Young Heroes in Love #3 (August, 1997)
"Two Hearts Beat as One Giant Undead Guy!"
Writer/Co-Creator - Dan Raspler
Penciller/Co-Creator - Dev Madan
Inker - Keith Champagne
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Scott Baumann
Assistant Editor - Ali Morales
Editor - Dan Thorsland
Cover Price: $1.75
Had such a great time revisiting the Young Heroes yesterday... figure we'll go two in a row!
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We open with Thunderhead and Frostbite hanging the Young Heroes' first trophy... the massive sword of that giant Mummy they defeated last issue. Bonfire looks on to make sure they're hanging it straight... when in reality, she's just checking out their butts. Hard Drive enters the room... and so, Frostbite leaves. Hmm. Anyhoo, he informs the kids that trophy swords are customarily hung straight up and down... lotsa phallic imagery and commentary to start, folks!
With Hard Drive and Frostbite gone, Bonfire saunters over to Thunderhead... and they make out. Not before she admits to being something of a superhero fangirl... which makes her current situation something of a dream come true.
We rejoin Hard Drive as he visits with a clearly annoyed Frostbite. Frostbite looks to be designing a giant ice sculpture. H-D asks how he's adjusting... which Frostbite kinda brushes off. It's here that Hard Drive reveals that he can become a nervous wreck around new people... which is something we might just be revisiting, this very issue.
We shift over to the living room where Monstergirl, Junior, and Off-Ramp are chatting about the nonsense that the giant Mummy from last issue was blathering on about. Junior's kinda freaked out, but Monstergirl is taking it in stride. Off-Ramp is kind of aloof and suggests that the Mummy was just kvetching about a woman. Elsewhere, Frostbite continues to sculpt.
Bonfire and Thunderhead enter, and before long the subject of the chat is changed to ranking superhero costumes. Junior suggests that Thunderhead took a cue from Superman's new (at the time) Electric Blue costume when he designed his own. Thunderhead is adamant that that's not the case. All the while, Frostbite sculpts.
They posit a few theories on why Superman is now displaying new powers... did he always have electric powers and was just hiding them? Did something happen to him? The girls are just happy that the change also marked the loss of Superman's mullet (though, that had been gone for a little while at that point). Frostbite... still sculpts.
Junior offers that Green Lantern currently has the best costume going... this would be the Kyle Rayner "crab mask" Green Lantern, which I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one who has any affection for. Bonfire digs the Flash... and likes that his suit went from cloth to being "shiny". This leads to a discussion of Jay Garrick's helmet and how different that looked. This really allows Bonfire to drop some Golden-Age knowledge on her teammates, further illustrating her superhero fandom. Oh yeah, and Frostbite is still sculptin'.
Hard Drive enters the room while Bonfire is giving the team the low-down on why the Golden-Age Green Lantern wore a red shirt, and suggests they all pop down to Frostbite's room and make him feel more welcome. And so they do. Inside, they check out his ice sculpture... which, Bonfire can tell has a secret "heat signature" message embedded in it. She looks intrigued... but cannot explore that emotion, because the giant Mummy sword has vanished!
The team gathers in the living room to plan their next move... all the while, Hard Drive is blaming himself for not making sure that the "job was done" last time. The team, quick to forgive him, brushes off his concern. They hop into Roadshow, and port back to the Army Base. Only... they're not the first heroes on the scene!
The Young Heroes meet up with Superman just after he wallops the Mummy into a hole. Hard Drive insists that they'll take care of everything... Superman isn't so sure. He believes there might be something about the Mummy making it impossible to destroy physically. As a confident Hard Drive leads his team into battle, Monstergirl remains behind to make Superman an offer.
Superman appreciates M-G's offer of joining the Young Heroes, but turns her down anyway... after all, he's Superman... he's got a whole slew of responsibilities, and maybe doesn't want to add "babysitting" to the list. As this is going on, Frostbite makes short work of the Mummy... encasing it in ice. Superman is a little confused, but impressed none the less.
As the dust settles, Hard Drive tells Monstergirl that he's going to ask Superman to join the team. She tells him that's a great idea... but he should wait until everyone's watching before popping the question. Hmm...
