The Good

We're finally seeing the group act together as a team. Like it or not, leadership has fallen to Red Robin. Through certain events, they come to realize that Superboy's actions against N.O.W.H.E.R.E. have placed him in a dangerous position. What gives this a slightly more realistic approach is the team isn't going to immediately come to the agreement that saving and helping Superboy is the right thing to do. This is the kid that they recently fought who happened to be working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. If this comic was written twenty or thirty years ago, they would have immediately rushed to save Superboy. Seeing the team debate this mission gives the feeling that these are real kids. They're not going to always want to do the right thing. This is also going to make leading the team a little more difficult for Tim.

Throughout the issue, we also get some subtle revelations on some of the characters. Sprinkling these in during the main story gives it a little extra oomph as you're reading. You can see that as the current story is progressing, the doors are being opened for other events to play out. It lets us know that Lobdell hasn't forgotten the questions that most of us have been asking throughout the first six issues.

It's also worth noting that in a small gesture, we see Tim acting in a slightly Batman-manner. This is Tim as Red Robin after all. He's not the light-hearted kid he was early in his career. If he's going to take on the leadership of a team, he's going to have to make some hard choices. He's also trying to keep an eye on the big picture, something that is likely to cause conflict amongst his teammates.

The art and color work together to complete the story. There are times it almost feels like we're seeing special effects popping out of the pages. Each character's design is coming together and starting to feel like it's their true look. Specifically I find myself getting used to Tim and Bart's new costumes and thinking less about what they wore pre-New 52.

The Bad

Sometimes a decision has to be made in how to move the story forward. How it was known and decided that Superboy needed saving felt as if it was a sudden decision. Having a drown out search for clues wouldn't make an exciting read but the person that came to the conclusion he needed help felt a little out of place.

I'm digging the art but there was a couple times I had to give it a second look. Cassie appeared to have huge muscular arms in a couple panels and then looked a little slimmer in others. Not a major problem but something that popped out at me.

We are approaching the end (I think) of the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. story. They've been proving to be a formidable opponent and it's given a way to introduce the new characters and make a connection to SUPERBOY. It is time to bring it to a close. It looks as if that may be happening next issue. As much as I'm enjoying them, I'm ready to see the team face some other opponents.

The Verdict

Scott Lobdell continues to tell the story of a bunch of teenage superheroes. The title gives the members a more realistic take on young heroes as we see their personalities emerge rather than them rush out to save the world each day. Lobdell also doesn't dwell on the teen angst angle that we've seen too many times. There is plenty of action, adventure and fun mixed together as we're seeing the Teen Titans reunite with Superboy on different terms now. You can feel Brett Booth diving into the art duties as each character does their part throughout the issue and Andrew Dalhouse's colors compliment it all. The story involving N.O.W.H.E.R.E. appears to be coming to a conclusion which is what I'm looking forward to. Lobdell does offer some other revelations and teases throughout that gives that extra desire to come back for more each and every month. If that wasn't enough, there's a nice juicy cliffhanger at the end that should do the trick.

I couldn't help but note how G-Man caught that it was in fact Danny the Street early on in the series. But uh.... what happened with Solstice?

The Omen? Will that be Lilith?

LOVE seeing Tim get his inner Batman on. <3

I had very high expectations for this issue but I guess it was okay.

@garrettsgonewild said:

The Omen? Will that be Lilith?

I hope not, he was a good character and to make into that ''thing'' we saw in this issue would be an insult

@WolfMonkey said:

I couldn't help but note how G-Man caught that it was in fact Danny the Street early on in the series. But uh.... what happened with Solstice?

I thought that too it seems like she is used the least when she could be such a great character to use

What Raineffect said. This was probably the best issue so far but it wasn't great which makes earlier comment a little sad in retrospect.

@DEGRAAF said:

it seems like she is used the least when she could be such a great character to use

no i was talking something else. read the issue. at the end, something happens with her but i'm having a bit of trouble making sense of what exactly just happened

what about a kid from apokolips crazy powers bad attitude etc etc

@WolfMonkey said:

no i was talking something else. read the issue. at the end, something happens with her but i'm having a bit of trouble making sense of what exactly just happened

interesting. What happened?

@loganchild: There's a kid from Apokolips?

@WolfMonkey: She tells Superboy about it before he smacks his forehead into hers back in issue 5. What's riling her up is that someone (Tim) knew what was happening, but was doing nothing about it directly.

@DEGRAAF: He was called Power Boy (CV doesnt have a profile for him) kinda a male spoof on Power Girl, even had the boob window and a serious hard on for Supergirl (even got Holly Granger to dress up like her)...Trigon however didn't like him and had his kids impale him on a tree branch in the Titans East Special precluding the Titans title. Also there was Little Barda, also from Apokalips, who remained an enigma from start to finish.

