Comic Review -- Teen Titans #7: Assault on Project 13 / Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund

*Sigh*, that damn banner again.  I'll get over it at some point, I swear, but for now, I can't help but sigh in exasperation whenever I see it.  Overall, not a bad cover, though not great, either.  I suppose it's a little confusing.  Superboy looks pained and things look tense with the others moving about, but without knowing who Centerhall is up to this point though, I don't care enough for him to want him on the cover.  Everyone else is barely a blip on the cover, and not that well drawn as you get further back.

In this issue, the Titans learn about Superboy's current fate at the hands of N.O.W.H.E.R.E., and rush off to save him.  Well, more like get dragged off to save him, as Red Robin manages to guilt them into going after they rightly point out that Superboy recently almost killed them all.  We also learn of the existence of Danny the Street, who also apparently escaped from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. with Kid Flash, and who has been working for Red Robin for some time.  It appears he was the one responsible for bringing Kid Flash and Solstice to Red Robin's place a few issues ago.

While the bulk of the team engages N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s forces, Red Robin is caught by Solstice in the records room of the complex, downloading data on the kids N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has been kidnapping.  When pressed, he tells her he's been building a case against them for a long time, to which she reacts with outrage, claiming that he should have been helping kids like her a long time ago, not waiting for evidence.  While it's never made explicit, the story implies that Red Robin incapacitates her and tries to abandon her at N.O.W.H.E.R.E. by telling the team to leave now.  They won't leave without her though, and they are surprised and overtaken by Harvest, who reveals himself as the man who created N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

I have to admit, at this point I'm starting to get twitchy and want this story to wrap up conclusively.  It's not that it was bad or uninteresting, but it does feel like this arc is starting to drag a bit in places.  Can we please get everyone on the same page?  Can we get a strong idea of the Titans' lineup, headquarters, and so on?  We seem to be so locked in startup mode, and dealing with so many twists and turns in the narrative, that by now I'm starting to feel more than a little weary.

While I can easily see Red Robin having a hidden agenda for the raid on N.O.W.H.E.R.E., I'm having real issues with his implied behavior towards Solstice.  Sure, I think she was overreacting and not seeing the bigger picture, but to suggest he would physically attack her, knock her out, and then leave her where she was last imprisoned... I don't know.  I know Tim has trust issues he needs to overcome, but this seems a touch extreme for the boy who is trying to keep all the superpowered teens together and free from persecution.  I'm eager to see how this is addressed, but it better be damn good, as this issue left a bad taste in my mouth where this part of the story is concerned.

Superboy and Kid Flash have a few amusing exchanges of dialog, as they insult one another during the rescue.  I keep imagining Superboy as sounding like Brandon Routh, and I think more and more I'm hearing Kid Flash as a quick-talking Michael Cera, so it really works on the humor level for me.  I thought their banter in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was pretty funny.

Artistically, things look as great as ever.  The addition of the NOWHERE villains finally give Brett Booth some more people to draw, even if they aren't developed very well.  Zaniel Templar looks both horrifying and creepy in Wonder Girl's gratuitous and brief solo fight scene with him, and Harvest looks pretty terrifying as well.  I'll be interested to see what he can do next issue.

Overall, while this still makes for an enjoyably continuation of the story, it needs to wrap up soon.  By pushing and extending the arc further and further with more twists and revelations, it's starting to feel less interesting and more exhausting.  I'm willing to keep along for a couple more issues, but unless things get more compelling and less tortuous, I may bow out.  It's a good story, Scott.  It just needs to resolve itself properly.  Recommended.

Comic Review -- Teen Titans #5-6 / Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, & Norm Rapmund

Teen Titans #5: Over Before It's Begun
I think the main reason I enjoy this cover is because Bart is featured wearing the red iteration of the Robin costume while running roughshod around Superboy.  I also like some of the faces he's making while he does it. Amusing, without being too obnoxious.

The Titans take on Superboy... and it doesn't go so well.  Kid Flash gets super-charged on his speed, faster than his body can tolerate, before Wonder Girl kicks him loose.  Bunker gets a few shots in before Superboy uses his own psionic gloves to knock him out. Red Robin actually knocks him down, but wastes time trying to persuade Superboy to change sides, and Superboy knocks him out.  Wonder Girl ropes him, but gets dragged underground to the subway, where the train's impact presumably knocks her out, but not Superboy.  And finally, Solstice tries to reason with him, and nearly gets through to him, before he knocks her out.  Victorious, Superboy is nonetheless confused, and heads back to his N.O.W.H.E.R.E. masters, without Wonder Girl, intending to get some answers from them.

