Customer Reviews

Teen Titans Vol. 1: A Kid's Game

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Fan favorite writer Geoff Johns (Flash, JSA, Green Lantern: Rebirth) re-launches the once popular Teen Titans for a new era, and it works. Just to let you know, if you are familiar with the "Teen Titans Go!" animated kids show, this is far from that, as Johns pays wonderful homage to the classic old Teen Titans series from Marv Wolfman and George Perez as a new team is formed, and things don't go as well for these kids as one would hope. Old members Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy organize this new group, which now includes Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (the half-human clone of Superman), a new Wonder Girl, Kid Flash (formerly Impulse), and later joined by the re-incarnated original member Raven (who actually joins later in the series). As the kids struggle with themselves and their new surroundings, an old foe re-surfaces as Deathstroke returns with a simple and bloody message: "kid's shouldn't wear costumes". Johns knows what he's doing here, crafting a surprisingly solid story that is easy for new readers who aren't familiar with past Teen Titans continuity to get into, while the art by Mike McKone and co. is wonderfully illustrated. It's certainly not a comic masterpiece, but this first volume in the re-launched Teen Titans is fun, full of action, and definitely worth picking up for fans new and old.

Ok, so you didn't read the old "New Teen Titans". For once that doesn't matter much. This is a completely self-contained comic. It shares characters and some events from the past, but they keep you up to speed. The writing is really good...and not kiddy at all! Which is, if you've seen the show, a bit of a relief.

The feel of the comic is light hearted, but also has a sense of being a real hero-team comic. So it's a good read, and it's cheap, so ya might as well!

I loved the Wolfman/Perez Titans and there is really no way that another group can replace them in my heart. This new Titans though is quite impressive.

Both the story and artwork are strong. The art in the comics medium continues to improve with each generation to the point where pencils, inks and colors are almost always technically excellent.

The writer does a good job with both the reason for refounding the Titans and dealing with the new Titans. He very carefully walks the tightrope of portraying the teenagers accurately with angst, self-loathing and selfishness without making them unlikeable and turning off the reader.

Both the new Titans and the returning Titans, Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling are treated well and portrayed well. The plot is fairly reasonable, though I don't totally buy the villains actions it was logically defensible.

A very strong start to the new Titans.

Geoff Johns has always been a master of telling these sort of classic superhero stories, while making them exceptable for today's readers, whose tastes have changed, and this tale of young superheroes joining together and trying to find their way in the world with the guidance of those who were once in their position is some of the best work he's done.

The stories in this collection are fun and exciting, but still have emotion and character development. There are twists and cliffhangers, and some classic moments, some comedic, and some eery. Highly recommended.

Let me say this: I loved the '80s New Teen Titans. Marv Wolfman and George Perez made that title one of the best and most popular comic books of all time and, in its heyday, I believe it placed consistently in the top 10 in monthly sales. When George Perez left the series, the Titans were never the same, and my interest reluctantly dwindled. I didn't think I could get so into this team again until I started collecting the revamped TEEN TITANS in 2003. Prolific comic book writer Geoff Johns (FLASH, JSA, GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH, 52, etc) and artist Mike McKone do wonders as they've managed to revive great interest in this team which, more than anything else, was about the close ties of family and friendship.

And it's still about the teens. With the tragic death of Donna Troy, aka Troia (formerly Wonder Girl), and the resulting disbanding of both the Teen Titans and Young Justice, our superhero youngsters have unhappily drifted apart. But, now, Cyborg extends an invitation for the kids to help re-launch the Teen Titans, whose Titans Tower is now situated in San Francisco. Feeling that their young charges are worryingly stuck in a rut, Superman and Batman urge their respective proteges Connor Kent (Superboy) and Tim Drake (Robin) to sign up. However, Flash is indifferent, believing that young Bart (Impulse) has no focus and is unreliable, while Wonder Woman is less than willing to grant her blessing and just simply doesn't want Cassie to be involved. It doesn't really come as a shocker, however, when everyone ends up joining.

I'm not about to credit Mr. Johns with successfully returning this title back to its once lofty place, because, frankly, he hasn't quite managed that. But what he's done is bring me and many more fans back into the Titans fold. With TEEN TITANS: A KID'S GAME, which collects the first seven issues, Johns has Cyborg creating a regimented and more purposeful team structure and mission statement. The plan now is that, on weekends, once the school week is thru, veteran heroes and former Titan members Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy will mentor the ex-Young Justices.

In crafting these stories, the writer does very well in bringing life and depth to the characters. Connor and Cassie are actually becoming interesting, even if Connor is still occasionally annoying. Bart undergoes a traumatic life changing experience which makes him rethink his superhero identity. Tim Drake? Well, he's fast on his way to being just as great a Robin as Dick Grayson was. And, since these are mostly about the teens, there's plenty of angst, deep seated hostility, and pent up hormonal energy mixed in with the superhero action.

There's an off-kilter group dynamic here. None of the more established Titans is a born leader (that was always a Nightwing specialty). In their attempts at mentoring, they discover that these kids won't easily accept authority. Starfire, in particular, with her emotions ever on the surface, finds it tough going in presenting a supervisory persona. Beast Boy is barely older than the kids and is actually more in tune with the younger generation than with his older teammates. Honestly, Tim Drake seems to be the best leader in this group.