And so, Hard Drive... in front of his entire team... asks Superman to join. Once again, Superman declines the offer. At this point, Hard Drive gets in Superman's face and proceeds to shout at him!
We close out with a teary-eyed Hard Drive running away.
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Another fun issue of Young Heroes!
I always look at these early issues of a new series where Superman (or Spider-Man in Marvel's case) show up as the publisher "giving their blessing" to a new property. It was really cool to have Superman here... especially considering that Raspler and Madan "played the ball where it lay" and used Electric Blue. I suppose they could've just as easily used any other DC heavy-hitter and had a similar result... but they used Electric Blue, and I think that's pretty cool.
This issue was a really good way for us to get a little "surface level" characterization. Nothing all that deep... yet; just a few idiosyncrasies... but it all works so well. We learn that Bonfire is a superhero fangirl... and that Hard Drive gets antsy around new people... things that can (and will) be used against (or to control) them.
It's also made pretty clear that there's more than meets the eye about Frostbite. He definitely knows something... and he's already making overtures toward Bonfire with his heat-signature invisible ink. It's been about twenty-years since I've read this... so, I don't remember at all what his ice sculpture "said" to Bonfire. I am pretty psyched to find out (again) though.
That brings us to our "Who's Zoomin' Who?" bit:
Bonfire is still "with" Thunderhead due to Hard Drive's "power of suggestion". She's a massive superhero fangirl whose life's dream was to be part of a superhero team... something she's not likely to do anything to possibly mess up. At the same time, however, there's a definite "spark" between her and Frostbite... and we get the sneaking suspicion that Frostbite knows what's up.
Monstergirl is still "with" Hard Drive... and is probably closer to him (ie. knows more about him) than anybody else on the team. Hard Drive is quick to reveal his personality quirks, as evidenced by what he told Frostbite... so, we'd have to imagine Monstergirl is aware of his social anxiety as well.
At the end of this issue... she totally sets him up. This is the second issue in a row where she kinda "plays" him. Was she aware that he'd have a meltdown in front of Superman? Is she trying to kill his credibility so she might take over leading the team? I feel like the answers to both questions are "Yes".
Oh, and Off-Ramp is still very much in love with his car. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Overall... man... such a fun series. I'm tellin' ya... this isn't one that'll break the bank, but it might be a bit of a hunt. It's definitely a worthwhile hunt though... so, if you do happen across a random issue, do yourself a favor and snag it!
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Young Heroes in Love #2 (July, 1997)
"Look Before You Leap into the Telekinetic Proto-Bomb!"
Writer - Dan Raspler
Penciller - Dev Madan
Inker - Keith Champagne
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Scott Baumann
Associate Editor - Ruben Diaz
Editor - Frank Pittarese
Cover Price: $1.75
Wow, it's been over a year... closer to a year and a half, since we discussed the first issue of Young Heroes in Love! Time is such a cruel S.O.B.! This issue might be a bit of a toughie without the proper context, so... I don't always do this, but I'd recommend checking out that discussion if you're unfamiliar with this team/property.
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It's been awhile since we read it, but at the end of last issue... Bonfire and Thunderhead agreed to go out on patrol together, and that is where we open. They are atop a tall building, and Thunderhead comments that he could jump all the way to the ground without hurting himself. Bonfire isn't so sure, and wants him to prove it. At hems and haws a bit... however, as he is rather smitten with the red-head, he goes ahead and takes the plunge.
Back at Young Heroes HQ, Hard Drive and Monstergirl are discussing and debating how to debut the team. Hard Drive thinks they're ready to show themselves off to the public straight away, while MG thinks it would be best to wait. Off to the side, tiny Junior overhears the conversation... and is quite bothered over what their motivations for putting the team together in the first place might be. He also overhears them discuss finding a "minor threat" via the news wire to take advantage of.
We shift over to Off-Ramp's garage, where he's puttering with Roadshow. He is soon joined by Thunderhead, who spills all the beans about his night out with Bonfire.
