It’s starting to look like Teen Titans is finding its footing after rebirth, and begin to show signs of improvement. This is an early assumption, but this month’s issue was a decent outing. Titled One Brief, Shining Moment, I can say that’s just what I was hoping for–and frankly, that’s exactly what I got. The creative team on this book present a nice step in the right direction that leaves me hopeful and a bit more intrigued about what’s in store.
The first noticeable change from last month is having Kenneth Rocafort back on art duty. I thought Scott Hepburn’s style was nice and worked for the last two issues, but Rocafort’s pencils seemed more well-suited this issue. It might depend on how events play out in the story or maybe I was glad to see consistency in the characters’ faces. Rocafort tends to place the characters in random blank spaces, but there was a nice balance between the empty settings and detailed backgrounds this time around. I actually really liked the way his panels were set up in sort of a jagged array of colors and shapes. Brought quick movement to the story’s pace.
As far as the story, we join our heroes in the aftermath of a full on assault on S.T.A.R. Labs (seriously, what’s the hazard pay at this place?). Beast Boy was already at the island where the facility is located with a S.T.A.R. employee who was suffering from a bad case of the Bratatats. The rest of the team warp to Gar’s location and offer assistance. These early scenes had my only two problems that threw me off in the book. One was Raven’s health. She seemed to be fine the last two issues, but she appeared to be a bit weary while transporting herself and the other Titans to various locations. Maybe it was something I missed from an earlier issue or she just gets drained while teleporting multiple people. Feel free to let me know in the comments section if you have a better explanation. The second thing was Cassie asking Tanya about her version of the Power Girl suit. Wonder Girl and Power Girl have literally been with each other for the last two to three issues. They fought a gang of super-powered druggies, chastised their team, gulped a few energy drinks, and watched a nuclear explosion together. I’m sure I’m just nitpicking, but come on, they’re practically best friends now. Don’t girls comment on each other’s attire pretty quickly? Probably just my assumption again.
Raven’s able to heal the injured S.T.A.R. Labs employee and the Titans assess the situation. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any nuclear fallout after the explosion. Wonder Girl, however, explodes into action and flies to face the culprits head on. She brings back a member from the team to be interrogated and this is where the issue kicks it up a notch. Manchester offers a quick explanation to the Titans about how dire the situation is, and what was their best plan of attack. Immediately after, we get down to some Teen Titan action!
Will Pfeifer handles the team well. I can see he’s laying the foundation down for the book and slowly trying to flesh out the characters. Each one is showing flashes of their personality so I hope that continues for some great character development. Pfeifer writes really well for Beast Boy. Gar’s explanations for two of his animal choices was pretty cool and adds some depth to his shape shifting ability.
Recommended if:
- You’ve been following this title
- Big fans of Beast Boy and Raven
- You’d like to see some nice Titan teamwork
Overall:
The story and the danger within is pretty brief in this one, but like I said there’s some good foundation work being laid here. This is part one of this particular arc, and the cliffhanger makes you want to stay tuned to see what’s unfolding. Pfeifer is providing humble beginnings for these young heroes and this was indeed, a brief shining moment.
SCORE: 8/10
