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Johnny Bullet
DC Comics
Teen Titans Annual # 1
By Koppy McFad

April 9, 2009 - 23:55

Publisher(s): DC Comics
Writer(s): Sean McKeevver
Penciller(s): Fernando Dagnino
Inker(s): Raul Fernandez
Colourist(s): Rod Reis
Letterer(s): Rob Clark
Cover Artist(s): Andrew Robinson
$4.99 US 48 pages


titannual.jpg

The Teen Titans are trapped by their own tower and their own security measures are turned against them. This is part of a major crossover involving the TITANS and VIGILANTE books. But for now, the heroes have enough trouble just staying alive.

The old "headquarters-turned-against-us" ploy is getting pretty old. Virtually every super-team has gone through this before. One character even mentions that this is the second time this has happened to this particular team of Titans. The creative team manages to make this story more interesting-- but just barely. Some characters react better than others. The fear and panic of a few characters is showcased well. Kid Devil pulls a surprise while Static finally shows just how formidable he can be. Other than that, this story just seems overlong. Perhaps because this book is overstuffed. There are just too many Titans and each one has to have some space devoted exclusively to him as part of the tower's rampage. With careful editing, this story could have been accommodated in a regular issue of the TEEN TITANS, not in an annual, which is suppose to be something special. There are some good scenes in this issue of the Titans really struggling but in the end, this new batch of kid-heroes is just too powerful to be taken down by a misguided security system.

DC Comics should really think about what it is to be a Teen Titan. Is the book going to be a dumping ground for characters who can't make it on their own? Is it suppose to be a DC version of the X-MEN?  Or is it suppose to be a place for teen sidekicks of adult superheroes? (Of course many of these 'sidekicks' have virtually no connection to their adult counterparts.) Just what do they do for the greater world at large-- besides protect themselves from various ex-members who have gone berserk?

The art is professional and well-rounded, making the heroes look very formidable. But the inking is a bit heavy. Maybe they were trying to give it a horror-story atmosphere but a superhero book like this isn't really suited to that.

 



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