Review: Raven #6
By Philip Schweier
May 4, 2017 - 09:46
DC Comics
Writer(s): Marv Wolfman
Penciller(s): Diogenes Neves
Inker(s): Ruy Jose
Colourist(s): Blond
Letterer(s): A Larger World
Cover Artist(s): Bengal
I’ll admit I used to be beholden to whatever the current continuity might be,
so I had significant issues with film/TV adaptations that strayed too far from
the source material, Smallville being
a prime example. But then a friend suggested that perhaps it’s should be
regarded as an Elseworlds storyline.
This was a rather liberating epiphany for me. Comics have always enjoyed the opportunity for alternate realities. So within the DC Universe, I can regard every new era as simply the next variation in the chain of multiple Earths.
So, the Rebirth Raven: a teenage goth girl with mystical powers, dressed all in black. So how do we reconcile this version with the original? Easy. She has mystical powers, and presumably can easily travel from one DC Universe to another, and occupy multiple variations of herself while remaining true to her original self.
What reinforces this interpretation is the involvement of original co-creator Marv Wolfman. I once heard him say at a convention panel that he has a distinct voice for each of the Titans. He knows how they speak, he hears it in his head. (Perhaps that’s Raven’s trans-dimensional influence on Earth Prime.)
So everything about Raven in the Rebirth series rings true to what I’ve known before, while expanding on her own character. Supporting players are introduced, while moving Raven away from the cloaked sorceress Wolfman and George Perez introduced in 1979 as a member of “New” Teen Titans. In recent years, DC editorial has maintained that those stories did not happen, but we all know that’s nonsense.
In 35+ years, there’s a lot of change in the comic book market, and in readership. Kudos to DC for empowering an original creator to reinvent their character for contemporary audiences. It should happen more often.