Customer Reviews

Teen Titans, Vol. 6: Titans Around the World

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Geoff Johns continues to impress with this next volume in the Teen Titans series. It is one year after the events of Infinite Crisis and the Teen Titans have gone through many different members one of whom is a traitor. Robin returns as does Wonder Girl both profoundly changed by the death of Superboy. Cyborg who was out of action after his time in space comes back, Ravager once an enemy is now an ally, Beast Boy and Raven are both MIA. Johns does a great job with his characters, keeping them constant but at the same time making sure they have evolved to keep the story sharp. Tony Daniels art is excellent and the only disappointing moment when Daniels is not the artist. It was nice to see Doom Patrol back in action. This collection was fun and overall excellent.

The Teen Titans mythology is definitely preserved and brought to new light under the wing of Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel. "Titans Around The World" begins One Year Later after the Infinite Crisis. The team is at a dark time and in disarray. Superboy is dead, Starfire is missing, Raven is gone, Gar is on a new team, Cyborg is broken, and Bart is the new Flash. There are new team members and new characters who really feel like they're part of the gang when Johns brings the past and the present together to make excellent storytelling as always. Conflict arises between teammates and the Titans must find out which past member was a traitor so they go around the world searching.
This is the first time we see Robin in his new Post Infinite Crisis outfit as well. Robin's overall character has taken a step in Batman's shadows, as he grew after the Crisis. A fallen team member from the past returns and Deathstroke ends us with an amazing glimpse into the next arc of Teen Titans. Many things are different and this story explains what happened over the lost year and we get to see first hand the repercussion of that. Johns dives deeper in the mythology of the characters and expands on the whole team to bring us somewhere new at the end with an expansion of characters that we love like the classic Titan characters now.

Title: Teen Titans Vol. 6: Titans Around the World
Publisher: DC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Tony Daniel, Carlos Ferreira, Paco Diaz, Ryan Benjamin (pencils), Kevin Conrad, Art Thibert, Drew Geraci, Silvio Spotti, Jonathan Glapion, Michael Lopez, Edwin Rosell, Saleem Crawford (inks), Tanya and Richard Horie (colors)
Collects: Teen Titans 34-41
Price: $14.99

I have to admit right from the start that I went into this book with a negative bias. Having purchased and read the first five volumes and only having enjoyed the fourth one (Teen Titans Vol. 4: The Future is Now), I really didn't expect much from this book. Looking at the line-up of characters and seeing more of DC's ever-present carbon-copied "new" characters lowered my expectations even more. I have probably never started a book with a more low expectation and had such a change of heart. This book, despite all my biases and negative expectations and personal feelings towards DC's editorial preferences, was a pretty good read. That doesn't mean I have changed my mind about disliking carbon-copy characters or bringing dead characters back to life, but Johns spins a good yarn, here, and makes me like the team despite myself. I just really can't figure out Geoff Johns. Many times I pick up his high-profile stuff and expect to like it and find it quite dull (or in the case of Infinite Crisis - infinitely stupid). Other times I pick up stuff from him and don't expect to like it and find myself enjoying that stuff most of all. The guy is really a hit-or-miss writer for me. There seems to be no middle ground, in my opinion.

This collection of stories takes place during the "1-Year Later" run of books that started up after Infinite Crisis ended and ran the same year as the popular "52" weekly serial comic. The line-up for the Teen Titans now includes Robin, Kid Devil (former sidekick of Blue Devil - a character with undefined powers and origins - at least to me, at this point), Ravager (daughter of Deathstroke), Cyborg, Wonder Girl, and Marvin and Wendy (housekeepers and tech coordinators for Titans Tower - and more unknowns to me). The storylines of the two tales largely revolve around this team trying to make contact with former members Beast boy and Raven (with the purpose of trying to get them to re-join the team) and trying to discover the identity of a traitor that raven had found on the team. The team travels around the world (hence, the title) talking to other characters who were part-time members of the team during the past year. These characters include Miss Martian (carbon-copy of Martian Manhunter), Bombshell (carbon-copy of Captain Atom), Red Star, Zatara (carbon-copy of Zatana), and Beast Boy - now a part of Doom Patrol.

Throughout the book, there is constant angst and tension among the team members - particularly Wonder Girl and Ravager. This provides for some fun and some serious situations. Also, Robin and Wonder Girl grow closer together in the wake of Conner Kent's death, as they learn that each of them has been trying to bring him back to life, but through different methods. Cyborg receives a power upgrade, too, which is nice to see.

