Teen Titans 92 and 93

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #92
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Georges Jeanty

This is the conclusion of the crossover with Red Robin that began here. It was decent I am just so sick of the Calculator as a villain. DC needs to give him a rest. The biggest thing to come out of this issue was Red Robin returning to the Titans with Robin leaving. I did not see that coming actually I figured they would keep Damian on for longer but I have no problem with that. I wonder how this will affect Cassie’s leadership though.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #93
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

Now this is more like it! The Titans travel to India to search for Solstice’s missing parents. Solstice is interesting as Krul seems to be setting her up as anti-Raven – a magical character that is bright instead of dark. He also sets up Kid Flash crushing on her – much as his predecessor Wally had a crush on Raven back in the day. I didn’t mind Tim taking over leadership as long as it was something that Cassie wanted. Great stuff. When Krul took over the book was returning to greatness, now I think it has officially returned.

The Superboy-Kid Flash Race

Superboy (Volume 4) #5
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Pier Gallo

 

Anybody notices Superboy calls Beast Boy Garth instead of Gar? Come on DC Editors! Anyways, the Kid Flash/Superboy race was a lot of fun and it was great to see them being heroes on the way across the globe. The winner was Krypto which was kind of a cop-out (we all know Kid Flash would win) but oh well. Fun issue that managed to further the main plot as well.

Red Robin 19 and 20

Red Robin #19
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Marcus To

 

Tim fights the Unternet in its own virtual world in this issue (By the way I love his alternate costume) and one of the things he uses is a program representing Cassandra Cain! Nice job of course Tim would think of the greatest of Batgirls to defeat a threat. God I miss Cass being a regular member of the bat family!

Red Robin #20
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Marcus To

Red Robin fights off Catman and call in the Teen Titans to go after the Calculator – who has robots now. Okay what the hell – I am so sick of the Calculator! Let’s get some other villains he is in Batgirl, Birds of Prey, and now here! Enough with this guy!

A Break Up

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #91
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Still loving Krul and Scott on this book but this was the weakest issue yet, I felt like it went by too fast and I was disappointed to see Wonder Girl and Superboy break up. I suppose some drama between them was needed though but if he gets with Lori Luthor over in his own book that would be just wrong.

Just Bring On The Eclipso

Justice League of America #53
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

I was disappointed with the conclusion to this arc. I mean it was better then anything pre-Robinson but man was it not that great of an ending and Bagley…he must have known he was leaving when he drew this cause this was a weak issue on his part. That last splash page could have used some serious editing. Elasti-Woman is wearing the wrong costume and Damage is there – Damage is dead! Come on DC! I am looking forward to next month’s Rise of Eclipso story though!

Superman Batman 79 and 80

Superman/Batman #79
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Jesus Merino

 

Roberson introduce (or re-introduces for some) to the DC Universe of the 853rd Century and I am one of the few who have never read DC One Million and therefore I am fascinated by this Justice Legion with its many worlds and I can’t wait to see more next issue. Epoch Lord of Time doesn’t seem like a new character but I could be wrong but he was a great way to frame the story and allow for the past and the future to collide.

Superman/Batman #80
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Jesus Merino

Epoch is stopped by the Bronze Age World’s Finest and travels through time being defeated by each era’s Batman and Superman – Brilliant! I am looking forward to seeing more of Roberson’s run on the main Super-book after reading this awesomeness.

The Titans Renaissance

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #90
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Yup the Renaissance of Teen Titans is still going strong as the Titans travel to a high school filled with students effected by some guy giving them Meta powers – and the high school gets buried underground and they are all trapped inside. Yes, it is that awesome and pretty much the perfect plot for this book. At this juncture, I could see Krul’s run surpassing even the Johns run. It’s that good and Nicola Scott is also a huge part of that. Great art.

Titans Pariah

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #89
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Robin joins the Titans and right from the get-go we can see he is not Tim Drake. He seriously screws up their mission in this issue because of his impulsiveness and not listening to orders even I was pissed at him. And I have started to like Damian too! That being said, I don’t know if Krul has Damian’s voice down just yet. There is something about the way he talks that seems different then usual. I don’t know. I still like the issue and Scott’s art is great and the team is awesome – this is the best this book has been in years!

The Teen Titans Are Back!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #88
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Wow! I had high hopes for Krul and Scott taking over this book and returning to its former glory. They exceeded my hopes in one issue! I loved every moment of this issue as Krul demonstrated with each and every character that he understands them and at the same times introduced new storylines in their lives. From Superboy and Wonder Girl’s relationship to Beast Boy and Raven’s to Ravager’s search for her mother to Kid Flash’s retention of things learned in the future I can’t wait to read more issue of this book. Scott’s art is beautiful to look at and she knows how to tell a story perfectly. The Teen Titans are back! Heck I am even excited to see Damian on the team! Not only does Krul start a new exciting run, he doesn’t ignore Henderson’s run either and even tells us that Aquagirl and Bombshell are alive and well. Fantastic start for this new creative team!

