[Review is currently without visual aid; images will be added as soon as possible.]
I like to put a level of creativity in my reviews – but normally, that’s kind of contingent on the story encouraging a creative response. Like Dark Crisis #1, issue #2 does little to convince me such effort is necessary. There’s good stuff here, but it’s shallow – content without the depth that would normally warrant comprehensive analysis. So, let’s see what we’re working with instead!
“Fall of the Titans” is exactly what you think: with a few small exceptions, the book is entirely about the attack on Titans Tower, and the fall of the Titans Academy. I’d warn you for spoilers, but like issue #1, it doesn’t do much more than what it says on the tin. We don’t see the new Justice League in action, aside from Superman – and we only get a little hint as to the larger story at play, one involving Pariah, The Flashes, the Green Lantern Corps and the Great Darkness. It essentially relies on you being invested in the Titans and their academy… which I’m not, despite DC’s best efforts to establish a new era for the team.
That being said, I’ll freely admit the pacing of this book is quite good! I never felt bored with the story, yet I didn’t think anything was being rushed along. While I wasn’t emotionally invested in the Titans Tower falling yet again, I did feel like it was a good way to develop the plot. Deathstroke has been fighting the Titans since his conception, and this all-out assault on their way of life in the absence of the Justice League feels like a culmination of sorts – the Terminator coming to collect his debts, and Nightwing’s school paying the price.
The action is good, too. Daniel Sampere’s art continues to be of absolutely stellar quality – it’s one thing to show a bunch of A-list superheroes standing together, another thing entirely to show a lot of D-list villains in an action sequence, without them making seem completely ridiculous. This book takes itself quite seriously, even though it really shouldn’t: not with Deathstroke rocking a haircut like that.
Beast Boy isn’t dead, and I’m not sure if I prefer it being a cheap fakeout or not. He’s not the first DC character to get shot in the face and survive (hi, Joker!), so whatever, I suppose. Despite the decimation and destruction on display in this issue, it’s of little ultimate impact – the Tower can always be rebuilt, and no one ends up actually dying. I will, however, confess that the story grows more intriguing! Nightwing, Superman and Black Adam seem to be the major players in this book, and while the cast is proving to be a bit of a sausagefest so far, I expect future issues to expand the cast and show us exactly what we’re in for. You don’t have my attention, but you have my curiosity – keep up a good pace and you might get more.
Recommended If:
- You’re invested in the livelihood of the Titans.
- You weren’t completely turned off by my first review.
- The expanding conspiracy and broading scope of the story excites you. These are not stellar recommendations, but I’m working with what I’ve got here.
Overall
I don’t think this book is all that creative, but you can’t say it’s not ambitious – and I like how it’s branching out to give Legacy characters their time in the spotlight during a major event! I’d go into it more, but it’s hard to be very detailed or comprehensive about a book that doesn’t have much substance as of right now. For now, I’ll simply say it hasn’t lost me – let’s see what it takes for it to grab me.
Score: 5/10
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Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
