Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Recessional (Graduation Day, part 3 of 3)
Written by: Judd Winick
Penciled by: Alé Garza
Inked by: Trevor Scott and Marlo Alquiza
Colored by: Jeromy Cox
Lettered by: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Breganza
Publisher: DC Comics
The previous issues of Graduation Day (GD), #1 and #2 , set the stage for the dissolution of The Titans and Young Justice — DC’s youthful superhero teams that are either extensions of or inspirations from the Silver Age Teen Titans.
To provide you with the “why” behind this mini-series and the cancellations of The Titans and Young Justice series, quoting from my previous GD review, you should know that from “the aftermath of this 3 part mini-series two new ongoing titles will launch, Outsiders in June and Teen Titans in July, timed with the debut of the new Teen Titans Animated TV Series and subsequent release of the Silver Age Teen Titans Archive Edition from DC — compiling the hard-to-find first few appearances of the Teen Titans in the early 1960s”.
Issue three still has both teams coping with the aftermath of their joint battle against a “cybernetic girl from the future” which put many of the b-players on the shelf leaving the core characters to battle a rogue Superman android.
While I have been critical of the use of robots, clones, “strangers from the future”, and the like as characters and plot devices, I will put this fundamental dislike aside in my review of the concluding chapter of GD. I’ve made my point, so I’ll move on.
Surprisingly, GD #3 is the best Winick creative outing that I’ve ever read. I mean this as a legitimate accolade. Winick clearly has a better grasp of who these characters are, what makes them tick, and he captures their respective “voices” quite well in his vastly-improved scripting. While I still have reservations about his new Outsiders series, many of my initial fears have allayed somewhat. I feel better about giving the new series a fair shake. His current Green Arrow run is a little slow to start, but we’re only in part 2 of a 6 part arc, so maybe he’ll catch his stride there too.
Anyhow, back to the review at hand. While I am loathe to “spoil” the contents of any book that I review, DC has a very revealing cover to GD #3, with Nightwing carrying a limp Troia with a caption that reads “You Fail… You Die”. So, while we all know “who” will die in this issue, the real issue is “how” it happens and whether it can be delivered well, considering the meaningless fashion in which another Titan (although not a “core” character) was killed in the previous issue.
Winick delivers a very emotional, compassionate and meaningful exit for Donna Troy — a.k.a. Troia, a founding member of the Teen Titans in the 1960s as Wonder Girl — that no review could do justice for. It is really handled delicately with the dignity, sincerity, and respect for this character’s loyal fans and long history — the issue of her history’s convolution is a discussion for another time. It is to be read to be appreciated.
Donna Troy’s passing is also the emotional catalyst for the disbanding of The Titans and Young Justice. This event within GD #3 and its repercussions lay the foundation for the soon-to-be relaunched Outsiders and Teen Titans — their new “philosophies” surfacing by issue’s end.
While the previous issues, particularly issue two, are inconsistent and schizophrenic to varying degrees on the writing front, issue three is a quantum leap forward for Judd Winick. It’s a solid read that tugs at readers’ heart strings and does the necessary “mechanical” things needed to set up the two new ongoing series. While the cover gives away the main plot point of the issue, the “how”, and a humorous guest “reappearance”, provide some unexpected moments for readers craving surprises.
As always, the strongest part of GD is the pencils of Alé Garza. He delivers breathtaking interior pencils, although the “revealing” cover could have been handled differently — but I blame editor Eddie Breganza for that. In my opinion, outside of the GD logo and creative team credits, no other lettering should have been on the cover, let alone a tacky line like “You Fail… You Die.” The cover to GD #3 just doesn’t deliver the same emotion as previous milestone “death” issues. The pinnacle would be the classic 1985 George Pérez penciled cover to issue #7 of the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series that had a weeping Superman holding the corpse of Supergirl. Its one of the most famous and emotion-evoking comic book covers ever. That aside, GD #3 itself is beautifully rendered by Garza. I look forward to his future DC work.
Graduation Day issue three is the finest issue of this mini-series and a fitting end to it. Putting aside nitpicks about robots, characters from the future, and an editorial muff concerning the cover, this really is a solid issue from both the writing and penciling ends.
