THIS WEEK: We check in on the latest incarnation of DC’s premiere teen team in New Titans #36!
Note: the review below may contain spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
New Titans #36
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Marcus To
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artist: Taurin Clarke
It’s been three months since, in the aftermath of DC K.O., the ongoing Titans series took on a new name, a new creative team, and a new direction. With the first storyline complete, New Titans #36 begins a two-parter that finds the new members of the team setting up shop in familiar new digs.
In the last two sentences I used the word ‘new’ five times (not counting the title of the book), and with good reason. From his debut on the series, writer Tate Brombal has laid out a vision for the Titans that promises to push the team beyond nostalgia for the Wolfman/Pérez years and into uncharted, exciting territory. The first arc saw that nostalgia literally weaponized against the team, who found themselves trapped in a loop of repeating story beats and character dynamics, with an all-new cast of characters being the only way to break free.
With the new direction in place and after an action-packed last few issues, Brombal here digs into the most fun part of any team book: the interactions between the team’s members. This lineup features characters who, while largely newcomers to the Titans, are already pre-established (for the most part) in the DCU, which frees Brombal up from having to do a ton of introduction for them. Brombal’s a skilled enough writer, though, that each character gets enough characterization to still be accessible to new readers. The only whole-cloth new character, the recently-introduced robot Eva, also serves as the POV character for most of the issue, a smart way to let readers get to know her. That accessibility extends to the story itself, with a blend of decades-old DC lore and newer elements that are all presented clearly enough to avoid confusion. A strong moment between two Titans mainstays means there’s also some great stuff for longtime readers, too.
Artist Marcus To steps in on this issue for the series regular artist Sami Basri, and he’s a great fit for the tone of the series. His linework is clean and energetic, with a style that feels classic without looking dated. His style is somewhat similar to Basri’s, which makes the fill-in much less jarring, especially so early in a new creative team’s run. Regular series colorist Adriano Lucas’s colors complement To’s linework wonderfully, adding depth to the figures and giving the story an appropriate level of llightness while also selling the issue’s big reveal’s with the necessary weight. Lucas and series letterer Tom Napolitano’s work also contributes to the visual continuity between the Basri-drawn issues and this one, which is a huge plus.
New Titans #36 continues a great run that’s clearly just getting started. Brombal is the kind of fresh voice a Titans book has long needed, and the cast of characters he’s brought into the fold is a strong refresh for the team. With artists like Basri, To, Lucas, and Napolitano giving these stories an entertaining visual style, the future is at last looking up for the Titans.
Final Verdict: BUY.
Round-Up
- Let’s stick with Titans characters for this week’s Round-Up, shall we? Nightwing #139 has Dick continuing to deal with the fallout of the highway pileup he inadvertently caused a few issues back. Dan Watters, Denys Cowan, Norm Rapmund, Francesco Segala, and Wes Abbott are doing a masterful job on this series of telling self-contained stories that also advance larger overall narratives. Nightwing also feels like he’s facing a level of moral complexity that’s been absent from other more recent runs on the series. This book is a must-read.
- Dan Slott, Lucas Meyer, David Messina, Giuliano Peratelli, and Dave Sharpe’s Superman Unlimited #14 continues the story of young Jon Kent’s return and old Jon Kent’s new identity, Tomorrow Man. This arc has by far been the strongest stretch of issues of the series’ run, with Slott taking the old writer’s adage of “Give the readers what they want, but not what they expect” to heart in fantastic fashion. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes now that most of the cards are on the table.
- Slade Wilson is famously a Titans villain, so let’s put Deathstroke the Terminator #4 in here as well. Tony Fleecs, Carmine di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Wes Abbott have made a Deathstroke series one I look forward to reading each month. This week’s issue has Slade spending some daddy/daughter time with Rose “Ravager” Wilson, while still trying to figure out who killed his best friend and is now trying to kill him. This might be my unexpected favorite of the Next Level titles so far.
- Absolute Batman #21 has a bunch of Robins in it, so that counts as Titans-adjacent, right? There’ll probably be some sideways, oh-so-clever reference to the Titans at some point. Dick Grayson’s running around in a mech suit, which is surely titanic in stature. I dunno, folks. This book continues to be not for me but I also can’t stop looking at it. Nick Dragotta’s art is just incredible. I’m glad people are loving it if it means more people are reading comics, though, and that’s the important thing. Just one guy’s opinion.
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