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Review: Teen Titans #19
I guess the latest issue of Teen Titans is the perfect place for the phrase ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic’. We already know that with Rebirth, this current team of Titans is going to come to an end. Either the team will split up, or they will never have been a team at all. Normally, this would be the perfect opportunity for a big, climactic something or other. But writer Greg Pak only came on to the series a few issues ago, and he’s kind of just going through the motions.
In any other situation, this would be a mighty fine issue of Teen Titans. But that omnipresent feeling of just killing time is unavoidable.
Teen Titans #19
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
So we kinda sorta do get that team up between Wonder Woman and the Teen Titans. And we do get to see Wonder Girl learn about her previously unknown past. And there are some nice character moments found within Teen Titans #19. It’s a finely written and drawn comic. I don’t think I have any particular complaints, which is very different from my previous Teen Titans reviews, I know.
It’s almost as if Pak is just keeping the boat above water. Tell some innocent, innocuous stories that don’t really matter in the long run, but keep the book coming out on time.
I suppose I don’t have a problem with that, because we live in a world where Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel exist.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!
Review: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
I’m not really sure what I think about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can’t bring myself to say it’s a bad movie, because it’s competently made and sometimes enjoyable. But I can’t bring myself to say it’s a good movie, because it’s utterly joyless and, at times, terribly made. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is the Transformers of superhero movies. It’s a big, CGI mess of darkness and explosions, but sometimes it’s fun seeing these characters on screen, and it’s going to make all the money.
Movie Rating: 5/10 – Alright.
At the very least, it’s kind of cool to see these superheroes on the big screen together. Part of me did get excited to see Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman standing together against adversity (even if we’d already seen it in the trailers). But another part of me wished the movie was more fun. BvS is a dark, drab, gritty production that puts even the Christopher Nolan Batman movies to shame. This film is the exact opposite of the successful and wonderful Marvel movies. There’s no charm, no joy, no heroics and, most important, no fun.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is the grimdark superhero trend taken to its ultimate conclusion. If you like your superheroes as grimdark and serious as possible, this might be the movie for you. But I would have liked something more enjoyable.
Join me after the jump for the full review and lots of SPOILERS.
Review: Teen Titans #18
Rebirth is on its way, folks. In a few short months, DC Comics is going to kick off their next big thingamajig, and current comics are feeling the pinch. We don’t know what’s going to happen to the Teen Titans, who’s going to write it, who’s going to draw it, or what it’s going to be about. But for now, writer Greg Pak is cruising along with a fun little story about Wonder Girl’s origins. I enjoyed the last issue for its upbeat character work and interesting story. Teen Titans #18 continues the trend, though the issue is kind of light and breezy.
But I can live with light and breezy when it comes to a new Teen Titans.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
I have no real complaints about this issue, none that matter anyway. It’s fun, simple and pretty straight forward. It calls back to the brilliant Wonder Woman run by Brian Azzarello, which is neat. It contains the first ever team up of Wonder Woman and Tim Drake in the New 52, which I personally found kind of annoying, and I’ll explain why later. At times, I felt like Pak didn’t necessarily know what to do with all of the Titans. This is a Wonder Girl story, first and foremost, but I guess Pak can’t just ignore the rest of them. That kind of means he doesn’t find as many great character moments, like he did with the last issue, but it’s not a big deal.
Honestly, I feel so mellow about this issue, that I’m starting to wonder if I was too harsh with my previous reviews. Or if I’m being too lenient with Greg Pak. This is just a fine little comic, neither great nor terrible. Teen Titans feels like it’s biding its time until Rebirth, but at least Pak and artist Ian Churchill (with an assist by Tom Derenick) are making the most of it.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review.
Review: Teen Titans #17
Here we go! Buckle up, boys and girls, because the next era of Teen Titans is upon us! New writer Greg Pak takes the reigns, at least for a little while, hoping to right this stagecoach for a few issues, until Rebirth comes along to maybe change everything up again. It’s a little hard to get excited about the new writer when there’s every indication that nothing will stick. But I’ve stuck with Teen Titans this long, and I’m always eager for something new from this series.
Teen Titans #17
So it’s damn exciting that Greg Pak immediately and unequivocally solves one of my biggest complaints about this series. This is close to being the Teen Titans I’ve always wanted.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The biggest problem with Teen Titans in the New 52, and even in DCYou, is that the characters are treated as little more than action figures. They are costumed superheroes first, people second. All they do is fight bad guys, bouncing from one random opponent to the next. Famously, Red Robin never once removed his costume when Will Pfeifer was writing the series. There was apparently no interest in addressing the Teen Titans as teenagers or youngsters or human beings. They were action figures, trapped in a strange mess of stories, many of which were likely tugged back and forth by demanding editorial.
I may never understand why Teen Titans was so shackled when things like Batgirl, Ms. Marvel, Young Avengers and Teen Titans Go! were allowed to exist.
Teen Titans #17 doesn’t fix everything. Pak and DC don’t go for the nuclear option. This is still the same team, carrying on the same storyline, and existing in the same New 52 world. But Pak treats them as people for the first time in a long time. There is more characterization in this one issue than in Pfeifer’s entire run. There are character moments that legitimately shocked me for how little we’ve seen that level of depth. And for once, the threat doesn’t come from some outside force, but from within. For once, the Teen Titans are driving their own story.
And you better believe that Tim Drake shows up in this comic! Join me after the jump to see for yourself!
Surprise! There’s a New Batman vs. Superman Trailer!
Like the sudden arrival of a bird or a plane, here comes a full-fledged new trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. It opens with a pretty spectacular showcase of what our new Batman is going to be like!
This one doesn’t seem to give away any of the story, but hot damn, there’s a lot of action and excitement! Will it live up to the action and excitement of Watchmen? Or give in to the overly CGI’d action of Man of Steel? I have no idea, but we’re now only a month or so away from this movie coming out!
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