Titans #7 review

Well, I’ve given up trying to keep track of the Beast World storyline running through Titans, Titans: Beast World and various specials. There are editorial notes aplenty telling us such and such happens before or after such and such, but the comics come out so frequently that I simply shrug and give thanks I’m not trying to follow War of the Gods. All I really need to remember is that one big strand of the story is the Titans defending Titans Tower and that such business may or may not come before the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes float around in outer space watching Donna Troy hold off Giant Starfish Beast Boy with her Skipping Rope of Truth.

This issue has Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and the Flash facing the threats of a possessed Tempest, and a transformed Nightwing.

Its Nightfox! I know I shouldn’t laugh, but all these heroes transforming into daft-looking anthropomorphs has me hoping for Satellite Era JLA members to show up and turn Zoo Crew!

It’s up to guest star Batgirl to hold off an animalistic Dick and a possessed Garth long enough for someone superhuman to lend a hand. Enter Raven and the Flash.

Can Raven remove the star spore putting Garth in thrall to Brother Eternity? Well, the alien who was calling himself that, anyway – the man who now stands revealed as Tamaranean fanatic Xand’r.

It turns out that Koriand’r isn’t the Titan Xand’r is looking for. He wants to tap into Cyborg’s dimension-spanning capabilities – his Boom Tube.

Given how many times over the years we’ve seen Raven and Cyborg prove less than effective on missions, I must commend writer Tom Taylor on the fact both get an excellent showing here. There are other reasons to commend his script, too, such as the snappy dialogue, and Starfire at her most impressively angry.

And everything looks so good as drawn by returning guest penciller Travis Moore, especially Tamaranean scumbag Xand’r – it’s nice to see a male character other than Nightwing presented as a thirst trap. The storytelling is terrifically zippy, with action and character clear almost all the way through.

The exception is the cure for Garth’s possession.

What’s ’Flash dehydration’? Did Wally West run in and suck all the water from Tempest? Is that little bit of steam drying him out instantly and forcing the parasite to the surface so Raven can zap it? Clarity please!

And while not specific to this issue, I hope Taylor at some point gives a reason as to why people turn into particular beasts, and tells us whether or not magic is involved – if not, how can the transformations be instantaneous?

Something odd that came up in Taylor’s Superman series starring Jon Kent pops up twice this issue – people protesting at perfectly reasonable actions when dealing with metahuman trouble.

Wally is protecting crazed people from themselves, and stopping them hurting others who haven’t been transformed – how is that remotely problematic?

The other complaint, which concerns how Raven deals with Xand’r, is even sillier.

Tamra Bonvillain’s colouring nicely straddles the line between ‘naturalism’ and ‘comic book pop’, unlike the cover – it’s a fine image by Clayton Henry (if an issue late) but Marcelo Maiolo gives it a very drab treatment. I especially like how Raven is coloured by Bonvillain when employing her enchantments, and that Tempest is absent his usual violet eyeballs when not himself.

Wes Abbott’s lettering is smart, always. That’s all I have!

All in all, this is a fun, very well-crafted continuation of a crossover that’s turning out to be far better than expected. Recommended.