Teen Titans Rebirth #1 Review – Hello is Overrated
Today is the big day! The one-shot of Teen Titans Rebirth has arrived, and now we can all see how this will come together. This one-shot starts exactly how I would have thought it would, with each prospective Teen Titan off doing their own thing and then they’re somehow brought together. It worked in the 1980s and 2011, so why not again? To be fair, they had to set it up that way because the Teen Titans disbanded after the final issue from The New 52. I mean, how can they go on without a Robin?
Man, they’re going to feel silly when they learn Tim Drake is so not dead.
So who will be joining the Rebirth edition of the Teen Titans? Let’s take a look, shall we?
First up is Beast Boy, who, after the Teen Titans breakup, finds himself trying to make it as a struggling actor. Poor kid needs a team so badly, he’s blown a portion of his inheritance on a Hollywood party. All he wants is to be loved and be surrounded by friends. At least he knows none of these people at his party are his friends, which makes it ten times sadder.
Second is Kid Flash. Coincidentally in this week’s The Flash issue, Barry learns that Wally West 2 has a connection with the Speed Force and agrees (sort of) that he can help as a Kid Flash. As soon as Wally dons the yellow, he’s attacked by a mystery man and hauled away.
Now let’s go back to some original Teen Titans, or at least original 1980s Teen Titans. How about someone who recently left the Titans? Starfire is returning to the world of “teen” even though she’s hardly a teen. I’d say she should be their den mother, but seriously, she’s too flighty in more ways than one to take care of a bunch of teenagers. Then again, Beast Boy has to be around her age too, technically. Or, wait, did The New 52 retcon all of that? You know what, I’m not going to jump down that rabbit hole.
I do like Starfire being a part of some comic series, as I’ve always liked her character. I even liked her in Red Hood and the Outlaws. Shit, she was almost a lone shining beacon in that series. I am curious to see how she will contribute. I also got a bit of the heart flutters when she reminisced asking Nightwing to accompany her on her current quest to shut down slave traders in the Caribbean. Why can’t these two kids just get together and be happy?
Oh. Right. Comics.
And last but not least, we have Raven. After the Teen Titans broke up, Raven has decided to go back to high school and attempt to be normal. I don’t even want to know why. But she can’t stay away from the hero game forever, even though she has cut her hair and dyed the tips like any good teenager would do. While perusing a museum in the after hours, she’s also kidnapped by a mystery man.
All four wake up together after their kidnappings, bound in an electric device that restricts their super powers, not unlike what Syndrome used in The Incredibles. And who kidnapped them? It’s not an evil corporation, villain, or crazed fan.
Just in case you don’t know which Robin that is, it’s laid out nicely for you in the bottom right.
I know Damian Wayne has…issues, but couldn’t he send emails, texts, carrier bats, or I don’t know, say hi to his future teammates instead of kidnapping them? Hell, Beast Boy totally would have signed up if Damian asked. Raven might have needed a kidnapping, so that was fairly warranted.
While this team looks fairly good, I’m disappointed that three members are not present. Right after I finished reading I asked, out loud, “Where is Bunker?” Bunker was such a great addition to the Teen Titans both in 2011 and 2014. He’s funny, has an unusual ability, and has always had a knack at keeping his teammates grounded. If Bunker doesn’t join, he will be sorely missed.
I also wonder about Power Girl and Wonder Girl, the Cassie Sandsmark edition. Other critics as well as I have had issues with how DC tries to implement Cassie, or tried. Of all the Teen Titans, they never seem to know what to do with her character the most. Power Girl started off slow in the 2014 run, but she really came into her own and I’m not ready to say good-bye to her just yet. In the final New 52 issue, they talked about forming a duo or at least trying to work together to help other meta-humans. If they aren’t in any comic series, that’s extremely disheartening. Perhaps they have just given up on figuring out what to do with Cassie entirely. If that’s the case, why make Power Girl suffer?
In a positive note, check out this beautiful artwork by Jonboy Meyers. I love the mix of cel-shaded with the sleek comic book and poster pencils/inks. It’s simply stunning. If this series alternated between Meyers and Kenneth Rocafort its entire run, it would be the most beautiful comic book in existence.
Next week will be the first official Teen Titans #1, and then we’ll see why Robin has brought everyone together. Although we know why. It’s to form the Teen Titans. Again. Duh.
Author: Benjamin Percy
Artists: Jonboy Meyers and Jim Charalampidis
Publisher: DC Comics
Publish Date: 09/28/2016
Acquired via Purchase
