A more mature Damian is exhausted with playing nice, replacing most of his old teammates with ones of a more…violent temperament (plus a secret stash!)
TEEN TITANS (2016-) #20
Writer: Adam Glass
Artists: Bernard Chang
Cover: Bernard Chang, variant by Babs Tarr
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Publisher: DC
Release Date: 7-25-18
?WARNING: This review contains major spoilers!!?
What You Need to Know
The Teen Titans have lost their HQ (Super Sons of Tomorrow), leaving Beast Boy to once again wonder if he belongs. With the aftermath of the Omega Titans conflict (Justice League: No Justice) shuffling their members into new rosters, it was time for a new beginning.
What You’ll Find Out:
Surprisingly, we aren’t shown a scene related to any major plot-points that preceded this book, rather yet another cult has gathered in a vast, ancient cathedral, where a terrifying Brother Blood is about to sacrifice a young woman. Suddenly, in bursts the new Teen Titans! As they work their way through the masses towards Brother Blood, a severely disenchanted Robin assesses his new team as we are shown how he recruited them. Ironically, Kid Flash is the only original member to return but only did so if his buddy Roundhouse (a superpowered with a great vlog) could join. This time around, Damian wants to make him the deadliest speedster alive…yes, DEADliest. A very competent Red-Arrow joins due to Robin’s line on tracking “The Other”.
Crush, the half Czarnian daughter of Lobo, joined because Robin is willing to help her find the killer of David and Lisa Rojas (I’m guessing they’re her foster parents). Djinn, a 4000-year-old genie in a teen’s body, joins after Robin promises her a place to belong. Speaking of Djinn, once the cultists are dispatched, she corners Blood but becomes terrified that using too much of her power will make her visible to someone (perhaps her last master?). Roundhouse and Robin finish Blood off, the gang discovers the mark of The Other on a pillar and then Damian implodes the Cathedral. Meanwhile, as the new Teen Titan’s crew chills in their incognito HQ (a stash-house Robin stole from Batman), Damian descends with Blood into the subterranean bowels of it, revealing a dungeon where he’s been keeping some of the worse of the worst baddies.
What Just Happened?
Character Development: Damian is maturing into a strong leader, but he continues to walk the edge of the line his father put into place. I have always been a fan of Damian, and I’m really glad to see him come into his own. His arrogance is toned down from previous issues and his maturity is both cool to see and a bit terrifying. He knows how to use people to get what he wants and will not hesitate to act, but I think Emiko (Red-Arrow) is aware of this and finds it to her liking. She’s a great compliment to him for this team. Kid Flash may not like how the Teen Titans have made a dark turn around the corner, but when the time comes, Robin may already have convinced him that this way is best. Roundhouse is an okay replacement for Beast Boy, nothing remarkable there yet. Djinn (and her mysterious pursuer) is definitely a story in the works; though she’s no Raven, she has real potential. I love Crush, but I have a weakness for tanky female superhero types. I’m not sure how interesting her search for the Rojas couple will be, but we’ll see. She is totally kinetic, keeps the action moving and the dialogue entertaining, perfect for this medium. Her connection to DC sci-fi has real potential as well.
Art and Lettering: Every panel is splendidly drawn, colored and easy to follow. The debut of this new Teen Titans team is important and the beautiful effort of Chang and Maiolo really shine through. I hope the run maintains this consistency.
Writing Critique: I always tend to shudder at the use of the faceless cult trope (see my recent Suicide Squad review), however, as a single-issue medium for a new team to punch through while we learn about them, it’ll do as well as any other. So much of this issue surrounds the characters, I’ve pretty much covered it already! The single-most compelling and unnerving development is Damian’s dungeon. It looks like Black Mask survived Robin’s bullet (surprise surprise), and may have been the first inmate of what he calls “hell”. Onomatopoeia is there too, which means Robin has had this place up and running for a while now. Maybe we will find out how Atomic Skull screwed up and ended up there, as well as who the masked prisoner is. SO MANY questions, I can’t wait for the answers!
Rating: 8/10
Final Thought: The ramifications of Damian’s dungeon are going to be thrilling to see, but hopefully we’ll get to enjoy the journey before one of the heavy-hitter boy/girl scouts breaks it apart!
Teen Titans #21 is available 8-22-2018!
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