DCU Comic Book Reviews

TEEN TITANS #34

New Teen Titans, Part One:  One Year Later

May 2006

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Tony S. Daniel

Inks by Kevin Conrad & Art Thibert

Cover by Tony S. Daniel and Richard & Tanya Horie

Synopsis

One year later… Cyborg drifts out of consciousness, seeing bits and pieces of the Teen Titans before he awakens completely.  He then finds Kid Devil and Rose Wilson (aka Ravager) in the kitchen.  Cyborg attacks them, demanding to know who they are.  Robin tells him:  they are members of the new Teen Titans.  Robin tells Cyborg what happened to the others:  Starfire is still in space, Flash is retired, Speedy is with Conner Hawke on an island, beast Boy has gone with Doom Patrol, and Superboy saved the universe. In San Francisco, Wonder Girl apprehends Gemini in the middle of stealing something from STAR Labs.  Cyborg, with Robin, Ravager, and Kid Devil join her and try to persuade her to rejoin the Teen Titans but she refuses.  Later, Cyborg tries to call Beast Boy at Doom Patrol, but gets no answer.  Robin, in the meantime, enters an underground to check on the status of his 96th attempt to clone a new Superboy.

Review

Screw the first 20 pages of the comic.  Let’s talk about the last two.  Tim Drake is attempting to re-clone Superboy from Superman and Lex Luthor.  I find it interesting, but I would also find it more interesting if Lex Luthor was the one who was making the attempt, especially the way he was making moon eyes at the statue in the last Action Comics.  But, no, this is Tim Drake.  And, why, I ask?  Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to clone his father?  Wouldn’t it make more sense since he would have a bigger attachment that to Conner.  All right, Conner was a clone to begin with, but still.  Besides, there should be some historic record of the cloning somewhere.  No scientist in his right mind would keep results of cloning.  Personally, I would check the New England Journal Of Medicine.  I am sure Cadmus had the results published.  You can sneer at me all you want, but I do not like this development, not one bit.  Where do you go from here?  There is a “been there, done that” feeling with the character or is there something the fans thought DC did wrong that Geoff Johns wants to correct now. Or perhaps it is never destined to work, but what does this say about Tim Drake as a character?

I will leave that alone, for now.  Back to the regularly scheduled comic.  Of all of the teams in the DCU, this one got shook up the most.  At first glance, it would seem Kid Devil and Ravager might be playing the biggest part.  I actually like Ravager, but I think I would like her better as a partner to Deathstroke than as a hero.  Another Wilson joins the Teen Titans?  How original.  Jeesh, I hope Deathstroke had only three kids.  Beyond that, however, it kind of looks like Tim and Rose are a bit close, perhaps even dating, based on that one pose on Page 17.

I noticed in one of the brief scenes at the beginning there was Hawk and Dove along with Aquagirl, Zatara, Speedy, and some Plastic Man/Elongated Man kid.  There was a brief mention of Hawk and Dove losing their powers so perhaps they are not with the team.  Aquagirl is missing at least from the first issue of Aquaman:  Sword Of Atlantis, so who knows with her.  And I have no idea about Zatara or Stretch Boy. 

And the final two members:  Wendy and Marvin.  Yes, those two who preceded the Wonder Twins in the old Super Friends cartoon back in the 70s.  What’s next:  Apache Chief?  At least for the moment they serve a practical reason as the repair people for Cyborg and perhaps will serve a function similar to Martian Manhunter for the JLA.

Finally, I do not like the new look for Wonder Girl.  I like the attitude and I think what she tells Robin about being alone is an important step for her character; I just do not like the new outfit.  I like the old one better.  I think the new might be revealed as a tribute to Superboy given that she is wearing jeans.-- Review by MRB

Comic Connection

Hawk and Dove lost their powers in the Day of Vengeance Infinite Crisis Special.

 

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