Teen Titans #1 review

Posted on by martingray1

Gosh that’s one ruddy awful cover. Generic Manga kids in front of a Red Hood hidden by the distinctly OK logo and dull colouring.

So can you judge the book by its cover? Pretty much. The kind perspective is that this isn’t a comic aimed at me, a longtime fan of the Teen Titans. These are 2026 kids, teens with attitudes, eat it Grandpa and all that. They don’t meet when they all happen to be at the scene of a crime, they come together in an arcade after chatting online.

They do want to do good‎, and are trying to to decide which of the options brought to them by computer kid Fairplay to take on when the arcade is invaded by a couple of masked thugs out to steal souvenirs or something. Time for action!

Proxy sensibly stops the unpowered Eugene from attacking a criminal twice his size with a hammer, giving the bad guys a chance to get away. The kids pursue them into the streets

They’re doing OK, but Eugene again proves a liability, trying to jump between buildings, almost getting killed and giving the goons time to get further ahead. But they don’t get away.

Black boot = Red Hood.

Red Hood – former Robin Jason Todd – tells the kids he’s been hired to find one lad who uses their Teen Titans Disqus-style servers, a young man named Cole. Leaving to continue his hunt, Red Hood warns the kids to stop using the Teen Titans name – it’s not theirs.

Over the next few days, while Red Hood lets Nightwing Dick Grayson know there’s a new kid gang around he might wish to mentor, the would-be heroes open their own investigation – online, of course.

That’s the voice of FairPlay’s dad bringing the last thing a young rebel wants.

Approval.

Jeffrey and pals, though, don’t take up the jet meant to fly them to Titans HQ, they turn up at Red Hood’s supposedly secret base, at shower time.

And wouldn’t you know it, Jason’s dead heart is melted, and he agrees to a team-up.

This comic came out a few weeks ago and I meant to review it but ran out of time. And maybe interest. But gosh darn it, this is (yet another) Teen Titans launch so it deserves a look.

The good: Writer Kyle Higgins is trying to engage with the kids.

I liked that the bad guys didn’t want to hurt young people.

The Ascend cult is interesting.

I never expected to see Eugene – last seen possessing the magical Ibis Stick – away from a Shazam book and portrayed as a danger junkie.

The action scene with Proxy’s power limitations.

Jason and the kids’ respect for the Titans legacy.

The clarity of the story, I was rarely scratching my head (see Mother Boxes, below).

The artwork by Daniele Di Nicuolo – if this is the sort of thing you like, you may like the visuals here a lot. They’re not my cup of tea.

The colours by Marcelo Costa and letters by Becca Carey.

The bad: Red Hood is the worst Robin, I just don’t enjoying reading about him. Why would a bunch of supposedly independent young heroes want to be bossed around by someone nearly twice their age?

I wasn’t sure how the Mother Boxes were being deployed, beyond occasional zapping.

Dick is very bad tempered in this comic.

All the faffing around on computers.

Pink hair, stuck-out tongues, gritted teeth, ugly grimacing generally.

Eugene disappears from the story as if he’d never existed.

The cursory character introductions, secret files snippets rather than story moments.

If someone told me this was originally pitched for DC’s Young Adult line of original graphic novels, I’d believe it. The attitude, the artwork… it’s not regular DC. And that would explain why we’re getting yet more new, fairly generic, teen heroes, along with the likes of Cheshire Cat – just one more martial artist teenager – and mini-Mr Terrific Fairplay. I mean, how many versions of the regular DCU Teen Titans have been cancelled, tossing promising characters into comic limbo? Why not bring back some of those, the likes of Argent, Prysm, Stitch, Roundhouse and Djinn? Years after their books were killed, I can still picture them, these new kids I can’t visualise them from page to page… are these baggy outfits what young Americans are wearing these days? Introduced only in the last couple of years, Fairplay had a perfectly decent costume, now he looks utterly dopey with his big collar hiding his chin.

There’s enough intriguing stuff here to bring me back for #2, but this isn’t the splashiest debut issue.

I would love to hear other opinions on this first issue. Anyone else wishing it success while yelling at clouds?

