Titans: Beast World #1 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Ivan Reis, Penciller; Danny Miki, Inker; Brad Anderson, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The latest big DC event—and the first Titans event in history, surprisingly—kicks off with an explosive first issue that spins directly out of the last issue of Titans, released last week. We now know that the leader of the Church of Eternity isn’t a sinister cult leader or even a demon-worshipper—he’s a Tamaranean sleeper agent, and those strange possession-monsters he’s been using to control Tempest and Linda Park are all part of his plan. The world is watching as he sends astronauts to the moon of Titan to unlock an ancient temple—and unleashes the Necrostar, a massive and ancient alien killer that makes Starro the Conqueror look like nothing. The ancient threat was locked away by a devastated Tamaranean force eons ago, after an assist from Starro, and now it’s loose and incredibly hungry. And with it coming for Earth, the heroes scramble into action.
While this issue does have a full cast, it’s really Beast Boy and Raven who take center stage as Beast Boy takes on an incredibly risky mission. Taylor has been doing his best to dispel the idea that Gar is a joke character since the start, but this issue makes clear just how powerful he is when he uses his powers in the right way—and what a toll it takes on his mind. Becoming a literal giant star-monster, like was revealed at NYCC, provides some brilliant visuals—but it also means he’s dividing himself across countless pieces of himself and freeing people from possession. He barely survives—and that’s when new wild card Doctor Hate shows up, carrying out Amanda Waller’s wishes and sabotaging his return to Earth. And suddenly Earth has an actual giant rampaging green starfish to deal with—and it’s about to infect the entire world with beast spores. It’s a fantastic event concept, a fun first issue, and I love the current DC event format that uses the main series and maybe one tie-in for the main story and uses the tie-ins to expand the world of the DCU and maybe set up new series.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
