Red Robin is determined to clear the name of his friend and former teammate, Superboy by any means necessary. With his back against the wall, old friends against him, and time quickly running out, things look very bleak for the Titans. There’s no better time for the Titans to stick together and show what they’re made of than this. But how do you solve one big problem that you’re already facing? By creating an even bigger one, of course!
In the life of being a superhero, there are going to be times where you’re forced into bad situations, pushed to your limits, and have the motives of you and those around you questioned. It can be a verytrying time in one’s life when the reason that you took on this role was to protect the lives of others. All of this is visibly how Tim Drake feels in this issue of Teen Titans. The reappearance of Superboy not only added life to this title, but seems to draining the life out of Red Robin who is trying his hardest to protect his destructive friend. Battered and bruised in the beginning of the issue, you can tell Tim desperately wants all of this to end. The city and his friends are at risk if the Titans do not get to the bottom of what’s going on.
I was excited when I read the solicitation for this issue because who doesn’t like a story where people are breaking into a prison? Honestly, I just like the inclusion of a super prison in the story because it adds a layer to the world that is created within the title. The events that have unfolded already took them through Chicago, so it’s cool seeing them return to Metropolis to visit the Metropolis Armory Ward; affectionately known as the M.A.W.!
As I mentioned earlier, you can tell that Robin wants to end this whole ordeal. He just wants his friend back, and they might even be facing legal trouble (Wonder Girl and Superboy did a number on Chicago’s downtown area). Aiding and abetting a fugitive is not on the list of things that heroes should be doing. Not letting that stop them, the Titans band together to break more laws, all in the name of justice! Naturally, things don’t go according to plan inside the jail, but really, would we want it any other way from a reader’s viewpoint?
Artist Ricken is on the job for this issue. The Teen Titans title as a whole has had issues with artists, well not so much issues, but has had a lot of artists come through to complete each issue. It seems like more than one person helped on this issue as some of the panels look better than others throughout the pages. It’s nothing too bad, but it is noticeable. Ricken is a good artist so I enjoyed how everything looked. Particularly the prison outbreak scene. There were cool panels there, even an appearance of familiar bad guy, Blockbuster. Come to think about it, anytime that someone was using a special ability of some sort are when the pages really looked great. I guess the powers added extra incentive to make the panels look spectacular. But like I said, the art overall was up to par.
Recommended if:
- You enjoy when the Titans work great as a team
- You want to see a super villain prison outbreak
- You’re following Teen Titans
Overall:
The action, the drama, and the stakes are all cranked up to the max in this issue. I really felt myself thinking, “Oh no! What’s going to happen”? Naturally that’s because I connect to some of these stories way more than I should, but hey, that’s what we’re here for, right? Manchester Black continues to be the slime ball who’s playing you, but may still actually be on your side if only to double cross you at a later time. Having the Elite and the Titans face off against each other keeps the drama and entertainment high as does a super villain prison break. The prison makes for a great backdrop to this part of the story and offers a few laughs and overall fleshed out feeling to the story. Even with their backs against the wall, the Teen Titans are one efficient team. Hopefully they’ll keep it to help clear their former teammate, Kon. Judging by all the property damage that guy makes, he’s going to need all the help he can get.
SCORE: 8.5 / 10