Speaking of Bonfire, we rejoin her as she enters a darkened locker room. Inside, Frostbite is waiting... and testing his ability to "read" people by their heat signatures. He makes it clear that he's noticed there is a spark between the two of them, but Bonfire plays dumb. Remember, Hard Drive used his "power of suggestion" to pair her with Thunderhead last issue.
Back at the garage, Monstergirl requests Off-Ramp check into the newswires for trouble... only, she doesn't tell him to look for a "minor threat"... she's looking for "serious trouble". She also... mayyybe makes a pass at Thunderhead?
Back in the locker room, Junior pops his tiny head in. He begins telling Bonfire and Frostbite what he'd overheard during Hard Drive and Monstergirl's conversation... however, before he can go into any detail, Hard Drive himself shows up. He asks Junior for a moment of his time... and uses his "power of suggestion" to keep the little bugger quiet.
We rejoin Off-Ramp who is "navigating" for trouble, which, as we learned last issue, pretty much means he's lounging around smoking a cigarette. He finally comes across something worthy of the Young Heroes' attention, and heads off to inform Hard Drive. As luck would have it, the JLA are currently off-planet... so this falls on the shoulders of our new team! Or, ya know... the JSA, the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, Hero Hotline... were the Darkstars still a thing in 1997? Okay, I'm splitting hairs... this looks like a job for, the Young Heroes!
They load up into Roadshow and FAAASH! upstate to an Army Base where... a giant (cool-looking) Mummy is running amok!
Hard Drive begins issuing commands... and the team proves that they've got what it takes to get the job done. There's some really cool use of Off-Ramp's portals here... reminiscent of the video game, well, Portal (which wouldn't come out for a decade!).
The battle ends with Hard Drive stood before the Mummy... as it is sucked into, what Thunderhead refers to as, "some Mummy dimension". Well, can't argue with that.
After getting some "face time" on the local news, the Young Heroes head back to HQ. We close out with Monstergirl visiting Hard Drive in his room... apologizing for doubting his vision... and then they make out. In our final panel, however, she give the camera a bit of a "dirty look". Hmm...
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Another super-fun issue of Young Heroes.
Before exploring the various love-rhombuses... let's get my one kinda "ehh" bit out of the way. We see Junior overhear the conversation between Hard Drive and Monstergirl... and I just don't see what the big deal about that was. It's treated like Junior just heard them admit to secretly being supervillains or something, when it was really just a debate about the team's readiness.
I feel like if you have a team with, for all intents and purposes, two leaders... you're going to have discussions like this with regularity. I feel like their compromise was a good one as well... find a "minor threat", give the team some "field experience", soak up the press and public goodwill. Sounds good to me!
I reread that scene a few times to see if Hard Drive used his "power of suggestion" on Monstergirl in order to get his way... but he didn't... and that wouldn't have made any sense anyway, since she wound up telling Off-Ramp something completely different.
Speaking of the "power of suggestion", let's take a look at who's zoomin' who on the Young Heroes.
We have Bonfire... who clearly shares a connection and attraction with Frostbite. Hard Drive enforces that she be paired with Thunderhead.
Thunderhead is clearly smitten with Bonfire... however, Monstergirl might have some interest in him. All the while, MG is knockin' boots with Hard Drive.
Off-Ramp is still passionately in love with his car. And, that's okay. Junior's all by his lonesome... buuuuut, that might change pretty soon.
Onto the action! I feel like the fight scene with the Mummy was pretty good! It's definitely just a back-drop for all of the romantic and backstabby intrigue, but it was quite well done. The team comes together, saves the day... and thanks to the art, looks great in the process!
Overall... this is a great book. The characterization is wonderful... it's hard not to fall in love with this cast... even the rat-bastards among them. The art is also great. I mentioned last issue that this feels like a blend of Batman: The Animated Series and Darwyn Cooke... and I still feel that way. This series is most definitely worth tracking down.
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Young Heroes in Love #1 (June, 1997)
"Your Lips! Your Eyes! Your Nuclear Breath Vision!"
