"I can't hurt you. If I do, this collar will shut me down. I can't hit you or scream at you...so I'm just going to say this as cailmly as I can. Go to hell you crazy old bastard."
Review:
Finally we get the much anticipated (well in my case) follow-up to Jeff Lemire’s Teen Titans: Earth One. It is a perplexing shame that this book had very little advertising and as of yet no interviews or any previews especially compared the previous volume and other Earth One books. I hope this isn’t a sign that the third volume as well as the rest of the line is in jeopardy again much like it was put on hiatus years ago after Superman: Earth One v2 was published due to DC supposedly being distracted by the New 52 relaunch. It also doesn’t help that Lemire is under a special contract with Marvel that is possibly also the reason tweet of him advertising the book was deleted as well as Superman: Earth One and future Flash: Earth One writer JMS left writing comic books. That said on with the review:
This volume picks up three weeks after the first volume where Tara, Vic, Gar, and Tempest are on the run and hiding out. Things are especially not too well for Vic aka Cyborg as his powers slowly cause his body to be encased in metal with Tara having to rob pharmacies to help him. There’s also touching scenes such as Tara helping Vic hang on to his humanity and bonding between Gar and Tempest. We also see Starfire, who still has the real name of “Koriand’r” on this earth bonding with Raven and we learn exactly what Starfire needed her help with in the first volume compete with a gorgeous shot of Tamaran. On the flip side of these sweet moments, are the Wilsons with Slade trying to talk his son Joey out of his blind devotion to mad scientist and Doom Patrol leader in old continuities Dr. Niles Caulder. With this man finally being introduced we also learn of the rest of the Titans Project: living weapons loyal to Caulder, their “dad,” who are a young Cassie Wonder Girl, Wally but known as Impulse instead of it being Bart or him being Kid Flash, and finally Kole who was a tragically short-lived hero who rarely pops up much.
One thing I enjoy about Lemire’s revision is he sure knows how to shake things up and make this series more than just “modernized Titans.” It’s refreshing in a way especially when most authors stick too close to the status quota in and out of mainstream universes and I’ll always love this book for giving non-sidekicks a chance to shine away from sidekicks who tend to hog the spotlight.There are interesting re-imaginings here such as Vic/Cyborg’s power upgrade that vastly differs from his original counterpart but also keeps his disability parallel there though not prosthetics as the character was originally as well as a Raven free from the Trigon story that’s been done with her character a thousand times. Admittedly there is some strange, jarring changes such as this Earth’s Blackfire who is actually tragic in a very different way than she was before not to mention related to Starfire in an also extremely different way as well as a Joey Wilson/Jericho being so violent. Jericho was intended to be a mute pacifist hero which has sadly been lost on DC for years and seeing it reinforced here is disheartening especially when I read of Lemire being a fan of the character’s portrayal in the Wolfman/Perez Titans. There’s also the can of worms of having sidekicks on the team with, so far, no connection whatsoever to their mentors especially when they take their names such as Wonder Girl. Things like this happened in the New 52 and it was confusing and messy there. I like Wally and Cassie as much as the next person, but rather spotlight was given to more original Titans characters with less connections to other properties such as Bumblebee, Herald or Pantha. I’d take Donna Troy if only for her complicated history as a Titan and a Wonder Woman character but she seems to be in Wonder Woman: Eath One.
Much like the previous volume there some issues with pacing and at times it feels like this book would benefit from being a monthly yet Lemire succeeds in getting a lot accomplished here. He manages to give each character a voice and gist of what they are about which I was worried about when more characters were added. There’s still a good balance of action and character moments as well as many questions from the first volume being answered and leaving some plot threads dangling for the third volume to wrap up, hopefully not too long of a wait for that. And unlike the first volume, there’s a happier ending this time around.
All in all, Teen Titans Earth One continues to be an interesting, unexpected read especially for longtime fans looking for something a little different. It’s a welcome departure in many ways and gives creative spins on old faces while most of the time still being familiar. While sadly the Dodsons couldn’t return for art duty, both for their talent and creative team consistency was on of the appeals about Earth One books, Andy MacDonald does a magnificent job in channeling the YA feel and delivers some wonderful images.
Recommendation:
If you have the first volume then of course you need volume two! But seriously this series still continues to be an interesting upheaval of popular characters and great art. Still considered for YA due to the violence and content
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