Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Clash of the Teen Titans
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
A severe case of Jericho…
Issue #5 is marked by cover-to-cover action!
The body-jumping hero-turned-villain alive-after-death Joseph Wilson / Jericho, the son of Slade Wilson / Deathstroke, has gone mad and is dishing out some tough love on his old friends and DC’s next generation of super-heroes. He’s taken over his father’s body, the man who presumably killed him many moons ago to save him, and has wreaked havoc on the Teen Titans (TT).
He’s blown out Impulse’s leg, guiding the hand of Deathstroke, and in this issue, hops from Titan to Titan…leading to some interesting match-ups:
- Superboy vs. the Titans
- Superboy vs. Kid Flash
- Kid Flash vs. Beast Boy
- Kid Flash vs. Wonder Girl and Starfire
- Starfire vs. Beast Boy
- Starfire vs…Raven!
Guess who’s coming to dinner?
The covers to issue #1 and the multiple promotional work and interviews done around Teen Titans let the cat out of the bag around who will be on the Titans roster. We knew that Raven is set to join soon and that Impulse was going to become Kid Flash. It was the “how” that enthralls readers.
With issue #5 we have the first full appearance of Kid Flash, following his cameo “debut” last month.
Raven, on the other hand, has been lingering around in the book, unknown to the Titans, in some distress, but she has yet to conscript the team to help her. However, she does play a major role in exorcising Jericho in this issue, and mysteriously vanishes as quickly as she appeared…
Bart Allen honors the Flash and fights the Impulse to Kid around
The DC message boards have been ablaze with supporters and critics of the new TT series. Many of the Young Justice (YJ) fans were initially quite upset with the cancellation of that series and, once the first arc of TT’s began, were upset with the lack of humor in TT…particularly around the character of Impulse. And then, adding some Mrs. Dash, Paprika, and Tabasco into the wound…Impulse’s leg was shot up by Deathstroke! Those who feverishly yearned for the simpler YJ days were enraged…well the vocal minority anyway.
If anything, while I did find the maiming of Impulse a bit over-the-top, the new elements of his character, i.e. his impulse to read and learn, not just play video games, has made him a clear MVP nominee in this first arc.
His powers are being used in new interesting ways. The character has evolved. He’s not as humorous as before, but Beast Boy seems to occupy the clown stereotype for the team (still)…wow, will that character never grow up?
I like the new direction for Bart Allen and the discussion he has with Robin on page 18 of this issue (has anyone else noticed that pages aren’t numbered anymore?) and explains why he needs to change and grow. I didn’t like the self-deprecating comment he makes about his “impulsive” persona, but the overall conversation between the “new” Kid Flash and Robin was a touching moment in the issue.
What’s next for DC’s Titans?
The first arc of the new white-hot Teen Titans series has come to a close with plot threads for upcoming arcs yet to unravel. The seeds have been sown for many stories to come, with many questions being asked and (some) answers on the horizon….
- What happened to Jericho before and after the current TT arc?
- Was Jericho’s presence the reason that Deathstroke has been incorrectly characterized as an amoral assassin in the DCU, most notably in his most recent arc in the Nightwing series, as opposed to a principled mercenary (or was that just due to sloppy editing)?
- Where has Raven been?
- How does the “new” Brother Blood fit into Raven’s back story?
- Does Raven’s daddy Trigon fit it anywhere?
- What’s the relationship between Ares and Wonder Girl?
- Are there any more “new” powers for Wonder Girl as a result of this relationship?
- What’s the origin of Superboy in light of the DNA revelations in issues #1?
- Is a romance in the offing for Superboy and Wonder Girl?
- Is Beast Boy’s more feral appearance a natural evolution or a more cosmetic change by the shape-shifter?
- Where’s Donna Troy in light of the conclusion of Graduation Day?
- When will the Outsiders, particularly Nightwing and Arsenal, show up in the pages of TT?
- How does Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League of America (JLA), feel about the Teen Titans as a result of the happenings of the first arc?
And, the next issue, #6, will address another lingering question….
With so many questions yet to be answered, and Johns’ characteristic cliffhanger finale page, this reader can’t help but clamor for next month’s installment of the Teen Titans!
I digress…
I feel the need to reiterate a problem I have with TT, but more with DC’s marketing. As I said in my review of TT #1…
I am not a big fan of multiple covers. While both the Mike McKone and Michael Turner covers are penciled and produced beautifully, they really are unnecessary and leave a very stale “1990s” gimmicky taste in my mouth. One cover is enough. Does the industry learn from its past? Clearly not. In addition, the second printing of the sold-out Teen Titans #1 will sport yet another original cover that will fuel the collector mentality out there. Cash grab or quality “gift” for readers who missed out on the first print? Well, I’m sure that will be debated for some time.
The second, third, and fourth printings of issue #1 have also sold out at DC.
Luckily issue #5 doesn’t sport multiple covers, but the frenzy around issue #1 is a speculator-driven one due to the new / variant covers. Sadly, it has NOTHING to do with the solid story and art within.
Ending on a High…
Scribe Geoff Johns continues his team-book magic and the art team of penciler Mike McKone and inker Marlo Alquiza has the action leap off the page and slap readers…who now understand that there is a fine line between pleasure and pain. The solid coloring job of Jeromy Cox also adds an important ingredient to a book that deserves all the accolades and hype for the story within the covers.
One question though—Once Raven joins the team, half the team will not be teenagers…so is this really a book about Teen Titans? Discuss.
