Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Family Lost
Written by: Geoff Johns
Penciled by: Tom Grummett
Inked by: Kevin Conrad
Colored by: Jeromy Cox
Lettered by: Comicraft
Associate Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
Characterization, characterization, characterization!
The adage about the three most important parts to owning a successful business, “location, location, location†can also be modified for comics. Taking the artwork out of the equation, then it’s all about characterization, characterization, characterization. There’s nothing else as important to a successful series. If you build up your characters and use them in an interesting way, then great stories are sure to come. Couple that with strong art and you don’t just have a good comic book, you may have a classic on your hands.
Geoff Johns is at the top of my list of writers because of his amazing character work. It’s never about ludicrous situations, shocking language, or a silly in-joke with Mr. Johns. The principal focus through all of his work always seems to be building better, more interesting characters. This month’s issue of Teen Titans further clarifies the point of why I like Geoff’s work so much. When I think back on Geoff’s work in JSA, Flash, Hawkman, or even Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. the moments that always stand out are those focused on character.
A breather worth my time…
Teen Titans and Outsiders launched around the same time and from the same event: Graduation Day. As long as they both continue to be published they’re going to be indelibly linked. The reason why I’ve loved nearly every issue of Teen Titans and not been blown away by Outsiders all comes down to what I mentioned above. Geoff’s book has been about building the team and letting us better know the cast of characters; Judd Winick’s Outsiders has been all over the place.
In eight issues of Teen Titans there’s been one major storyline and the other three issues were interesting asides. In the same time frame Outsiders has had three separate multiple issue storylines (with one beginning last issue) with nowhere near enough continuity from issue to issue. We still know nothing about most of the cast of Outsiders, while we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the Titans. While Teen Titans has been surprising with its darker tone, Outsiders raunchy approach has really ticked me off. Between these two books, thus far, there’s just no comparison in story quality.
Raven and Robin take center stage…
I love the opening three pages of this issue. We get a look at Tim Drake’s (Robin) relationship with his father as well as the relationship he has with Batman. Tim finds it difficult to continue lying to his father about his secret identity and where he goes weekends when he’s off with the Titans. This is wonderful sequence that placed me firmly in the Boy Wonder’s shoes; Johns gives me clear insight into his thought process and building on his character.
The majority of the book focuses on the character of Raven who recently reappeared in the DCU. For anyone that’s not a longtime fan of the Teen Titans series, Raven’s origin, as narrated by Starfire, is a great way to get to know a character that hasn’t done much of late. At the same time, for fans that already know Raven’s origins intimately there’s still plenty of brand new stuff packed in these pages to keep interest high. The closing moment’s advance the plotlines that have been building on the villain front, and show us where the book’s headed in the month’s to come.
Tom Grummett has shown up quite a bit of late filling in on DCU titles like Teen Titans and Aquaman. His work on Robin is some of the preeminent work with the character and the recently cancelled Power Company was remarkable. His style is perfect to fill-in for Mike McCone this month. The book maintains a pretty stable look and loses nothing in quality for the fill-in (with Fables that makes two great fill-in issues in one week) Grummett’s current assignment is over at Marvel doing the last five issues of Avengers/Thunderbolts; I hope to see him back in the DCU soon after that work’s completed.
I’m just digging this book…
I recently reviewed Outsiders #8 and I voiced my many concerns about the series direction and my long-term prospects to continue reading the title. As much as I’m growing tired of Outsiders, I’m growing more excited about the future of Teen Titans. Titles that Geoff Johns writes always get better as the series progresses. With the groundwork he’s laid in the first eight issues, I know there’s many more amazing stories to come that will end up blowing away these early issues.
