Titans (vol.3) #8 (2017)

Titans (vol.3) #8 (April, 2017)
"Made in Manhattan, Part One: To Bee or Not to Bee"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Penciller - Brett Booth
Inker - Norm Rapmund
Colorist - Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer - Corey Breen
Assistant Editor - Brittany Holzherr
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

Ya know, over the past few weeks I've severely cut down on my "internet time".  Found that the longer I lingered online, the less happy I was... and the less satisfied with my work I became.

This has (so far) resulted in a far happier Chris... but it doesn't come without it's bad bits.  For instance, it's just before writing this piece that I learned that we lost Steve Ditko.  Today's book (unfortunately) has nothing to do with the man... and rather than run off and force a Steve Ditko tribute book at the last minute, we will celebrate him in a few days.  He deserves more than a rushed, thrown together piece... 

We have discussed the works of Steve Ditko here on the blog, so if you wanna have a look, click here.

Like I said, today's book has nothing to do with him... but, it just felt wrong not mentioning his passing.  Rest in Peace, Steve... and thanks for everything!

--

We open with a flashback of the Titans time... as Teens.  It's still kinda weird to see Dick Grayson's Robin not wearing the short-pants... sometimes silly things should remain despite their silliness.  Anyhoo, this is all about Mal Duncan... who was then going by Herald (and not Vox, Mal, or Hornblower).  We hop into the present where Mal has escorted his wife Karen to a place called Meta Solutions so she can "deal with" her newfound metapowers.

He reveals that he's already used Meta Solutions' services when he... gave up his own metapowers.  He didn't want his old life (that he can barely remember anyway) to creep into their present.  He doesn't outright tell Karen to dump her powers, buuuut it's kind of implied.  They are then greeted by the creepiest creep who ever done creeped, Peter Simon... who we're accustomed to seeing with a partially transparent dome.

Back at Titans Tower, we get a few vignettes.  First, Roy and Donna chat about her old hobby (profession?) of photography.  I'll plead ignorance here... if Wally remembers Linda (and now the kids), does Donna remember ol' T-Long?  Is this something that's been mentioned?

A few rooms over, Wally video-chats with Linda Park on his tablet.  She tells him she's too busy to get together... which feels not unlike a blow-off.  Then again, I'm sure if I ran up to a perfect stranger and told her that in an alternate history that we were married... she might look for excuses to distance herself from me too.  Anyhoo, Dick enters and they talk about Wally's reacclimation to "the real life" and his very strange love-situation.

In the Training Suite, Tempest dares Lilith to punch him in the face... and she does.

Back at Meta Solutions, Karen and the Creep head off to discuss her options.  It's plain to see that she isn't all that keen on deep-sixing her powers... and so, "Peter" instead offers her a training suit.

In the waiting area Mal spies Mammoth chatting up the receptionist, and flashes back to the attack during Titans Hunt.  Dude (Mal, that is) freaks the eff out and rushes out of the building.

At which time, Lilith is hammered with a strong psionic blast... she knows Mal's troubled, and assembles the Titans to check in on him.  They find him like... right away... and he fills them in on his Mammoth-sighting.

And so, the Titans bust into Meta Solutions... where they run into Bumblebee?!

--

There's something missing.

I've read this issue twice now... and there's a lot to dig for the old-tyme Titans fan.  We get some fun soapy-elements, superhero drama, humor, great art... but, there's just something missing here.  Call it heart or soul... call it whatever you want, this just leaves me feeling cold and completely empty.  There's not much not to like here, and in fact... I dig it.  But still, there's something really keeping me at "arm's length" here.

The Titans themselves, as little panel-time as they received, were all well-written, and in-character.  This is like... ya know, the day you and your spouse return home from your Honeymoon... or a romantic getaway.  You're kinda slapped in the face by "real life", and you have this internal dissonance about getting back into the routine... or keeping that "away" feeling going just as long as you can.

This feels like the "Honeymoon" period is over... and the characters, hell maybe the creators... are unsure just where to go next.  Not sure if all superhero teams need a "mission statement", but... if that were the case, what would the Titans mission statement be?  A group of friends who forgot ever being a team... teaming again?  Not sure how far we can go with a concept like that.

