I love this book. And I love these characters. Unfortunately, for the casual reader, this book is in it's rebuilding stage. It's something the Titans have gone through time and time again over the years. It always ends up ok. The team usually comes out stronger on the other side, but . . it can be kind of a boring period for the book. I'm not saying anything bad, but . . it's usually a time when whoever's left on the team is sitting around sorting out their feelings and trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Also they tend to ask themselves, a lot, if the Titans are important enough for them to devote the amount of time to the team that it needs. And that's basically where we're at with this issue. Robin, Wonder Girl, Red Devil and the Blue Beetle are sitting around trying to figure out who they should ask to join the team. Red Devil and Blue Beetle are thinking in terms of who they like or don't, but Robin is the strategist. So he's thinking about whose powers would best benefit the team. And what skills would better round out the team for the various types of missions they have to deal with. But I think Blue Beetle makes the best suggestion. "Why exactly do we need to have a set number? Why not let anyone who's good be a member and come and go as they please? I mean, it's not like everyone can devote the same amount of time to the team. This way you could have your full-timers like Cassie and Eddie, and then you can have the week-enders or whatever." I've been thinking that same thing for quite some time. I'm glad someone finally said it. So we end up with lots of guests this issue. First Cassie catches up with Kara. She asks her to join but she says shes to busy right now. Of course Bombshell is living at the tower now, and when Blue Beetle comes Traci 13 tags along. She's actually considering joining. Also Vic has been keeping tabs on the team. He chimes in when they're talking about recruitment to try to give a little sage advice. Eddie goes out to check on Wendy, who's still in a coma. As he leaves her father, the Calculator, vows to make the Titans pay for what they've done to his little girl. The strangest visitor, I thought, was when Misfit shows up. I don't think she's going to join, but Robin adjusts the security protocols so she can drop by whenever she wants. But the main point of the story, and the reason that Tim brought Spoiler along is because he's made a decision. He talks to Cassie and tells her about it, since she's his best friend, but . . . with everything going on back in Gotham, he's decided to take a little break from the team. Cassie puts on a strong face, but as he leaves she knows she's going to miss him. A lot! Like I said, this is a rebuilding time for the team. And, when that happens, this title can be a little somber and . . well, boring. But at the same time . . I can't wait to see who they're going to bring on board next. To me, it's also one of the most exciting times. I think that Sean McKeever is doing a great job of rebuilding this title. Not that there was anything wrong with it before, but . . it was time for a little change. I'm also enjoying Eddy Barrows pencils. I really think that he's improving with every issue that he does. He's a great talent. It's sad that this'll be one of the only times that a Robin has not been on the team, but . . we have just as much to look forward to. And with Brother Blood showing up next issue . . they're going to have to get something together fast.
Jeez, I wish I could be as optimistic as you are about the direction of this book. The very first DC book that pulled me away from Marvel was "Young Justice", which was pretty much the precursor for this Teen Titans series. With Robin taking off, all that's left from Young Justice and the early stages of this series is Cassie...
ReplyDeleteI just can't feel very high about a team that has Blue Beetle, Red Devil, Cassie, and Bombshell(who doesn't even want to be there). For me, Robin's departure felt a real death blow to this team/series. I really wish I shared your optimism here!
I loved Young Justice also. I thought Peter David did a fantastic job with that series. Unfortunately . . it's gone. Mostly, I think, because of what happened with Connor. That series was supposed to be an off-shoot of the League. You know, kind of like Young Avengers. But really . . it was another paradigm on the Titans theme. To me, what brought me to the Titans is that it wasn't the traditions super-hero team book. It wasn't just people getting together to form the 'ultimate' team and fight the common enemy. To me, it was a group of 'teen-agers' who were all cast in the shadow of their mentors. Which brought them together. From there, with their age and perspective we got a completely different story from the League because we got more teen angst and drama. Right now, even though we don't have the most ideal core team to start with, or number . . I guess Cassie would be the core of 1, we still have the angst and drama to deal with. As witnessed this issue. Robin is actually the character I'll miss the most, but I don't think he'll be gone forever. I think he'll just be absent while we're dealing with the whole 'thing' with Batman. I have hopes that he'll be back. Or as least . . in and out?
ReplyDeleteYou actually hit on exactly what is bothering me about this book right now. Some teams are just that, a team, while other teams seem almost like a family. The Young Justice/Teen Titans were like a family. The dynamic between the main team members was really perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe current Teen Titans line-up is just missing something for me, that family feeling is gone. Especially with Robin leaving, this Teen Titans team seems like simply another bunch of heroes thrown together for no reason. Hopefully, things will change come the Spring, where DC is promising a crossover between the Teen Titans, the Titans and Vigilante(?!?)which is supposed to shake up both Titan teams.