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Raven #1-6
Raven
Daughter of a demon. Teammate of Titans. Sorceress of extraordinary power. She may be only 16, but the girl called Raven has seen enough hellfire and heroism to last her a lifetime. Now she’s trying to make a life of her own, taking a break from the Teen Titans and moving in with her mysterious aunt in San Francisco to face the greatest horror of all--high school!
But even as Raven learns more about her human side, evil powers are seeking her out. When one of her classmates goes missing, it sets off a chain of sinister disappearances across the city, culminating in the emergence of an even greater threat: a dark force in the shape of a blinding white orb that absorbs all it touches.
It’s up to Raven to combat this menace and defeat the villainous horde behind it all. Does she have the power to save San Francisco? Or will Raven soar nevermore?
Find out in RAVEN--a scorching supernatural thriller from legendary NEW TEEN TITANS writer Marv Wolfman and artists Alisson Borges (LOBO, EARTH 2) and Diogenes Neves (GREEN ARROW, SUPERGIRL)! Bridging the gap between the New 52 TEEN TITANS series and DC Universe Rebirth, this graphic novel collects Raven #1-6
But even as Raven learns more about her human side, evil powers are seeking her out. When one of her classmates goes missing, it sets off a chain of sinister disappearances across the city, culminating in the emergence of an even greater threat: a dark force in the shape of a blinding white orb that absorbs all it touches.
It’s up to Raven to combat this menace and defeat the villainous horde behind it all. Does she have the power to save San Francisco? Or will Raven soar nevermore?
Find out in RAVEN--a scorching supernatural thriller from legendary NEW TEEN TITANS writer Marv Wolfman and artists Alisson Borges (LOBO, EARTH 2) and Diogenes Neves (GREEN ARROW, SUPERGIRL)! Bridging the gap between the New 52 TEEN TITANS series and DC Universe Rebirth, this graphic novel collects Raven #1-6
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 16, 2017
9 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Marv Wolfman
2,302 books304 followersMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
August 26, 2025
(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: Issue one's a lot of fun, the rest, though, really sucks, the same dumb conceit looped on repeat and blather run amok.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-2 ◦ Issues #3-4 ◦ Issues #5-6
Notes: Issue one's a lot of fun, the rest, though, really sucks, the same dumb conceit looped on repeat and blather run amok.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-2 ◦ Issues #3-4 ◦ Issues #5-6
July 29, 2019
The cover looks awesome and I really wanted to read about Raven.
She's a cool Titan and her origin is even cooler.
All dark and demon-y!
This, however?
This is just a story about a goth Titan who's trying to go to high school and live with her mother's sister's nice Christian family.
There's an attack by some sort of unnamed soul-sucking evil space entity (I think?) that's brought on by a lame group of unknown d-list costumed villains in hope of blackmailing the mayor of whatever city she's now in for some ransom money.
It's awkward. The whole thing is just awkward.
And it's narrated by Raven/Rachel as she spouts all these dumb Raven Facts.
Ok well, the facts themselves aren't necessarily dumb, but the way she rattles them off and calls them Raven Factoids makes them sound absolutely ridiculous.
Raven bonds with some kids in her new school because of no other reason than the plot calls for it. There's nothing they really have in common, they don't go anywhere together, they don't have any sort of heart-to-heart with her, they don't come to her rescue at school or something, and they don't have any particularly impressive personality traits.
They're just...there. And she somehow feels close to them.
Whatthefuckever.
There's got to be a better Raven comic out there than this thing.
She's a cool Titan and her origin is even cooler.
All dark and demon-y!
This, however?
This is just a story about a goth Titan who's trying to go to high school and live with her mother's sister's nice Christian family.
There's an attack by some sort of unnamed soul-sucking evil space entity (I think?) that's brought on by a lame group of unknown d-list costumed villains in hope of blackmailing the mayor of whatever city she's now in for some ransom money.
It's awkward. The whole thing is just awkward.
And it's narrated by Raven/Rachel as she spouts all these dumb Raven Facts.
Ok well, the facts themselves aren't necessarily dumb, but the way she rattles them off and calls them Raven Factoids makes them sound absolutely ridiculous.
Raven bonds with some kids in her new school because of no other reason than the plot calls for it. There's nothing they really have in common, they don't go anywhere together, they don't have any sort of heart-to-heart with her, they don't come to her rescue at school or something, and they don't have any particularly impressive personality traits.
They're just...there. And she somehow feels close to them.
Whatthefuckever.
There's got to be a better Raven comic out there than this thing.
January 24, 2019
The first issue started off very strong. It focused on Raven moving in with her Aunt's family in San Francisco and adjusting to a new high school. But as soon as the big bad showed up, it devolved into the same thing for the rest of the miniseries. Raven tries to mentally fight this growing, glowing orb, gets smacked by a tentacle and forgets for a few minutes what happened. Lather. Wash. Repeat. We never even find out anything about the orb. Raven just eventually fight it off and it disappears.