Sure, today (Summer 2018) the Titans are officially the Junior Justice League... which might lead to, I dunno... purpose?  Here, however... there's just no real reason for them to be teaming.  I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Let's briefly chat the Duncans.  Mal is... horrendously boring.  He used to be a pretty neat character... but here, he's just some stick in the mud.  Not even sure why they brought him back, just to depower and retire him?  Karen (unwittingly) throwing in with the baddies leads to... well, a pretty predictable story that we've seen time and again.  Just kinda dull all around... and anytime they're on-panel, I just wish we were getting more of the Titans instead.

Overall... a pretty missable issue.  If you wanna see Tempest punched in the mush, maybe give it a shot.  The art, by Brett Booth is as good as ever (though his panel-layout gives my iPhone agita when snapping pics).

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889

Titans (vol.3) #20 (2018)

Titans (vol.3) #20 (April, 2018)
"Titans Apart, Part One"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Penciller - Paul Pelletier
Inker - Andrew Hennessy
Colorist - Adriano Lucas
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Dave Wielgosz
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $3.99

For folks who might not know... or care, I review the most recent volume of Teen Titans (that's volume six) over at Weird Science DC Comics... and lemme tell ya, folks... it's a boring book.  I can't say that it's objectively "bad", but... nothing happens!

This week, I reviewed the final issue of the volume (#19... on shelves today), and was baffled at how little forward momentum had occurred over the past 1-2 years in the title.  Every issue/arc was predicated on a Titan either joining... or quitting... or rejoining... or being given the boot!  Other than that... nothing happens!

So... it might go without saying (though, I'll say it anyway)... I'm a little gun-shy on the post-Rebirth Titans books.  And so, the sister title, Titans, has just been stacking up in my "maybe I ought to get around and read this" pile.  So... let's do it!

--

We open with Roy Harper, all by his lonesome trying to take on some Intergang Enforcers.  It looks as though he's about to bite it, when his old friend... older lover, Cheshire arrives on the scene to bail his poor butt out of trouble.  Together they're able to take down the baddies, and make a clean-ish getaway.

We follow them to a (presumably) nearby Noodle Shop, where they do a little catching up.  I'm going to guess that Lian Harper (that's Roy and Cheshire's daughter) was never a "thing" post-Flashpoint/Rebirth... otherwise, I'm pretty sure she'd at least get a passing mention.  Roy and Cheshire were definitely lovers though.  He fills her in on the Titans dissolution... and his would-be plans for the future.  Cheshire suggests they work together on taking down the Intergang Cartels... but questions Roy's ability not to fall back into "the pit" of using, if he's so close to drugs.

Later, Roy checks in with Donna... who is being held on the Justice League Satellite due to her having... I wanna say, a split-personality gimmick going on?  She turns into "Troia", which to me is that gaudily-dressed short-haired version of herself... but apparently that's something altogether different.  He tells her that he's going to go radio-silent for awhile... which causes her a fair amount of distress.  Wonder Woman pops in with a tray-full of grub... and they have a strange and sorta contentious chat.

We shift over to Keystone City where Dick Grayson is helping Wally West (the real one) move into his new digs.  They talk about how their lives will be moving in different directions now that the Justice League put the kibosh on their collective.  I didn't know the Justice League had like full-on legislative power, but I guess they do!  They even question whether or not they should be hanging out... out of costume!  What kind of madness is this?  Not a good look for the League.

We rejoin Roy and Cheshire who are infiltrating an Intergang Cartel.  The baddies are synthesizing the drug "Bliss" off of an original compound.  Intergang goes down easily... and the goods are gotten.

We follow Roy and Cheshire back to his place... where she persuades him into sleeping with her.  In fairness, Roy doesn't take all that much in the way of prodding in order to head to the bedroom.

We shift ahead a bit, to find a groggy... maybe stoned... Roy stumble out of his (now empty) bed.  He wonders if he "gave in" and used.  In the living room, he sees that the "Bliss" sample (along with Cheshire) is gone.

We wrap up with Cheshire giving the goods to Monsieur Mallah and the Brain... who thankfully weren't in bed themselves!

--

I tell ya what... after reading "Nothing Happening" Teen Titans, this book is like a breath of fresh air!  The story may not be exactly what I'm looking for, but... I can't argue that there is, in actuality, a story here!

From the moment I saw this cover in the solicitations, I kinda had that knot in my stomach.  I figured "well, they gave it a try... but it didn't quite work out".  This was (outside of the Superman books) what I wanted most out of Rebirth.  I wanted the Titans... my Titans... back.  If you flip through the archives here, I gave an impassioned plea when I reviewed Titans (vol.3) #5... it was probably the most boring book I'd read in years... and I was able to synopsize the entire issue in less than five minutes.  I listed my complaints and observations... and wrote that, even five months in, I feared for this book's longevity.