@WolfMonkey: I thought Tim hit her in the gut with a 'rang. It was confusing and I caught looking at that to try and make sense of it. But he is holding what looks to be a batarang and then the next panel he is walking away and Solstice is on the ground clutching her midsection. And whatever happened with Detritus? I thought that dude had messed with Tim's mind back in issue 3? Was that forgotten about? I feel like we won't see that plot point for awhile unless it comes up in 'The Cullening.'

@Outside_85: Here's his profile: Powerboy

@blur1528:I don't think Tim hit her, she's on the ground in tears because she's realized someone knew they were getting slaughtered (and that she was one of those better at it) and didn't do anything about it. Tim is holding the batarang because he feels threatened by her when he lays it on her, because it carried the very real threat of her going nuts on him. Also, putting it in her midsection would be kinda stupid because she can still vaporize him from that position (and she wouldn't eventually follow him if he attacked her).

Btw thx, didnt get it as I spelled it wrong (and that there are 2 Power Boy's and one Powerboy...)

This entire series needs more SHOW and less TELL. That panel where Centrehall is talking about the lasers made me want to smother myself. There is a clear mistrust between writer and artist because I don't find them correlating with each other at all, not compared to how Lobdell is going on Red Hood where the writing just fits the action so perfectly.

Is it just me or did they mess up continuity between Superboy #7 and Teen Titans #7? As you see at the end of Superboy, Rose is already out cold and dressed in a leather jacket, but in the next issue of Teen Titans, it shows her unconscious in a different position, and in her battle gear:

Gallery

When Wonder Girl mentions her ambush of Rose, the note also says to see Superboy #8 for their battle. But... there was no battle, as she's clearly knocked unconscious in Superboy #7. Is this a typo/screw up? Or are they trying to say that Rose woke right up, they actually did fight, and was then knocked unconscious again, and that we'll be seeing it in a later issue? That just doesn't make sense to me. It also refers to Rose as Ravager, which she hasn't been going by in the DCnU... so I get the feeling they just screwed up.

@uroboros: Well he is a bad guy, and so suffers from the usual round of stupidity with elaborate slow-moving deathtraps rather than just shooting him with a kryptonite bullet and having to go into detail about their plans while doing it. Also Centerhall is just a punching bag that's just filling up a spot the more important bad guys cant be occupying.

I think it'll be interesting to see the whole Superman/Batman tension arise between Tim and Conner.

@Outside_85 said:

@blur1528:I don't think Tim hit her, she's on the ground in tears because she's realized someone knew they were getting slaughtered (and that she was one of those better at it) and didn't do anything about it. Tim is holding the batarang because he feels threatened by her when he lays it on her, because it carried the very real threat of her going nuts on him. Also, putting it in her midsection would be kinda stupid because she can still vaporize him from that position (and she wouldn't eventually follow him if he attacked her).

I agree. I feel like this scene needed more panels and the importance of this has a lot of weight to it. I think it should have been bigger, had more panels or something. I enjoy this series, but these people above me are hitting the nail on the head. This title seems to be searching for a flow and currently it seems choppy.

I'm not very impressed with this title so far. The writing and structure of the panels seems brilliant on some pages and kind of a mess on others. There are times I feel like I'm missing something because the comic creators had to snip a few panels at the last minute. I don't know, maybe it's just me. I love these characters, but I'm not digging this new 52 style in Titans or that mess know as Justice League.

Tim Drake is a brutally unused character in the DC universe. Sure, Dick was the only Robin mature enough to inherit the Cowl last year, but Tim Drake has been built up for years as the one Robin who could truly be the next Batman- who is as smart as Batman- if not smarter (BTW- why do all Teen Titans and Young Justice cartoons write the character Robin as if he's Tim Drake, but call him Dick Grayson- Does that bother anyone else?). I want to see Tim develop into that character. He needs more time as central figure than he gets in this title. I would love a new Tim Drake & Steph Brown team-up Series! I pray that it happens. I miss seeing both of them in their own monthly titles- the fact that they were both demoted in that regard is one of my biggest pet peeves of the new 52. Don't even get me started on the loss of Oracle!

Sorry, got off on a tangent there. In Teen Titans- I actually like where they're going with the main characters, but they need to somehow slow down the story to give these characters time to breath. I'd prefer a few slow burn issues that take their time before getting to the barrage of action. That being said- this latest issue was probably the best paced of all the issues so far. So, I'm really hoping that it continues down that path and improves toward more of what I'm looking to read.