Wolfman's a better writer than this. For Pete's sake, he created Raven.
The art by Alison Borges and Diogenes Neves was decent, but this was all about the colorist. Blond gave this book an animation look and the colors looked fantastic.
Wolfman's a better writer than this. For Pete's sake, he created Raven.
The art by Alison Borges and Diogenes Neves was decent, but this was all about the colorist. Blond gave this book an animation look and the colors looked fantastic.
April 3, 2022
This was a fun read!
It focuses on Raven going to her aunt and well meeting her family and making friends in the new school but given her past and awkward nature, threats are not far behind and I love the way the writer builds up the threat appear in small doses but making a good cast around her and then showing how when her family and friends are threatened, how she steps up and fights it and saves them in the process maybe and thats a good thing and also a bad thing. For instance what the villain really is, is never made clear except that it controls minds and is targeting Raven.
As a reader we can speculate what exactly it could be but its not Trigon and maybe answered in future volumes but as a main antagonist in this book, its disappointing not to find about it but I like how the writer shows Raven in this new environment and does well to highlight her relationship with her aunt and glimpses into her family which is fascinating. As for the art its okayish, pretty sub-standard but it reads super well! <3
It focuses on Raven going to her aunt and well meeting her family and making friends in the new school but given her past and awkward nature, threats are not far behind and I love the way the writer builds up the threat appear in small doses but making a good cast around her and then showing how when her family and friends are threatened, how she steps up and fights it and saves them in the process maybe and thats a good thing and also a bad thing. For instance what the villain really is, is never made clear except that it controls minds and is targeting Raven.
As a reader we can speculate what exactly it could be but its not Trigon and maybe answered in future volumes but as a main antagonist in this book, its disappointing not to find about it but I like how the writer shows Raven in this new environment and does well to highlight her relationship with her aunt and glimpses into her family which is fascinating. As for the art its okayish, pretty sub-standard but it reads super well! <3
March 8, 2017
An okay read. So this Raven series is set sometime between New 52 and Rebirth; Raven decides she needs a change of pace so she goes and lives in San Francisco with her Aunt and her family, she also goes to high school there. Then a giant orb thingy appears out of no where and starts sucking people in and Raven has to stop it! To start off with what I did like, The Artwork is awesome, its got this trippy, goth, very colourful style to it, which makes it a very nice comic to look at! The first two issues were the best, as we see Raven in high school and some very heart warming family moments! Then from issue 3 onwards, its just filler... Basically the orb appears, Raven goes to try and stop it, she can't get into the orb, so she sits outside the orb for 3 issues, talking about her feelings... I think this originally was pitched as a 3 or 4 issue series, then DC extended it to 6; because it starts off really really good and then its just filler! The final issue is okay, the solution at the end is pretty cliché... In the end I wouldn't say this is terrible, just an okay read, part of me does still wish this was ongoing and not a mini!
May 7, 2017
[Read as single issues]
Originally billed as a bridging mini-series that explained what Raven was up to between the end of the New 52 Teen Titans and the Rebirth era series, this little mini doesn't really do any of that. Instead it's mostly character focused drama that gives Raven a chance to deal with her internalized hatred of herself as she attempts to rescue her newest group of friends and her adoptive family from a seemingly-unknown force.
I say seemingly-unknown because I honestly can't remember what it was. I know there were hints, but it's mostly unexplained and the story goes round and round in circles for the middle few issues as Raven goes to fight and gets thrown aside, lather, rinse, and repeat. There's a sidebar when a group of wannabe-heroes try to take credit for it all but that's neither here nor there. The internal monologue for Raven is the best part of the series, which ultimately doesn't really go anywhere.
The art is split between Allison Borges and chameleon artist Diogenes Neves who each pencil 3 issues each. It's surprisingly cohesive with the two of them, but nothing spectacular to write home about.
Originally billed as a bridging mini-series that explained what Raven was up to between the end of the New 52 Teen Titans and the Rebirth era series, this little mini doesn't really do any of that. Instead it's mostly character focused drama that gives Raven a chance to deal with her internalized hatred of herself as she attempts to rescue her newest group of friends and her adoptive family from a seemingly-unknown force.
I say seemingly-unknown because I honestly can't remember what it was. I know there were hints, but it's mostly unexplained and the story goes round and round in circles for the middle few issues as Raven goes to fight and gets thrown aside, lather, rinse, and repeat. There's a sidebar when a group of wannabe-heroes try to take credit for it all but that's neither here nor there. The internal monologue for Raven is the best part of the series, which ultimately doesn't really go anywhere.
