Bullet Review: Tiny Titans #50 & Superman Family Adventures Preview

Tiny Titans #50 came out yesterday, the final Tiny Titans issue, and that makes me kind of sad.

I have commented on Tiny Titans here on this blog before and have almost every issue. It was a wonderful and fun comic that was enjoyed by me. More importantly, it was enjoyed by the three supergirls at home, girls with an age range between 13 and 8 right now. It truly was an all ages book. We all loved it.

For me, I couldn't help but be impressed with the sheer number of characters and DC concepts that creative team Art Baltazar and Franco put into this book. Darkseid and the Terminator are bad guys, as the lunch lady and principal. Raven has a demon for a dad. Jason Todd wears a red hood. Damien is crazy. Supergirl has a super-cat named streaky. I mean it was all there.

Even better, it also riffed on and often poked fun at current DC plotlines. Finals Crisis! Battle for the Cow! Flashpoint being about Kid Flash's pencil tip! Cyborgs reboot! It made the book feel like a satire for a beat-up comic veteran like me.

And, perhaps best of all, it often made me smile and laugh. And that sheer enjoyment of comics, remembering that they are a fun part of my life, is the highest compliment. I mean, what could be better than sitting on a bed with my kids and laughing while reading them a comic?

So I will miss this comic.

But it sure went out on a high note.

The DCnU has been fodder for the book. We saw the 'Woman in Purple' walking around a couple of issues ago.

Here, we see Jor-El issue versions of the DCnU uniforms to the Super-family. Look at Supergirl's cute little high-collared cape.

I have lauded the portrayal of Supergirl in this book. She was the ultimate in sweetness and heroism here.

The running story in this issue is Beast Boy trying to impress Terra by dressing like Superman. He even attaches himself to a large firecracker (a la Bugs Bunny cartoons) so that he can fly.

I love this panel, another little dig at the current DCnU. When the rocket fires, the red shorts fly off of Beast Boy. Robin deadpans that red shorts aren't in style any more.

The rocket careens out of control and ends up at the Kent Farm where Superman needs to step in and save Beast Boy.

The adult heroes in this book have never really been shown. We have only seen there legs. So this reveal, this panel showing all of Superman (looking awfully like the young Morrison Superman in Action), felt like something big. 'Wow'. That's right Starfire.

And Terra actually tells Beast Boy that she likes him!

And with that, the book comes to a close. Jimmy Olsen takes a group photo with Superman. Aw yeah Titans.

Yeah. I am sad to see this book go away. In terms of entertainment, this book never failed. It will be missed.

The one silver lining to this book's end is that the creative team is moving on to the Superman Family Adventures comic. And Tiny Titans #50 included a preview of that book. If the preview is a fair representation of the book, I am going to love this.

It has a sort of classic feel to it. And, much like with Tiny Titans, the creators are able to show so much in an economic way.

Perry White says Lois is his best reporter. Clark pines for her close by, looking at her with admiration. And Lois is all business, eyes down on her story.

But Lex-Bots descend on the city and Clark has to run into action. Ripping off his shirt to reveal his uniform? 'This is a job for Superman!'? There are reasons things like this are classic! Because they work!

My guess is that this will be more serious than Tiny Titans, with more straightforward comic storytelling. And I think that this book will touch on a lot of the Superman mythos, becoming another entry way for the supergirls at home. Count me in!

Still, Tiny Titans will be missed.

Overall grade (Tiny Titans #50 and title): A+