Teen Titans, Vol. 2: Family Lost!

The second volume of Geoff John's Teen Titans continues with that same level greatness, just with a hardy dose of evil. Demons and devils are not my thing. In this book, the Teen Titans' major villain Brother Blood and his Church of Blood rear their ugly heads. Since these guys are more on the level of Temple of Doom cultists, they're tolerable. However, when you add the character of Raven and her complex parentage with the demon Trigon, it does verge very close to territory that I am not comfortable with.

Brother Blood isn't the only baddie giving the Teen Titans fits. Deathstroke the Terminator is seeking revenge on the Titans, especially Raven, as she had something to do with the disposal of the corporal form of Slade Wilson's son Jericho. To assist in getting answers along with revenge is his daughter Rose, who seems brainwashed and now going by the name Ravager. 

There's a ton of stuff going on in this volume. Too much to cover without getting mired in details. I'll just say that there are elements of Rosemary's Baby, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and just about any movie where an evil son commits patricide in order to become the new ruler.

A great read. But I prefer the last volume more as the level of occult activity was near zero in that book.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Spotlight: Raven

The artwork was abysmal. The storytelling was okay. But as it was from the legendary scribe of CRISIS, Marv Wolfman, it was a tale that was kinda disappointing. The opening segment, which involves a school shooting, honestly never should have got past the planning stages. But I understand the nature behind it. 

Teen Titans Spotlight: Raven, originally published over 5 issues as DC Special: Raven takes place after the most recent crisis to have occurred in the DC Universe. As the death of the Conner Kent Superboy is mentioned, I can place this as happening right after Infinite Crisis. Yet, in another scene, characters discuss how Darkseid tried to control the minds of the populace in the past Crisis and that would make this occur after Final Crisis. So which is it? 

What I was able to glean is that after having died at the hands of her father, the demon Trigon, Raven was reincarnated into another body. This time as a teenage girl named Rachel Roth. While dad is dead, that doesn't mean that Raven is completely free to use her emotions. Should she ever get out of control, Raven's powers very much could unleash hell on earth, resulting in Armageddon. 

Have to be in control of your emotions, so you become a teenage girl navigating high school? Yes, that was smart...

Anyway, on Rachel's first day of school, she has a vision of that school shooting mentioned earlier. From what Raven can discern, the tragedy will happen on Friday; giving Rachel Roth 5 days to track down the killer and protect whomever was being murdered. This mystery will not be easy as over the next few days, Rachel and her classmates are savagely attacked mentally by a powerful entity. Raven thinks it's her fault. Especially after one of her new friends dies in the assault. But what Raven doesn't know is that in a nearby research facility, a prominent neurosurgeon has gotten his hands on the Psycho Pirate's Medusa Mask and is using it in experiments with coma patients. But just what the Medusa Mask has to do with Raven and that terrible vision she foresees remains to be seen...

I did like the ending. And I thought the epilogue was perfect. But that was really about it for this story. I understand Marv Wolfman is trying to give Raven the childhood she was forbidden from having in her first life as a child. Unable to laugh, smile or cry, lest you allow your father unlimited demonic power on Earth has got to be a tough set of rules to follow. But did they have to use Damion Scott as the series artist?

Scott's artwork would be amazing if used in something like Miles Morales: Spider-Man or Luke Cage, Power Man. Damion Scott's artwork looks like a cross between Manga and graffiti style urban. There's nothing wrong with it if it was used in the proper setting or story. But here, it's just too busy. Scott likes to use splash pages. Sometimes the artist goes from left to right, top to bottom. But more often than not, he doesn't and it's really confusing. I understand that Raven is supposed to be experiencing a lot of chaos in her new life as a teenager. But this is just too much. And it looks rather comical. Imagine Bratz if you throw the entire franchise into a paint mixer.

It really could have been better, especially considering the writer behind it. A real lack of cohesion. And sub-par art, especially with framing. Alas, it just wasn't my kind of thing. 

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go!, Volume 2: Welcome to the Pizza Dome

Time for more Teen Titans Go! Hijinks.

Featuring Beast Boy, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven, this collection contains early issues of the monthly comic from DC and is based on the controversial cartoon series of the same. (Don’t worry- there’s nothing offensive or dirty with TTG. It’s just that some fans think the silliness of the show is unforgivable and wish the series was more like the more serious Teen Titans cartoon of the early 2000s.)