The art is split between Allison Borges and chameleon artist Diogenes Neves who each pencil 3 issues each. It's surprisingly cohesive with the two of them, but nothing spectacular to write home about.
September 8, 2017
I love Wolfman but this was pretty bad.
World: The art was good but the framing and the pacing made it janky and it was hard to understand what the fuck was happening. The world building was okay, but it was basic and covered things we've read before about Raven. Nothing special.
Story: The story could have been told in 2 issues but lasted 6. The pacing was a huge problem. It was the same again and again for 4 issues. It was a waste. Not enough time with school. Not enough time with family. In the end the book was a drag and a bad read.
Characters: This book had so little character development for a 6 issue arc it was bad. Raven has the same story again and instead of having her fit in the school we immediately get supernatural stuff off the bat. The family and friends had barely any development which made the climax mean nothing.
Pretty terrible.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art was good but the framing and the pacing made it janky and it was hard to understand what the fuck was happening. The world building was okay, but it was basic and covered things we've read before about Raven. Nothing special.
Story: The story could have been told in 2 issues but lasted 6. The pacing was a huge problem. It was the same again and again for 4 issues. It was a waste. Not enough time with school. Not enough time with family. In the end the book was a drag and a bad read.
Characters: This book had so little character development for a 6 issue arc it was bad. Raven has the same story again and instead of having her fit in the school we immediately get supernatural stuff off the bat. The family and friends had barely any development which made the climax mean nothing.
Pretty terrible.
Onward to the next book!
July 24, 2017
3.5/5.0 stars
Cool ideas, messy execution. Issue one has the high school hell storyline that I love deeply (aka Raven trying to fit in) plus the humor with her very religious aunt, but issue two jumps straight into the astral plane out of seemingly nowhere. I only know Raven from Teen Titans and had zero explanation about what was going on throughout the series half the time. This is not a well-done, but possibly rushed introduction for the character.
But the white carnival storyline was cool, the art was cool, the dialogue on Christianity versus Raven's whatever theology/reality, the bits we did get on Raven's internal battle of being good but coming from evil and darkness. All of that was very good. There's genuinely interesting ideas, the series just needed more love.
Hope to see a better written series for her. DC, just take out one of your many Harley Quinn series. She won't be missed.
Cool ideas, messy execution. Issue one has the high school hell storyline that I love deeply (aka Raven trying to fit in) plus the humor with her very religious aunt, but issue two jumps straight into the astral plane out of seemingly nowhere. I only know Raven from Teen Titans and had zero explanation about what was going on throughout the series half the time. This is not a well-done, but possibly rushed introduction for the character.
But the white carnival storyline was cool, the art was cool, the dialogue on Christianity versus Raven's whatever theology/reality, the bits we did get on Raven's internal battle of being good but coming from evil and darkness. All of that was very good. There's genuinely interesting ideas, the series just needed more love.
Hope to see a better written series for her. DC, just take out one of your many Harley Quinn series. She won't be missed.
February 17, 2018
The Teen Titans are not on my top ten list, or even my top twenty list, of favorite series. But, I always liked the character of Raven, daughter of Trigon. So, naturally, they take a deep and complex character and turn her into a "Saved by the Bell" wanna-be. Raven's "trials" with her overly religious and annoying aunt, her "troubles" in high school and the story itself would have been "cool" if I were a 13 year old fangirl. I am not. 13 years old, a girl nor a fan. The art is mediocre and cartoonish. The story appeals to pre-teen girls everywhere. Sadly I don't think that is the fan base that reads this comic. Well I won't waste more time on this one..let us leave it with a "Shame on you Marv Wolfman!" for this pap.
February 25, 2023
I saw this book in my library earlier today and decided to check it out because Raven is one of my favorite Titans. I haven't read too many comics with her, so this was an introduction of sorts to her comic story. It is a decent book and I was able to understand it with no issues. The reason why I mention this is because I've read some first volume books that wouldn't make sense unless you read the other books that tie in with it. This isn't the case here as it does give some good backstory.
However, there is a lot of exposition at times. I know that this can be a bit tough to pull off, especially when one is trying to balance an audience of new readers of a character and more well-versed ones. Nonetheless, I did notice much more telling than showing.
Still though, the story itself is good with some nice themes. Some of the most important themes are standing up to your fears and being willing to accept them (and keep going) in spite of the pain. There is also the theme of love and the importance of supporting one another. I like how the tension remained high in the book as did the mystery and intensity also.
However, the book was a bit rushed and I had mixed feelings about the ending. I found that the writing of Rachel/Raven's friendships were a bit rushed. The resolution of the main conflict was a bit rushed at the end as well as a bit on the cheesy side. At the same time though, it was beautiful.
