It’s amazing how the simplest concepts can result in the funniest of stories. That’s the case with the newest installment of Teen Titans Go!, which isn’t quite a top-tier narrative but it has more than its share of laughs. And really, what more do you need?
The basic plot: the Titans barge in on Robin and catch him in the embarrassing act of being a sidekick. They give him a hard time about it, what with the polishing of Batarangs and his name appearing below Batman’s in much smaller print.
Robin, because he’s totally neurotic, doesn’t take well to this and insists it’s harder than it looks.
I think you can guess where this is going.
Yes, the rest of the team decide to give it a shot and ally themselves with other heroes. It goes about as well as you’d expect.
It’s a really simple story idea that plays to the best of the series’ strengths. As you can see in the image above, there’s tons of potential for some amazing Easter eggs, and cameos from various heroes and villains are always welcome.
We have Cyborg partnering with Robot Man…
Raven teamed with (and scarier than) the Spectre…
Beast Boy just absolutely screwing things up with Vixen…
And the absolute best: sweet Starfire paired with the Main Man himself, Lobo.
You just know that none of this works out, and it’s funny seeing the various ways each partnership breaks down. Even funnier? Robin’s activities when nobody is looking.
Robin is all of us, and we are Robin.
Believe me, despite the bevy of images I’ve posted there are plenty more jokes and gags throughout that I haven’t even hinted at. Sholly Fisch takes such a simple idea and just rolls with it, and Marcelo DiChiara and Franco Riesco bring a solid visual game to the story. This is a really good looking comic, with some beautiful bright colors from Riesco, and I really like DiChiara’s character designs here. Robot Man looks great, in particular, and just seeing so many cameos brings a smile to my face.
True to the show, they throw in plenty of visual gags too. Some are expected, like the posters hanging around Robin’s room, and there are some pretty snappy background jokes here and there as well.
“Surly Hour.” That’s funny, and it’s not even a comic joke!
One of the best things that Teen Titans Go! does is making kids aware of various aspects of the DC Universe. The show may be beyond silly, even dumb at points, but I’ve heard from more than one parent that they appreciate it simply because it got their kids into these characters. Seriously, how many comics and shows aimed at kids feature the Spectre, B’Wana Beast, Lobo, and Vixen all in one go?
This installment of Teen Titans Go! is smart, witty, and outright funny. The story may not be particularly strong, but that really doesn’t matter when it supplies some laughs.
Recommended if:
- You like Teen Titans Go!
- You’re a huge Spectre fan.
- You like to laugh.
Overall: Silly, sharp, and witty, this is just a fun and funny installment of Teen Titans Go! The visual aesthetic is great, with some great character models, gorgeous colors, and pretty amazing background gags, and the jokes land pretty well from front to back. It’s all goofy, silly fun with some deep cuts of DCU knowledge.
SCORE: 8.5/10
