Weekly Comic Book Review

By: Scott Lobdell (writer), Brett Booth (penciller), Norm Rapmund (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Oh, let them punch and electrocute each other—kids will be kids!

The Review: The first time a team comes together usually goes one of two ways: they may, by fate or fortune, surpass all expectations and work as a unit naturally, or (much more frequently) they barely manage to get through their scrape without major incident, usually questioning their communal future afterwards.

Of course, the Teen Titans fall into the latter category.  They’re young and raw, many of them having only just taken up their heroic identities, and they’ve got a long way to go in working out the kinks in their teamwork.  Most of the issue has each Titan taking on Superboy on their own, with the others either spectating or standing by to rescue their teammate when the clone eventually dispatches them.

With the fall of each Titan, you begin to wonder what the point of banding up for the sake of mutual protection was if their combined might doesn’t even seem to make Superboy break a sweat.  Even in the Justice League, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter give Superman a run for his money in the powers department.  Hopefully, this issue doesn’t indicate the team will someday turn into “Superboy and his Merry Band of Back-Ups.”

It’s true, however, that Superboy has gotten a lot more formal training than his opponents, and you can’t help noticing throughout the battle how much more honed and technical he is with his telekinesis now than he ever was in his previous incarnation.  The Superboy of old had a more hands-on approach with his telekinesis, as opposed to the Jean Grey school.  In a lot of ways, that helped keep him from becoming too powerful, since the applications of full-throttle teke are pretty much limitless, as he demonstrates here.  How can his colleagues hope to catch up?

Lobdell has never been a very subtle writer, but this issue really emphasizes his crutches.  Perhaps most annoying is his habit of making characters spout exposition at the least sensible moments possible, like Bunker’s speech to Superboy as he’s flying through the air: “It might not be the most spectacular power in the world…but these psionic bricks serve me well.  I can control their shape…and their density.  Soft as a pillow—or hard as stone.”

And if pointless monologues like that one aren’t enough, you can always occupy yourself with ones of fraught melodrama.  Of all people, Solstice manages to get Superboy to back off, which isn’t all that surprising, considering the crack of doom with which she renders this warning: “The dark harvest will soon be upon us, Superboy.  A long, dark night when the weakest among us will fall prey to the strong.  The Culling.”

Booth gets plenty of action to draw, which is good because he excels with that kind of thing.  He’s really grown on me as the series has progressed, but I still can’t help saying again how “off” I find the characters’ faces at times—maybe it’s the impossibly big mouths?  Dalhouse’s colors also shouldn’t be overlooked; much of the issue’s energy comes from neon hues he puts into the characters’ powers.

Conclusion: After failing to get attached to the characters as individuals, I can’t say I’m any more enamored of them as a team.  There are stronger titles out there to collect, so I’ll call this one Dropped.

Grade: C

- Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: - I don’t know how many Chicano-Latino readers are out there, but I’d be curious to know your feelings on “Caramba!” as Bunker’s catchphrase.

- After scratching my head over it for half an hour, I’m still not quite sure why Solstice feels she has to shear an aircraft carrier in half.  It’s doesn’t look like it’s in the trajectory of her crash-landing, so why, now?

Filed under: DC Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Andrew Dalhouse, Bart Allen, Brett Booth, Bunker, Cassandra Sandsmark, Cassie Sandsmark, DC, DC Comics, Kid Flash, N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Norm Rapmund, Red Robin, Scott Lobdell, Solstice, Superboy, Teen Titans, Teen Titans #5, Teen Titans #5 review, Tim Drake, Wonder Girl