The artwork is great. The character designs are great. The coloring is done well too.
As for Raven herself, she's a great character. Her arc through this book was well written. So were the various struggles she dealt with.
Overall, I have mixed views of the graphic novel "Raven". Raven herself was written well and the story was good. So was the art. Nonetheless, the story was also rushed and had a lot of exposition. Altogether, I'd say it is a decent book.
However, there is a lot of exposition at times. I know that this can be a bit tough to pull off, especially when one is trying to balance an audience of new readers of a character and more well-versed ones. Nonetheless, I did notice much more telling than showing.
Still though, the story itself is good with some nice themes. Some of the most important themes are standing up to your fears and being willing to accept them (and keep going) in spite of the pain. There is also the theme of love and the importance of supporting one another. I like how the tension remained high in the book as did the mystery and intensity also.
However, the book was a bit rushed and I had mixed feelings about the ending. I found that the writing of Rachel/Raven's friendships were a bit rushed. The resolution of the main conflict was a bit rushed at the end as well as a bit on the cheesy side. At the same time though, it was beautiful.
The artwork is great. The character designs are great. The coloring is done well too.
As for Raven herself, she's a great character. Her arc through this book was well written. So were the various struggles she dealt with.
Overall, I have mixed views of the graphic novel "Raven". Raven herself was written well and the story was good. So was the art. Nonetheless, the story was also rushed and had a lot of exposition. Altogether, I'd say it is a decent book.
October 9, 2022
I love Raven. It was a really fun comic and a little scary but I loved it.
December 31, 2021
This had some beautiful artwork and both an absorbing story as well as quite an emotional one.
January 28, 2019
So this was a pleasant surprise. I don't really have any relationship to Rachel/Raven from before, but I've been looking at this comic a bunch of times, and finally I just gave in a bought it. Then I learned Netflix had made another DC-series adaption of Titans, and so I put off reading this book until I watched the first season.
I liked the season, and so I finally got around to trying to read the comic.
I really enjoyed it.
In the beginning, I was a little unsure about the art style, but it soon grew on me and I liked it. I also liked Rachel's character, but am glad I took the time to watch the TV show and get some backstory on her before I dived into this, for while it introduces her in an interesting way, it didn't tell us much else - like everything DC does, it has hints to other comic-series and stories, and you would be confused if you just jumped into it without doing some research.
I think the story was interesting and had a nice subplot, but the timeline was a little messed up, which was confusing.
Other than that, I don't have much more to say this way or that. I really enjoyed the comic and the characters, and would be more than interested in reading on if this series ever expanded. I feel there are many places Raven could go with her story.
I liked the season, and so I finally got around to trying to read the comic.
I really enjoyed it.
In the beginning, I was a little unsure about the art style, but it soon grew on me and I liked it. I also liked Rachel's character, but am glad I took the time to watch the TV show and get some backstory on her before I dived into this, for while it introduces her in an interesting way, it didn't tell us much else - like everything DC does, it has hints to other comic-series and stories, and you would be confused if you just jumped into it without doing some research.
I think the story was interesting and had a nice subplot, but the timeline was a little messed up, which was confusing.
Other than that, I don't have much more to say this way or that. I really enjoyed the comic and the characters, and would be more than interested in reading on if this series ever expanded. I feel there are many places Raven could go with her story.
May 30, 2018
Uhf. I wanted to like this. I really wanted to like this! I love the concept of Raven's character. I love her aesthetic. I love her taciturn nature. But, damn, this story was boring! Some vague, unnamed threat, literally a big, white blob (come ON!), just...appears out of nowhere and starts ingesting people. Raven then repeats the same internal monologue for about half of the issues in the arc. The very end was kind of interesting, but I found myself skimming most of the middle pages to get to something, anything happening. I tried to read this on the train on my way home yesterday, but fell asleep instead. Sigh.
July 31, 2018
2.5 Stars
May 20, 2017
First off I am more of a 2000s Teen Titans Raven fan (before the cartoon reboot came back in) so her new Raven fighting form was different for me and I found it strange in this comic. The artwork is interesting, the story line is not so much. She's fighting a "ball of light" that basically just sets up a force field and goes not today Raven, not today. The ending was very anti-climatic and the villain isn't really fleshed out. You don't know why it's there or how. It's just..there. I did like the storyline of her going out on her own to find her family. That was interesting and seeing the two sides come together and brace acceptance for one another was good as well. Another thing I liked was that Raven wanted to be the hero and the protector. She wasn't all go away, shoo shoo shoo, it was I WILL help you, I WILL save you. She cared majorly and it showed. Though not all slap stick and as funny as the Teen Titans cartoon, and the artwork for Raven is different, I did like it. It's a very quick read as some parts are a recap of the previous comic issue, etc. If you're a huge fan of Raven this will probably be great for you, a casual fan, possibly not as there are some issues with the story line etc.