37 thoughts on “Teen Titans #1 review”

  2. I liked it a lot more than you did. And Damian is the worst Robin. He beheaded the Spook and presented said head to Daddy like a cat gifting its master. That has been dealt with less than CK’s psychopathic killer phase.

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  3. Not singling out writer Kyle Higgins here, but I am so over those snarky intro captions. All those:

    “ROBIN: Super detective. Lives in Batman’s shade. Likes Scandi detective shows.”

    It’s been done to death. I think Bendis started it about 20 years ago now, and it was fun and novel then. Now, I miss having an actual intro which shows some respect for the character.

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  4. I flipped through it at the store and was just not willing to buy it. It looked awful. The art is just not for me. I despise manga style art and this just feels like that. The characters feel like when some old dude tries to write young people. (I read a little too while I flipped)

    Just not for me.

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  5. This is one I’m saving for DCUI. But I’m actually looking forward to it, just to see a little new blood introduced to the DCU. Of those previous “new” Titans you mentioned, I’d definitely love to see Roundhouse again. The rest I can take or leave… although it’d be fun to see grown-up rich girl Argent to take on a “Mr. Jupiter” role for the new kids.

    As for “faffing about on computers”… that seems part and parcel with being a kid (or hell, anyone) these days, and if you’re trying to be real about what kids do, ignoring social media is one sure way to drop the ball. That said, it needs to be visually and dramatically exciting, and I don’t know if they managed that here. (I guess I’ll see for myself in a couple weeks.)

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    1. Robstaeger,

      Wanted to pick up on that point about kids faffing about on social media/computers being a necessity for the target audience–I’d disagree. That may be the real world, but it’s the old “characters in EastEnders [replaces with your soap opera of choice] never sit around and watch TV”. There’s a line between the illusion of realistic and getting sidetracked into stuff that’s quite boring for the audience.

      I think Mark Waid’s “World’s Finest Teen Titans” series balanced it well a couple of years ago, layering in just a little in-world social media.

      (A caveat–I’ve not read this book, so my point is purely a general observation.)

      –Rik Hoskin

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      1. I think you’ll stand by your points even had you read the book. Rik. When the kids are out and about using their powers it’s actually entertaining, when they’re online it’s as exciting as the TRS-80 Computer Whiz Kids.

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      2. I haven’t read it yet either, Rik, and to a certain extent, I agree with you. But on the other hand, online — texting/discord/social media — is literally how kids communicate with each other these days. That seems more essential than showing them watching TV.

        Back then, we wouldn’t want too many scenes with characters talking on the phone, and we’d want to limit the online/social media stuff the same way. But I think ignoring it entirely is ignoring part of the essential fabric of teen culture these days. Creators can go overboard with it (and maybe these ones did), but I think it needs to be addressed somehow.

        It’s a fine line to walk, because it’s a static activity that still somehow needs to be depicted with energy and drama. But I do think it’s a problem that needs to be solved, rather than ignored.

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    2. Argent as Mr Jupiter, that’s a tremendous idea. She could be the team funder and overly keen mentor, who insists on going out on missions. So much better than Red Blooming Hood. And if Toni could pull in Prysm, so much the better.

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  6. I liked it. Quite a bit. I’ve come to realize that the Teen Titans I wanna read about are never coming back (unless someone does another World’s Finest style mini-series).

    So rather than trying to make the New Titans happen (or some version of it), I’m all for seeing some new kids take on the mantle. I’d rather they be called something else, but “Random Generic Teen Team isn’t gonna sell books, and “Teen Titans” just might.

    But I’m a sucker for any kind of teen/coming of age/super hero story. Throw in a little DCU history/legacy and I’m all in.

    I wold have liked to see a different reason for Jason to take on the team leadership. Dick seemed wildly out of character here, especially since he’s already in a Titans team currently. It should have been easy to come up with a reason to shuffle him off to the sidelines. But that’s a minor quibble. I’m in and i’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

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    1. Thanks, I enjoy the positivity. I’d likely be more interested were there any possibility they’ll be around more than a couple of years. The only chance any of this lot have for survival is for one to declare themselves polysexual or something and guarantee a background role in the DC Pride specials.