Here's a spoiler in case you need a warning in advance to stop reading. A long-dead character and former team member is brought back to life in this book. This is my biggest problem with the book. Why on Earth did Geoff Johns think bringing Jericho back to life was a good thing to do? He was always a stupid character to begin with. Get out of the past, Geoff! You can't make every single DC book the way they were when you were a kid! Do you really think that's what most DC readers want? Ugh! And now, since it seems to be so easy to say a few incantations and bring a dead Titan back to life (it already happened with Raven and Jericho in this series), Robin and Wonder Girl are talking about using Raven to bring Conner Kent back from the dead. Sweet Christmas! When will the insanity end? I'm convinced Geoff Johns needs a smack with a Wiffle ball bat across the head a few times. Stop it with bringing every deceased DC character back to life! In the past two years, alone, the guy has brought back a dozen characters back to life. It's this kind of nonsense that drives readers away and cheapens every death in every DC comic book. Death is no big deal because it is constantly being undone! OK. The ranting is done. I really liked this book up until the last few pages and then I was just sneering in disgust.

Art on the book is all done pretty well. Tony Daniel pencils six of the eight issues collected in the TPB. Though I liked all of the art and inks well enough, it really makes me wonder what is going on at DC, editorially, when it takes a team of eight inkers to do the chores on just eight issues of comics? A single DC storyline completed by a single art team is about as rare as a forest fire in the Sahara. Does this bother anyone else or is it just me? Is it too much to ask to get a single art team to complete one story arc together? I have never been a comic book editor, but if I were, it seems like this would be something I'd be trying to get accomplished, but from all apparent observations, this doesn't seem to be a priority with DC editors.

Some aspects of this book definitely honked me off, but there was enough here that I liked, that I'm still going to give it a positive review. The storyline is pretty good and included more humor than the book has had in years, and the artwork is above-average. I also have to mention that, at just $15.00 for eight issues, the book is a very good value in this day and age. (Not as great as the unbelievably-priced fourth trade, but still a bargain.) Give this book a try and see the Titan having some fun and get to know some "newer" characters that are sure to be around for a long time. (I've picked up the next trade from the library, so I'll review that book in the future and we'll see if Johns does another nose dive or if he can pull off another upset.)


Writing: 7/10
Artwork: 7/10
Cool Factor: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

I have to say, I rather like the Teen Titans, thanks to, in part, the Cartoon Network show--made me a big fan of Raven and Beast Boy, plus Robin (in all three incarnations) is one of my favorite characters. Plus I discovered Superboy and Wonder Girl. And even after the upheaval of the Infinite Crisis, this book has stayed strong (unlike a few others), largely in part because of Geoff Johns, who is one of the great writers in today's comic books.

Unlike most of DC's books, Teen Titans survives the jump ahead one year with the same writer, and the same quality. While we miss some of the original members, Johns and Tony Daniel give us a good new mix of classic teen heroes and new arrivals. Rose Wilson works despite far too much baggage, the guest appearance by the Doom Patrol is intriguing, and seeing the team find its footing again is interesting. At some points, it follows the same patterns that Titans comcis have for years - how many times has the team collapsed and started over? But the characters are likeable, the art strong, and the pacing great. If only the rest of DC were till enjoyable.

After a few shaky issues, Geoff Johns returns his relaunch of the Teen Titans to the great form that readers have come to expect from Johns' run. Around the World picks up after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, with the team in shambles. Superboy is dead, Kid Flash is all grown up and now the new Flash, Beast Boy and Raven are gone, and Starfire is likely dead as well. Robin, Wonder Girl, and Cyborg are still around though, and are joined by new members, including Ravager; better known as Rose, the daughter of Titans master villain Deathstroke. The Doom Patrol, or what's left of it anyway, are here as well, and Johns pens a more than solid super powered story which plants seeds for future events, including an interesting turn for Robin and Wonder Girl. Tony Daniels provides a majority of the artwork throughout this TPB, and his work is quite good. All in all, Around the World is a fine return to form for Johns' run on the Teen Titans, and here's hoping that the busiest writer at DC still has some tricks left up his sleeve.

This volume of the Teen Titans series written by Geoff Johns(of 52 and Green Lantern) depicts the story of the Teen Titans after Infinite Crisis in the One Year Later storyline. With Kid Devil and Ravager becoming Titans and Wonder Girl going solo, it's up to Cyborg to bring the team back together and defeat the Brotherhood of Evil!

This book starts things up after the Infinite Crisis and introduces alot of new characters. Tony Daniel's art is wonderful. The story restarts the Titans as a Family.

This is basically the Teen Titans One Year Later story. What happened one year after Infinite Crisis.

As usual Jones deliver a great story of Teens being, well, teens. Facing their pains, secrets and passions. Combine that with the magnificent Tony Daniels work and you get an over the top book.

I loved Mark McKone's art in the first Teen Titans books, but this one felt so ful of life. It might be the inking or maybe the quality of the paper, but whatever it is I felt this book a strong one in story, art and quality.

Mind you, you'll fully enjoy this book ONLY if you've been following the other Teen Titnas books. If you get this alone, well, you'll like it but it won't be the same.

I would wish Robin to be the [...] he really is. He's the leader now but I don't feel his skills exploited in full in this book. Outter than that the book is great. Not the best ever, but is great.