October 4, 2016
Anti-social superhero in high school = amusement.
Review: https://derailmentsofthought.wordpres...
Review: https://derailmentsofthought.wordpres...
September 28, 2021
Wolfman postanowił odpowiedzieć na pytanie, co porabia Raven, gdy nie ma jej w Teen Titans. Otóż przebywa u rodziny, a konkretnie u swojej ciotki o nazwisku Williams. Ma jeszcze troje kuzynów i wuja. Może rozpocząć naukę w szkole, ale jak to zwykle w tym świecie bywa, nie dane będzie się wyuczyć.
Ten tytuł ma jeden niekwestionowany plus. Rysunki bywają tutaj obłędne, zwłaszcza efekty mocy czy kontakt z pewną zagadkową kulą po środku miasta, która przyciąga ludzi jak muchy, pochłania ich i uporczywie krzyczy na Raven, że jeszcze nie czas. Jeszcze nie. Bardzo wygodny zabieg fabularny. No i nasza bohaterka ma nową paczkę przyjaciół. Szkoda tylko, że nie czuć do nich żadnego zaangażowania, bo nie ma tu tworzenia więzi. One się pojawiają gdzieś z palca w międzyczasie, bo Raven nie ma tu żadnych wiarygodnych i dłuższych znajomości, aby w finale eksponować określone emocje.
Trochę boli, zwłaszcza że całość momentami traci swoje tempo i nuży, zwłaszcza sceny w szkole, które powinny służyć za pomost do tworzenia naturalnych, przyjacielskich relacji. Tu tego nie znajdziecie. Jest za to córa swojego ojca, która musi się zmagać z przeklętym dziedzictwem i widmem utraty części samego siebie. W podobnym tonie Kami Garcia stworzy podwaliny pod swoją wersję Raven. I tam to wychodzi. Tu nie.
Ten tytuł ma jeden niekwestionowany plus. Rysunki bywają tutaj obłędne, zwłaszcza efekty mocy czy kontakt z pewną zagadkową kulą po środku miasta, która przyciąga ludzi jak muchy, pochłania ich i uporczywie krzyczy na Raven, że jeszcze nie czas. Jeszcze nie. Bardzo wygodny zabieg fabularny. No i nasza bohaterka ma nową paczkę przyjaciół. Szkoda tylko, że nie czuć do nich żadnego zaangażowania, bo nie ma tu tworzenia więzi. One się pojawiają gdzieś z palca w międzyczasie, bo Raven nie ma tu żadnych wiarygodnych i dłuższych znajomości, aby w finale eksponować określone emocje.
Trochę boli, zwłaszcza że całość momentami traci swoje tempo i nuży, zwłaszcza sceny w szkole, które powinny służyć za pomost do tworzenia naturalnych, przyjacielskich relacji. Tu tego nie znajdziecie. Jest za to córa swojego ojca, która musi się zmagać z przeklętym dziedzictwem i widmem utraty części samego siebie. W podobnym tonie Kami Garcia stworzy podwaliny pod swoją wersję Raven. I tam to wychodzi. Tu nie.
May 31, 2017
So I enjoyed Raven just based off watching her in the old Teen Titan characters from years ago. Obviously that was more geared to children but it was genuinely entertaining. It was enough to convince me to check out this story despite having to do a little research on her history because I could not, for the life of me, remember much about her. I love the back story and I love her approach to life. Over all I felt a little jaded as to the origin of the story's villain which is hard to explain all by itself. The final panels of issue 6 lets us know it is some type of mystical force or what have you. I loved the length of the story and was genuinely content with two major themes explored. I do not consider myself a religious person, but the way Christianity was used in the story was very much effective and it shows that just general themes of love and support had a positive influence on Raven who reports those themes are completely foreign to her. The second major theme of the whole story was family. Raven has the Titans but now she knows she also has a true family she call home. I look forward to future stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2025
i really enjoyed this interpretation of Raven over the New 52. this actually feels like a character with wants and desires and wishes and fears and anxieties. it’s like a breathe of ugly air that is needed in order to really connect with anything noteworthy. i think the light villain was supposed to be an embodiment of trauma and the panic it can leave in us. the disorganizing and unrelenting quality that sorta of damage can have us leaves unable to listen to anything and it draws us towards more trauma and we can’t stop it alone. it causes to lose parts of identity and our memories. it strips you over the very notion of a “you”. this is a very direct mirror of how Raven lives but she has to tightrope walk this and the idea that she is still alive and not dead. she is not all consumed by this force and she has enough experience with this to really walk back and forth between relenting and giving yourself up to the part of that is so broken and also knowing when to resist. She mirrors us since we all have these experiences and we all need help to try and remember who we are to make sense of it.
