Teen Titans Go! #1 review

I think we can all do with a laugh right now. If you like grins of the superhero variety, don’t miss this latest run of the TV Teen Titans Go! tie-in, which begins with Starfire, Beast Boy, Robin, Raven and Cyborg excited to be summoned to DC HQ by the editor of their comic book. Have they won an award? Are they going to be fêted for their good deeds?

Back at Titans Tower, the heroes aren’t all despondent.

What could Robin mean?

A different approach could be just what today’s readers want.

Then again…

I’d buy all of these comics. And the other ideas that follow. All of which takes us about halfway through the book, at which point the Titans try another approach to getting back into DC’s good graces.

Well, I know Sholly Fisch can set up and deliver a great meta gag. And I know Dario Brizuela draws a fantastic Scooby-Doo and friends. And I know they have terrific chemistry, Sholly’s words and Dario’s pictures always coming together into a much greater whole. But I didn’t know how great they could be with free rein to play. Here they produce a perfectly paced romp in which every joke lands with delightful elegance.

I’m not kidding. I was once berated at a comedy gig for being an ‘inward laugher’ – it takes a lot for me to laugh out loud; here I did so three or four times, and I was chuckling loads and grinning non-stop.

Also, I was hugely impressed by Dario’s adaptability. Every genre he attacks is spot on, and I want to see more of his work in these styles.

As for the Teen Titans in Go! form, they’re as cute as ever, while DC’s offices prove… surprising.

Franco Riesco’s colouring helps sell the changes of mood, as does the armoury of fonts dipped into by Saida Temofonte, who even tweaks balloon shapes to match the art style. And kudos to editor Kristy Quinn for pulling everything together… even if she is a bit mean to the kids.

I doubt you have to be a fan of the cartoon to find this issue a hoot – I’ve seen only a couple of episodes – just a comic fan with a sense of humour. Teen Titans Go #1 is a modest work of genius that isn’t to be missed.