Writer - Dan Raspler
Penciller - Dev Madan
Inker - Keith Champagne
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Scott Baumann
Associate Editor - Ruben Diaz
Editor - Frank Pittarese
Cover Price: $1.75
Gonna be checking out a semi-obscure one, from a time in DC known for launching semi-obscure books... some of which we've covered here. The late 1990's were a very strange time in DC where they appeared to be trying new things... integrating creator-owned characters and concepts into the mainstream (shared) DC Universe... which is the case here. As you can see by the indicia below... the Young Heroes in Love are copyright Raspler and Madan. They do tie in to the main DCU... featuring appearances from Superman... and even a #1,000,000 issue to tie-in with DC One Million!
This sadly wasn't long for the world... much like those other semi-obscure launches of the day. I'm thinking about things we've discussed here like Chase and Major Bummer... though there are more... things like Chronos, and Creeper... all decently fun while they lasted.
Anyhoo... without further ado, let's get into the sex, lies... and superheroics of Young Heroes in Love!
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We open with a trio of new-to-us heroes hanging out atop a roof. The "big" one is codenamed Thunderhead, and he is admiring his new superheroing togs while chatting with teammate Off-Ramp. Monstergirl is also with them, but is mostly ignoring their inane banter. The subject changes and they begin to discuss their new team-leader, who is apparantly a "total pro". During this, Thunderhead breaks the golden rule of the superhero set, and refers to Off-Ramp by his real name! Well, that just won't do at all! Monstergirl gives of T-Head a pop-quiz on secret identities before we...
... Shift scenes to another member of the team... Junior. He is changing from his civvies into his superhero costume, when the "camera" pans out to reveal that he is only a few inches tall... and his mom is driving him to his "superhero meeting", how adorable.
Next up we meet the leader of this group, Hard Drive who is telling a girl called Bonfire why she cannot be part of the team. He questions her commitment and her experience... and she uses her, um... pyrokinesis to fire a shot in his direction. He easily dodges it, however, this outburst (no pun intended) tells him she's ready to join up! Junior arrives on the scene, makes some "little" puns, and the trio take to the sky to meet up with their teammates.
On the roof, the six young heroes do the meet and greet thing... along with checking out each others hot bodies... and we learn a bit more about their powersets. Thunderhead has super-strength (and/or the ability to turn his brain into solid rock, har har), Monstergirl can morph into a... monster, and Off-Ramp... well, we'll find out in a bit. Junior is their super-spy, because he can sneak into places undetected, natch.
It looks as though Thunderhead and Bonfire hit it off almost immediately. There's definite attraction/tension between them... which they do not get the opportunity to explore, because Hard Drive informs the gang that they will be heading out to collect their seventh and at this point, final member. At this point, Off-Ramp begins "navigating"... which is basically standing there smoking a cigarette. During the waiting game, the girls start to chat. Bonfire immediately asks about Thunderhead's story... while, Monstergirl wants to know all about Hard Drive.
We get a bit of backstory on Thunderhead... he never really dreamed about being a superhero... his passion was for music. Sadly, his hands and fingers grew far too large to aptly manipulate a guitar...
Off-Ramp decides he's figured out their "route" and the team assembles around him. They head into the alley, and we are introduced to Roadshow, Off-Ramp's ride... and best friend.
Inside the car, Off-Ramp announces their destination... Chicoutimi, Canada... which he claims is about a dozen miles outside the arctic circle... but if he's talking about Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Canada... it's closer to 1,255 miles outside the arctic circle. Anyhoo, that doesn't much matter here... either way, it's gonna be a long drive. Or is it? Here we learn that Off-Ramp is the "king of the shortcut" and can open portals... or off-ramps, allowing them to drive via time travel!
The gang enters the portal, and no sooner arrive that their snow-covered destination... where they (and we) meet their seventh member... Frostbite, who kinda looks like somebody stuck Namor in the freezer and left him there for a few weeks.
We get another round of introductions here, and learn that Frostbite is unaffected by the cold... which, ya know... with a name like Frostbite, shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Perhaps most interesting bit here is there appears to be an instant spark between he and Bonfire. The pair both go silent, and just gaze into each other's eyes.
