The arrival of Superboy has caused some mixed emotions amongst the Titans camp, but it has been a great thing story wise. All things come to a head when the Titans protecting Superboy and Manchester Black’s group sent to wrangle in the Kryptonian clone come face to face. Multiple super-powered teens with flaring tempers, personal vendettas, and mission objectives all sharing a room together spells nothing but disaster. Luckily for the readers, we’re right along for the ride.I really like Felipe Watanabe as the artist. I’m pretty sure I said the same thing about Kenneth Rocafort who’s been doing a good job on the art duties lately. Watanabe’s panels panels have a very fresh, detailed vibe to them and the book is visually appealing. Not sure if the artist will change every few issues as Felipe Watanabe will be replaced with another artist after Teen Titans #11, but as long as the art stays consistently good then I won’t mind the changes as much. For now, I really liked this art. We’ll see how things continue in that department once Teen Titans #12 is released.
The Titans (minus Cassie and Tanya) have opted to help their destructive friend, Superboy along with the aid of a shape shifting alien. This didn’t sit well with Wonder Girl who is not ready to accept Kon back with open arms. She and the newly acquired Power Girl took their talents to S.T.A.R. Labs and defected to Manchester Black’s team, The Elite, to bring Superboy into custody. Black’s team consisted of the two Titans, the sorcerer Klarion, Trinity the Indigo Lantern, S.T.A.R. Labs super soldier The Guardian, and Kid Flash the future menace to society (these are their actual descriptions). As the teams square off inside of Beast Boy’s upscale Chicago apartment, Kid Flash airs out his grievances first. He recalls his last interaction with Tim Drake that left he and fellow former Titan, Solstice trapped in prison serving a life sentence in the future. Bart’s intensity continued to rise as he inched Tim closer to the window, cracking it in the process. With some quick thinking and great teamwork, Red Robin temporarily blinded Kid Flash before Beast Boy held him down under the enormous weight of his hippopotamus form. Tim and Cassie tried to continue the confrontation through verbal exchange, but with neither side budging from their stances on what to do with Superboy, violence breaks out. Kon shows no mercy as he sends Cassie flying into a wall. Raven and Red Robin sneak teleport to New York to confront Manchester right when the action jumps off. Everyone else is too preoccupied with Superboy who decides that he’s going to take on the entire Elite team. They put up a decent fight, but Conner’s controlled rage proves to be too much for the bounty squad.
The story has really built up a ton of intrigue and mystery surrounding the characters. I find myself constantly theorizing what’s going on or what will happen next, all while enjoying the events being played out on the pages before me. The way the issue opens could be viewed as a metaphor for the arc. Most of the characters involved are crammed into Garfield and Miguel’s apartment. As tensions rise and tempers flare, the entire dilemma spills out of the confines of the apartment and onto the streets. In the same manner, the story has started small. Once the characters were all in play, a much larger scheme has been shown, unfolding into more drama that pulls in the reader. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to Teen Titans every month based of how the series has been recently.
Recommended if:
- You’ve been following the Teen Titans
- You want to find out if Superboy really is a cold blooded killer
- You’re want to see good use of Tim Drake for the hope of more great stories involving him (here’s to good things from his Batman Beyond stories as well
Overall:
The formula’s nothing new, but it does feel interesting with the characters involved and it makes you really want to figure out what caused the situation. Superboy is very direct and anxious to end any conflicts as quickly as possible. The rest of the characters might view that as him being a defensive criminal, but the expressions on his face tell a different story. The story of a man who desperately wants to clear his name. Manchester’s smug attitude should also be listed as a character. He punches Drake and then proceeds to smoke a cigarette as he gives them a solution to their problem. Somebody’s gotta clean his clock at least one good time. A big draw here for me were the action scenes. Superboy takes on The Elite and finishes the fight with a Battle against Wonder Girl. It happens quickly, but satisfying nonetheless. This arc is coming along nicely.
SCORE: 8.5 / 10
