Teen Titans #12

Armored Up and Out!

The only DCNU book I have followed is the Teen Titans. I do not have any particular love of the series; in fact, I think the series as a whole has been very bad, but it is the only series which regularly features my favorite hero, Tim Drake. I have been very disappointed with Lodbell's handling of the team. Up to this point, the current volume of Teen Titans has been at best pretty good (issue 6) and at worst complete and total crap (issue 10). Lodbell has failed to deliver any character development, and the plots have been downright sloppy all too often. Nevertheless, I always hope for the best. Is this issue another turd, or did Lodbell manage to cobble together a good yarn?

In this issue, Wonder Girl deals with her armor turning against her and corrupting her nature. As most of Titans recover from the wounds dealt by the rouge Wonder Girl last issue, Red Robin and Superboy attempt to help Cassie overcome her darker impulses.

A Good Issue?!!?

This is by far the best issue of Teen Titans so far. I fully expected to hate this issue as I have hated most that preceded it, but Lodbell surprised me.

My biggest complaint about Lodbell’s writing thus far has been that he fails to develop his characters and makes no room for character interaction due to the breakneck pace of the series. Though this issue definitely fits the bill of non-stop action, characters actually talked to each other! It seems funny to mention this as an accomplishment, but it is. Up to this point, almost all character interactions have been about surviving, fighting, or just establishing the most basic surface connections between characters. In contrast, you see genuine care and conversation between Tim, Superboy, and Cassie in this issue. The chemistry between these three characters is good, and their dialogue could have easily fit in a story of the old DC universe. Though little is revealed about Cassie’s background, we do get lots of little tidbits which hint at revelations to come. Through the construction of the story, it would basically impossible for Lodbell not to establish more about her character in the next issue.

The art is also delicious. In general, Brett Booth’s art is a little too streamlined for my taste, but though it still has the streamlined feel this issue, I have to admit the art was beautiful. His designs for Cassie’s armor were excellent, and I especially liked how the spikes of her armor protruded inward to Cassie as well as outward indicating the pain Cassie experiences every time she uses the armor. There were several large panels in this issue, and I gobbled it all up.

Still Not Great

Though the main story is good, it does not really incorporate all the Teen Titans. Other than one page, the story focuses completely on Tim, Superboy, and Cassie. Skitter was not even shown during the issue. Considering Lodbell’s success with Red Hood and the Outlaws, I am beginning to suspect that Lodbell is a talented writer with a small team, but he simply does not know how to write a good story while balancing seven different characters.

Another problem is that the main story is short and takes a break after about a dozen pages to do an epilogue to Kid Flash’s crossover with DC Presents. Kid Flash’s story is not complete trash, but it is uninspired and mediocre.

Conclusion

If Lodbell fails to deliver some actual answers on Cassie’s background next issue, I’m going to be ticked off at him again, but as a standalone issue, Teen Titans 12 is really good. It is not so good that I have forgotten the disappointment of previous issues, but it is good enough to give me hope for the series.