You really want to get my attention? Make a “Weird Al” reference.
That man is the greatest musical genius of modern times. No joust, no arguments.
The Titans, on the other hand…
Well, they give it a fair shake. While watching a reality singing competition show thing on TV (where Raven is inexplicably a judge) the Titans witness the return of Punk Rocket. Now that he has a stage, Rocket uses his powers (?) to… annoy the world’s population for… reasons?
I don’t know, it isn’t very well defined. All I know is this dude with a mohawk uses power chords and an incredibly generic I-V-IV progression to wreak havoc.
That is, until the Titans challenge him to a Battle of the Bands.
Robin playing the triangle and being so miserable is the best.
There really isn’t much to this story. It’s effectively one extended gag without much of a resolution. Marcelo DiChiara turns in some good work here, giving a surprising amount of detail to the background characters. Given that the show they’re watching has a large studio audience, there are understandably quite a few people hanging around. DiChiara puts a lot of effort into the different faces and body types, not falling back on any cheats or tricks. With that, this is one of the first times this book actually feels like it takes place in a world with a diverse population instead of the five Titans and a handful of throwaway characters each issue.
The best part, though, is when Robin unveils his secret weapon: jazz flute.
Sadly, Robin doesn’t have that Burgundy magic, as the audience is not impressed. Regardless, the Titans win the day and now I have like five “Weird Al” songs stuck in my head. Here’s my favorite:
Recommended if:
- You like the show.
- You want a decent book for kids.
- You really like music jokes.
Overall: It may be a one-joke story, but there are still a few good gags here. Given the musical element this would have definitely worked better as a TV episode. As it is, this installment of Teen Titans Go! has some attractive visuals to keep your attention through a pretty average story.
SCORE: 5.5/10