This disastrous first outing, while not unexpected, was well plotted.  It shows how each of the team members think, as well as showing that Superboy, for all his power, is far from invulnerable.  Aside from the physical chinks in his armor, it seems the best weapon any of the Titans had against him was persuasion and the ability to make Superboy doubt his station as a N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agent.  In the end, it actually seems to work, as Superboy returns to them without Wonder Girl, their intended target, or any of the Titans, even.  So, in a way, it was a victory, albeit a moral one as opposed to a tactical one.  Tactically, they get their butts kicked.

I was a little disappointed that Skitter didn't show up at the last second and support her new comrades, but I'm hoping she'll make an appearance in the next issue.

Favorite line of the issue belongs to Wonder Girl: "The bird kid just beat the crap out of the super kid!"

Artistically, things continue to be stellar.  This art style is pretty much exactly what I like in superhero comics,  realistic but slightly cartoony.  I think it makes for a good combination of expressiveness, epic action, and some exaggeration when it's occasionally needed.  The brawl with Superboy itself was well depicted, and Booth consistently turns out good work.

Overall, I think this is a good chapter to what is turning out to be a lengthy intro to the team.  I don't think we'll be wrapping this story up next issue, which is fine, but I do wonder how long this will go on.  With that said, as long as things are kept this interesting, I'll definitely be along for the ride.  Highly recommended.


Teen Titans #6: By the Light...

Fairly epic cover, though it's another "this scene isn't in the story" cover.  Red Robin actually never takes on Grymm, and there's certainly never any danger of the skirmish landing on Kid Flash and Static.  Still, it's a good action shot, and it lends some context to Bart's condition in the aftermath of the Superboy skirmish.

The Titans are starting to limp away from their fight with Superboy, when the N.Y.P.D. try to arrest them.  Skitter shows up and webs them all up, and Kid Flash starts to spark and vibrate violently.  Red Robin takes him to a nearby S.T.A.R. labs office, where Virgil Hawkins, a.k.a. Static, is on duty.  While he works on finding a way to stabilize Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Bunker square off against another metahuman imprisoned there, named Grymm, who takes over Skitter's mind and tries to use her to escape.  They knock him out, and Virgil uses a prototype suit designed for the Flash to keep Bart stabilized.  It works, and he makes his debut in his new yellow costume, confident and cool.  The team starts talking about a rematch with Superboy, but Red Robin vetoes the idea, saying they need to return to base and prepare for a war.

I'm guessing the character of Jocelyn Lure will be somewhat significant later, especially considering she's apparently some kind of alien (along with Kid Flash), but her appearance is too brief to glean much more than that from her.

The overall story remains interesting, but I wasn't too terribly impressed with the Grymm side-story.  We get almost no explanation of who he is, he repeats key pieces of information unnecessarily and awkwardly, and his existence is never mentioned once Bunker and Wonder Girl get him under control.  I think that story could have been tightened and structured better.

I enjoyed the appearance of Static, who I don't know too much about but have an overall positive opinion of based on the little information I know about him.  I was also amused by Tim's connections to the Justice League, and the fact that he came to Virgil only after trying to get in touch with them.  It makes sense, and furthers the idea that, while Red Robin may be just a kid and not even metahuman, he, like Batman, brings a lot to the table where his team is involved.

Art-wise, I loved Kid Flash's new costume, and the cool debut pose he strikes while wearing it.  Grymm was interesting visually, but odd.  He has a weird mouth line, and apparently never opens his mouth, even though he has plenty of spoken dialog.  I wonder if that was an intentional choice on the part of the artist or writer.  Overall, things continue to look stellar.

Overall, this respite from last issue's high-octane action keeps the character development going, and continues to develop the team's abilities to work together.  I'm curious to see what Red Robin means by preparing for war, but I'm sure it involves dealing with N.O.W.H.E.R.E., and possibly Superboy.  Can't wait to see more of that.  Highly recommended.