DCU Comic Book Reviews

TEEN TITANS #66

The New Deal, Part 1:  Choices

February 2009

Written by Sean McKeever

Pencils by Eddy Barrows

Inks by Ruy Jose and Julio Ferriera

Cover by Eddy Barrows and Ruy Jose

Synopsis

In Gotham City, Robin and Spoiler prepare to get ready.  Elsewhere, Wonder Girl asks Supergirl to rejoin the Teen Titans, but Supergirl declines. In El Paso, Jaime Reyes (aka Blue Beetle) is not comfortable with Traci Thirteen joining him at Titans Tower.  In San Francisco, Red Devil joins Bombshell in watching a movie, but Bombshell is not happy sharing.  Later, the Teen Titans gather to discuss adding members to the team.  As they argue on who to ask, Cyborg joins the team via an electronic hook up.  Cyborg agrees to help the team pick new members.  Elsewhere, Wendy receives a visit from her father:  the Calculator, who vows to make the Teen Titans pay for what happened to her.  Meanwhile, Red Devil teleports around the world to ask various members to join the Titans, but he doesn’t get any response.  At Titans Tower, Spoiler gives Traci Thirteen fighting lessons.  Bombshell is not impressed and wants to fight Spoiler.  Before they fight, Misfit teleports in the tower and wants to be part of the team.  Later, Robin tells Wonder Girl he needs to leave the team.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

That sound you hear is hundreds (if not thousands) of people rushing to their local comic book store to tell their friendly clerk that they will be dropping this title.  For many, many people, Robin is the heart and soul of the Teen Titans.  Whether it was Dick Grayson, as either Robin or Nightwing, or Tim Drake, as obviously Robin, the team is held together by the Boy Wonder.  Even as the so-called big guns have dropped out of the title (Kid Flash, Superboy, Wonder Girl), I think fans would be willing to continue to read this book as long as Robin was leading the team.  And now that he is gone (due to “Batman R.I.P.” and the changes in Gotham City), the team is left with a lot of cast offs and no names, which will affect readership.  Essentially, the success of this book will rest squarely on McKeever’s ability to write good stories with second tier heroes.  DC tried this before with the infamous Justice League Detroit, but that didn’t work.  The question becomes, will it work here. 

As for an answer, I am on the fence.  I didn’t quite like this issue, but at the same time I don’t think this is a good example of what McKeever wants to with the book.  This is a transition issue.  McKeever doesn’t have the tiem and space to do what he wants because he has other things to deal with, such as dealing with Robin leaving while at the same time trying to find new members as well as work in the characters that are already there.  So it is a mish mash of events.  I think once Robin is gone and the new team is settled (if a little) then I think we’ll be able to see where McKeever is going to take this book. 

The idea of Red Devil going out to try to recruit more members seemed odd to me.  Aren’t the Teen Titans one of those groups that young heroes would want to join?  Why would the Titans need to find recruits; wouldn’t they have more problems with young heroes wanting to join the group.  So, seeing Red Devil dashing around to find new recruits and getting turned down seemed so wrong to me. 

I am also uncertain what the deal was with the appearance of Spoiler and Traci Thirteen.  Oh, I understand the plot reasons that McKeever provides in the story, but is this a precursor to the two girls joining the team.  I mean, what other purpose does it serve?