Lost At Sea

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #87
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

Felecia D. Henderson ends her run on the book as the team defeats the Wyld and is left significantly smaller in the wake of Aquagirl and Bombshell being lost at sea (I liked them both and I am sad to see them gone from the team), Static left powerless and returning to Dakota, and Miss Martian in recovery. I was worried that Dc was going to kill them off so I am glad to see them all being given better reasons to leave the team then death. Miss Martian and Aquagirl both play a role in Brightest Day so we know they will be okay. As much flack as Henderson gets for her run, she vastly improved during her year on this book and you got to give her credit for that. I look forward to see what her Static ongoing will be like. The coven of three back-up ended with a team actually forming, but the three of them secretly very angry with each other or being liars. At least that wasn’t what I was expecting. I hope to see more about this coven in the future.

Characters

Justice League of America #49
Written by James Robinson
Art by Pow Rodrix and Robson Rocha

 

This was a brilliant interlude that really takes a look at the characters of Donna Troy and Jade in particular. Robinson shows he knows their past and gets how they tick but also how he is going to move them forward. I love how he brings in old continuity like the Bogeyman but does it in a way that makes sense and natural. Even in the one panel scenes we get of some of the other Leaguers he demonstrates how much he gets those characters. This is awesome writing. The art was okay…Bagley is missed though.

Thought Bubbles

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #86
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

More awkward dialogue from Henderson here but she has certainly improved a lot. It is nice to see the use of though bubbles in a comic too. I have no idea what is going on with Dr. Barnes but I am intriqued and I am hoping that Bombshell and Aquagirl will be okay.  The back-up was still good as the trio ends up in hell. I liked the mention of Kid Devil…it seems like the Titans have forgotten they recently lost a dear friend and member of the team but Zachary Zatara certainly hasn’t. Although I wonder what he meant about Eddie’s soul.

Mind Space

Action Comics #892
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Pete Woods
Co-Feature by Jeff Lemire
Art by Pier Gallo

 

Lex discovers the spot where the black rings dissapated I take it and it is able to mess with minds. This is deep stuff involving quantum physics and the mind as part of the space-time continuum. Not what I expected when I heard this book would star Lex Luthor but I like it! Cornell has proven to me this will be a good run! Deathstroke is overused and now even has a book he stars in so I think his inclusion here was completely unnecessary but what can you do. The Superboy Co-Feature which is really just a preview of the upcoming Superboy book was interesting to say the least. Why is Raven half-naked throughout it?

Titans In Trouble

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #85
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Niafeh

 

Everything is going to hell for the Teen Titans as they fight this Wyld guy (who I still don’t even get is) and his crazy evil planet. The dialogue is corny as usual but I didn’t hate the issue like I do sometimes. Hendeson seems to be getting better as she goes along. I am actually worried for some of these characters here.  The back-up continues to be rather good – although I don’t really like how Zatara is drawn as if he is Asian. Loved all the magic stuff.

Hey, Pretty Art!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #84
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

Henderson’s writing isn’t half bad when teamed with a good artist like Luis. I actually enjoyed this issue – and that is saying a lot considering how bad the last few issues have been. The best moments had to be with Aquagirl and Bombshell waiting it out in the ocean – and wow does Luis draws a beautiful oceanscape. I love how he draws Wonder Girl too. Wonder Girl is right to be annoyed with Superboy acting like she is his girlfriend in the field because it undermines her authority as leader. So far not bad for this arc, although it is a little too late for Henderson as the writer of this book. At least she started off her last arc on the book well. In the Coven back-up, all the dreams of Zachary Zatara, Black Alice, and Traci 13 are coming true and Traci and Zatara are trying to put things back to how they really were – but Black Alice doesn’t want to. So far this co-feature has been really good and I look forward to see where it leads.

The Coven Betters The Titans

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #83
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Rex Ogle
Art by Ted Naifeh

 

With all the poor dialogue and abrupt changing of scenes, one thing can be said about Henderson is that she utilizes all the Titans effectively and their powers. I appreciate that. Otherwise, yes this is awful dialogue. The sad thing is the plot is not bad, she should be a plotter just maybe not a writer. Superboy and Aquagirl is interesting….I can’t see Cassie and Connor officially breaking up. Blue Beetle is gone with this issue I guess. Anyways, I guess we are just killing time till Krul begins his run on this book. Luckily, the new back-up was just awesome! I was excited for this new team of teen magic heroes – but I didn’t expect it to be this good! I can’t wait to see Black Alice, Traci 13, and Zatara team up! Speaking of Traci 13, up until this issue I always found the character to be boring. Nice job Ogle!

The Missing Daughter Saga Continues

Red Robin #12
Written by Christopher Yost
Art by Marcus To

 

Okay if Ra’s took the time to track down people like fucking Julie Madison, then why the fuck would he not go after Cassandra Cain – Bruce’s adopted daughter daughter and the former Batgirl! Is it because DC’s editors are asshats?! I think so. But anyways, this was a great way to end Yost’s run on the title and bring Tim full circle. This began as the story of Tim going in a direction too dark for the character but Yost has brought him back to Gotham and back to his old self. Hell they even made the costume more his. Yost’s run was great. I am certainly glad To is sticking around but I will miss Christopher Yost on this book.