...is like the Packers without Favre. What are they thinking?
In Sean McKeever's newest installment, #66, Tim Drake (apparently) leaves the role of leader and teammate, in the midst of roster-flux and recruitments. Obviously there are extenuating circumstances; Batman does not currently exist and Tim feels the weight of Gotham all on his shoulders. But is it necessary to remove him while Battle for the Cowl goes on?
For decades the Titans have existed with a Robin in spite of every major Batman storyline that took place. Without him the group's only superhero cred is in the hands of Wonder Girl, who many believe is a flat and whiny character, though she has promise. The Titans are at their best when powerful misfits come together, steadied by the training and authority of Robin, and carve a place in the DC universe. Sans Robin the series might as well be discontinued for all the interest I have left in it.
I should mention that I am a Tim Drake man, through and through. I have always loved and connected to Robin, and Tim most of all. He's human, cautious, relying on intellect rather than his circus acrobatic abilities, and has the most original origin as Robin out there. He hasn't been used always to great effect, but has come into his own in the past year. Leaving the Teen Titans seems like a step back, unless they can save it by having him figure very prominently in Battle for the Cowl.
Though its extremely unlikely they will give it to him, for however long they have a Bat-substitute, I'm rooting for Tim.
I'm of the firm belief that Teen Titans is a book that Sean McKeever just has no interest in writing.
ReplyDeleteThe Titans are supposed to be about hope. They are the future legacy of the DCU. They're training to eventually take on the roles of saving the world. But McKeever has sucked all that out of the book and turned it into a dark, dreary, violent book...just like every other thing out there.
I wish they'd give McKeever a book he wants to write, so he can shine. And get someone on Titans that wants to write that, so it'll stop sucking.
And the art doesn't help. At first Barrows was all right. But the more I see of it, the less I like it. And that "costume" he designed for Cassie is about more suck than I can stand.
BTW, there was a time when the Titans were Robin-less. Back in the day (before you were born...), after George Perez left the book they had a period that was Nightwing-less. They had like Supergirl, Kyle Rayner, Arsenal, Terra II, Fringe (?), maybe some variation of Cyborg and I think Donna while she was a Darkstar. It was pretty sucky. Which kinda makes your point.
Oops. I forgot to use "suck" in the first sentence...
That's brilliant, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more.
For instance, the benign golden age Krypto shows up, only to maul one of the most intelligent characters in the tower, and a powerless one at that, and kills her twin brother.
Or the bizareness that is Terror Titans, seemingly making up new teen heroes as he goes along. It smacks of a little boy ramming his toy cars into things and making explosive sound effects.
These writers only seem able to destroy things lately.
As for the art, there was a panel in this last one, when Tim and Cassie are all sentimental in the bedroom, when Robin looks like he has some kind of Joker smile, or fake dentures. And he's like the easiest most standard male face to draw. That plus the Cassie-Supergirl-Bootie Embrace took me totally out of it.
Thanks a lot for commenting!
It really doesnt suck.