This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous two books in the Teen Titans graphic novel series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT
It seems like years, but it’s only been a few days since Raven Roth recovered her memories, trapped her demon father, Trigon, into her amulet, and had her heart broken for the first time. But she doesn’t have time to think about the past…she has to focus on finding a way to get rid of Trigon for good.
Garfield Logan still can’t believe he has powers that allow him to change into different animals, but the price of knowing that his parents kept this secret hidden from him just feels too high. And what’s more, his difficulty controlling these abilities could have unexpected consequences.
Both are seeking answers from the one person who seems to have them all figured out: Slade Wilson.
When their paths converge in Nashville, Raven and Gar can’t help but feel a connection, despite the secrets they both try to hide. It will take a great amount of trust and courage to overcome the wounds of their pasts. But can they find acceptance for the darkest part of themselves? Or maybe even love?
Coming off of both characters introductions, I was itching to finally move on with their story. Add to that the anticipation of seeing one of my first major OTP's coming into the story, and you can bet I was that much more impatient to dive in. After waiting for my library to finally get a copy in, I wasted no time getting into it.
And I was not disappointed! I found Raven and Gar's slow-start relationship immediately engaging, with each of them reluctant to share too much about themselves but equally interested/concerned with the other's interests/problems. I loved how Gar's reply to Raven's pressing him about his issue wasn't some lie or straight-out refusal to speak, but rather a reminder of her own reluctance to share her story earlier. It translated the "it's complicated" into something instantly relatable, not only for Raven but the reader as well.
I also loved the speed of the story. There's just enough time for Gar and Raven to meet and get to know each other in some cute settings before the action and drama ramp up for the climax. And even during the high-tension situation, there's still plenty of interaction between the two so that you really believe where they end up at the end. And I'll admit it, having Tommy have a similar personality/humor style in Raven's book helped sell the relatively speedy attraction between the two. I mean, it helps that Raven isn't as serious/emotionless and Gar isn't as much of a hyperactive goofball as the original cartoon, but having set a precedent for Raven's romantic interests helps.
Moving away from the main couple (reluctantly), it was fun following Max, Raven's foster sister, was pretty fun too, though I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting more time with her. She did have more storyline than her last appearance, and slightly more interaction with her powers, but I'm eager for her to have more focus than the B-plot can provide. And yes, I also loved her interaction with the new character introduced here, but I'm sure we'll have more from them in future books, so I won't spoil it.
The art style of the book was definitely improved from Raven's, with the black & white filter thankfully being dismissed. I did find some of the panels slightly confusing in their visuals. Admittedly, I'm not super well versed in comics, graphic novels, or the like, but there was a page that had a large panel showing Max using her powers to try to summon ghosts, ripping a huge crack in the ground, then small panels beside it suddenly claiming that her powers didn't work. Like, I get that no ghosts appeared, but it gave me whiplash to have these small panels literally overlapping a huge image of her powers doing something but claim that nothing happened, like she was useless? Uh, if your powers can cause the ground to fissure, that's not nothing.
Maybe having them on another page would have come off as less whiplash-y? But then, that's probably just my inexperience talking. There were a couple other points where I thought the panels on the same page whipped through actions & dialogue too quickly, but all I can really say is that they didn't appeal to my preference. They might work just fine for others more familiar with American comics. Or perhaps they were arranged this way due to length restrictions so adjustments just aren't possible? The latter is also understandable, if also somewhat disappointing, but I suppose you can't win all the time.
Another weaker aspect for me has to be the villains. There's definitely some big things going on behind the scenes, but all we've seen so far is planning. Slade is definitely a huge player (and not just because I know him from other media), but he's yet to be a proactive character in the story. The characters we do get come off as pretty weak. There's one line about how there could be military applications for the kids' powers, but we don't get anything more than that. I know it's still early on in the story/series, but I wish we were given a stronger threat than "nameless militants want to utilize kids' powers for future war/defense tech."
As far as the ending goes, I definitely felt more satisfied this time. Sure, it's clear that there's more of this series to come, and we do have a good idea of where that will be, but this story's arc was just better. Like I said about the pacing, there seemed to be plenty of time given to each story beat, from the introduction, the mingling, the rising action, etc. such that the climax and denouement didn't take all of 5 pages at the end. It also helped that the ending was building off of earlier story elements, so it acted more as a resolution than a teaser. Definite kudos there.
Overall, this was everything I wanted and more. Sure, I might be biased because of loving the pairing going into this, but I truly think it improved on what came before and offered up a cute, fun, dramatic, and heartfelt story, as well as working in setups and nods to the future. Fans of DC or previous Titans media are sure to pick up on fun Easter eggs and callbacks, and I'm sure even newcomers will appreciate some references. I don't think I'm alone in how excited I am for future installments, and that I'm expecting great things to come from all these characters.
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