Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Book Review: Teen Titans vol. 1 - It's Our Right to Fight


Tim Drake, Batman's former sidekick, is back in action when an international organization called Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. 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, the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash and few more all-new teen super-heroes to stand any chance at all against N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But as Superboy meets them for the first time, the Titans have to wonder, is he a friend - or foe?

Published September 11, 2012, this volume collects Teen Titans #1-7 in 2011.

Writer Scott Lobdell and illustrators Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund gave readers a brand new spin on this team at the launch of DC Comics' New 52 line in the fall of 2011. This was definitely not the Titans I had been familiar with for decades. While there were some familiar faces, there was also the introduction of several new characters like Bunker, Skitter and Solstice. This mix of old and new evokes the launch of Wolfman and Perez's New Teen Titans back in the 80's.

In several ways, it reminds me of 90's comics especially from Marvel, an era and time where Lobdell got his start. That's not a bad thing though. His story along with the artwork gives the title a level of energy that was meant to shake things up. It definitely works here. While the story pacing is slower (as modern comics tend to be), there is no shortage on action and interactions here. And the villains brought in are all-new and different.

It kept me engaged enough to continue reading with the next volume.

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