Titans Reborn
Titans #36 bring an end to the title…. but let’s rewind for a moment first. I recently got back into the comic world about a year ago. One of my first titles was Teen Titans. I loved the characters, but the comic was very scattered at the time. Every other issue was coming off a crossover so it was hard to keep track of what was happening. I wanted a different title.
Enter Tim at my local comic store, Rainbow Comics. He suggested Titans to me. Similar format, obviously, but he said it told some good stories. I switched to Titans and loved getting to know all the older characters I grew up with in their new forms. I loved the dynamics of the team.
Then comes Nightwing’s shooting. Dick Grayson becomes a nobody and loses his memories. I loved the twist this put on the team. Donna now had to learn to step up and be the leader. Meanwhile, we waited for Dick to figure things out. Except Dick isn’t figuring things out and has now become Ric. His return is now in doubt, and Donna appears to be the defacto leader going forward.
The Undefeatable Foe
Now we run into the real problem. I loved the leader Donna was becoming and the way the team was forming around her as they each dealt with their own issues. The problem is the one enemy they cannot beat is corporate DC. Donna and Co can beat all sorts of foes, but they cannot beat DC leadership.
DC has called an end to a great many titles, not just this one. Heroes like Green Arrow have been promised a new start in the future, but of Titans nothing is known. Titans #36 seems to herald the ending for the team.
Inside the Pages of Titans #36
Titans #36 sucks for one basic reason. Its the end, and a very rushed and ill-planned ending it is. The end of this story arc should have stretched for another issue or two at least, but because it needed to end at 36, writers crammed way too much into the last issue and made it very superficial.
Don’t get me wrong. The inserts of Raven and Nightwing talking in flashbacks when the Titans were being reformed was cool and insightful but the rest was seriously rushed.
The final battle in Unearth was too quick and neat. Fully restored Raven leads the rest of the team against Mother Blood and they easily take her out. A quick farewell and its all over. It feels very much like a TV series that is laying clues and building for things to happen next season… Only to learn mid-season you are being cancelled. Then they only have a few episodes to wrap up everything they were building for next season. That’s Titans #36.
I truly hope these characters can return in another title or grouping or something! I love these characters and do not like saying goodbye to them.