July 9, 2018
I mostly know Raven from the old Teen Titans show (not Teen Titans Go! Just Teen Titans), but I like her character, and this seemed like a good place to get to know her counterpart in the comics. They appear to be quite a bit different. Still, it was close enough that I was able to figure out what was going on, for the most part. This is a solid book that features Raven dealing with an unexplained threat, while trying to establish a new secret identity with her aunt's (very Christian) family. This is, of course, difficult, since Raven is the daughter of a demon, and also has a non-Christian faith, but I liked that, instead of that being a conflict, both parties try to understand one another and accept their differences. I did find it a bit convenient that no other super heroes were available to help a major city like San Francisco, and there were many moments where I wondered why Raven didn't use her powers differently, but other than some things like that, this was a solid story, and I am interested to see more about what I don't know about this character I like.
July 27, 2018
Sometimes it's better to be known as the "guy who used to write Teen Titans" than the "guy who is writing Teen Titans characters."
Marv used to be a great storyteller, but if this is any indication, he's not that anymore. He's trying to make Raven modern, yet distant, and it comes off as one of those "hello fellow teens" gifs you see so often on Twitter. This Raven is awkward not because of who she is, but who is writing her. And the plot--Raven tries to be "normal" and it goes badly--is something we've seen too many times.
The art worked pretty well, though--close to DC Jim Lee House Style, but pretty clear, even if the plot wasn't good. They did a nice job working on the facial expressions, making characters look their age, and showing the supernatural elements. In the end, though--this one's a hard pass.
Marv used to be a great storyteller, but if this is any indication, he's not that anymore. He's trying to make Raven modern, yet distant, and it comes off as one of those "hello fellow teens" gifs you see so often on Twitter. This Raven is awkward not because of who she is, but who is writing her. And the plot--Raven tries to be "normal" and it goes badly--is something we've seen too many times.
The art worked pretty well, though--close to DC Jim Lee House Style, but pretty clear, even if the plot wasn't good. They did a nice job working on the facial expressions, making characters look their age, and showing the supernatural elements. In the end, though--this one's a hard pass.
October 13, 2020
When I first heard about one of the female Teen Titans, Raven, receiving her own solo comic book series, I thought it could be fun at least, reminiscent of Starfire's solo run by Amanda Conner, only instead of a beach, it is set in a high school. The antics and day-to-day troubles of that cliched scenario, mixed in with superheroics, is an extremely common but popular concept with hundreds of tones and directions to take it. You can tell any story in a school - a gateway into adulthood - as it fits into the theme of coming-of-age adolescence.
What I did not expect was 'Raven' to be one of the darkest, most intense comics I've ever read, that fully embraces its supernatural elements. High school barely factors into it.
Raven is a half-demon, gothic empath and telepath. She's the daughter of one of DC's versions of the Devil, Trigon, and of a human mother, Arella (or Angela). This dark horse outcast, who is somehow still a young teenager after years of superhero adventures, departs from the Teen Titans in the wake of a tragedy. For a go at being normal - and, presumably, to be kept sane and not tempted to be evil again - she arrives in San Francisco and stays with her mother's sister's family, who are Christian; going against her own origin and upbringing in the world of Azara, worshiping a god called Azar.
Raven, now going by the ordinary human civilian identity, Rachel Roth, tries to integrate into her new, mundane environment by not standing out and drawing attention to herself, in order to keep Trigon and her demonic brothers off track - they wish to force her towards a path and birthright to becoming a world destroyer. With her über goth girl look and shy, creepy demeanour, you'd think Raven attempting to be "normal" wouldn't go well, much less help her be invisible. But surprisingly, people like her fine, and she appears to make friends easily in high school.
But the blurb lies. School is not what this comic is about. It is about Raven spending the whole volume working out how to save San Francisco from an alien light "thing" that absorbs young people into its hell, for their complex and unstable emotions. She is an empath who has been trained all her life to control her own emotions, or else her father will take her over and bring darkness and destruction to the universe. Her foe in her solo comic isn't Trigon, as it turns out, but a celestial extraterrestrial that grows bigger and stronger through emotions, mainly fear. Raven's ability to take away people's pain while repressing her own is put to the test. If she fails, she could be absorbed into the light of unending suffering along with the other teenagers, but to win might mean having to give in to her dark side, that is strong enough to defeat the madness.
The story is a disturbing metaphor for depression and how it can control people. It can make life a continuous hell, and make everything seem like the end of the world.
