Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: arsenal, brett booth, Bumblebee, dan abnett, dc comics, Donna Troy, gnarrk, herald, Kid Flash, mister twister, nightwing, tempest, The Flash, the key, Titans, troia, wally west

Titans #18 Review: Duel of the Donnas

The Titans are squaring off against Troia (the future incarnation of Donna Troy), Psimon, Herald, Mister Twister, the Key, and Gnarrk.

Things aren't looking good, as Troia seems to have the edge on every Titan. However, one in particular may not be down and out like we thought.

This issue brings the finale to the Troia arc as things reach their fever pitch between the two factions. Admittedly, nothing is really added to the motivations of Troia beyond her "everybody dies, so they should die sooner" mission statement. While that does allow our Donna Troy some degree of characterization, and this comic does give her the most spotlight since Titans Annual #1, it would have been nice for Troia to have more to her.

That being said, this issue does effectively bring a dramatic finale for the battle. The players put everything on the line to halt chaos Troia is attempting to wreak. None is more devoted to stopping her than Donna Troy herself.

I actually finally got around to reading Titans Hunt, the prequel miniseries to Titans and DC Universe: Rebirth itself. Having done that, I have to wonder if this was the villain behind Mister Twister. I suspect not, but, with Twister being in this story, that seems to be the implication. If so, that is a little underwhelming and has nothing to do with the wider Rebirth story. It's like the Magician expelling Wally West from the timestream; you kind of assume there is more to it than that.

Also, Hawk and Dove better be in this comic soon.

As always, there is a feel-good component to how devoted to one another the Titans continue to be, and it is a good foil to Troia's obsession with self-reliance.

Brett Booth continues to be perhaps the perfect artist choice for this title. He brings a style and atmosphere which feel perfect for the Titans team. Andrew Dalhouse brings some good colorwork to boot, darkening and lightening scenes as appropriate with his palette choices.

While this issue doesn't really give all the answers and explanations one would have expected from this arc, it was still a fun read. Dan Abnett's Titans are a truly endearing team, and Booth, Rapmund, and Dalhouse make up a strong art team for the visual side. The issue successfully brings a dramatic finale in the battle against Troia, and that's what it really needed to do. I recommend this one; check it out.

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