Stephanie Brown 20-24

Batgirl (Volume 3) #20
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Ramon Bachs

Reviewing this series always made me a little queazy because I wish it was the real Batgirl Cassandra Cain and not Stephanie Brown who really should be the Spoiler but here we go…this issue was decent. The art was good and fit the title well. I am a tad but confused by the ending although it could be because I did not go back and re-read the last issue. I hated the annoying talk between Oracle and Steph confirming once again that Stephanie is Batgirl now. Gross.

Batgirl (Volume 3) #21
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Dustin Nguyen

Batgirl fights Harmony in this issue, another operative of the Order of the Scythe. It was rather uninteresting. The side story of Wendy Harris deciding to go to Nanda Parbat was interesting though. I wonder if this ever gets resolved or if Wendy is just MIA after this. I have to note that the cover of this issue has the wrong artist on it. Come on DC.

 

 

Batgirl (Volume 3) #22
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Pere Perez

In this issue Stephanie travels to London on Batman Inc orders and fights a a villain with the Squire. The whole thing was okay I guess as Stephanie realizes unlike the squire, she really is not a sidekick. Whatever. I miss Cassandra Cain as Batgirl and this issue would have been so much more fun to read if she teamed up with the Squire. Anyways, this issue ends with a cliffhanger said to be continued in Batman Inc #9…which never came out. DC clearly had no idea they were going to do the New 52 till the last second and it was horrible decision.

Batgirl (Volume 3) #23
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Pere Perez

Stephanie goes into the middle of a riot at Blackgate in order to find out who is behind the Order of the Scythe if I understood this issue correctly. She is helped out by Miss Martian, Bombshell, Supergirl, and Stargirl because she is not Cassandra Cain the real Batgirl and therefore could not pull this off herself. The cliffhanger was something I did not expect – the mystery is revealed to be Steph’s Dad, the Cluemaster!

 

Batgirl (Volume 3) #24
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Pere Perez

This is the final issue of this Stephanie Brown Batgirl series. I can’t say I am sorry to see it go because this is the series that broke my heart and gave the mantle of Batgirl to someone other than DC’s greatest character, Cassandra Cain (who doesn’t even make it on this cover!). Cassandra actually does appear in costume as Batgirl in a one panel where she is shown as part of Stephanie Black Mercy effected hallucination where all the Batgirls are working with the Blackhawks. It is such a shame we never go to see her team up with the Black Bat since they used to be best friends. Anyways, this was a decent issue.

Teen Titans 94 – 100

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #94
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

Damn I love Nicola Scott’s art. This story is very refreshing. We haven’t seen much of the Hindu Gods in the DC Universe and it is fun to explore the Ramayana here. J.T. is really good at the characterization of each Titan and Nicola Scott’s art shows their moods and relationships to each other. This is great!

 

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #95
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

Nicola Scott really draws Superboy with some beefcake. I can’t say that I mind. The demons in this issue were creepy especially the one impersonating Ravager. This was another great issue of Teen Titans.

 

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #96
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Jose Luis

I missed Nicola Scott in this issue but Jose Luis did a good job as a subsitute. Solstice angering Raven is interesting and I wonder why. Looking forward to seeing the team beat Rankor.

 

 

 

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #97
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

Rankor is defeated mainly by Solstic who officially joins the Teen Titans at the end of this issue. Great to have Nicola Scott back for this fun adventure. I am sad there are only 3 more issues left of the Teen Titans before the New 52.

 

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #98
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Eduardo Pansica

Kid Flash’s virtual reality session showed in this issue that J.T. Krul had studies the history of these characters. Great use of continuity throughout this issue where Superboy-Prime has gathered together a team of villains with personal connections to the Titans. I don’t understand why Indigo is a member though. Although she was sometimes evil, she did end up dying a hero. I really liked her relationship with Shift back in those days. I wonder if they will explain what she is doing back.The ending was great to see the old Superboy costumes appear brought me back to the Young Justice days. Pansica’s art was great I almost thought it was Nicola Scott doing the drawing. Someone in the letter columns mentions that they think Cassandra Cain should be the new Nightwing! That is a cool idea.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #99
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Jose Luis

The ending of this book almost seems like something that could fit in this month’s Rebirth. “Legacies last for ever.” The final splash page of Titans past was so exciting! I wonder who this new Inertia is. Indigo is not acting like herself at all. I wish that was being explained. I actually forgot Supergirl was a Titan in the past. She has been thrown in with so many teams since her debut. It is always good to see Miss Martian and Argent.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #100
Written by J.T Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

Nicola Scott draws Argent with a completely different costume than Jose Luis did in the previous issue. Come on editors should catch that stuff. Otherwise this was a superb final issue for this volume of the Teen Titans. I loved every page of it. J.T. Krul should come back to these characters again someday. I am so glad that Rebirth will be restoring the Titans history but it remains to be seen if this part will be restored. It needs to be.

 

 

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.

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!

Corny Titans

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #82
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Jose Luis
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Wow…this is just getting awful. Henderson’s dialogue is painful to read. I give her credit for this though, the team is getting pretty big and she manages to have all the characters have a moment or tow in this issue where they stand out. No one was unused and I always like that. But that doesn’t make up for how bad the dialogue and corny it is. Plus why is Wonder Girl mad at Superboy? They were doing fine last I checked and I don’t know if this was an art problem or what not but I have no idea what happened when Holocaust’s lair blew up. Why were Superboy and Kid Flash acting like the rest of the Titans were dead but completely emotionless about it? Did they know they weren’t dead? How did they survive the blast anyways? It is good to have Superboy and Kid Flash back but this book really needs to improve quickly. In the much better back-up, It breaks my heart to see Kid Devil again, even if it is just Rose’s hallucination. I hate that he is dead and they can’t continue their relationship…it was such a needless death too and he wasn’t even used in Blackest Night. This marked the end of the Ravager back-up and once again McKeever shows how much he understands this character. I will miss him on this book.

Retirement

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #81
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Joe Bennett
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

 

Yeah…not sure what to say about this issue. This is the big return of Superboy and Kid Flash to the Teen Titans. I am not sure how I understand what the hell Cyborg was talking about with retirement…is he returning to the team? I don’t really get it. Why is Miss Martian shooting stuff out of her head too? Was she always able to do that? We will see where this goes I guess. The Ravager back-up was very suspenseful…I wonder if Rose will be able save the innocent? I sure hope so.

Missing In Dakota

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #80
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Joe Bennet and Eduardo Pansica
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

 

What is with DC’s editors lately? This issue contained another panel of misplace word balloons! It really took me out of the story and got me confused. That is no good. Not to mention the facial expressions don’t seem to match what people are saying half the time which has been a problem with this book for a while. Henderson’s dialogue is kinda awkward but I can’t say that I did not enjoy the story and she had me convinced that Holocaust had become a hero of Dakota. I wonder why the Titans aren’t looking for Kid Eternity…I mean he is the one who is really missing but they are freaking out that Static went out for a bit in this issue. I wonder if the Kid Eternity thing will ever be addressed. Hmm. The Ravager back-up once again shows how much McKeever gets the character of Rose Wilson so that was good.

Titans In Dakota

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #79
Written by Felecia D. Henderson
Art by Joe Bennet
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yldiray Cinar

 

Static returns to Dakota after a virus hits the city hard. We are introduced to the Hawkins family and I wish there would have been more narration or something because I don’t know much about Static’s history with these characters or Dakota in general and it was hard to follow at parts. It was good to see Wonder Girl acting confident as a leader but sometimes it was a little much, like Henderson was beating a dead horse with it. Bombshell was right when she said that they shouldn’t talk about it anymore. Speaking of Bombshell, I am starting to really like her. Bennet’s art is still pretty annoying and Aquagirl and Blue Beetle both don’t look very hispanic in this issue. There definitely needs to be less use of first names as well, I mean what is this Meltzer’s Teen Titans. Henderson isn’t a bad writer, but she needs to step her game a bit before I can say that her run has been a success. The Ravager back-up was pretty short and I don’t have much to say about it.

The Question of Leadership

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #76
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Yildiray Cinar
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Cinar

The main story was eh okay. Not the best, I think Henderson still hasn’t quite grasped all of the Titans yet. Wonder Girl seemed totally fine with Beast Boy taking over leadership last issue and now all of a sudden she just switches?! I mean sure he left to save Raven but come on. Cinar’s art is much better in the Ravager back-up which means that the main feature was probably rushed because another artist backed out. Why can’t they give this book a good regular artist again?

Titans Tower Needs To Have Security For Pets

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #75
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Joe Bennett
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

The title of this post is definitely true …since this is the second time in this book a monster has infiltrated the tower by posing as a furry friend. Anyways, this begins Henderson’s run on Teen Titans and so far, it is decent. I mean it is nothing totally special but I am going to give Henderson the benefit of the doubt because she is coming in right before a big crossover (blackest night) and this is the first comic she has ever written. She seems to have a strong understanding of the characters. Although I don’t like how Cassie is always portrayed as incompetent in leadership (but that’s something they have done for a while so it’s not Henderson’s fault). Bennett draws some weird faces in this issue. This book needs a new artist. I am not sure what was going on in the scene at Titans Compound…why would they be happy Beast Boy left them? Whatever Ravager saw in the back-up, really upset her. So much so that she is tearing up. It must be pretty bad what these guys are doing to upset Rose Wilson like that. Child slavery? I wonder.

