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Do you remember that moment in high school where the teacher announced that an exam would be graded on a curve and a collective sigh was heard around the room? That’s sort of the energy with which I’m approaching Titans at this point.
This isn’t an amazing series or issue, but I’m settling into the fun of “Dark Winged Queen” without worrying about how formulaic it is.
The villain of the week is Vanadia, an aspiring titan who is manipulated by Dr. Morrow and Amanda Waller into trying to kill the team. While I don’t dislike her as a character, it’s difficult not to get Waller fatigue at this point considering that she seems to be the default DC villain now.
Vanadia is at least more interesting than the average antagonist in this run. She loves the titans and thinks that she’s fighting imposters–a cooler premise than the unrepentantly evil opponents the team has faced over the past ten issues. She also has a great edgy costume reminiscent of the late ‘90s (gotta love a superhero rocking a vest).
The problem with Vanadia is that she feels awkwardly placed within the wider arc of Raven being controlled by Trigon. About half the issue is dedicated to Vanadia, with the other half exploring Nightwing’s suspicions of Raven. It doesn’t give either plot the development each deserves.
Even if it is a bit too short, I do really enjoy how Tom Talyor writes Grayson’s struggle with Raven’s behavior. Nightwing engages in a dialogue with himself about how to approach the problem. It brings out his detective skills and really shows how Dick has been influenced by the analytical powers of Batman.
Lucas Meyer assists Taylor with two remarkable pages rendering Nightwing’s internal wrestling with how to approach Raven. I don’t want to give away how Meyer and colorist Adriano Lucas handle that dynamic, because it’s worth seeing yourself.
Unfortunately, this scene is cut short by a fight between Vanadia and the team, which is then interrupted by Raven leaving the planet. Overall, there’s a collection of worthy ideas here that keep bumping into each other.
It seems like there’s a list of editorial notes the series has to hit that have to uncomfortably coexist with the story that Taylor actually wants to tell. That doesn’t mean that he would have crafted a brilliant narrative if Titans didn’t have to connect to the broader DC Universe, but it does feel like this could at least be a cleaner story if it wasn’t trying to juggle too many ideas at once.
Recommended if…
You are a Titans completist.
You are intrigued by Vanadia and want to get to know her origin.
You appreciate Lucas Meyer’s art style.
Overall…
I’m at the point where this series is being graded on a curve for me. If I felt invested in this story, the flaws with this issue would feel disappointing. But Taylor hasn’t given readers much emotionally resonant material to work with up to this point, so I picked up this comic simply hoping to have a decent time, and that was achieved. Meyer’s art combined with the novelty of learning more about a recently introduced character kept my attention.
Score: 4/10
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