Trained and mentored by the universe's greatest superheroes, young sidekicks Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Artemis prepare to join the ranks of the Justice League ... that is, until they figure out that their grown-up counterparts have no intention of making them equal partners in crime fighting.

What do they do?

They do what any young superhero with teenager swagger would do - they venture out on their own and team up to battle evil on their own terms. Young Justice: Season 1, Vol 1 includes the first four episodes of this Cartoon Network series including "Independence Day", a two-parter, plus "Fireworks," "Welcome to Happy Harbor" and "Drop Zone." You get to re-experience their first adventure as they take down a genetics lab and uncover a big secret called Project Kr AKA Superman's son!

Now, with Superboy by their side, our youthful superheroes go about handling undercover missions while still being, well, teenagers.

The video quality, as expected, is top notch here and  fans of the Cartoon Network series may very well consider this to be a required addition to the video collection. It's a bit disappointing that this 91-minute DVD contains no DVD extras considering it comes from Warner Home Video, a leader in home video and usually quite generous with its home video releases. That said, the vocal work and storylines are strong and children and youth alike are likely to enjoy this collection. The collection avoids a lot of the usual cheesiness of Superhero collections and, as a special bonus, is quite family friendly. This is a collection that parents won't mind sitting down with their kids to watch.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic