
Recap
Picking up where last issue left off, things don't look very healthy for Crush after the beat-down she received from her absentee dad, the one-and-only, accept no substitutes LOBO! Luckily, Roundhouse has an ace up his sleeve...
Badly beaten and determined for a second round with her father, Crush pushes forward solo, stubbornly ignoring her teammates' please for sanity. The shape she's in, Lobo will kill her in no time flat! Eventually, though, she listens to reason, and the team begins to set traps at their safehouse - knowing that Lobo will come for Crush sooner or later.
But Lobo isn't known for doing anything easily - or predictably! He proves to be just as unstoppable object as ever, and the team is on the ropes. But Crush has one last play...
Will it be enough to turn the tide of the fight?
Review
Crush’s origin (well, half of it, anyway) this issue of Teen Titans, and I’m pleased to report it doesn’t go as predictably as its set-up would lead readers to believe. Writer Adam Glass has had a slight hiccup these last couple issues in an otherwise superb run, wherein he plays things out with complete predictability as telegraphed rather than doing anything to surprise readers. No left turns in sight. So while Lobo in fact does turn out to be Crush’s father – the mystery of who her mother is becomes the new focus of her story.
Speaking of mysteries, what the heck is up with Roundhouse? As seen above, he did… something… to Crush to heal her enough to awaken from near-death. This is a new facet of his powers (nebulously-defined that they are), and given how much we’ve already seen this guy pull off (as mentioned this issue, he survived being nuked), the question is begged: just how powerful is the team’s resident class clown, anyway?
The rest of the Titans don’t have much to do, though it’s nice to see they aren’t reverting to blindly following Robin’s lead after his betrayal during the recent crossover with Deathstroke. Kid Flash and Red Arrow pretty much take a back seat this issue, though the growing bond between Djinn and Crush is on full display. Kudos to Glass for putting these two opposites together and letting us in on the fun of how they attract.
Artists Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo do their standard level best this issue, too, bringing the pain when necessary to visually convey Lobo’s brutality but also the desperate realization that the team may not have the firepower necessary to survive the fight.
Unfortunately, this issue’s final three pages are wasted with an editorially-mandated “Year of the Villain: The Offer” tie-in featuring Lex Luthor offering Lobo a chance to be even more eeeeevil if he joins his Legion of Doom. The exact same scene plays out in every single DC book released this month, and is every bit as exciting as it sounds.
Yawn.
Final Thoughts
After a couple of bumpy issues, Teen Titans begins to get itself back on track with the conclusion of Crush's first confrontation with her father, Lobo, and tantalizingly presents more questions than answers. Though not a work of high art, it is most definitely an entertaining bit of superhero romp - and sometimes, that's enough.
Teen Titans #32: Daddy/Daughter Dance (With Punching)
- Writing - 7.5/107.5/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Art - 7/107/10
- Color - 6/106/10
- Cover Art - 7.5/107.5/10