They all pile into Roadshow, and on the drive home Off-Ramp tells the story of how he and Hard Drive met. They were both in the same car race up in Glouster, when there was a fiery wreck among the drivers. Through use of both of their power sets, they were able to save every last racer there.
By this point, the team arrives at their new warehouse headquarters. As they get comfortable, Monstergirl approaches Bonfire to ask about the obvious connection she had with Frostbite... and warns that his cold and her heat could be quite the steamy combination. Meanwhile, Thunderhead and Junior are discussing T's chances with the fiery redhead. Moments pass, and Frostbite corners Bonfire... and wants nothing more than to discuss their feelings toward one another. Luckily, or unluckily... Hard Drive pops his head in and requests an audience with Bonfire.
He takes her aside and informs her that Thunderhead appears to be interested in her. He then... suggests that she maybe consider romantically pairing with Thunderhead. She is a bit repulsed... not about Thunderhead, but the blatant abuse of power her team leader is displaying. He continues, telling her while Frostbite is physically compatible... he feels that Thunderhead is a more "appropriate" mate for her. She flatly refuses... however, we're about to learn there's a lot more to Hard Drive than we'd thought. He uses his power of suggestion to change her mind...
Later the team assembles for their first official meeting. It is here they receive the name "The Young Heroes". After Hard Drive's stirring speech, Thunderhead kinda fumbles a bit... to which Off-Ramp prods him to "just ask her". This leads to Thunderhead asking Bonfire if she might want to "go on patrol" with him. She eagerly accepts...
This pleases Hard Drive to no end... and he gleefully proclaims that this is the start of something BIG!
We wrap up the issue with some pillow talk between Hard Drive and... Monstergirl, as they celebrate the fact that they "really did it". And I assume by "it" they mean putting together the team... and, um... having sex.
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What a strange and fun read this was. It's been a few years since I last read this... and I'm quite pleasantly surprised at how well it's held up.
I mean, the thing does kinda scream "late 90's"... from character design to concept. Looking at characters like my man Off-Ramp, he just looks like a sorta slacker type... kinda like I did during those years. Hanging out in alleys and roofs is like something I would have done too!
The writing here is a lot of fun... and Raspler has very natural and organic voices for these Young Heroes. They've got their eccentricities... which is to be expected, and the dialogue was great. The art... whoo... perfect fit for a book like this. This to me falls somewhere between DC Animated Series style, and Darwyn Cooke. I'm thinking specifically about the last page (posted above) when mentioning Cooke... the scene with Hard Drive and Monstergirl in bed looks (at least to me) very Cooke.
Now... let's discuss that last word of the title... Love. This is clearly going to be a big push for this series... the thing that makes it stand out... and, gotta say... so far, so good. It makes sense to me that these Young Heroes might just... ya know... check each other out when they first meet. It's human nature to feel attraction... and I think it was handled here quite well. These attractions all feel rather benign and innocent at the offset. The only "dirty" thing thus far is Hard Drive getting into Bonfire's head and messing about.
I appreciated the tentativeness displayed by Thunderhead. The fact that he needed encouragement from both Junior and Off-Ramp to make his move was really neat, and brought me right back to high school. Bonfire and Monstergirl chatting about the boys was also nice to see. I mean, so far, there really is no reason given for this team to assemble other than "we have powers, let's team up". Without a specified mission, what harm is there in fraternizing a bit?
I would be quick to recommend this... however, it may be somewhat difficult to come across. There have been no collected editions... and I'm not sure we'll ever get one due to DC properties appearing... and the creators holding the rights to the Young Heroes. It's not up anywhere digitally either... and again, I wouldn't hold my breath. If you want to check these out, you're only bet is via single (don't call 'em floppies!) issue format. By the way, big thanks to Joe, Laurel and Zawisza for the fun twitter-chat on the "floppy" situation!
Anyhoo... so, yeah... single-issue only... are they worth tracking down? Yeah. If you can find this at a decent price, it is definitely worth your time. Might not rock your socks... but it is fun, different, and very well crafted. Worth hitting dem bins for!
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