Join the Titans as they embark on their most ambitious, dangerous mission yet: a two-part adventure!
When Hollywood executives come calling, claiming to want to create a television show based on the team, imaginations begin to run wild.
Will it be a nature documentary, complete with random shark attacks?
Or maybe an action-packed Saturday morning cartoon, with all the stilted animation and lame dialogue that you’d expect?
How about just flat-out resurrecting the original Teen Titans cartoon, with its pseudo-Anime style, angsty storylines, and catchy theme song?
Who knows? We aren’t given an answer… because it’s a two-parter.
It’s also ridiculously fun, with a ton of great jokes and spot-on parodies. Sholly Fisch is an underrated talent in the world of all-ages books, and seeing his name on the credits page always piques my interest. He just “gets” how to write books like this, balancing the silliness that appeals to kids with parody and satire that will make adults laugh. Even then, his humor is smart but never crass, mining humor from situations instead of lewdness.
Well, ok, sometimes the jokes are dumb. Really dumb. But who amongst us doesn’t want to see a luchador gorilla?
Exactly.
Fisch doesn’t carry the load himself, though, as the team of DiChiara and Lawson turn in some great, great work. The basic look of the Titans is great, close enough to the TV show’s models while still having a style of its own. It’s when they parody various animation styles that they truly shine, though, delivering pitch-perfect sendups of old Hanna-Barbera and Filmation cartoons:
And the original Teen Titans television show:
Surprisingly enough, this may be my favorite Batbook of the week. It’s goofy fun, and right now that’s what I needed.
Recommended if:
- You like the TV show
- You have kids and want to enjoy a book with them.
- You need a good laugh.
Overall: Great fun and good satire. Scarcely a page went by where I didn’t laugh out loud, and that’s thanks to both the sharp writing and great visuals. An underdog entry, but of all the books we’re covering this week this was my favorite.
SCORE: 9/10