Johns deals several surprises to the reader. Perennial foil Deathstroke the Terminator returns for a lengthy story arc, with a surprise twist thrown in. With the death of his son Jericho, the lethal mercenary wants to put a stop to the re-forming of the Titans team, ostensibly because "kids shouldn't wear costumes." Meanwhile, as Connor develops a new power, he also discovers intel on his genetic makeup which shocks him. Plus, he gets a pet. Then, there's the requisite guest appearances by the kids' older counterparts and the ensuing half-hearted tussle. Somewhere in here, Nightwing and Raven also show up, as well as a retired member of Young Justice. With Mike McKone providing stellar artwork - as he draws these heroes in the way they should always be drawn - and with Geoff Johns consistently delivering with solid stories, TEEN TITANS: A KID'S GAME is the ideal time to hop back on the Titans bandwagon and will, guaranteed, whet your appetite for more. Titans Together! Again.

I started reading this book with only a passing familiarity with the Teen Titans lore (not counting the cartoon, because most cartoons do not resemble the comic at all) and was pleasently surprised with this book. There was a good recap, because the author wrote the book from the new Titans' prespectives, giving the reader the same knowledge that the new members had in order to be up to date. I thought this was really well-written with a good intro to Deathstroke (if you're like me, and hadn't encountered him before), and the JLA even makes an appearenece and has at it with some of the Titans. Of course, the JLA comes off as being the pompous guardians of their younger proteges, but since the book is written from the view of teenagers it makes more sense that way. Anyways, if you've never read a Teen Titans, Outsiders, or YOung Justice graphic novel before, this is as good a place to start as any.

Teen Titans: A Kids Game, Is amazing!
It's nothing like the tv series! (thank goodness!)

I became A Teen titan fan from watching the TV series...
When I looked on amazon to see if there were any products, I found "A Kids Game."

I now see how immature and stupid that show is!

I havent ever read anything as amazing as "A Kids Game!!!"

The story is great!
The new and old characters rock!
The artwork is fantastic!
And the action is totally stellar!

I had no idea that Slade Wilson (Slade, for those who've only seen the TV show) had kids!
Or that his son had superpowers and used to be a Teen Titan!

It's pretty interesting that I didn't notice the Teen Titans(In the TV show) didn't have real names untill I read "A Kids Game."

I would suggest this book to people around the ages 10-Adult...

All of the kids and adults I know love the book and were surprised at the difference between the TV show and the comic book!

Ok, so you have new Robin, Wonder Girl, Flash and Superboy along with Beast Boy, and their mentors, Cyborg and Starfire. They take on DeathStroke, find out what happened to Jericho and so on. Art is great, story makes sense and book is good, athough it is superhero product.

Three and a half stars and kudos for artwork for ' Kid's Game '. It is worthy sequel of Wolfman/Perez Titans in my opinion, so BUY IT NOW!!! :)

I can admit that I read a lot of comics, but Teen Titans was never one of the titles I picked up. A few weeks ago I decided to buy it for my girlfriend (an avid fan of the Cartoon Network television show). After she gleefully finished the book, she let me have a go at it. Now I wasn't quite sure what awaited, but I had a feeling it might be good considering it has Geoff Johns' name on it.

Teen Titans, Vol. 1: A Kid's Game was a great read. The artwork was brilliant, expertly blending realism with a pinch of cartoon. The character's emotion, the force of explosions - all burst out of the page with McKone and Grummett's each pencil stroke. Cox does a fabulous job with the coloring, transitioning from bright open landscapes to gritty, dark skylines. The inking by Alquiza and Nelson also is very subtle and yet powerful. The entire book is brought to life by its art team.

The writing, however, is where the book really shines. It's clear that Johns remembers what it's like to be a teenager. Each character is given a distinct and flavorful voice and these voices come together in a swelling symphony as the trade powers on. Though I'm not sure about a little of the backstory - the death of Donna Troy and a certain former Titan who I'll leave unnamed - the book is highly accessible. It is a wonderful jumping on point for potential new readers. The story is refreshing, exhilarating, and full of teenage angst. There are action scenes a plenty and even a few striking twists. It is a volume not to be missed.

There's plenty of potential here and I feel, with time, this could really become a must-read title. I definitely look forward to reading more of this series!

Having read the Superman comics for a long time, I never liked Superboy. His attitude was annoying, his powers were either too much of a knockoff, or his non-Superman abilities weren't interesting. With this new Teen Titans series, Geoff Johns has not only made Superboy an interesting character, but one that I actually care about.

Although none of the other characters had any negative sides to them in the past for me, I still never had a whole lot of interest in them. But seeing as how the show on Cartoon Network was decent, I skeptically decided to check out the comics. Fortunately, this was the book I picked up.

With a core group of 5 Titans, Johns skillfully crafts a tale of characters seeking to make it on their own, all the while not entirely sure how to accomplish this task. Throwing in new details to round out the characters, Johns took many of them from their one-shot attitudes to being fully recognizable characters. The art is really good too.

I highly recommend this book, and the next 3 volumes, to anyone that appreciates the Teen Titans, Superman, the Flash, or DC comics in general.