Tiny Titans #42

August 1, 2011

Title: Young Bizarros in Love

Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
Art: Art Baltazar
Editor: Kristy Quinn          
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

Supergirl’s imperfect duplicate Bizarrogirl has come to Earth. This being Tiny Titans, though, rather than coming to blows, Supergirl invites her to a pancake breakfast. Also there is Superboy’s duplicate, Match… and it’s love at first sight. Now in the real DC Universe, this would invite all kinds of uncomfortable, squicky questions about genetics, cloning, and Bizarros, but in the world of Tiny Titans we just move right on to Beast Boy’s fruitless pursuit of Terra. It’s an all-love issue, and it’s really funny. Art Baltazar and Franco have really mastered the light, gentle comedy of this title, creating something that’s got enough wit and cleverness to appeal to the adults, while still maintaining its entertainment value for the intended audience of much younger readers. This is one of the strangest spotlights they’ve done yet, and they sell it really well. This is the best comic being published for the beginning reader, and if you’ve got a kid that’s trying to learn (and that you’d like to get into comics) you need to swarm on it right now.

Rating: 8/10

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #2

July 21, 2011

Title: Emperor Aquaman Part Two                           

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Vicente Cifuentes
Inks: Diana Egea & Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist: Kyle Ritter
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Ardian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes
Editor: Eddie Berganza    
Publisher: DC Comics

With the isle of Britain thrust into the sky to be used as an Amazon fortress, Aquaman gathers Siren and Ocean Master to plan for an attack. This issue lays out much more of the Flashpoint universe, really helping to connect the dots. We see how Terra and Geo-Force became pawns in the Atlantis/Amazon war, how Mera’s death changed Arthur, and how Arthur’s own origin was twisted around in this universe. More and more, the theory that this world isn’t simply the result of Professor Zoom’s vendetta against Barry Allen is gaining ground, as each of the core Justice League members seems to have been targeted. This issue also helps to establish more of the timeline of this world, which seems to coincide with comments that the “New 52” will feature younger versions of the characters. We already know from Project: Superman that Kal-El crashed to Earth 28 years ago, and from the core miniseries we learn that Martha Wayne was pregnant with Bruce at the time (Superman and Batman are both just 28 in this world?), while this issue establishes Aquaman at about 25 years of age. It’s strange to think of these classic heroes as being younger than me, frankly, but at least in terms of the Flashpoint world, it’s working. Vicente Cifuentes is a great choice for the artwork, doing nice stuff underwater. Again, Kyle Ritter steps up, using his different color palettes not only to differentiate between the underwater and surface scenes, but other colors entirely for the flashbacks to Aquaman’s origin. It’s a nice package that entertains and pushes the world forward.

Rating: 7/10

Teen Titans Go! #11

September 27, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Countdown

Terra is part of the team now… but will that protect them from Slade?

Writer: J. Torres
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Cover Art: Dave Bullock
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

This was a pretty good issue of Teen Titans Go!, something that ties directly into recent events of the TV show. It may have done with a little note informing the readers that it takes place before recent episodes – mainly for the benefit of particularly young readers (of which I know there are many). Still, with a little help from their parents, it should be easy to figure out where this story fits in.

The Titans, with their newest member Terra, engage in a fun-filled game of “Capture the Flag.” What the viewer/reader knows that the Titans don’t though, is that Terra is a double agent, working for their enemy Slade (the TV version of the DCU’s Deathstroke). The team gets led into a dust-up with some of Slade’s forces, and Terra’s loyalties are clearly divided.

By necessity, this is an issue that can’t really show much change or growth of the characters. The story, after all, has to be able to fit seamlessly between episodes of the TV show. However, it can give a little insight into the characters, particularly Terra and Beast Boy, and it does very good in that respect.

Todd Nauck, as usual, is quite well suited to the art on this book. He doesn’t have to adapt his own style very much to match the style of the show – each of these characters is perfectly on-model, and for a cartoon show adaptation, that’s really the best you can say.

Although I’m still not a fan of some of the sillier Anime-style elements this property has, I’ve warmed up both to the TV show and the comic. It’s definitely got its place, especially among younger fans who may not yet appreciate the more sophisticated storytelling of Justice League Unlimited.

Rating: 7/10