The Teen Titans, along with the JSA, were one of the few titles before Infinite Crisis that were really impacting and affecting the DC Universe. Since Infinite Crisis, both titles have been re-establishing themselves. The Titans have done that, and are now re-establishing their Rogues Gallery.
The Teen Titans have been squaring off against their own personal Legion of Doom (Titans West). How do they fare this issue? What plot twist will inevitably have us coming back for more? Read on!
Creative Team
Writers: Adam Beechen and Geoff Johns
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo
Inks: BIT
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Fair warning here. This is a Tenzil synopsis and not a Rokk Krinn synopsis. Mine are shorter. Enough for a review, but still leaving details to enjoy in the book. It’ll still spoil the story though, so be warned!
Batgirl is taking Deathstroke to task for having drugged her into doing his bidding. Deathstroke’s children, Ravager and Jericho, are both present and fighting their one-eyed parent. As he is want to do, Slade (Deathstroke) gets the upper hand.
Raven is fighting Duela Dent and Riddler’s daughter. Raven manages to turn Duela to the side of the Titans, and after freeing Cyborg from Risk they go to fetch “others” to help.
Crusader moves to “save” Kid Devil by killing him before the demon possessing him returns to his body. After being surprised by Miss Martian’s attempt at a rescue, Crusader attacks the demonic force and is then possessed by it.
Match ( a Superboy bizarro-like clone) fights Wonder Girl and friends, but is no match for Wonder Girl’s grief over the loss of Superboy. However, the Titans quickly square off against the Titans East, excepting Raven’s and Deathstroke’s groups. The Titans don’t fight as a team, and elsewhere Deathstroke tricks Ravager. Deathstroke then joins the “Titans East” group, and is ready to kill off all of the beaten Titans, in front of his children.
Just then, Nightwing, Donna Troy, Flash, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Duela show up, and tell Deathstroke to “Get the hell OFF our island”.
Comments:
The Good: Both the story and the script do a service to the Titans. Stories are furthered, New relationships develop, and each character is doing something that can only happen to that character. What humor that is managed in a pretty heavy story is subtle, like Duela’s “Sorry we can’t stay to give you a hand” to Risk.
The Bad: The art here is solid, doing its job, and understandable, but lacking the dramatic pop that has been previously seen in these pages. Miss Martian less appealing, and last page splash of the older Titans does not hold up very well to how they are drawn elsewhere. Raven’s subtle smile while saying “play a joke on Deathstroke” is done perfectly, to give credit where it is due.
Overall: A good read, and a comic that is on my pull list. The story and the characterization keep me coming back. The pacing is a little slow, but this is the third part of a 4 issue story, if it is going to drag anywhere, it is in this issue. The previous Titans story arc put the pieces back on the board, this one will definitely move them around a bit