DC Comics 2015
Written by Dan Abnett
Penciled by Stephen Segovia
Inked by Art Thibert
Coloured by Hi-Fi
Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual
Still one of my favourite books right now. I’m a die-hard Titans fan and the late sixties, early seventies run had my favourite cast of characters. What Dan does this issue not only brings them back but says--hey I read these stories and i’m a fan too so i’ll do them justice in bringing them back to prominence.
The opening alone had me in fanboy heaven! I mean seriously NINE of the original Titans, okay Mal and Dove were missing but they were there, are back in action the two page spread combines the best of the old and the new. I also have to admit two things, the first is that I find myself not even missing Wally here and that surprises me but it is what it is. The second is that it’s about time Garth was considered a powerhouse up there in league with Donna. So the opening serves a dual purpose in that not only do we see them as a team but Dove has gone off after Mal who was taken setting something else up.
When we get back to the present we see that the flashback is in reality just a memory shared by Dick, Donna and Garth. There’s something about the characterization here that I find mesmerizing. I see glimmers of their old persona’s but these aren’t them they are products of the world they are on now so melded it really makes me want to get to know them all over again for the first time.
Meanwhile Mal after his seizure was taken to the hospital where Karen shows up looking for her husband only he’s not there. Now here’s where Mal’s background comes into play. We’ve seen him with the Horn of Jericho and then with the science one that opened portals and let the Gargoyle, formerly Mister Twister, free and there’s a whole mess. So somehow Dan is combining pre and post crisis origins together here and I cannot wait to see how he complete’s that. I mean let’s face it Mal is also one of DC’s first black superheroes so that’s a major part of this story is beyond fantastic.
Ah thanks guys for not turning Mr. Twister into the Gargoyle and letting us see him holding that staff as something of a ghost, trapped in limbo maybe. That he uses Mal to set this all in action just rings so true to what has come before that it’s just perfectly executed for me.
It also makes me extremely happy to see the time spent on Hawk and Dove. Also that even though Dawn possess the mantle now she’s unaffected by what’s happening while Hank most certainly is. I also think that this gives us a new look into Dove’s fate outside of the Crisis on Infinite Earths so that will be something learn about. Gnarrk and Roy’s little adventure together also goes a long way to finally fleshing out Caveboy, really Caveboy?, in a way that we can get behind.
We’ll never be able to really revisit the past, well I doubt Dan would let us on whichever Earth that happens to be on, so this one here is the best possible thing to happen. It gives us these characters in a fresh, new way while paying homage and respect to what’s come before. Plus some absolutely killer interior artwork here really helps set the stage for an ongoing series once this is over.