Titans: Burning Rage #7 – Dan Jurgens, Writer; Scot Eaton, Penciller; Wayne Faucher, Inker; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s amazing that the best Teen Titans book to come out of DC in a while has been Titans: Burning Rage, a Walmart anthology title featuring a mostly out-of-continuity team by a writer who has been writing DC books almost as long as I’ve been alive.
Dan Jurgens has four essential members – Tim Drake, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy – and has taken them through a murderer’s row of classic Titans rogues. But Titans: Burning Rage #7, the final issue, may be the best of the run as he sends the Titans off for a done-in-one space adventure. As the issue kicks off, Titans Tower is under attack by a massive robot that is there to capture Starfire. She goes willingly to protect her friends, and finds herself dragooned into an alien gladiator match, fighting random alien enemies and eventually Mongul to pay a debt that isn’t actually hers – it’s another classic Blackfire scheme, invoking an obscure law that lets her substitute a blood relative in the arena.
The action scenes are a lot of fun, although I think Mongul is maybe written a bit too much like a low-ranking villain here instead of the worldbreaker he’s usually seen as. But the real fun of the issue comes when the Titans steal a Justice League shuttle and chase Starfire into space.
This gives Jurgens the opportunity to write the kind of banter that’s been sorely missing from the Titans for a long time and makes them actually feel like teenagers for once. There’s a high-speed rescue mission, a chaotic battle, and an opportunity for Raven to show off how she’s probably the most powerful member of the team. And of course, a hilarious last-minute scene when Robin’s theft is discovered. My only disappointment with this issue is that it’s the end. I would love to see much more of Jurgens writing this team, delving a little more into their personal lives and their team dynamic. Let’s hope this book gets a second round or Jurgens is given the keys to the franchise for real.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
