Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Oh Yeah, That Forum: The Titans Would you buy Teen TItans now? & #17

After reading the last two Titans issues in which the Legion appeared, I was more interested in the series, but not caught up enough to continue reading it. I thought...

There's a review of the latest issue at fourthrail, which makes the story sound very enticing. http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/critiques/101804/teentitans17.shtml

An excerpt:

Johns gets to the point of the story in a hurry. He doesn't try to lull the audience into a false sense of security. He shows us right away that in this future, the heroes have lost their way, that they've become the bad guys in a misguided attempt to do good. It's a nice change of pace from the decompressed style of storytelling that's arisen in the last few years.

The first issue of this series was about how these young heroes needed guidance, how they felt disenfranchised and needed to rediscover what made them want to be heroes in the first place. Johns builds on that notion here by demonstrating how the experiment could fail and why the guidance was so desperately needed in the first place. What really made this issue click for me, though, was Johns's success in establishing mood. The tension and dreariness of this vision of the
characters' future completely envelop the reader and draws one into the story. 9/10

I piicked it up just out of curiosity. I enjoyed it, the art was good, the story drew me in and, like all good serials made me finish it and want to know "what happens next"

I'm not sure I would give it 9/10, nor that I will continue buying, but?

Actually, the crossover we did here gave me a reason to read the series for the first time. I was buying the comics but, because of Graduation Day, I just couldn't bring myself to read one of them. I enjoyed the Teen Titans more than I thought I would. I thought the two preceding series' Young Justice and the Titans was a far better fit for all the characters involved though.

However, I will say that #16 was a big disappointment and not nearly as enjoyable as the preceding 15. Also, #17 is leaving me cold. But, I am reading them for a change.

Teen Titans is probably my biggest comics disappointment at the moment.

I *WANT* to like it because I'm a huge fan of the Titans characters and their history from way back, and because I know Johns can be an excellent writer - but this book is just failing on all levels for me. I don't like the way he writes the characters, I hate the padded for TPB endless storylines and it annoys me that this book has been so focused on the Young Justice characters rather than the 'real' Titans - a problem soon to get worse now that Starfire is heading over to the Outsiders and Aquagirl (Lorena) and Speedy (Mia) are taking her place.

All that said though - I did *REALLY* like Teen Titans #17. It was probably all the references to old members like Mal, Karen, Bette and Duela that hooked me but I definitely think its the best of the series so far and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here.

Oh, and the art was excellent!

I don't think I'm one of the readers you're talking to, Cramer, as I've been buying and (for the MOST part) loving this book since the first issue.

That said, I'm really looking forward to this arc, and that review is great.

I decided to drop the series after the Legion crossover. I wasn't enjoying the book as much as I thought I would. It sometimes came off as one large treatise on why teenagers shouldn't be super-heroes. I guess I was looking for something a little lighter in tone.

I was starting to get bored of it, but this latest issue really has me intrigued. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everything is resolved!

(I HATE the older Cassie's "Wonder Woman" costume, by the way...)

I picked it up yesterday. I've never read TT before (since the Silver Age, I mean) but I thought I'd give it a try. Haven't read it yet, though.

Two words for why I like this series: BART and BATMOBILE...

I was a TITANS buyer before the crossover, as well. I detested Crapuation Day and considered boycotting TT... instead I concentrated my rancor on OUTSIDERS. Even then, I gave in after a few months and now enjoy aspects of both titles ('news' items indicating Donna Troy's eventual return did a lot to ameliorate the ill feelings...)

Anyways... I thought #17 was fairly enjoyable. I'm thoroughly tired of doom and gloom futures... does *every* possibility visited *have* to be thoroughly negative? Boring...

The highlight, for me, was the Batman/Duela Dent scene... Duela looked terrific and came across as a dynamic character.

I hope this future is averted for Duela, Tim and co. If Miss Dent doesn't show up soon in the 'normal' time of the TT, I'll be thorougly disappointed.

