The 300 pound orange elephant in the room.
Is it possible to review this issue without talking about the giant 300 pound elephant in the room? I speak of course of Scott Lobdell's bold (brazen? sexist? miscalculated? brave?) new take on everyone's favorite Teen Titan, Starfire. I'm going to dodge the issue for a moment and try and be fair to this issue. I was not really impressed with the series introduction, but was curious enough about each character's origin that I picked the second issue up out of curiosity.
Issue two continues to make Jason Todd, the former Robin current Red Hood the focal point of the story as he returns to the mysterious valley he was trained at in an attempt to save or avenge his old masters. As a Batman fan I was happy to hear the story and begin to fill in the blanks about exactly where he became such a bad-ass after his return from the dead.
The art is good and very busy (just check the cover for example) and the action is fast and furious. I actually warmed up to each of the characters this issue, and by its close am pumped for more. Its more of a Tarantino-inspired story with lots of action and quips, but the characters are not as dark as in the new secret six. I was entertained the whole way through and am now eagerly awaiting the next issue, this is the kind of globe-trotting ass-kicking I can get behind, and I have a feeling big changes are in store for the outlaws.
Great story, great action, am I missing anything? Ahh yes...Starfire.
Let me ask you this, has she changed that much? Open up just about any of the Kori-centric Teen Titans issues and she is portrayed as at the very least flamboyant, if not overtly sexual. She was often a flirt, and seen naked or scantily clad, usually mentioning it was a reflection of the values of her own society. Has Lobdell really done the character a major disservice by actually having her have sex with the characters in her comic rather than just flirt with the idea? I have heard complaint upon complaint about the cheesecake she is a part of...seriously? Starfire has always had a healthy does of cheesecake in her respective comics...I don't think a lot is being changed here.
Again, i'm not saying her character isn't sexist, I'm saying I don't think she ever wasn't, and in any event it wasn't that big a issue for me, and i'd hate to see a good comic become controversial for all the wrong reasons.
Well, that's my two cents, a great action oriented series that's going places, just give it a try before writing it off eh?
