Sheehan Titans, Episode 4 – Nightwing #104
Sheehan Titans, Episode Four – Nightwing (v.4) #104
In which we wrap up our discussion on the four-part Dawn of DC Titans lead-in story arc, Rise of the Underworld! What will SuperDick do with his powers? Will he sell the soul of his nine-year old ward in order to keep them?
Are you a Titans fan, Titans-curious, or Titans Lapsed? If so, I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this arc and new direction for the team!
I have thoroughly enjoyed this look at the dawn of a new era of Titans stories. And i enjoyed each and every podcast as well as the written articles. You have piqued my curiosity enough to go and read these issues for myself.
The art of creating an effective cover has changed sooooooo much over the decades. It used to be that the cover needed to tease the story inside, but now I guess it only needs to grab your gaze amid the sea of uninspired pin-ups that pass for covers. The covers on these issues were eye catching. I think it was the use of vivid colors. Each Titan can be represented by a distinct color and create a bright vibrant rainbow on every cover. When too many characters in the same colors stand side by side they all blend together. Each Titan pops on all the covers and no one gets lost in the mix. Plus the deeper level of symbolism in each cover isn’t lost on me. The spinner rack cover especially hit a nostalgic spot for me.
I think the most important thing to take away from these issues is that comics are supposed to be fun. I have read too many issues of bad comics just because I was buying that series monthly and needed to read it because I read everything else, to ever need to read a comic again. I mostly stick to re-reading my old favorites nowadays. Rarely does something new move me to read it. Although I must admit I have been reading the new Justice Society stuff because I’m such a big Earth-Two fan. And you know what, they are fun for me too. I’ve been reading the old New Teen Titans series in trade and omnibus form and I’m having fun with those old favorites. So I’m glad that you introduced me to some new fun with my old Titans friends.
The power boost on Raven is kind of throwing me for a loop though. Her zapping Hell Lords is not the power set I remember her having. I guess a lot can change if you don’t pat attention for 14+ years or so. (By the way, did you know she was the daughter of Trigin the Terrible? It just came up in my research. lol)
I’m looking forward to the new series. It even seems to have the nostalgic bit of the first storyline involving Raven shenanigans.
There may be something missing from Raven but there was nothing missing in your presentation. I’m glad you did this these last few days, but more so I’m glad you had fun with this these last few days. Don’t feel obligated to cover something you don’t enjoy just to put out content. But whatever you cover, whenever you cover it, I’m gonna be here to read AND listen to it. (Listened to 4 podcasts in 4 days, that’s a new record for me I think.)
I think you hit the nail on the head with the colorful aspect of our covers here. Over the past several years, even going back to an episode of “Comix Tawk” Reggie and I were planning to do… I’ve been trying to (w)rack my brain to think about the most recent “iconic cover” I’d seen. Like, the sort of cover you can spot and identify at a distance… and, I keep comin’ up empty… or, flashing back to some 90s book, since post-2000 comics’ covers are just so damn interchangeable and disposable (and that’s not even touching upon the toxic infection that is “variants”).
Not putting these issues of Nightwing in the “rarified air” of iconic covers, but… they’re, in my opinion, most definitely a step in the right direction.
I’ve been buying the new JSA stuff too… just haven’t gotten around to reading it. Knowing Geoff Johns’ track record for “getting stuff out” of late (a track record which I find myself personally sharing at the moment), I worry about several months spans between issues. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, JSA is already several months behind… and has been retroactively made into a limited series!