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      1. as you touched on above… there are lots of abandoned Titans hanging around (even despite Geoff Johns chopping them up in his events). While you’re introducing these new characters, bring in those characters that have been banished to limbo. I wanna see Roundhouse and that genie, or some of the kids from the time when Titans was a high school or some of Jurgen’s additions.
        Grounding the new cast with some of the not so new cast might be a way to give some of these characters the opportunity they need to become more than cannon fodder for the next event.

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  7. I liked it. I do wonder who would be in Jason’s place if his series hadn’t been canceled after one issue. Would that series still be going on and someone else would be advising this team? Or would it have already run it’s course and this is where it would have led?

    I understand what you are saying about Jason. I feel like after the shock of bringing him back from the dead, they have no idea what to do with him. It’s no wonder he has an attitude – he literally is the lost middle child. And it seems like “attitude” is the only personality attribute he may receive.

    I like that this book has ties to the greater hero community. The Arrow Family, the Marvel Family, and Mr. Terrific. I also hope that the inclusion of Fairplay will lead to the rescue of the other two lost children that Granny Goodness took: Cerdian and Robert Long. Both have strong ties to the Titans and it would be nice to see Garth and Donna get their children back like Roy did.

    All that said, I’m really not sure who this book is geared for. If it’s for teens who have grown up on Teen Titans Go! they won’t recognize any of these characters. If it’s for legacy Titan readers, this isn’t really the tone they want. Not every book in the Next Level initiative is going to be a hit. I just hope this one finds its audience.

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    1. I don’t mean to sounds like a comics tourist here, but I felt the Titans TV show handled Jason and his anger issues really well.

      One problem DC has always had with Jason is he began as one thing (a Dick Grayson replacement with the motivation that Killer Croc killed his parents), then got “Crisis’ed” into a delinquent who was impulsive and unpopular. I think maybe he should have just stayed dead as that served to reinforce Batman’s realisation that his mission can never end (like Gwen Stacy’s death in Spider-Man).

      Also, and I don’t know whether I’m in the minority here, his fake-out return in Hush was entirely fine for the kind of 3-page shock value that series revelled in (spoilers for 20+ year old comic–it wasn’t really Jason). Actually bringing him back as Red Hood later felt like a weird choice, that diminished both Hush and the original death.

      The extended Batman family has always felt at odds with the nature of Batman, but I appreciate that commercially it has a reason to exist and that good stories can come out of it.

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    2. Didn’t the then-unnamed Cerdian, and Robert Long return from Apokolips with Wally, Mr Terrific and Jeffrey Holt in Flash #799? But yes, why haven’t we seen them back with their parents?

      Mind, when did Granny grab Robert and Cerdian, they were both babies when we saw them last; I know Robert died (off panel), but Cerdian, I’m not certain.

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  9. @Martin it sounds like you’re suggesting Teen Titans Unlimited, and honestly… I’d be here for it. Stories told which could pull in any of the Titans as required, based on the needs of the mission (or by whoever happened to be hanging out at the HQ on that particular day)

    @Jeff T I forgot that Garth had a kid. Where and when was it revealed that Granny Goodness has the kids? That, quite seriously, has the potential to be an epic Titans story. It would hit on the theme of “found family” that is integral to all my favourite Titans stories. It would be a fun high stakes story with the ability to explore all kinds of the DCU. Dang!! I wanna read that!

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    1. Rik, you aren’t a comic tourist. Like what you like. No gatekeeping.

      Martin, Cerdian died along with his mother (Dolphin) in Infinite Crisis when the Spectre destroyed Atlantis (although in the original, uncorrected issue, Garth says “get our daughter out of here”). You are also correct that Cerdian and Robert did go with Flash and co. I misremembered that they stayed with Granny. But, no, we have no idea what happened to them. And in the 2025 Titans Annual, Donna is still processing the grief of losing Robert. Seems cruel to keep them from their parents.