I for one love the show. But I admit, it’s gets a little off the wall. Especially when they sing. Nevertheless, Beast Boy is my spirit animal and I wish I was as chill as him.

In this volume, there are laughs aplenty as:

 The Titans learn the dangers of growing a moustache.

 Robin becomes a teen idol to impress Starfire.

Raven attends her family reunion in the deepest pits of Hades.

And the team fight to the death- for the last slice of pizza.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up’s Sholly Fisch crafts these stories. I have said it once and I will say it again- if Fisch was the writer on the show, it would not have so many haters. He’s that good and super talented when it comes to all-aged materials. Other stories are by Amy Wolfram and Merrill Hagan. Those are not bad but they tend to fall into the very silly trap that has cause some fans to no longer watch TTG.

The artwork was picture perfect. Ben Bates (Scribblenauts) and Lea Hernandez (Killer Princesses) do an amazing job of making the entire cast of characters look just like they do on the show. Plus, they seamlessly craft characters that have never been on before, like Wonder Woman, to look as they might if they ever were to guest star on Teen Titans Go.

Sometimes silly. Often hilarious and very entertaining, this volume was a great read for when you don’t want a serious comic. Kids will delight while older fans would be mixed about this. I for one enjoyed it quite a bit.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint- Secret Seven #3

  Together again and for the first time (?), the surviving members of the Secret Six confront their old leader, Shade. 
   DC's magic books or as some fans refer to them- Tales of the Weirdoverse- both fascinate me and confuse me. Maybe it's because I'm too simple minded or that I don't do enough drugs to expand my mind (a phrase used by both Alan Moore and Grant Morrison to describe those readers who don't understand their works.) 
    One thing I did get was how the Secret Six are a lot like the Seven Soldiers of Victory in that they were a team that didn't really know that they were a team. Though why this title wasn't Secret Seven is beyond me. Dang it- this title is Secret Seven but I keep confusing them with that team of baddies the Secret Six. Ugh- I am a dunce!
    A bunch of characters finally get what coming to them. That is except Abra Kadabra who really started this whole mess way back in issue #1 by outing the members of this team to the media.
     A shame that Flashpoint is over because I loved how this book ended and really wanted to know what happens next. 
  
    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC Superheroes: My First Book of Girl Power (Family Comic Friday)

  

 Sorry, it's a day late folks, but I'm on a mini-vacation with my wife in wonderful and weird Asheville, NC. After the week I've had at work, this was much, much needed. My wife's been at a conference during the day, so I've been catching up with friends, owners, and artists about new trends in comics. Oddly, enough, today's article reviews a book that I discovered later after my wife got done with her meetings and we went out to dinner. We stopped at this funky little shop called the L.O.F.T. )Lost Objects, Found Treasures) on our way back to the van. It had tons of cool stuff like a Boba Fett puzzle tower, rap star cookie cutters, bacon flavored floss, and the book I am reviewing today: DC Superheroes: My First Book of Girl Power.

     This book is one of about a dozen titles in the DC Superheroes: My First Book series. The books are board books, geared for early readers. It's also an excellent way for parents who grew up reading comics to introduce superheroes to their children without being violent or scary. 

    The series started in 2011 with My First Superman Book, followed by a Batman and a Wonder Woman edition. All three of those books are touch & feel books, meaning there are things made of different textures for children to explore while reading this book, such as Superman's cape or twine from the Dark Knight's Bat-Rope. Over the past 4 years, series creator David Katz has released books with your favorite DC heroes teaching the ABCs, shapes, and opposites. The most recent book came out in July about the importance of sleep. 

    Girl Power is the only book in the My First Series not written by the series' regular author. It's written by Julie Merberg (creator of the Mini Masters Board Books series that introduces youngsters to famous artists with titles like Painting With Picasso.) This book introduces many of the leading ladies in the DC Universe such as the well known Wonder Woman and Supergirl. It also includes some more obscure characters like Black Canary and Raven from Teen Titans. 

    The art is a bit of a toss up. In all of the books, the artwork is from DC's style guides created around 1978-1986. I recognize some of those same images were used in the creation of Kenner's awesome Super Powers line of action figures and other cool toys. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was the genius behind much of the artwork, though his regular inker, the equally legendary Dick Giordano penciled some of the guide's artwork as well. I just wish that all of the images were different and not recycled on several pages.

