DCU Comic Book Reviews

TEEN TITANS #44

Titans East, Part 2

April 2007

Written by Geoff Johns and Adam Beechen

Pencils by Tony S. Daniel

Inks by Jonathon Glipon and Edwin Rosell

Cover by Tony S. Daniel

Synopsis

In New York, Jericho and Ravager investigate the Titans Tower, which they thought had been destroyed but has now somehow been rebuilt.  Inside, they find their father, Slade Wilson (aka Deathstroke).  Elsewhere, individual members of Titans East are locked in a room with their counterpart from the Teen Titans.  Meanwhile, the Wilson battle stumbles into the room where Batgirl has Robin locked up.  Ravager and Batgirl decide for a rematch of their fight.  Meanwhile, Jericho puts his sword through his father’s chest.  Suddenly, Starfire and Inertia come to help out Deathstroke.  However, Robin is able to break free.  He has a counter-serum to Deathstroke’s serum and he administers it to Batgirl.  Free of Deathstroke’s control, she promises to kill him.    

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I think what I am going to say will be damning with faint praise or a back handed compliment or...hmmmm, feel free to let me know if I missed a phrase.  Anyway, what Johns (and now Beechen) have crafted with this storyline to date is an exciting story with hectic, kinetic action and cool moments with the characters that I have enjoyed so far, but there is this feeling as I am reading that it could have been better.  Other than some of the comments below, I am not really sure how it can be better, but there is that feeling.  It is almost as if Johns has the great idea with a cool plot, but somewhere he left the story to falter.  Hopefully he’ll find before we reach the end of this story. 

My assessment of this issue is that there are way too many characters.  There a half a dozen characters on each team and Johns is attempting to get all of them involved in some way, when in reality the story really focuses on the Wilsons and Batgirl.  Even Robin is really on the sidelines to this story.  Yet, Johns keeps fitting everyone else in to the story.  Normally, Johns is very good at this (see:  Justice Society of America) but the story has separated each character physically; there are no connection to each other and therefore these scenes (like kid Devil or Wonder Girl) seem out of place, especially with the big fight going on through most of this issue.  I really think that the events in the story would be better served if the story was a little more focused.

I thought the order of the pages of this issue worked against the impact of the story.  The battle between the Wilsons that spilled into Robin and Batigrl should not have been broken up the way it was.  I would’ve put all of the torture scenes back-to-back and saved the battle for all of the final pages. 

The sword goes through Slade’s chest, yet in the next panel that we see him (a few pages later) the sword is missing and somehow he is still standing.  That is one tough bastard. 

I also have to cry shenanigans at the rapid detox Batgirl went through.  She was able to make a 180 degree turn in her actions pretty quick.  Even with the help of an antidote, it should’ve taken some time for the serum to leave her body and some time for her body and mind to adjust to it being out her body.  Ah, the wonders of comic book science. 

 

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