So here we are, with another Teen Titans Go! issue. It is certainly something.
Now, I know this series has a lot of detractors because of how silly it is, which is valid: it’s incredibly silly, and oftentimes immature. See the newly-released trailer for the upcoming movie for proof of that. Yet it’s also a love letter to the entire DCU, mixing irreverent humor with deep cut references and genuine affection towards the imprint’s characters, stories, and places.
But that’s the show. The comic is much more of a mixed bag: while there are flashes of inspiration and genuinely good storytelling every now and then, just as often this book is… less than stellar. Lazy jokes, forced gags, and recycled stories, this book can be victim to them all.
Unfortunately, that’s the case with this month’s installment, more often than not.
My main problem with this story is it’s just… weird. Everyone in Jump City, save for Robin and Raven, have become obsessed with a new time-wasting/questionably-advantageous-from-a-fitness-standpoint craze called the Toe-Tapper™.
It is a spring with a rubber ball on the end.
In the age of the fidget spinner, it’s not that difficult to imagine that actually becoming a fad.
Anyway, Raven obviously thinks it’s dumb and Robin think so it’s dumb while having his own addictions.
Notice those are creams A-H. Who knows where I-P and Q-Z are?
In the end, it’s discovered that the creator of the Toe-Tapper™®, Gus (who is Fun) is actually a literal fungus.
Fun Gus.
Fungus.
Gross.
Exiled from his homeworld, he just wanted to be a part of something, so he created the Toe-Tapper™®©. It’s pretty thin, and not all that funny. A sentient fungus is more gross than anything, and Cohen doesn’t get many laughs out of his script.
Jeremy Lawson fares a bit better, with a few funny sight gags and some fun references. I particularly like doing the joke where Robin calls all the doctors on their insurance plan, only to get doctors he… probably doesn’t want to see.
So, I know Doctors Fate, Light, and Hugo Strange, but I’m blanking on whomever that is at the top left. Dude with the owl and horn ornament hornament. Anyone recognize him?
UPDATE: thinking on it, I thought it might be Doctor Mid-Nite, and sure enough I got confirmation from the source itself.
https://twitter.com/impkingcomics/status/951515184086093829
The internet can be a wonderful place, friends.
This isn’t the worst installment I’ve read, and it certainly isn’t the best either. If anything, it feels like filler, and besides a few good sight gags there isn’t much to it.
…
…oh my gosh, “Fungus Among Us.” I just got the title.
Recommended if:
- You’re big into Doctor Fate.
Overall: There are worse things you could spend a buck on, but there are so many better things out there too. The concept is uninspired, the writing is dull, and the art is really just ok. If you want an all-ages book, go get a back issue of Tiny Titans instead.
SCORE: 4/10