     I bought this book to introduce a new member of our family to the world of superheroes. This Christmas, maybe I'll be the first to read it to them. This series has been a sleeper but from page one, the nostalgia and creativity (and educational value) is a hit. More importantly, it's geared towards girls- a valuable and grossly untapped source of potential comic book readers.  Once again, Marvel gets all of the praise and fandom for crafting adult books that appeal to women readers, but DC excedes in reaching out to the next generation with this awesome series of early reader board books that must become a part of your aspiring comic book collector's reading rotation. Boy or girl!

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go!, Volume 6: Titans Together!

  The original series of Teen Titans Go! did something most cartoons still refuse to do- it aged and evolved with its audience. In season one, you meet the inexperienced group of young superheroes trying to make a difference in the superhero community while finding their place in the world. In season two, the team started adding new associate members and by the third (and final season) the team started to grow up and on at least one occasion, we trekked to the future and see the Titans drop the 'Teen' from their name, taking over after Batman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League retired. 

    This volume was published after those future episodes were shown on Cartoon Network and the series' future rested in limbo. Here we encounter the group fighting their main enemy HIVE, associate members such as Aqualad & Speedy teaming up together, and the future is now when Nightwing travels to the present day to prevent his younger Robin self from becoming evil. It's a trippy time-traveling yarn that is full of mind-bending paradoxes. 

   Fans of the original Teen Titans Go! series will delight in this volume. It's a little bit anime, a little bit dramatic, with bits of activity and joke book thrown in and not at all like the new series that most TTG purists absolutely hate! A fun collection that's very much worth consuming. 

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Teen Titans Go!: Thunder and Lightning Strike! ( A Family Comic Friday Extra!)

  

Reprinting Teen Titans Go! #6

In this library edition of Teen Titans Go!, a pair of brothers with the powers of thunder and lightning are reaking havoc over the city in which the Titans love so dear. The entire city will come crashing down if the Titans don't act quick enough. However, it seems that their interference in a domestic dispute is just making things worse. It's up to level-headed Raven to save the day and the city.

Another masterpiece from J. Torres covering the first animated incarnation of the Teen Titans on Cartoon Network. The story itself was pretty good and it would have been excellent if you had removed Thunder and Lightning from the story altogether. That right, I said it, the main villains of the story were NOT needed.

 First of all- they look rediculous. Lightning looks like a knock-off of fan favorite Firestorm (and mine too!) Whereas, Thunder looks like a gorilla in a samurai costume. This is really strange as their DC Universe comic book design look nothing like the actual characters in the DC Universe. Notice the image of the cover of Superman #303 below. Now compare it to the image of this hard cover edition of Teen Titans Go! #6. They look like 2 different sets of characters.  
  
  Another problem I had with these dueling siblings is how silly they are. Lightning mishears Thunder who is giving him sage advice to control his powers over an otherwise crowded city. Thinking it to be an insult, a clash ensues. How can you mishear thunder? It's like super loud! You can hear it three counties over without mistakes. Sheesh...
    
   Torres and the gang rarely drop the ball in this series. That was until this one. However, I put some of the blame on the animation staff at Cartoon Network. It's mentioned at least 3 times that this is the return of the weather-themed duo. So, the archetype for both the look and atittudes of Thunder and Lightning apparently were first established on the Teen Titans TV show. If Torres was bound to use that version of the villains in this comic, then he was severely handicapped before have even typed up the first page of the script.

    There's a website that publishes Garfield cartoons without Garfield in them. If that site could take this issue and remove the baddies from it, this book would make a great read. It might make for some awkward and confusiing moments but it would still be a better read without them in it.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

(Note: Like the other library editions in this series, a glossary of terms, discussion questions, and writing exercises are included in the back. However, this volume did not include an activity page as others have for some reason.)
    

Teen Titans Go! #7 (series 1)

 

 Starfire's sister Blackfire returns under the guise of spending some time together for some family bonding. Their time together involves Starfire trying to best her older sister at a series of physical challenges. These contests might look innocent to the naive Starfire but her teammates smell a rat and well they should as these tests of might and strength are a ruse for Blackfire who's secretly trying to sell her baby sister back into slavery in return for a pardon of her many intergalactic crimes.

   I really enjoyed this issue as I've finally figured out this series formula. Along with an original story, every issue features at least one brain teaser by Raven, a Beast Boy/ Starfire knock-knock joke, a few factoids by Robin and/ or some other visual gags that are drawn like a Manga. I really didn't give the first Teen Titans cartoon a fair chance so I don't know if that series also had jokes and gags sprinkled throughout the action like this comic. But I'm suspecting that it did.