      Murray, Granny’s meddling was revealed in The Flash #799. It was part of Jeremy Adams great run that also fixed a lot of wrongs that had happened in the DCU (he cleared Wally of all charges in the killings in Heroes in Crisis and brought all the heroes back). It ran from #768 to #800 (and the Annual is key, too). Great, fun run.

      I also just realized the Dick is the only original Teen Titan who isn’t a parent…

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      1. Don’t give them ideas, Jeff, we don’t want Tarantula turning up with a Nighting in a baby sling!

        Thanks for the info on Dolphin. It’s a rotten shame that Peter David wrote her the way he did.

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      2. She is more-or-less back to the silent siren she originally was. (Yes, I know that is an oxymoron. No, I don’t care.) She has a slightly less human look to her, but it works. Since she doesn’t talk, there is no real way of knowing what she does/doesn’t remember from pre-Flashpoint. I don’t recall her meeting Garth since her reintroduction.

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  10. Well, I’ve read it now. And it’s OK.

    First of all, the computer thing — that’s basically one conversation, happening on one splash page. It didn’t bother me, but I wouldn’t want to see it in every issue. (The opening bit in the arcade actually read a lot worse to me, because a) the conversation didn’t matter, and b) kids hanging out in an arcade seems 40 years out of date.

    Other than that, the characters largely didn’t grab me, aside from Eugene, who we don’t see join the group at the end, but I hope will be around in the future. The kid’s lost his powers, and he’s angry about it, and prone to act out and bite off more than he can chew. That’s a compelling character. The others, both established characters and new ones, are pretty much cyphers.

    I don’t have as much problem with Nightwing’s characterization as you guys did; I was assuming he was shown being a dick to the kids, but that wasn’t the case at all — he was just exasperated with Jason. But who wouldn’t be?

    And finally, I like Jason’s motivation for taking the team on as proteges — as a finger in the eye to his older brother, Dick. That works for me.

    As does the kids’ stated reason for being together — friends helping other kids in a world their parents don’t understand. That’s a motivation that hearkens back to the Haney-era Titans. The trick is, the writer also needs to understand the world the kids are living in. Higgins probably understands the younger generation better than Haney did — that’s a pretty low bar to clear — but at this point, it’s tough to say.

    I’m officially moving into my late 50s on Thursday, so I definitely can’t judge how well Higgins depicts the teen world of the comic. But I can say he hasn’t hooked me yet. Maybe it’ll work better for the target audience. I’m curious, but dubious.

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    1. I honestly would prefer Jason dead than constantly given roles that are going to end in failure. And here he’s going to mentor teen heroes? He’s a terrible mentor (mind, look at skeevy Mr Jupiter….).

      Oh gosh no, Dick wasn’t being a dick to the kids, but why is he being quite so mean to Jason? Dick’s meant to be the big brother who gives everyone a chance.

      Top point about Haney!

      I had it in my head that the second issue was out tomorrow, but apparently not. Still, I’ve an endoscopy so will likely be too post-sedation to read anything!

      Late fifties are fine, have a great birthday.

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      3. I’ve had tests like that. One was a home test sent in and it took forever to do because it was sooooo gross!

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  11. Thanks!

    I’d definitely prefer Jason were off having whatever Black Label adventures with the Huntress he was intended to have before DC got cold feet over Gretchen Felker-Martin’s comments about Ch*rlie K*rk. But this strikes me as a decent use of the character, putting him in a role he’s *not* suited for and seeing what comes of it.

    I’ll put it this way: If I see Red Hood in a fight, I pretty much know he’s going to win. But mentoring kids? It could go either way, and it’ll be interesting to find out.

    Also, it occurs to me — what’s Eugene Choi doing in Seattle? He lives with his foster family, across the country in Philadelphia! And Fairplay lives in Keystone (though he probably has access to a JL teleporter). And I think Cheshire Cat still lives in Gotham, but maybe she’s old enough to be out on her own now.

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    1. I think you may have convinced me! OK, lets see how Ace Jase does.

      I was also wondering what the heck Eugene was doing so far from home, and good points with the other kids. I hope we’ll get an explanation.

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Published by martingray1

Journalist, comic reviewer, theatre critic, film lover, biscuit fan, cat indulger