fans really feel that respect but also can be surprised. The hardcore fans that know these stories and know these characters inside and out, we want something new and something fresh, a different take. And then for new people coming onboard hopefully they’ll be able to see our stuff and go backward and see what the source material was and rediscover the DC Universe as we have.”
Following the events of Season 2, most of the original members of Young Justice have left the team after the apparent death of Kid Flash. However, while a new generation fills the empty slots in the group, Vandal Savage reunites with Darkseid to enact a sinister and mysterious plan.
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In the original comics, the Outsiders were a squad of heroes who essentially operated off the books under the supervision of Batman. The original team consisted of Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Geo-Force, Katana, Halo and Looker. Advertisements for the new season have also hinted at the involvement of the future Geo-Force.
Young Justice: Outsiders is slated to premiere in on DC’s streaming service in 2019.