And here we are.  I can't say it's all this book's fault, however.  DC does feel like it's in a bit of an upheaval at the moment.  We've had crazy delays on things like Dark Knights: Metal... and currently with Doomsday Clock.  The Justice League books are up in the air... everyone needs to stop and gawk at the incoming Bendis... and the Titans, well... they're just collateral damage.

Luckily for us, what we get here isn't half bad.

Like I said above... I'm not sure if Lian Harper was ever a thing that happened.  I mean, if she did (and if Justice League: Cry for Justice happened)... she's long dead at this point (Convergence: Titans notwithstanding), but still... I feel like she'd warrant a mention.  I think we can guess that she never born in this timeline.

Sticking with Cheshire... I really dig how calculated she is here.  Like every line she spoke was planned out.  Expressing interest in Roy's life by asking where the Titans were.  On the surface it looks like she's genuinely concerned... but in reality, she's just trying to see how easy a "mark" Roy's going to be.

I think my only real "complaint" is, I'm left unsure as to whether or not Roy relapsed.  It's sort of implied... but, isn't made crystal clear.  It might just be Cheshire messing with his head.  I guess the answer might be in the next issue.

The art comes from one of my favorites, Paul Pelletier.  Just love this guy's work!  He's always been one of those artists that I try and follow when he takes on new gigs... and I'm definitely jazzed to see him here.

Overall... this is a promising start to the arc that will wrap up this volume.  I try and keep away from solicits (because they might as well be called "spoilers for what's going to happen in three months' time)... so, I couldn't say what (if anything) the future holds for this property.  I can say, however, that this one is worth a read.

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816

Titans (vol.3) #5 (2017)

Titans (vol.3) #5 (January, 2017)
"The Return of Wally West, Part Five: Run For Their Lives"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Penciller - Brett Booth
Inker - Norm Rapmund
Colorist - Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Brittany Holzherr
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

Another "from the pile" pick.  When term-paper purgatory ends, I'll be digging deeper again.  I'll hopefully be able to catch up on my Rebirth reading too!  I've currently got a backlog of well over 100 issues... ALL Rebirth branded... ay yai yai.

As with all new/newer issues, the spoilery synopsis portion will be somewhat less-so.  Considering just how little happens in this issue, it's gonna be seriously short.  Either way, I don't wanna give it all away if it's still on the racks.

--

We pick up where we left off last issue... Wally is faced with quite a dilemma.  His fellow Titans (and Linda Park) are all facing certain death... he has enough time to save some of them... but there's no way he can save them all... or can he?  Abra Kadabra watches in glee as our man speeds off.

From here we get... several pages of Wally running around saving his teammates.  We get into his head for a bit of it, and he reminisces about his time being with Linda back in the "real" DC Universe... though, oddly... he still hasn't mentioned the twins.  I know I don't mind them being nyoinked out... but c'mon Wally, they're your own flesh and blood!

After saving all of the Titans from their diabolical doppelgangers, he beelines it to Linda.  She is hanging precariously upside down over a vat of molten some such.  Just as she is about to fall in... Wally catches her and pulls her out of harm's way.

Linda gathers her druthers and her first instinct is to be... ya know, really ticked off.  Her attention then turns to Wally who is standing before her absolutely drenched in lightning... he was able to save all those he cares for... but at what cost?

With a flash (!) of light... Wally is gone.  Perhaps he has been dragged back into the Speed Force... we're going to have to wait 30 whole days to find out.  At least Abra Kadabra's happy!

--

Ya know... I'm of two minds on this issue... this title, really.  On one hand, it's great seeing these characters all together again... though, if I had my way, Gar, Vic, and Kory would be here too... that's unfortunately neither here nor there.  When I covered the first issue of this volume several months back, I positively gushed over how much I enjoyed it.  On the other hand... and maybe this is due to the biweekly dominance of DC at the moment... but this feels just painfully slow.

I mean we're five issues (plus a Rebirth special) in... and not a whole lot has happened.  Sure, we've got a tacky white-bordered trade paperback we gotta fill... but, man... this be slow!  Plus the content... I'm reminded of a few times when Chris Claremont would return to an X-Family book, say early-mid 2000's... we'd get battles with doppelgangers... and it was always boring.  Granted, here I kinda dug it when they showed up... but that was issues (and months) ago at this point.

