Titans #35 – Dan Abnett, Writer; Bruno Redondo, Christian Duce, Artists; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 5/10
Corrina: Hot Mess
Ray: This series is wrapping up next issue, and it’s going to take this strange Mother Blood/fictional fantasy realm plot all the way to the finish line. Titans #35 has some more high points than previous issues, but largely strands them in a mediocre plot with a lot of senseless action and a weak antagonist. It does pull back on the moment that annoyed me the most last issue – the supernatural Travesty, who seemingly killed his creator Ernest, is revealed to have faked his death and the old man wakes up at the start of the issue as the two plot to switch sides. Travesty seems to be going for a Loki-like vibe, but the character hasn’t appeared quite enough to make that impact yet. Meanwhile, Beast Boy is completely out of control and under the command of Mother Blood, as the red courses through his veins and gives him massively increased strength. It’s even made him strong enough to take on Donna Troy and Miss Martian.
While Mother Blood is ostensibly the villain of the arc, the story seems to have the characters fighting their own more than not. Oddly, the power levels of the two Titans-gone-rogue seem to be flipped – Commander Lenore mostly stands in the background and looks menacing, while Beast Boy’s powers have been jacked up to eleven. The subplot I found most interesting involved Travesty, Ernest, and the two misfit Titans Kyle and Natasha, as they plot to send a message back to Ben Rubel. Ben’s role as the team’s geek and mission control has given it a little more energy, although it was amusing that this issue ties in with a story that’s well over a month past already. There are some moments in this issue that make me think this team could have worked. Alas, with only one issue left and still mired in a plot with a terribly generic villain, it seems unlikely it’ll ever achieve that potential.
Corrina: Raven’s three selves are combined into one again. FINALLY. For all that it should have been a huge deal, the separation was mostly low-key until the plot remembered it was there.
Also good that the writer who created the world is not as dumb as he seemed.
But that’s about all that’s good. This remains a hot mess, wasting character like the Kyle Green Lantern, among others.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
