Review: Titans #28

It is weird that the book that was supposed to re-introduce the original Teen Titans to a new readership, has been shedding those original character like mad. We“ve gone from the 70s version of the team to the 80s and quickly into a whole new group of heros. The current team sits somewhere between the Teen Titans and Young Justice.

Now you have a couple of vets and a bunch of guys who really haven“t fought together. How do you make them a real team in the face of an overwhelming space fleet bent on flooding the Earth? Batman“s way is to have them coordinate evacuations. The Titans“ way has always been to take the fight to the bad guy even if you are outmatched.

Donna is feeling a lot of pressure now that she is suddenly put in the role of leader. The team“s lost Nightwing, Flash, and Arsenal. It has also been brought under the guidance of the Justice League where Miss Martian gives them Batman“s instructions. And they are to stay put.

With the sudden return of Garth, a.k.a. Aqualad a.k.a. Tempest, Donna is convinced to follow his crazy plan of invading the invading armada. Like most crazy Titan“s plans, this one works — at least initially — until the arrival of the big bad.

Dan Abnett (Nova, Aquaman, Judge Dredd) pulls off a complicated balancing act here. He restores a sense of fun and adventure (something that has been missing from this title for a while) and maintains a sense of menace as the tide turns. For all her time with the many versions team, Donna Troy has rarely lead the team. Initially, she is hesitant to take charge

As Garth points out, he and Donna always delivering the power to the fights in the old days. She knows how to be strong, if she trusts herself and doesn“t get hung up in the mess of continuity that everyone has made of her history. In this fight, she proves she has what it take to lead the team.

I“ve always loved Clayton Henry“s work at Valiant and really his art is why I“ve gotten so many of their titles over the years. His talents are put to great use in this issue. You can see the uncertainty in the faces of some the Titans as Garth lays out his plan (what little of it there is) and as they get ready for the fight. He keeps track of all the characters and gives you insight into their inner lives, even when the text of the story doesn“t.

And that ship“s engine is incredibly Kirby-esque, in the best way possible.

Honestly, this title has been a pass for me, mainly because it had this down in the dumps feeling for so long. It also shed characters that I was interested in because I hadn“t seen them for a long time, mainly because it didn“t seem to know what to do with them. This issue was a needed relief from that. If Abnett and Henry can keep this up, it might make me add this book back to my pull list.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Clayton Henry
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover Art: Leonardo Manco

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Andy Hall

Sent from the future by our Robot Ape overlords to preserve the timeline. Reading and writing about comics until the revolution comes. All hail the Orangutan Android Solar King!