Review – Titans: Burning Rage #5: Mental Games

Titans: Burning Rage #5 – Dan Jurgens, Writer; Scot Eaton, Penciller; Wayne Faucher, Inker; Hi-Fi, Colorist

Ray – 8/10

Ray: Last issue’s kickoff to a new storyarc delivered an intriguing premise, as Beast Boy’s conflict with his adoptive father Steve Dayton spilled over into the streets. Not only did Dayton’s evil alter ego Mento re-emerge, but he quickly started turning the public against each other – including the ex-Titan team of Hawk and Dove, now on opposite sides and marshalling an army. This is a compelling concept for a second arc, as the Titans are now facing an enemy they can’t punch into submission. Their enemies are innocent people twisted against each other, but with the help of a group of henchmen called the Madmen, capable of causing mass amounts of damage. Too much of the first half of the issue is devoted to a rather chaotic fight scene, though, although Mento’s arrival has some emotional punch especially when he manages to take over Starfire’s mind and turn her against her team.

Another case of DC spoiling the best moment of the issue on the cover happens, though, as you’ll see Beast Boy turned into a Godzilla/dinosaur type character as soon as you get the issue. When it happens in the comic, it’s to stop a building from collapsing and it’s easily the most impressive moment the character’s had in a long time. This is a character usually played for comic relief, but he’s also deceptively powerful and like Plastic Man could be a dangerous weapon in the right (or wrong) hands. The first arc didn’t have a strong point of view, but grounding this one in Beast Boy’s dysfunctional family and dark history have made it probably the best Titans run in several years. Jurgens has been writing DC Comics for close to thirty years now, and his old-school style hasn’t lost a step. I wouldn’t at all be disappointed if this book led into an ongoing for the creative team.

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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.