I’m actually surprised to say this, but I liked this issue of Teen Titans. And it’s written by Scott Lobdell. Weird, I know! But, surprise surprise, the guy actually followed my advice and gave (most) of the Teen Titans a moment to slow down and interact like real people! Granted, he doesn’t give them long, and already the hints of future stories start crowding into this issue, but there are still some real moments of genuine character interaction! It’s refreshing and fun to read. The writer of the previous issue, Fabian Nicieza, still did a better job with the jokes and the teenage banter. But Lobdell’s efforts in this issue weren’t their typical terribleness.

Teen Titans #14

If only the rest of Teen Titans had been as good as these two issues, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. The team still feels very sporadic and uncoordinated, but maybe we’re finally on the right track.

Comic rating: 4/5: Good.

The issue is split into two parts. Red Robin, Wonder Girl and Superboy continue the battle against Diesel. The dialogue isn’t nearly as good as it was last issue, under Nicieza’s pen, but it’s still serviceable and entertaining enough. The end is a little abrupt, and I’m not entirely sure what happened. But considering the cliffhanger ending to this issue, and the Teen Titans’ involvement in the Death of the Family story in Batman, I almost think Lobdell purposefully just stopped this story dead in its tracks in order to move on. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a lot more planned for Diesel and Wonder Girl. Maybe we’ll find out in the future.

The real treat of this issue – aside from the art, which oddly, is a little worse than last issue – are the scenes between Kid Flash, Bunker and Solstice after they were left behind. Rather than get up to any weird mischief, the trio just kind of hang out, chat amongst themselves and act like real people spending time with their real friends. This is what I’ve wanted to see in Teen Titans since the first issue. This is the kind of thing that will get people to read this comic and love these characters. All action all the time is going to get you nowhere. Unfortunately, Lobdell can’t sit still for too long. A new villain starts to insert himself in these scenes, and it’s really disappointing. We don’t need to be constantly inundated with superhero action! That’s why the Teen Titans still don’t really feel like friends, but instead are just a bunch of characters thrown together in a comic book.

And lordy, the number of editors’ notes referring to other comics and other series are ridiculous. Nothing that happens in this issue or to these characters has me the least bit interested in jumping over to some other series to see where the action continues. And all these little reminders just get annoying.

Alas, Teen Titans is still filled with flaws. Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.

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