Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Breaking The Rules
Written by: Geoff Johns
Penciled by: Mike McKone
Inked by: Marlo Alquiza
Colored by: Jeromy Cox
Lettered by: Comicraft
Associate Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
The creators may not be teens, but they’re Titans!
Teen Titans is the buzz book of the comic industry for a reason. Geoff Johns and Mike McKone, much like Marv Wolfman and George Perez in the 80’s, have relaunched a tired franchise to new heights of glory. Whether this new incarnation was inspired by the current Teen Titans animated series, which I’ve never seen an episode of, doesn’t matter. Few books on the shelf are of the quality that has been exhibited here for four months now; and the entire cast of characters is absolutely perfect for this book.
As is the norm with Geoff Johns written books, last month ended with a shocking cliffhanger. It seems that the essence Jericho, a former Titan, has been hiding out in the body of frequent Titan nemesis Deathstroke. Making things even creepier is the fact that the assassin is also the father of Jericho. Between showing up in Nightwing and Birds of Prey in the last year or so, I’m almost sick of seeing Deathstroke. Yet, it’s tough to grow tired of such a cool character, especially when Geoff Johns gives him a critical role in a very important storyline.
I won’t give it away, even though it was given a long time ago.
Geoff Johns has integrated a number of subplots into the first few issues, and this issue is no exception. An interesting gift made by Ares to Wonder Girl seems to bode badly for Wonder Woman’s protégé. As has been the case with the majority of subplots, Johns only whets our appetites for more. So far, we’ve got the possibility that Superboy, may not be a clone of purely Superman, but Lex Luthor too. There are more interesting threads waiting to be explored as well.
The most interesting subplot for me is the character development of Impulse. Johns moves ahead the main narrative, advancing Impulse in a very exciting, albeit telegraphed way. Deathstroke damaged Impulse’s leg back in issue 2. Impulse is one of my favorites characters, and there are major developments for Bart Allen, any longtime fan will appreciate. Events all boil down to yet another wonderful final page, leading into next months issue.
I loved Mike McKone’s work on Marvel’s Exiles, but his work on Teen Titans is truly fantastic. Perhaps it’s just that DC’s characters look more appealing to me when rendered with a fine stroke. In any case, the artwork, inked by Marlo Alquiza, is a pleasure to view each month and an equivalent selling point to Geoff Johns fantastic writing.
It’s hard to believe, but Teen Titans has been around for four months now. I remember when the relaunch was announced, I was a little annoyed that Young Justice, a favorite, was to be cancelled. The sorrow subsided some when preview images became available. Ever since the first issue of Teen Titans hit the shelves I don’t miss YJ in the least. When it was at its best, Young Justice was a really fun book. The work we’ve seen so far on Teen Titans makes me feel like we’ve got a potential classic in the making!
