Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Review | Tagged: Beast Boy, Brent Peeples, dan abnett, dc comics, Donna Troy, fantasy, Ivan Plascencia, matt santorelli, Miss Martian, natasha irons, nightwing, raven, sci-fi, Steel, superheroes, teen titans, Titans, troia
Titans #24 Review: Titans v. Tolkien
The Titans respond to a situation in San Francisco. Their detectors alerted them to more Source Wall energy landing in the city, but, upon arrival everything seems calm. An elderly man is sitting in the park without a worry or care to be found. However, Steel and Raven soon discover demonic beasts rampaging through the city, and the Titans must discover where the beasts came from and how to send them back.
Titans #24 has some of the most memorable lines I've read in a comic in some time. I'm not sure that's inherently good, though they certainly did evoke a laugh. However, it almost sinks into self-parody despite trying to keep some serious plot threads going. I'm not sure I'd call it superhero sitcom, but it's within the realm.
Reading Miss Martian give her overwrought version of "sh*t hitting the fan" was what first tipped me off that this book might take a more comical tone. It reaches its peak when Nightwing says that "It's like being beat to death with the Silmarillion."
It's a change of pace and tone for the book and not inherently a bad one. Some of these lines are so bad that the laughs aren't so much with the comic.
The plot isn't bad either. The origin of these demonic beasts is almost tragic, and Miss Martian's cold solution makes the ending just as tragic.
Brandon Peterson leaves the comic on this issue, leaving it to Brent Peeples to take over the art of Titans. Peeples' art is slimmer, sleeker, and doesn't have the same 3-D rendered aesthetic as Peterson. It's a different look than what a Titans reader would be used to for the title, but it's fitting for the youthful energy of the lead characters. Ivan Plascencia keeps a well-balanced color palette that looks good with Peeples' aesthetic.
Titans #24 isn't exactly the height of superhero comedy, but it is funny in parts. The plot is solid, and the book continues to build on the animosity between Nightwing and Miss Martian. I can recommend this book. Feel free to check it out.