Back To Mentoring

Titans (Volume 2) #17
Written by Pat McCullum
Art by Angel Unzueta

I like how these done-in-one issues are really placing the Titans in their positions for the future. Last issue hinted on the idea that Starfire would be joining the Justice League – here it looks like Beast Boy decides to mentor the Teen Titans once again. At least it looks like Red Devil didn’t die for no reason, it looks like his death is the reason for the mentors to come back. I really like the current line-up of the Teen Titans, and I hope it doesn’t change too much, but I am excited to see Beast Boy mentor them again, which is something that I didn’t think I would be. Although I am sick of see writers portray Wonder Girl as an incompetent leader. This was a good issue. The only problem I found was what the hell did Unzueta draw Raven and Donna wearing! Women do not wear clothes like that if they are not in porn!

Eddie Bloomberg R.I.P.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #74
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Joe Bennet
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Yes Kid Devil (or Red Devil but I have always preferred Kid Devil) dies saving San Francisco from nuclear destruction in this issue. He died a true hero. The only problem I have with this is that it seems completely unnecessary. Why kill Kid Devil after McKeever built up such a good friendship between him and Blue Beetle? Was this only to sell books? I could be wrong but I have a feeling that this is why McKeever left the book over creative differences. An editor wanted to kill him and McKeever disagreed. Ignoring the death, this was a really good issue and Miller has shown he can write the Teen Titans well. Let’s just hope Felecia D. Henderson does as well. The Ravager back-up was basically Rose Wilson kicking ass and taking names, which is a good thing.

Bad Fashion Choices

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #73
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Joe Bennett
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

 

First of all, I am sure I mentioned it last time, but the outfits that Joe Bennett draws the female Titans wearing out on the town are so ridiculous and not at all what a real teenage girl would wear. Belly shirts are not that popular and are frankly slutty as all hell when they are that high up. And I am so sick of the Calculator I am not even kidding. Anyone who has been reading DC books since Identity Crisis knows that Calculator has been in every book. He was an interesting character at first, now he is just over used. This isn’t so bad writing-wise I still feel that Miller understands these characters and gives them each a unique voice and I liked the team work that they used in this issue. I enjoyed the Ravager Co-Feature more this time around although I was kinda hoping Will had good motives instead of bad. I hope that we see Rose build a supporting cast.

Miller Gets The Characters, Bennett Does Not

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #72
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Joe Bennett
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

 

Joe Bennett is not doing his best here at all. I mean Superboy and Wonder Girl never wore those outfits when they were together in that flashback and girls don’t wear belly shirts like that when they go out. I mean Miss Martian’s shirt was shorter every time he drew it. It was ridiculous. I am far from a prude, I don’t care that the characters are being sexualized, I care that they are realistic. And being 21 and so far off from my teen years, I can tell you that teenage girls don’t wear shirts like that. I have to say this though, Bennett does draw some amusing facial expressions in this issue. The story by fill-in writer Miller was actually pretty good. Miller definitely captures each Titan’s personality rather well and I liked the night on the town story’s Juxtaposition with Wonder Girl’s fight at Alcatraz. I just hope that funeral scene at the beginning doesn’t really mean one of these characters is going to die, cause we really DON’T need any more of that shit in this book. The Ravager back up was interesting and McKeever is always good with her character, but it hasn’t hooked me just yet.

McKeever Is Underrated

Teen Titans (Volume 3)#71
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Wow! After that entirely horrible trash of a cross over, Sean McKeever’s final issue on this series as main writer was actually really damn good! I mean this had action but also had the emotional Titans are family stuff that I loved about the Johns and Wolfman run. I didn’t care either way about the upcomign Ravager Cofeature before this issue, but now I can’t wait to read it! Ravager basically ruins her reputation with the team just so she can be sure that Bombshell will not betray them again. She sees the Teen Titans as her true family. That is good stuff and really shows how far she has come. If McKeever will be remembered for anything for his run it will be for moments like that and the work he did with Ravager and Red Devil, he really was great at writing those two characters and adding more depth to them. Kid Eternity has such a cool power – I was confused at first as to why Pantha was there and then I realized she must have been summoned by Kid Eternity!  McKeever also could have made Wonder Girl come off as a jerk here but he really didn’t – even after everything Cassie knew that Rose should be given another chance. Sean McKeever’s run I think will be remembered fondly – there were some blips (the first arc, Deathtrap, and the death of Marvin come to mine) but all in all he really made me care about these characters. That’s all that matters. Oh and by the way, I loved the art on this book too.