DCU Comic Book Reviews

TEEN TITANS #50

Passage

October 2007

Written by Sean McKeever with Geoff Johns, Marv Wolfman, Todd DZago

Pencils by Randy Green, Mike McKone, George Perez, Todd Nauck

Inks by Andy Lanning & Sandra Hope, Marlo Alquiza, George Perez, Lary Stucker

Cover by Ale Garza & Scott Williams and Mike McKone & Andy Lanning

Synopsis

During a ceremony at Titans Tower to celebrate the life of Bart Allen, the Teen Titans recall the time Kid Flash too the batmobile, with Robin, Beast Boy, and Wonder Girl, out for a drive, even though he did know how to drive.  In Washington DC, Wonder Woman is attacked by someone she knows.  At Titans Tower, Ravager and Kid Devil go for a swim.  In Toronto, Martian Manhunter is attacked by someone who looks like Wonder Woman, but is not Diana.  Meanwhile, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Flash return home.  Along the way, Wally recalls an incident when he was Kid Flash and he had just joined the Teen Titans.  At Titans Tower, Raven tries to cheer up the Titans by pretending to be Bart.  In Gotham City, Batman is attacked by an unknown assailant.  In Texas, the Teen Titans help Blue Beetle protect a rocket from the mercenary Lobo.  In Metropolis, Clark Kent is attacked by someone who looks like Batman, but is not Bruce.  The next day, Robin is sitting in front of the statues of Bart and Conner.  He is joined by Wonder Girl.  The two recall Bart’s wild side when they were members of young Justice.  Suddenly, the Flash appears but before he can say anything he is knocked unconscious.  Robin and Wonder Girl then encounter Bart and Conner, except it is the evil future versions of their friends. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was a reasonable way to look back at the history of the Teen Titans while also looking to the future, which in this case seems to be literal based on the last page.  The only nitpick that I really have with the issue is the inclusion of the Blue Beetle sequence, which is identical to the ones that appear in issue #18 of Blue Beetle.  In fact, a lot (if not all) of the dialogue and the action is exactly the same, although the scenes are not exact duplicates of each other because they were drawn by different artists.  From me (as a reader of both) it was annoying.  For someone who does not read Blue Beetle it will also be annoying because if they want to read more (and there is a sequence with Ravager that is missing), they’ll have to pick up another book. 

Based on this one issue, it looks as if McKeever has a good handle on the characters as they are now.  He understands who they are and how they interact to each other, from Ravager’s snide comments to Miss Martian’s attempts to understand human behavior and to Robin and Wonder Girl’s tentative romance.  It is a good start and I am enthusiastic to see how he handles the group from this point forward. 

I like the idea of bringing back the original artists to do the flashback sequence.  The best one comes courtesy of Johns and McKone, the original pair that started the current incarnation of the Teen Titans.  It works well in the context of the overall story, although it is a variation of the time the team did go joy riding in the batmobile (from issue #9).  The Wolfman and Perez section may not fit that great into the story since it is not about Bart per se, but it is a neat little story that could’ve stood on its own (unlike Johns’ story which only works as a flashback).  The final one comes courtesy of Todd DeZago and Todd Nauck recalling Bart’s Young Justice days (I guess Peter David was unavailable).  Even with only page, it is easily the funniest part of the whole book. 

One of my favorite past times while reading DC books:  identifying the number of ways DC can include Superboy into a comic book without actually calling him Superboy.  Besides the fact that he is drawn in regular clothes and is constantly called Conner, note on page one how the sun reflects off the statue to obscure the shield on his chest.

 

ïPREVIOUS	Main		Page	NEXTð

Home ●  Blog ● Who Are We? ● Site News
Alive and Well since April 16, 2006

 DC Universe Reviews.  All Rights Reserved
  Characters, trademarks, brands are property of DC Comics

For problems or questions regarding this website, please contact our kindly webmaster.
Last updated: 08/06/11.