Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Teen Titans # 69

By Koppy McFad
April 9, 2009 - 21:54

After the tribulations of both the Teen and the Terror Titans, the surviving teenaged heroes get together at Titans Tower to decide who will join and who will leave the Titans. Although the story tries to make us guess who will stay and who will go, there is not much suspense here. The cover virtually tells us wo the new Titans will be. There is no clear threat to the heroes (except for the last-page teaser) so the book must stand on the character interaction.

The problem is that too many of these characters are still too broadly drawn. They squabble, argue, flirt and talk. But too often, it feels like they are just taking up panel space. Some of the conflicts feel forced. In one scene, Hardrock and Young Frankenstein begin fighting for no apparent reason. A few pages later, everything is cool again. One loutish member makes crude advances to the female characters-- seemingly because they need someone in the book to create trouble. It feels like a poor joke.

The art does show promise. Each member of the huge cast is recognisable and their emotions are all clearly visible, not just in their faces but in their posture. The action scenes-- although few-- do look quite powerful. Not bad for an apparent newcomer.

This book still has to find a proper way to use its huge cast and find a proper tone for the team. They are suppose to be "teen" Titans but they sometimes behave like young kids while acting as grumpy as senior citizens. There is little of the youthful excitement that was crucial to previous versions of the Teen Titans. This team is indistinguishable from all the other 'teams' out there. The Teen Titans need a reason to be together. The original Teen Titans, the 'new' Teen Titans of Wolfman and Perez and the Young Justice team all had such reasons. These guys seem to be thrown together just so DC comics can have a TEEN TITANS title on the stands.

Rating: 6.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12