I'll concede that I enjoy the idea of Wally having to push himself here.  Having to punch it into overdrive as to not leave any Titans or potential future-past wives behind... only to find himself swallowed up into the (maybe) Speed Force... again.  It paints Wally as a true altruist, and provides us with a problem that will need solved.  I gotta say though... this did not need an entire issue.  This could have all been accomplished in a scant handful of pages... or hell, perhaps even one.  

If this was a biweekly book I may feel a bit different.. . but knowing the next chapter is coming 4-5 weeks from now... I'm gonna need more.  What's more, non-Titans-completionists will definitely require more.  I want this book to succeed.  I want the Titans franchise to be top-tier/top of the sales charts for DC Comics.  I don't want this to be canned (or relaunched several times over) within the next couple of years... I want this to be the start of a new golden era for this team/these teams... for that to happen, we're gonna need more.

The art and coloring are still really nice, though Linda's ridiculous sideburns are fairly horrid.  Everyone else looks really good.  The color is a particular treat here... very vibrant... beautiful reds especially.

We get a cliffhanger that's already been spoiled by solicitations... of course we know Wally's not going anywhere... especially seeing as though we just got him back... but it would be nice to not be spoiled by coming attractions... sadly, this is contemporary comics, and I'm afraid that that train's already left the station.

Speaking of things that have left the station... I wanna just take a second to look at the cover.  We got  a blurb here which reads "Wally's Last Run!"  I gotta say... if I were a new (ha!) reader, that would not entice me to pick this issue up.  Maybe put "Flash's Last Run!"... but, "Wally"?  I dunno... seems like this book is directed solely at folks who are already in the market to buy it.  I guess that was kind of what Rebirth was all about, and may seem like a silly complaint... but I couldn't help but sigh when I saw it.  Then again, this is an industry that tried to publish a comic book called "Osborn".  So, what do I know?

Overall... it pains me to say this but... if I wasn't an insane completionist, I'd be waiting for the trade.  In modern day DC Comics, books come out twice a month... the books that only come out once feel such a far step behind... especially when not all that much happens to advance the story.  No pun intended... this book is running in place.

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Titans (vol.3) #1 (2016)

Titans (vol.3) #1 (September, 2016)

"The Return of Wally West, Part One: Run for Your Life"

Writer - Dan Abnett

Penciller - Brett Booth

Inker - Norm Rapmund

Colorist - Andrew Dalhouse

Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual

Assistant Editor - Brittany Holzherr

Editor - Alex Antone

Cover Price: $2.99

Late last year, I felt as though my hopes had been answered by DC Comics.  Not only were we getting an ongoing title featuring the pre-Flashpoint Superman, we were also getting a "fill-in-the-blanks" 12 8-issue maxi-series featuring the Titans... the real Titans, with Titans Hunt.

I feel that the Titans have had a pretty poor showing since the New-52 hit.  This team... ay yai yai... this team, full of unlikable horrid social media obsessed children... and, by all accounts these were meant to be the only team of Titans to have ever existed in the new landscape.  This title went from nearing the top of my read-list, to my... let's let a dozen issues pile up before I attempt plowing through it.  

Making matters worse... this was Scott Lobdell, one of my all-time favorites.  The fella to thank and/or blame for my getting into superhero comics in the first place!  When I heard he was going to be the writer, I couldn't have been happier.  I thought back to the amazing work he'd done on Generation X, and figured it'd be a no-brainer that he'd knock it out of the park with Teen Titans.  Dunno what happened... but, I really didn't dig it.

Well, onward and upward... the Titans... the real Titans are back... even Wally West... the real Wally West.  Let's dive into it!

Be warned, I do go more in depth here than I usually do with newer issues.  This is a special issue, and I couldn't help myself.  If you haven't read it yet... proceed with caution.

--

We open with a Flashback, no pun intended... okay, maybe kind of intended.  Wally West is giving us the quick 'n dirty of his life pre and post-Flashpoint.  We see him as a teen-sidekick, and a Teen Titan... finally a loving husband (and father?).  This was all before time got janky.  From there, we see his reunion with Barry Allen from DC Universe: Rebirth #1... a scene, which I'm not ashamed to say made me mist up just a tad.  