    I'm very glad that my library has started to carry some of these back issues (in library binding form. This format includes a glossary of terms and some thought provoking questions that are great exercises for up-and-coming writers and cartoonists.) Also, these books are really peaking my interest in watching the show as well collecting this series.

    Lots of potential fun for the entire family.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Legends of the DC Universe #18

This issue is a prequel to the groundbreaking New Teen Titans 
#1 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. Once again, we get the original series writer crafting an ‘untold tale’ but for some reason Legends just can’t seem to capture the services of the original artists. I’m not sure why the editors of these series just couldn’t achieve this feat. Yet if there ever was an issue that demanded the original artist’s touch- it’s this one!

In this issue we learn more about the mysterious Raven’s heritage and life before arriving on earth. Determined to defeat her father, the Demon Trigon, she makes the first attempt to create the New Teen Titans. Meanwhile, Wally West is experiencing growing pains of sorts. He’s coming of age, but as Kid Flash, he’s not quite his own person and still very much in the shadow of his Flash predecessors. Having trouble balancing personal life with heroic duty, it seems like everything is falling apart for the junior speedster.

Thus, we learn why Raven and Kid Flash have such a bond in the pages of New Teen Titans. I must admit, it’s weird seeing Wally and Raven as lovers. I’m more used to Beast Boy pining for the demoness. I don’t mind this, it’s just weird like watching your divorced parents kiss or something that odd.

I mentioned earlier that George Perez was sorely needed for the artwork. Well, that’s not 100% true. Yes, I would’ve liked to have seen his handiwork here. But I must give props to Butch Guice who does a superior job. Raven never looked more exotic and seductive while also showing an air of weakness as she’s not quite ready to face the real world. So, if I must have a substitute artist for the Titans, my money will now be on Guice from now on.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Teen Titans Go! #1 (Free Comic Book Day Reprint Edition) (Family Comic Friday)

Today’s review is not only about a great comic book but one of my all-time favorite cartoon series. Teen Titans Go! started out as a Cartoon Network series that ran from 2003-2008. The series was designed to be like a Manga with experimental angles, mind blowing animation, and a range of genres and themes used to underline themes. But the show at the time was more serious and aimed at teens.

  When the series ended in ‘08, that seemed to be the end to the Titans on TV. Then in 2012, Cartoon Network started a new block of shows based on DC Comics properties called DC Nation. In between half hour shows, the network aired 3-5 minute vignettes the started some of the lesser known stars of the DC Universe. One set of minisodes featured the Teen Titans original line-up of Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. The voices were also by the actors in the first series. Only this time, the adventures of the Teen Titans were funny and revolved around the everyday mundane events of the team.

   The reboot proved so popular, Cartoon Network brought the show back. It now airs in 15-minute segments multiple times a week. New Episodes usually air first run on Thursday nights but with this week next being Thanksgiving, I don’t see it on the schedule. So I don’t know if it’s on hiatus and only airs in reruns right now.

    The show and this comic in which it’s based is a hoot. My favorite character is Beast Boy. His childish antics mixed with a Zen-like laziness is both absurd and thought-provoking. The normally dark character, Raven, still has her literal demons but it’s offset with her secret love of My Little Ponies. Cyborg is a master mechanic and he’s the perfect partner  to go on off-beat adventures with his best bud, Beastie. Starfire is an alien whose grasp of English colloquialisms is in serious need of work. But it makes for some great lines.

 Perhaps my least favorite character is the most well known of the bunch: Robin. The Boy Wonder is so uptight, he brings everyone and everything down. He’s such a drag, except when he’s near Starfire, whom he secretly pines for. When he’s near her, he’s a tongue-tied goof ball.

The comic captures this formula perfectly. The only thing missing is the soundtrack. Both the show and comic are all-age friendly. However, sometimes Raven can get a little intense and it may scare little kids. Her father is the demon Trigon, you know.

The show is top notch. Not only will kids love this show but so will fans of the Titans and the DC Universe. There’s so many great easter eggs and guest appearances by superheroes from other teams and comics that makes this show offer just a little bit of everything for everyone. I highly recommend, even if things too get a little silly from time to time.

But as a wise Doctor once said, “What’s the point of being a grown-up if you can’t be childish from time to time.”

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.