Titans #10 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Lucas Meyer, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The battle for the Titans from within continues, as the team is unaware that Raven has been supplanted by her demonic self. This is just one of the many points of turmoil on the team at the moment, as Beast Boy is still largely hated by the public and Wally has decided to leave the team to deal with his personal struggles. Then there’s Tempest, who rejected joining while under mind control but has had second thoughts—just in time for the team to be hit by a new attack. That comes from Trilogy, Raven’s deranged younger brother who at first seemed to be a wild card but has now fallen directly into the thrall of his father. To seek out Trigon’s approval, he borrows a magical staff from his father’s crooked mage—and proceeds to use it to boost his own power, turning himself into a hulking beast that wastes no time bursting through a portal and turning San Francisco into a war zone for the fiftieth time this month. It’s a good hook for a story, but the most compelling part of this issue is the chaos among the Titans.
While Raven’s big secret has not been revealed yet, Taylor is doing a good job of working in hints—such as a conversation between Raven and Starfire where Raven hints at how she’s been playing with Beast Boy’s mind. That makes the violence that ensues when she decides how to team with Trilogy less surprising, and while the team doesn’t know how bad things are yet, it’s clear some of them are becoming worried about Raven. If this series has a flaw, it’s that it’s trying to juggle a few too many plotlines. Trilogy hasn’t had that many appearances yet, so his role as the villain here and his quick disappearance immediately after didn’t have all that much of an impact. The same goes for the mystery villain at the end of the issue, with her role in Waller’s larger plot as we build towards Absolute Power. Still, this is far and away the best Titans run for years, and that mostly falls on the hard work Taylor has done over the years to establish these characters and their bond again.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
