YOUNGBLOOD DELUXE #1, by Image Comics on 4/16/25, takes readers back to a simpler time when everything was loud, fun, and EXTREEEEEEEEEMMMEEEE.
Credits:
- Writer: Rob Liefeld, Joe Casey
- Artist: Rob Liefeld
- Colorist: Matt Yackey
- Letterer: Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist: Rob Liefeld, Juan Manuel Rodriguez (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: April 16, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 40
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of YOUNGBLOOD DELUXE #1:
Plot Analysis:
[Author’s Note: Although this issue is solicited and advertised as a new #1, it’s technically a re-master of the original Youngblood #1. If you have the original, you already know the story.]
Youngblood Deluxe #1 begins with a group of powered individuals calling themselves the Berzerkers fighting their way through the headquarters of their ultimate nemesis, Darkthornn. Why? If Darkthornn conquers their Earth, he’ll move on to other Earths in the multiverse. At the moment of their triumph, Darkthorn traps the Berzerkers in crash limbo.
On our Earth, Jeff Terrell, the red-haired Shaft, prepares for his new role as leader of Youngblood. He talks with his girlfriend, Shelly, about their mutual brushes with the press during an afternoon walk. Suddenly, Shaft is attacked by a sniper. He kills the shooter and makes a hasty retreat to avoid further press attention.
In Arlington, VA, the android known as Diehard launches from his intel station to intercept the prison transport break of half of the supervillain team known as The Four. Diehard hits the team hard, and before The Four can regroup to outnumber the android, the rest of Youngblood, including Shaft, Vogue, Badrock, and Chapel, arrives to lend a hand.
Elsewhere, the extended members of Youngblood arrive in Baghdad for an infiltration and recovery mission. The team decimates the guards and robotic sentries of the despot known as Hassan Kussein to reach a special scientific research facility. Why? Because Kussein has a WMD that the American government can’t allow to be activated – one of Dr. Langston’s Prime experiments. The issue ends with Psi-Fire making a mess of Kussein and the Baghdad team reaching their target.
First Impressions:
Ahh, the good old days of 90s comics. There’s nothing like it. Rob Leifeld’s Youngblood #1 is the poster child for Image’s genesis and the harbinger of extreme comics during that era. Love it or hate it, this issue gives you all the 90s nostalgia you can handle.
Artwork and Presentation:
Rob Liefeld’s art stands alone as part of the iconic vibe of 90s superhero action fare. Leifeld’s linework, specifically the hatching, is impressively detailed. The character designs are meant to evoke aura, attitude, and action, and Liefeld isn’t afraid to let the characters be sexy or macho as the situation dictates. That said, the chronic criticism of Liefeld’s art is the lack of symmetry and consistency in the anatomy, but at this point, it is what it is. You either accept Liefeld’s style on its own charm and merits, or you don’t. It ain’t gonna change.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
Marvel and DC own the superhero comic ecosystem, which leads to one of the most frequent questions we get asked – “How do you create a new superhero universe if you don’t want to work for the Big 2?” Well, Rob Liefeld gives you the blueprint in Youngblood Deluxe #1. The particulars of the plot are dense and dated (more on that in a minute), but you get almost an entire catalog of characters with unique looks, traits, and personalities in one oversized issue. Is it a perfect way to start a universe? No, but it’s a great start.
The Negatives:
Rob Liefeld’s plot is too dense, too overstuffed, and too chaotic. This one issue introduces over twenty characters in at least three parallel plots. Even for an oversized comic, that’s way too much. As noted above, every character is interesting in their own right, but this is a case where less is more.
Final Thoughts:
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YOUNGBLOOD DELUXE #1 re-edits, re-masters, and re-visits the quintessential superhero comic that started Image Comics. Rob Liefeld’s updated version of his 90s masterpiece looks as good as ever, with the usual Liefeld-isms included, and the issue is a masterclass on making a lot of character introductions quickly and effectively. Still, the issue would have been served better by reducing the character and plot count by half.
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