Todd

i dropped the book after the first story arc, figuring i'd pick it up in trade

then grabbed the Legion tie-in & the special

was debating on picking up this arc because i like the look of it and i am a duela dent fan and if she's in it, then i might have to grab it (heck, i spent enough picking up every single batman family & 70s teen titans she appeared in -this doesn't seem like too much a stretch, at least for the 1 issue)

otherwise these characters just don't do it for me -- i didn't pick up Young Justice - the emphasis on those 4 (and beast boy) kinda bores me (maybe because i'm nowhere near a teenager in age anymore)

cyborg, starfire and raven are definitely some fave Titans ... i saw that they're going to start including bumblebee, the new Aquagirl and speedy ... that could pique my interest

Well, I bought the 2 TPBs. I liked the 1st one, the second was... errr... I don't know. I have a hard time understanding some characters and events(Rose Wilson, the "new" Raven, the whole Brother Blood/Trigon thing...). I will try the next TPB, but if it is in the same tone than this one, it will be the last.

Rose Wilson i could get
daddy hops his psychic girl up on his weird performance drugs, destabilizing an already raw character -- she doesn't have family; she wants to emulate daddy
and takes that to the logical end

i mean, if your father had killed your two brothers, wouldnt' you want to be on his side?

or, to see it another way, Rose is one of the 1st truly psycho dangerous supervillains of her generation

the new raven? brother blood/trigon? the pacing? yeah, that kinda dragged and i didn't really get it (or care to)

So, does this mean there's a young Duela Dent running around the DCU currently?

I don't know. That Duela seemed fairly young to me, but I guess she could have been the same age as the Adult Titans. If so, I'd definitely like to see her in the present day.

She struck me as being a little bit older than the Adult Titans considering her comments during her battle with that Batman...calling him Timmy, Tim, Tim. Of course if it's Duela you're looking for exclusively, don't bother picking up this arc other than the first issue, since her appearnce in it has already ended with a bang!

She did look great though. Perhaps the best rendidtion of Duela ever!

She did look great didn't she!

I'm wondering if, after her villainous turn here and in the Geoff Johns co-written Titans West story, those people who've been clamouring for Duela's return to the regular series shouldn't have been more careful what they wished for? Will any of them be happy if she comes back as the psychotic villainess she was here?

I'm kinda torn - Duela was never my favourite of the 70s gang but I'd worry that if she were to go really bad she might set her sights on her old colleagues - and Mal, Karen and Bette (and Lilith ) are my favourite Titans ever! I don't want any writer getting any funny ideas about bumping any of them off.

A troublesome Duela I could handle. A murderous one I definitely could not!

Would love to see Mckone draw her again though!

I don't think this is necessarily a problem, Blacula. Considering how bad the adult Titans were, it's not a leap to say that she turned out bad in this particular future. If they work at it, things can be changed.

WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS HAVE MORE SPOILERS? i picked it up today SOLELY for the duela appearance

when i got home, i was mad it took all of a few pages and ended like that

grrrrrrrrrrr

I read it over the weekend and was glad that it was easy to follow. I had not been reading Titans and didn't know most of the characters. The story is intriguing and I think I'll follow at least this arc.

Chalk me up as one of the readers who has been buying and enjoying the series all along. I've begun to consider Geoff John's writing to be akin to gold. There is always something about every issue he writes that makes me glad that I bought it (for all of his series).

This is also one of the two only comic books I've ever gotten my fifteen year old sister to read regularly! (The other being Fallen Angel).

I have liked Teen Titans overall but there have been some misses. (The Beast Boys and Girls arc didn't really draw me in.) I think someone else said it best in that Johns seems to have highs and lows with his writing, so we'll sometimes get stories out of him that aren't so good. I still don't get the whole "Black Reign" thing in JSA, but it seems like maybe it's going to be addressed soon (since Atom-Smasher is getting some focus).

DUELA!!! I was thrilled to see her last night when I finally read the issue! McKone rawks.

I can't wait to see Geoff's plans for her in the present day. He loves foreshadowing, so we can take this as a BIG hint that Duela will be returning in present continuity!

I'd prefer it be as a Titan or ally, but I will take what I can get of her, too!

Yeah, offed to launch to CRAPdown maxi. Bleah!