Now, Wally's back with his buddies... the Titans.  Following the events of Titans Hunt, the gang's missing memories have began filing back in.  Fellow Titan, Lilith Clay otherwise known as Omen is trying to read our man via psionic link.  What she comes up with is a name... Linda Park.

Wally gets all "gawrsh", when his pals start kidding him about having a girl on his mind... which, kinda feels like a tame reaction to me.  He comes across looking more embarrassed than upset here.  He claims that Linda was just "the girl I knew back in my time".  That's a far cry from "my wife and the mother of my children."  He shares how during his return she did not recognize him.

We now shift scenes to Ms. Park's apartment.  She's the fastest reporter in town writing for the website Super News.  While reading about the recent electrical storms, her mind wanders back to that strange... Flashy man, who claimed to know her... last night.  Didn't realize this was just the next day.

Back at the Grayson loft/Titans HQ; Roy, Donna, and Garth are putting their heads together to figure out just who or what messed with the time.  Garth posits that the villain they're looking for just might be Mr. Twister.  He suggests they try and hunt down the oafish brute Mammoth to see if he can lead them to their man.

And so, Roy and Donna head to the Bowery section of Gotham to check in on some of Mammoth's drug muscling stomping grounds.  Here, we learn that the Man Mountain is rolling with a fella called Psimon.  This scene also consists of a nice "getting to know you" moment between Roy and Donna.

Back at the loft, Lilith and Wally are still trying to get down to it... without much success.  The returning Speedy and Wonder Girl (man, I love that I can type that... in 2016... and for it to be... mostly true) bring with them piles of pizza for the gang to share.  In between bites, Lilith finds that she may have reached a bit too deep in Wally's subconscious... actually, past Wally's subconscious.  She's woken something... something that will need their immediate attention.

Now for something completely different.  We join a lame-o suburban birthday party, where an old, overweight magician is attempting to entertain a gaggle of tots.  After being deservedly heckled, he stumbles back... and faints.

He awakens as... well, quite a familiar face to Flash fans.  He shows off his magical prowess by teleporting the party to outer space... and returning them home just before their little heads go pop.

In case it's not clear... our mad magician is Abra Kadabra, and he's taking credit for Wally West's recent vanishing act.

--

This was a very fun issue.  The team members are still in something of a Honeymoon phase... still getting reacquainted.  I'm very glad this is being done on-panel, rather than as a throwaway line.  Quite a bit remains unknown between the Titans... so, the reader is poised to receive the information just as the disparate team members are.  Really digging this.

One thing that... I dunno, I don't wanna say it bugged me... okay, yeah... it bugged me.  When Wally thought about Linda, it was kinda in the "aw, schucks" kinda way and not the devastating "my wife doesn't know me" kinda way.  I can't speak for anybody else, but I'd be a lunatic in the same situation... perhaps that's why I'm not a superhero.  Also, what of Jai and Iris?  Ya know, Wally and Linda's kids?  They showed up during last year's Convergence: Speed Force mini-series... so they gotta be somewhere, right?

Staying with Wally for just a bit longer... does he have a code-name yet?  Is he just The Flash again?  It looked as though when he "introduced" himself before Lilith read him, that he hesitated.  He did the "I'm Wally West, the (dot dot dot) Fastest Man Alive".  Was he wanting to say "The Flash" there?  I don't think I'd mind if we had two (maybe three when the JSA returns) Flashes... but, hey... that's just me.

It looks like the Fearsome Five are on our horizon... which, I'm cautiously optimistic for.  The Five always seemed a bit dorky to me, however, I'm most definitely willing to give Dan Abnett the benefit of the doubt.  The reveal that... Abra Kadabra made Wally disappear was... something.  Very interesting... I'm very much looking forward to how this plays out.  He makes it so Barry's gotta go on trial for the last few years of his (first) existence, and now we learn he had his one-time sidekick erased from the world's collective memory banks.  What a bastard.

I remember when the New-52 started, and there were certain books that felt like absolutely no thought was put into them.  These were just filler books, destined for the cheap-o bins of the world... poor storytelling... lackluster art... just complete afterthoughts.  Titans #1 is almost the complete opposite of that... from top to bottom, this feels vital.  It feels like it matters... which is something the Titans haven't in a half-decade.  It should come as no surprise that I am VERY pleased with this issue... and this team (creative and in-story).  My only real complaint is that this is not one of the bi-weekly DC ongoings... meaning I/we gotta wait a whole month for my/our next taste.

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