In 'Raven', written by someone who created her, wrote her for the longest time, and who knows her best, Marv Wolfman, Raven battles against other people's depression and family distress as well as her own. Badly. She tries to help others deal with emotional turmoil and grief, for this not-so-mysterious demon child is still an empath, and a good person. A teleporting magician possessing a "soul-self", she is like a teenage girl version of Marvel's Doctor Strange. Her goth outcast character, taken to supernatural extremes, remains her greatest appeal to fans, even to this day when the word "emo" is a dead and dated term. She is still awesome.
The only real problem with the comic is Raven's relationships with everyone in her new life. With the exception of her aunt Alice, all her interactions with other characters are too short, arbitrary, and they contain no depth. She once mentions in narration that she had used her empathic powers to make her fellow school students like her quickly, which explains the shallowness of that development. Raven has no real connection to these one-note plot devices, and yet she apparently harbours such a strong bond with them that she thinks she must protect them once the threat of the "thing" is apparent. They are her friends, her anchor, her human half, because...the plot says so. We don't even see her in school much, in comparison to her external and internal battles with the "thing"; which for a superhero story is fine, but for something that is supposed to show how human she can be, it is a lot of telling instead of showing. There is hardly a mention of her time with the Teen Titans - the Beast Boy cameo at the end notwithstanding - which is a good thing for Raven's individual run. If she had compared the school pals she never properly interacts with to the Titans, it would have been the ultimate insult.
At least her aunt is well-developed and has more than one scene with Raven, leading to a great climax that reflects both of their faiths. Love and family come together to stop a deep depression.
'Raven' is a horror story, a brilliant exploding one. The standard art for current DC superhero comics manages to fit with the twisted, macabre tone. We learn more about Raven and the nature of her powers, and we see her as a superhero, a witch, a teen girl with domestic problems, and a demon. She fights and struggles with who she is, and who she wants to be. She is a dark and cool anti-heroine, more sensitive than she lets on.
Really, this is the perfect story for a character like Raven, just like how Starfire's light-hearted, sunny solo comic is perfect for her. Any Raven fan should check 'Raven' out.
Final Score: 3.5/5
What I did not expect was 'Raven' to be one of the darkest, most intense comics I've ever read, that fully embraces its supernatural elements. High school barely factors into it.
Raven is a half-demon, gothic empath and telepath. She's the daughter of one of DC's versions of the Devil, Trigon, and of a human mother, Arella (or Angela). This dark horse outcast, who is somehow still a young teenager after years of superhero adventures, departs from the Teen Titans in the wake of a tragedy. For a go at being normal - and, presumably, to be kept sane and not tempted to be evil again - she arrives in San Francisco and stays with her mother's sister's family, who are Christian; going against her own origin and upbringing in the world of Azara, worshiping a god called Azar.
Raven, now going by the ordinary human civilian identity, Rachel Roth, tries to integrate into her new, mundane environment by not standing out and drawing attention to herself, in order to keep Trigon and her demonic brothers off track - they wish to force her towards a path and birthright to becoming a world destroyer. With her über goth girl look and shy, creepy demeanour, you'd think Raven attempting to be "normal" wouldn't go well, much less help her be invisible. But surprisingly, people like her fine, and she appears to make friends easily in high school.
But the blurb lies. School is not what this comic is about. It is about Raven spending the whole volume working out how to save San Francisco from an alien light "thing" that absorbs young people into its hell, for their complex and unstable emotions. She is an empath who has been trained all her life to control her own emotions, or else her father will take her over and bring darkness and destruction to the universe. Her foe in her solo comic isn't Trigon, as it turns out, but a celestial extraterrestrial that grows bigger and stronger through emotions, mainly fear. Raven's ability to take away people's pain while repressing her own is put to the test. If she fails, she could be absorbed into the light of unending suffering along with the other teenagers, but to win might mean having to give in to her dark side, that is strong enough to defeat the madness.
The story is a disturbing metaphor for depression and how it can control people. It can make life a continuous hell, and make everything seem like the end of the world.
In 'Raven', written by someone who created her, wrote her for the longest time, and who knows her best, Marv Wolfman, Raven battles against other people's depression and family distress as well as her own. Badly. She tries to help others deal with emotional turmoil and grief, for this not-so-mysterious demon child is still an empath, and a good person. A teleporting magician possessing a "soul-self", she is like a teenage girl version of Marvel's Doctor Strange. Her goth outcast character, taken to supernatural extremes, remains her greatest appeal to fans, even to this day when the word "emo" is a dead and dated term. She is still awesome.
