
DC Comics 2016
Written by Dan Abnett
Penciled by Brett Booth
Inked by Norm Rapmund
Coloured by Andrew Dalhouse
Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual
In the Rebirth we saw Wally West come back to the team and kind of give them something to look forward to. I think what Dan is doing is pretty great so far, if you think about it the New Teen Titans had this whole epic arc sequentiality to it that you don’t realize offhand. I mean from the way they came together to going intergalactic, Trigon and Terra these were all very big multi-part stories that were woven around smaller ones and that Dan is potentially going in that direction from what I can see is perfect.
I also like that this is still a rebuilding phase they are going through. With Wally being here and his stuff happening around them and the team only having just found each other and remembering their old lives not jumping into some over the top action right away is nice. Yes we get to see that Roy’s youthful indiscretions are still intact and we learn that he’s familiar with Mammoth and what he used to do.
This leads to a whole new level of problem for the team that I can’t wait to see unfold. At the same time however we also get a sneak preview at the person claiming to have erased Wally from memory in the first place though honestly while I’m going to enjoy that characters return somehow I have a feeling that there is something larger at work. Again what I like to think of as the smaller wrapped up in the larger so that the story keeps progressing and seamlessly into one another without us even noticing the real scope of what’s happening.
Another aspect of this that I like is Lilith. She’s been out of the superhero game since the Titans forgot and now that the band is back together she’s rusty to put it mildly. So with her powers being a tad less controllable and unpredictable at times it’s a nice characterization move. It also brings her a tad closer the girl she was when she met them and I appreciate the heck out of that.
Brett, Norm and Andrew make a really good team on the interiors. I do like that it has Brett’s signature look but also has a more progressive now feel and by that I mean he’s evolved as an artist and yet remains instantly recognizable. Personally i’d like to see more use of backgrounds as I feel they help tell the complete story but what we get is nicely done, which is why I want to see more. The flow of the books through the pages and panels is nicely crafted.
I have the say that what is Dan is doing with the “old,” “new,” and current is extremely exciting for a longtime Titans fan like myself. Yes I could quibble about giving Karen powers but that she, Mal and Gnarrk, not to mention Hawk & Dove, could be recurring characters brings the whole 60’s/70’s fanboy out in me in droves. It was a groundbreaking time when kids were given the run of a book and forged their own destinies and once again that feel and unlimited possibilities emanate from what I see here.