Titans #19 review

Trying to summon a boom tube to reach the Justice League Unlimited Watchtower, Caitlin Snow is pleased by a rare display of Big Apple manners.

Over the next few days, she’s feeling on the outs among socialising superheroes.

Some super-folk who aren’t all in with the new League set-up are the Titans, who are eschewing the offered quarters on the Watchtower to stay grounded. Today they’re discussing the welfare of one of their members. And building a snowman.

One member who isn’t there is Cyborg.

Vic doesn’t get to spend much longer with his project, as the League points the Titans towards trouble in town.

No prizes for guessing who called up the cold. Frost is massively powerful, but can she really take on the Titans and win? Writer John Layman and artist Serg Acuña reveal all in a very enjoyable issue – this series has improved massively since the DC All In promotion brought Layman on board as writer. Finally, the Stupid Stick which had been propelling Titans tales has been banished and the heroes are using their brains. There’s no forced arguments or fake angst, Donna, Dick and co are acting like adults, and friends.

Gar, for example, cracks wise, but he’s no longer the token tool, showing empathy towards Frost.

In Frost and Raven we have two people both feeling on the outside – one takes a big step forward in the nicely titled ‘Cold snap’, another has some way to go. I hope we see the journey here.

Layman’s choice to start the story with the former Firestorm villain was a nice surprise – I was a huge fan of the work Steve Orlando did with her in his Justice League of America series. Which is why I’m not chuffed that here she calls herself ‘Killer Frost’ and that’s the name on her League membership card… she’d dropped the first half of the name. Hopefully the end of this storyline will see her confident of her place among the good guys and the ‘Killer’ buried for good.

I wasn’t a big fan of the too-long-running ‘fractured Raven’ storyline under previous Titans writer Tom Taylor, but I’m glad Layman hasn’t ignored it – Raven went though some awful times, and her ordeal should still be affecting her. The fact the other Titans acknowledge this makes them seem like the great friends we’re more often told, than shown, they are.

As for the pals building a snowman, I love it! When was the last time we saw playfulness among this lot?

Anyone have any idea what Vic’s up to in the Titans Tunnels? I definitely smell mad science.

Donna is being allowed to grow into her role as new Titans leader as Dick finally shows some sensitivity, and thank goodness for that. And Starfire is just wonderful.

Last issue was when we saw that the Titans don’t want to be operating from Space, here we see more serious disagreements with League policy – I’m all for it, I never like it when other heroes bow down before ‘The Trinity’.

We also saw last month just who is building a new Crime Syndicate to take down the Justice League – Deathstroke. Then he was working with Clock King, here it’s someone else. The last page reveals just who the suspicious Frost jostler is and all I can say is, so much for my Mad Hatter guess.

Regular artist Pete Woods is away this time, but Acuña does a wonderful job, with clear storytelling that focuses the eyes where they need to be. He captures Frost’s journey from frustration to full-on paranoia, and gives the Titans a convincing confidence. The ice storm looks very good indeed, with a big part of that due to the skilled colour work of Matt Herms. Wes Abbott, meanwhile, makes the words enticing to read.

Woods does bring us the full colour cover image, a fair representation of the interiors in that we get Titans popsicles, but Frost should be somewhere between crazed and tormented, not some jolly elf. I did laugh at Penguin Gar looking like a hot water bottle, though. And the way the logo picks up that pop of green is attractive, so well done Production Department.

Try Titans if you’ve not been looking at it lately – you may be pleasantly surprised.