I am torn by this new issue of Teen Titans. On the one hand, it’s an entertaining comic with a really good focus on the team leaving their comfort zone to go on a group mission, kind of like going on a field trip. On the other hand, it’s the worst Death of the Family tie-in yet. And it adds to my growing hatred of the Joker’s omnipotence. Apparently while plotting the attack on Batman and the Bat-family, the Joker took the time to research all of the Teen Titans and construct an elaborate trap for them, which the Titans trigger exactly how the Joker predicted! He even drew the diagram on a chalkboard.

Teen Titans #15

So apparently people like Bunker and Wonder Girl factor into Joker’s big plan to get Batman, and the Clown Prince of Crime can accurately predict the actions and movements of Kid Flash. At least we get some solid Tim Drake moments.

Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.

This is not a bad comic as far as the Teen Titans are concerned. Finally, at long last, I really got the sense that they were a team that existed in the greater DCnU. Not completely, mind you. But I really got a strong feeling that Tim Drake’s motley crew of teenage superheroes might be the real deal. There are many ways that the DC reboot utterly failed to build a cohesive universe, with the Teen Titans towards the top of that list, but I really liked how the team came off in this issue. They’re done with the internal fighting and the silly N.O.W.H.E.R.E. stuff, and now it’s finally time to let them be a real superhero team responding to real problems. So at least that was spot on.

But oh lord, this issue is terrible when it comes to the Joker.

It makes sense that the Joker would attack each of Batman’s sidekicks individually, because that’s his whole scheme, to take them out in order to make Batman stronger. But the tie-in writers are really coming up with some stupidly elaborate plots to make this happen. Not to mention the question of how it is that the Joker is able to attend to each of these traps seemingly simultaneously? Especially when most of them rely on extreme guess work.

Damian found the Joker in Batman and Robin by discovering traces of hyena urine at Wayne Manor. So Joker is at the zoo waiting for him. Nightwing found the Joker in a warehouse in his own comic by analyzing the Joker venom that killed his friend. So Joker was at that warehouse waiting for him. Joker was also at Izabel’s apartment in order to kidnap Jason Todd in Red Hood and the Outlaws. And Joker is now out and about ready to kidnap and taunt an imprisoned Tim Drake. And somehow the Joker found time to predict exactly where Kid Flash would go looking for him, and plant a trap specifically designed for Kid Flash.

How is the Joker doing all of this!? And all at the same time? It’s getting ridiculous. Especially when an issue like this has very little to nothing to do with the overall Death of the Family story. Anyone who bought this issue just because of the tie-in will be disappointed. Especially since guest writer Fabian Nicieza just doesn’t do this new Joker any justice, not as much as the other writers on this crossover, at least.

Join me after the jump for a fully synopsis and more review!

The issue is narrated by Red Robin, who was kidnapped by the Joker off-panel last issue. The narration gives us a good look into his mindset, and how Tim is approaching this crisis methodically, plotting it all out in his head. This issue goes a long way to reinforcing the new(er) Tim Drake in the DCnU, how he is the perfectionist among the Robins, the most focused and business-like of the sidekicks. I rather like that take on him, since I’ve always said that Tim Drake was the best Robin. The narration is strong throughout and is one of my favorite parts of the issue. I’m starting to like the rebooted Tim Drake more and more.

Though Red Robin also seems to be able to explicitly predict exactly what people are going to do and say. If Lobdell is trying to create some kind of comparison between Red Robin and Joker, he doesn’t pull it off at all.

Anyway, Red Robin correctly predicts that the Teen Titans would check his stuff once he went missing, and Red Robin specifically left only one name for them to reach out to for help, should they need it: Batgirl. Why Red Robin thinks only Batgirl would respond to a call for help from him or his friends is not explained. Perhaps DC just wanted some kind of Batgirl cameo. Either way, the Teen Titans are excited to see her.

Some a little more so than others

There’s a bit of comedy, where Kid Flash wants to hug her for some reason, and also where Red Robin comments on Batgirl’s bad joke attempts. The scene works because the Teen Titnas are finally meeting someone else in the larger DC Universe. And it doesn’t work because the banter is a little awkward, even though Fabian Nicieza returns to write the dialogue. I loved his last contribution to this series, but I wasn’t a big a fan of this one. The Titans, especially Bunker, come off as awkward fanboys while Batgirl tries to awkwardly instill the Fear of Joker in them.

Elsewhere, Red Robin wakes up from whatever the Joker did to knock him out. He starts using his detective skills to try and piece together where he is being held. He’s not tied up, though Joker has changed him into his original Red Robin costume.

The implications of which are kind of creepy

The costume is given a bit of a DCnU makeover, even though it’s almost exactly like what he wore prior to the reboot. As part of the reboot, DC went and changed all of the Robins’ costumes around. For example, Tim never wore the costume with green sleeves and green pants. He only ever wore his red and black costume. And Dick Grayson’s first ever Robin costume looked like this. No more pixie boots or short shorts. However, when you compare Dick’s Robin costume with Tim’s Robin costume, you can see that the former is all futuristic and cool, while the latter is kind of drab and lifeless. So you can see in the picture above that DC has tried to add a few stylish tweaks to Tim’s old costume. Still, this is all just another example of how little DC pre-planned the reboot retcons.

