Originally Posted by
ZeroBG82
Hmm. This issue kind of gets to the heart of my problems with Brian Bendis, on these team books. When he slows down and just focuses on the characters and how they relate, his stuff can still be quite strong. There are some great moments in this issue, from the Bart/Barry stuff, everything with Tim/Bart/Conner, the scene with Cassie and Diana. Even the fact that Bruce and Tim have their moment in the background, in the shadows as it were. Did we know Jinny Hex was gay? Or at least bi. Some strong moments.
But they don't build to anything, there is no resolution or growth. At most this may have reset Bart from angsty to his usual goofy self, which considering the angst is only a few issues old doesn't feel like a big deal. Which is to say, Bendis' plotting sucks when it comes these team books. He just can't seem to work out to how to spread focus, develop meaningful action, or pace his work. We're 17 issues in, and it feels like we've had about 6 six issues of actual story.
And man, does this book have too many characters. Somebody always has to get lost in the shuffle, here it's Keli and to a lesser extent Jinny. They each get one little beat just to remind you they are around.
On the one hand, I like that Bendis has taken the time to redevelop the friendship between the core YJ4, and to bring in some of the new blood in a way that fits both the team and his agenda. On the other hand, think about how much more stuff happened in the original YJ in the first 17 issues. That run always felt frenetic, dynamic and on the move. Like change could come at any moment, and it could be huge. It had the energy of youth, of dynamic melodrama and that feeling you had when you were a teen that tomorrow could be the most important day of your life, every day. This just feels kind of tired. Hesitant. Dare I say it, corporate.
When Bendis hits the notes just right, this book sings, and it reaches a spot in my heart that holds some of these characters so dear. But it just doesn't happen with any kind of consistency or urgency to it. Every so often he writes an issue, a series of panels, or a line of dialogue that just reminds me how much I love these characters and how much I've missed them. But then it's six months waiting for him to hit that groove again. It's frustrating.