Titans Annual #1 – So, Aquaman is a Dick…

Jen and I have discussed how we’re not big into Annuals, and I’m still not. I usually save Annuals to read on a rainy day, and I was planning to do so for Titans Annual #1. However, our loving podcast compatriot Larry told me to make this Annual a priority read. I did, and I’m not entirely sure of what I read. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I read Justice League, some of it would make a lot more sense. However, I know not all of it would, because DC isn’t ready to let the whole cat out of the bag.

Titans Annual #1 doesn’t explain much, but it does give a teensy bit of insight as to what is going on in the world of Rebirth as a whole. It also shows how weak the JL truly is compared to the Titans. In addition, Aquaman and Batman are kind of dicks. Wonder Woman is barely much better.Somehow, all of the former sidekick Titans and their mentors were magically whisked to an unknown location in a completely sealed bunker. They can’t get a signal to call out for help, and they can’t even reach Lilith telepathically for assistance. They are all stuck there until they figure out what to do next. Problem is, the Justice League is kind of filled with jerks.

As the Titans band together instantly to regroup and ensure they’re all okay, the JL stands away from them, refusing to trust them. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman all do not trust that the Titans, or even the JL members, are who they say they are. It could all be a ruse to get their guard down and attack. Flash, however, has no problems instantly believing Wally and his friends are the real deal. We expect Batman to be cold, but it’s very odd that Wonder Woman wears an icy crown. She doesn’t trust the JL, and she certainly doesn’t trust the Titans, especially her former protege, Donna Troy.

Even worse, when Donna calls her out on it, Diana tells her to grow up and not take it so personally. Yeah, that’s kind of hard to do when you see a woman against you, whom you basically consider your mother. Batman and Aquaman aren’t much better, calling the Titans “sidekicks” and “boys.” Aquaman goes as far as to refuse Nightwing’s ability to lead.

Because, you know, royalty means everything here. Royalty never messes up or makes bad leadership decisions. No siree, they’re flawless leaders.

While they all bicker and argue, they’re watched by a seemingly crazy person who is talking to no one in the room, or perhaps someone only he can hear. He brought them there to break them psychologically, to make them reveal their secrets. In the heroes’ fits of not trusting one another, two do break: Wonder Woman and Donna Troy. Batman configured a mask to see heat signatures, and he discovered that one has no signs of organic life: Donna Troy. As the JL is ready to kill her on the spot, Diana steps in to explain why Donna doesn’t seem organic.

I’ve read a few issues of Wonder Woman Rebirth, which focused upon Diana sorting out what is real and what isn’t. With the merging of whatever is going on, Diana senses conflicting stories regarding her past, including how she was born. Evidently, one of those was Donna Troy’s origin story, and Donna does not take it well at all.

This spike in Donna’s psyche helps Lilith locate them so Cyborg can open a boom tube. It also helps Batman sense where their captor is hiding, since he is absorbing Donna’s emotions into a key. As Batman bursts through, the villain uses the key to open a trans-dimensional door and disappears. Whoever he was talking to earlier isn’t pleased with his escape, however. Not sure if we’ll ever find out who the captor was, or why he had captured them. It’s possible the person he was talking to is Dr. Manhattan, but why would he want to break down the original JL members and their proteges?

Fodder for the upcoming Button Crossover between Flash and Batman, I suppose. I wonder how much longer DC is going to string this out before people bail from either confusion or lack of caring. At least Superman seems to be set…for now.

Our Rating: Yep

Author: Dan Abnett
Artists: Minkyuu Jung and Adriano Lucas
Publisher: DC Comics
Publish Date: 03/29/2017
Acquired via Purchase