Anyway, Red Robin is wearing his old costume because Joker is wearing his new wings! The Joker reveals himself as standing up high in the rafters, flapping Red Robin’s wings as he mocks him. Joker goes on a big monologue about how Tim was always the disciplined Robin, and in order to take him down, Joker is going to strike at him through the Teen Titans. Because, again, Joker has done extensive research on the Teen Titans and knows exactly how to get them.

Speaking of the Titans, Kid Flash gets Batgirl a map of Gotham City, and she decides the team should split up. She tells them that Joker is doing a ‘greatest hits’ thing, where he’s re-using old haunts and the scenes of some of his crimes. So he sends Kid Flash and Solstice to one of those places, and Bunker and Wonder Girl to another just to check and see if Tim is there. Wonder Girl asks if Tim is still alive, and Batgirl explains that the odds are pretty good, since Joker probably wouldn’t just straight-up murder Tim until he was ready. So at least there’s that bit of hope.

And a hope for love

Kid Flash and Solstice head to one of the locations on the map, which is now filled with homeless people. Kid Flash runs through the building, but he doesn’t find anything. However, there appears to be some kind of strange green gas all around. And the more Kid Flash is running, the more he seems to stir it up.

Which is all according to Joker’s master plan, as he explains to Red Robin. Joker predicted that the Teen Titans would be the ones to explore these various old haunts. And he explains that he knew Kid Flash would run around and stir up this gas, which is infecting all of the homeless people and turning them into wild Joker zombies. But how did Joker predict all of this? How did he know the Teen Titans would come? How did he know they would be the ones to explore these various old haunts? And how did he know that Kid Flash would stir up the gas? Joker has all of this drawn out in an elaborate chalkboard diagram for Red Robin.

The Joker loves homework

How did Joker have time to predict all of this!? How did he know Kid Flash would search that specific location?

But whatever. The Joker isn’t nearly as chilling in this issue as he has been in the rest of the crossover. He’s just taunting Red Robin with his funky new font and that’s that. He teases Red Robin that he might know Tim’s real name, but like every other Death of the Family tie in, Joker doesn’t prove it.

Elsewhere, there was apparently no trap set for Wonder Girl and Bunker, since they didn’t find anything. But looking out over the Gotham skyline, they see a blast of Solstice’s energy, and they go to investigate. Solstice and Kid Flash are surrounded by the evil Joker zombies, doing their best to fight back. But something is wrong with Kid Flash’s powers…leading to the stupidest cutaway in the history of comics.

We get two wordless, explanation-less panels featuring Black Canary and the spectral mercenary from last issue doing…something. We’re not told what they’re doing or how it effects Kid Flash’s powers. We’re told, instead, to go read the latest issue of Birds of Prey. This is ridiculous. Birds of Prey has nothing to do with the Teen Titans or Death of the Family. It’s completely unrelated. But this is two issues in a row of Teen Titans that point us towards reading Birds of Prey. Why!? The two comics have absolutely nothing to do with one another. That spectral mercenary hasn’t even done anything in Teen Titans yet! He revealed himself to Solstice last issue, only to immediately get called away to appear in Birds of Prey. He literally was called away on panel, with an editor’s note telling us to go read Birds of Prey.

So why even introduce him in Teen Titans at all!? Why not just introduce him in Birds of Prey?

This has nothing to do with any damn thing

I can only assume that Birds of Prey isn’t selling very well and DC desperately wants some of the Teen Titans readers to check out Birds of Prey. If that’s the case, this is the most ridiculous way to try and make that happen. It’s such an awkward and pointless insertion. It’s like somebody running up on stage in the middle of a rock concert, grabbing the microphone from the lead singer and telling you to go check out this other band across the street. Ugh.

Anyway, the issue ends with Arsenal and Starefire (from Red Hood and the Outlaws) showing up and saving Kid Flash and Solstice.

As I was writing this review, I started hating the issue more and more. The Joker is terrible, his plan is ludicrously convoluted, and that Birds of Prey thing just pisses me off. What’s more, this comic has very little to do with Death of the Family. Yes, Joker is terrorizing a member of the Bat-family, but not really in any meaningful way. He’s basically just teasing Red Robin without any menace. In Batman and Robin, he taunted Damian by removing his face and then burying the 10-year-old in a mountain of disgusting insects! In Teen Titans, he just teases Red Robin about his real name and borrows his wings. This has definitely been the worst of the tie-ins so far, and I haven’t even read them all.

But in hindsight, I felt Tim Drake’s narration was strong, as was the feeling of teamwork between the Titans. I would like to see them take their place in the greater DC Universe. Maybe a team up with the Justice League? Perhaps they’re saving that for a better moment. Or when Teen Titans isn’t terrible. And Brett Booth’s art was pretty good this issue. So there’s that. But otherwise, it’s a terrible tie-in to Death of the Family, with some quality Teen Titans segments. Which is probably the most we can hope for with this series.