The Good
It hasn't been that long since the previous volume ended. If you're not too sure how it ended or where things left off, you don't need to worry too much about it. We start out with the team ready for action. The Titans are in New York City and find themselves forced to jump into action when a threat arises and lives are at risk. Will Pfeifer sets the tone right away. These may be "teens," but they're not playing around when it comes to protecting the innocent.
The way the story plays out, we get a chance to see each team member in action. Part of this is due to Red Robin wanting to see what the bad guys are all about and what they're capable of. The other part is to let new readers know who these Titans are. It's not just a simple "stop the bad guys" story. There is an underlying subplot with a certain place/organization known in the DCU. If you've read future solicits, you probably have an idea what I'm talking about. How this will involve the Titans is something we'll be looking forward to.
Kenneth Rocafort makes the world a pretty place. Along with Dan Brown's colors, the art is very crisp and clean. The characters have an incredible amount of detail to them. It's great to see the detail and design in Red Robin's costume and expressions on faces.
The Bad
There might still be some longing for the Teen Titans from before the New 52. What we've seen so far and in the previous volume is the DCU can be a dangerous place for these young heroes. Because of that, the members have hardened a little. You can't blame them for that but as they're going about their mission of stopping the bad guys, it feels like they're very cold and taking everything in a matter-of-fact manner. This isn't saying they should be cracking jokes or talking about throwing a party. There was just a slight disconnect from the innocents they were trying to save. The villains shouldn't be shown a lot of mercy but it felt like there was no concern with their lives or actually bringing them to justice.
As much as I dig Rocafort's art, sometimes the backgrounds were too clean. The streets of New York City looked too new and empty. This isn't suggesting we should see cracks all over the streets or litter strewn about. There was just a little distraction at how pretty everything was.
The Verdict
The Teen Titans have returned after a brief break. Innocent lives are in danger and the team jumps into the action to put a stop to the bad guys. The team comes across as a little cold and calculated but we get to see each member in action in order to fully gauge what they're capable of. This first issue gives us a glimpse at a bigger story. Your curiosity will be aroused as you try to figure out how the pieces will fit together. Kenneth Rocafort does a great job pouring detain into the characters but the backgrounds feel a little sparse at times. It may not be the Teen Titans from before but you should have accepted that by now. This book shows the team is not playing around at being heroes and it should be interesting to see how they continue their fight against evil. The Teen Titans are back and ready to take on the world.