I will be honest, I haven't picked up a Titans or Teen Titans book in a long time.
But the sneak peek of Titans #30 on the DC Source got me interested enough to give it a try. The creative team of writer Eric Wallace and artist Fabrizio Fiorentino are completely new to me so I figured this would also be a good way for me to branch out and get a feel for some new talent.
I'll say that I was very grateful for the 'origin box' in the issue. I thought Titans was the title where the grown up Teen Titans work their magic. But with Donna and Dick in the JLA, Starfire in REBELS, and Beast Boy still in Teen Titans, there wouldn't be much of a roster.
So it seems this book has some connection to Brightest Day. And it really is a Deathstroke team, a gathering of some bad guys working on a secret mission. Cheshire and Roy Harper are on the team.
I should have known after reading this that it wasn't necessarily going to be my cup of tea. I don't always gravitate to the frank bad guy books (although I guess REBELS is debatable.)
The main plot of this book is Deathstroke's team breaking into Arkham to free a woman with some sort of solar/radiation powers.
But look at Fiorentino's version of Supergirl. That doesn't look like a belly shirt to me!
Doesn't this complete blue shirt version of the costume, even if it was a mistake, look completely fantastic? Make the skirt red and I'd be thrilled!
I do like how Supergirl remains hopeful that Choi is alive. Maybe she would be recruited by the Blue Lanterns?
I also like the hair Fiorentino draws Supergirl with. It sort of reminded me of the wisps seen in the Apocalypse movie.
But otherwise this is a book about Deathstroke being one step ahead of everyone including the Dick Grayson Batman. It also showed me how low Roy Harper has gone, working with the villains and generally being a brute. He is even described as being in a heroin haze. I am sure this darkness appeals to some, but not me. I'm not invested enough in these characters to care.
So I am glad I got the book. It is always good to try new titles and see what's happening. But I don't think I'll be coming back here.
Nice version of Supergirl though.
Looks good. Might pick this up.-ealperin
ReplyDeleteIt's a very poor book, the problem with it is that it isn't very well written and there seems to be no moral content whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteSecret Six is the inspiration for this book but the Six is actually the complete opposite of what 'The Titans' is all about. The Secret Six are mercenary's in a similar mold to The A-Team, that is while they are morally dubious characters they are also complex enough to be capable of being better than the clients they work for or the opponents they face. In short there is a humanity given to them. It's a very clever and sophisticated storytelling trick Gail Simone pulls to make them a very likable cast, but Eric Wallace misses this subtelty entirly with Deathstrokes Titans.
A big problem is Deathstrokes character, Deathstroke himself WAS capable of being a complex and conflicted villain who freuently straddled the line of being an anti-hero, someone with a set of principles that guided him into occasionally doing the moral thing and this made him somewhat admirable as a villain and a fascinating character to fuel a story. But this code of conduct has been wiped from the character in recent years and what's left is unrecognisable - an inhuman cold blooded murderer with not a shred of principle and certainly no depth or likability.
If Wallace had made it a point to explore this change and moved to return to the Deathstroke of old you might have a worthwhile book, as it is there just isn't anything of interest here and not one solitary interesting character in it. Every single one of them are one dimensional and elicit only contempt from the reader.
Keep that modified Supergirl costume & just change the skirt to being red & it's a perfect blend of movie costume mixed with Turner's! :-D
ReplyDeleteIts the return of the Glamorous Super-Wardrobe!!!!
ReplyDeleteYES!
At last all that blogging and fan service and snarking PAYS OFF!!
ALL POWER TO THE KARA SOVIETS
NO SUPERMAN WITHOUT SUPERGIRL
TOMORROW BELONGS TO SHE
STANHOPE UBER ALLES!
:D
John Feer
Keep that modified Supergirl costume & just change the skirt to being red & it's a perfect blend of movie costume mixed with Turner's! :-D
ReplyDeleteTalos!
Great to hear from you dude!
But this code of conduct has been wiped from the character in recent years and what's left is unrecognisable - an inhuman cold blooded murderer with not a shred of principle and certainly no depth or likability.
ReplyDeleteI have overheard Marv Wolfman at conventions talk about how he didn't want Deathstroke to be a classic cmopletely evil villain but more nuanced. My guess is he would be unhappy with the current version.
I'm really glad you sampled this book for us. I debated reading this for the Atom segments, but I have no stomach for the rest of the current Villains-For-Hire roster. I got to see the only part that interested me, plus you're right that Kara looked nice without her navel showing.
ReplyDeleteI like the skirt blue with that look.
ReplyDelete