Written by: Scott Lobdell
Pencils/Cover by: Brett Booth
Inks by: Norm Rapmund
Colors by: Andrew Dalhouse
TEEN TITANS
Tim Drake, Batman's former sidekick, is back in action when an international organization seeks to capture, kill or co-opt super-powered teenagers.
As Red Robin, he's going to have to team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash to stand any chance at all against a living, breathing weapon with roots in another world! They – along with a few other tortured teen heroes – will be the Teen Titans
With Lobdell, Booth, and Rapmund on this book together you might think you'd been transported back to the nineties and were reading a WildStorm book (scary for some, as that decade represents a period of time where many stopped reading comics all together - that is also the last decade that the "definitive" Titans book/run was published) and I loved every single panel of it! This book is definitely going on my "alert list" (what people used to call "pull lists" before iPads) so I'm sure not to miss an issue!
IT SUFFERS
I'm saddened to report that the book does suffer from the obvious editorial mandate to use the first issue to introduce the most prominent characters via narrative text boxes. It gives the book a very generic feel as if we really haven't delved into the story much at all.
Also, this means that we have yet to be introduced to any of the new and unique characters that will be on the team yet which is a shame. Finally it suffers from how they introduce the boy of steel. I don't want to give anything away but let's just say they aren't doing the character justice with his cloned introduction.
IT SHINES
I'm happy to report that this book does shine. This is clearly Tim Drakes book. DC had stated that all of the "Robins" (though they clearly didn't include Stephanie) will have a prominent role in a comic book series and TEEN TITANS was really late on their press release style list of books announced (they were announcing a couple books a week in the beginning) in the DCnU. Current Tim Drake fans were up in arms for weeks but they should all be fine now.
The artwork is very well situated to the storytelling and the colors chosen for the characters really do well to keep them separate and easily identified. Each character's look has been updated, and not just for style purposes either but utilitarian purposes have been taken into account with the designs.
Tim is the strong leader (or will be). Bart is the impulsive one (or at least I assume it's Bart). Cassie is strong yet unsure and Conner is very young, the member with the most power and the least experience. All of the pieces are there for great stories for titans fans of (hopefully every era).
APP THAT
DC recently redesigned it's iPad app from the ground up. The different sections have been broadened and restructured to be much more user friendly. If you've been debating going digital there's never been a better time.
Have a great weekend!
~Caine
That line about the clone and Justice cracked me up!
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