The only real problem with the comic is Raven's relationships with everyone in her new life. With the exception of her aunt Alice, all her interactions with other characters are too short, arbitrary, and they contain no depth. She once mentions in narration that she had used her empathic powers to make her fellow school students like her quickly, which explains the shallowness of that development. Raven has no real connection to these one-note plot devices, and yet she apparently harbours such a strong bond with them that she thinks she must protect them once the threat of the "thing" is apparent. They are her friends, her anchor, her human half, because...the plot says so. We don't even see her in school much, in comparison to her external and internal battles with the "thing"; which for a superhero story is fine, but for something that is supposed to show how human she can be, it is a lot of telling instead of showing. There is hardly a mention of her time with the Teen Titans - the Beast Boy cameo at the end notwithstanding - which is a good thing for Raven's individual run. If she had compared the school pals she never properly interacts with to the Titans, it would have been the ultimate insult.
At least her aunt is well-developed and has more than one scene with Raven, leading to a great climax that reflects both of their faiths. Love and family come together to stop a deep depression.
'Raven' is a horror story, a brilliant exploding one. The standard art for current DC superhero comics manages to fit with the twisted, macabre tone. We learn more about Raven and the nature of her powers, and we see her as a superhero, a witch, a teen girl with domestic problems, and a demon. She fights and struggles with who she is, and who she wants to be. She is a dark and cool anti-heroine, more sensitive than she lets on.
Really, this is the perfect story for a character like Raven, just like how Starfire's light-hearted, sunny solo comic is perfect for her. Any Raven fan should check 'Raven' out.
Final Score: 3.5/5
September 22, 2017
Llevo leído la mitad y de momento es malo pero de verdad. Una trama básica de instituto con una fuerza misteriosa de por medio que secuestra gente, viva la originalidad. Si continuo con la lectura es sólo porque es un tomo cortito.
Vale, ya lo terminé. Repetitivo a más no poder, Raven intenta traspasar la barrera no es capaz y se treletransporta. Lo único que despertó una pizca de mi interés fueron las relaciones familiares de Raven, pero están tan apresuradas y mal llevadas que incluso eso lo fastidian.
Quedo muy decepcionada con esta serie que tenía un montón de potencial y se quedó en nada. ¡Con lo interesante y complejo que es el personaje!
Vale, ya lo terminé. Repetitivo a más no poder, Raven intenta traspasar la barrera no es capaz y se treletransporta. Lo único que despertó una pizca de mi interés fueron las relaciones familiares de Raven, pero están tan apresuradas y mal llevadas que incluso eso lo fastidian.
Quedo muy decepcionada con esta serie que tenía un montón de potencial y se quedó en nada. ¡Con lo interesante y complejo que es el personaje!
December 19, 2017
In this series, Raven breaks away from the Teen Titans to try to discover her human side. She moves across the country to San Francisco, to live with her super religious aunt and cousins. While there, she also attends high school- which is challenging enough for anyone, let alone a daughter of a demon. She has trouble making friends, but with a little help from her empath powers, she does find a group to settle in with. Shortly after, a mysterious power is sucking up souls focusing mainly on teenagers, putting her newfound friends in danger. She soon realizes she can no longer ignore the demon part of her or her friends and family will suffer.
~Elisa
~Elisa
August 9, 2017
Raven is one of my favorite characters in comics. I'm familiar with her thought processes and how she doesn't exactly understand the ways of human civilization or the "friends" she has made. The storytelling in this book was weak, not in any way what I was expecting going into the book, but the characterization was spot on. The art was more than excellent. If the storytelling had been just a tad bit better, I would have given it a 4 star rating, but for now it will have to suffice with a 3 star rating. It was good and enjoyable, but it wasn't great.
December 18, 2017
Raven gets her own adventure away from the Teen Titans. She moves to San Francisco to reconnect with her mom’s side of the family, who are the complete opposite of her father’s. She also attends public school for the first time which starts off rocky, but she uses her empath powers to quickly make friends.
Suddenly after a fun night at the carnival, teens start going missing and their souls are being sucked up and used to wreak havoc on the city. Can Raven save her family and newfound friends?
Suddenly after a fun night at the carnival, teens start going missing and their souls are being sucked up and used to wreak havoc on the city. Can Raven save her family and newfound friends?
May 12, 2017
For someone who has never read a "Teen Titan" comic or knows a lot about Raven except for someone episodes of the show, this comic blew my mind. I picked this up to find something to read and Raven was a character that I don't know nothing about, and I want more after reading this. The art is gorgeous and I was surprised by the writing because it was good. I'm excited to start browsing and see more comics of Raven.
October 2, 2017
This had the potential to be so much better than it was. There wasn't enough time taken to develop the relationships between characters. For example Raven says that Antt is important to her, but all we saw was Antt introducing herself. The whole thing felt rushed as if it was a story that was written to fit in 2 volumes then was condensed to fit in to 1 volume. I liked the character and the premise though.
August 8, 2018
I gotta be honest, the description of this book did not make it sound appealing, but it actually turned out to be fairly good. The ending was a bit annoying cause Oh yeah and the art was really nice.
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