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Titans (2016)
Titans, Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us
The classic team of former superhero sidekicks continue their adventures in TITANS VOL. 3, as a part of DC Rebirth!
The reunion of the classic team of superhero sidekicks--Nightwing, The Flash, Donna Troy, Tempest and Arsenal--continues in TITANS VOL. 3, as a part of DC Rebirth!
As Omen begins her investigation into the identity of the team's traitor, the Titans launch a full assault on H.I.V.E., who they believe hold the key to restoring Bumblebee's broken mind. Meanwhile, tensions rise when Roy discovers Wally and Donna's blossoming romance--which threatens to tear the Titans apart!
Writer Dan Abnett (AQUAMAN) and artist Brett Booth (NIGHTWING) continue their critically acclaimed run with TITANS VOL. 3! Collects issues #12-18.
The reunion of the classic team of superhero sidekicks--Nightwing, The Flash, Donna Troy, Tempest and Arsenal--continues in TITANS VOL. 3, as a part of DC Rebirth!
As Omen begins her investigation into the identity of the team's traitor, the Titans launch a full assault on H.I.V.E., who they believe hold the key to restoring Bumblebee's broken mind. Meanwhile, tensions rise when Roy discovers Wally and Donna's blossoming romance--which threatens to tear the Titans apart!
Writer Dan Abnett (AQUAMAN) and artist Brett Booth (NIGHTWING) continue their critically acclaimed run with TITANS VOL. 3! Collects issues #12-18.
168 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2018
65 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 9, 2022
This one was really good as we get to see the team fracture as they learn from Lilith who learns from Psimon someone is gonna betray the team and I love the dynamics here and like with Wally is going through, Roy and his feelings for Diana, Garth fighting the Trident three which was cool and showing a massive twist with Dick but an even bigger twist with who this villain is and the return of "the key" and "mr twister" and I love how it happens and its such a tribute to fans of these characters! Plus the story with Mal and Karen was so romantic and the whole journey of Donna troy.. ahh its so freaking good! I know I say that all the time but for real here its super well done, it plays to the strength of the cast and gives them their own personal challenge and by the end delivers big on it! ONE OF THE GREATEST TITANS VOLUMES!!
August 15, 2022
A really dumb reveal to the villain Abnett's been building up to since Titans Hunt. The villain makes no sense. They never had the ability to take over people's minds and turn them evil. It doesn't even get explained once the big bad shows up. Their motivations are stupid. My friends eventually abandoned me over time so now I'm going to kill all of you because you are friends? What now? I didn't like the love triangle either. It almost felt like fan fiction, it was so poorly written.
The art was hit and miss. I liked the Kenneth Rocafort and Minkyu Jung issues, but Brett Booth needs to go. His art has gotten so sloppy, especially the size of characters' heads. Booth's character designs are fugly.
The art was hit and miss. I liked the Kenneth Rocafort and Minkyu Jung issues, but Brett Booth needs to go. His art has gotten so sloppy, especially the size of characters' heads. Booth's character designs are fugly.
April 13, 2025
4.5 stars ...
Excellent series 👍👍
Excellent series 👍👍
August 16, 2018
Wow...what a waste of time.
World: The art is fine, I'm not a big fan of Booth as I find that her characters have creepy eyes and weird facial expressions (they all look like they have exclamation marks on top of their heads always). The world building is consistent with the series, it's what's Abnett has been doing since Titans Hunt and it's okay. The pieces he uses and the things he creates for the book are solid for a team book. However, it's the way that he uses this stage that is the problem (more below).
Story: The story is so cliched that there is nothing original about it at all. If you've read any comic book in the last 20 years the future hero turned crazy villain card has been played so many times and sometimes it's good (like the recent Detective Comics run with Drake) and sometimes not so good (this book). It's boring, it's choppy and just poorly written. The issues are many. The dialog is pretty bad and nauseating, trying to create a buddy buddy aw shucks friendship here that is unearned. Yes there is history with these characters but you have to develop it for the new reader and for this run, you can't just say it's there and that's it. The characters are basic and poorly written and inconsistent but I'll get to that more below. The story as I said is cliched and there are no consequences with Wally West being the perfect example of meh and inconsequential. In the end the reveal of the traitor and the villain that's been messing with them for a while is so stupid and cliched that all I did was rolled my eyes and wished the series would quickly end or Abnett be taken off this book.
Characters: These characters are paper cutouts, there is no soul to them, there is no personal voice to them and the melodrama is so stupid and insane that even a melodrama lover like me (I love me some manga and anime) that I find it contrived and annoying. None of these characters act the way they should and are so different from their own solo series. I have the same issues with Abnett's Aquaman run, the characters and the motivations are so basic and contrived it angers (though the last to arcs since Arthur has been down in the deep areas is really good, because the art builds characters and world so well so I credit the artist for a lot of the heavy lifting). These characters suck.
This book is terrible and there needs to be changes, it's a waste of all these characters and money.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art is fine, I'm not a big fan of Booth as I find that her characters have creepy eyes and weird facial expressions (they all look like they have exclamation marks on top of their heads always). The world building is consistent with the series, it's what's Abnett has been doing since Titans Hunt and it's okay. The pieces he uses and the things he creates for the book are solid for a team book. However, it's the way that he uses this stage that is the problem (more below).
Story: The story is so cliched that there is nothing original about it at all. If you've read any comic book in the last 20 years the future hero turned crazy villain card has been played so many times and sometimes it's good (like the recent Detective Comics run with Drake) and sometimes not so good (this book). It's boring, it's choppy and just poorly written. The issues are many. The dialog is pretty bad and nauseating, trying to create a buddy buddy aw shucks friendship here that is unearned. Yes there is history with these characters but you have to develop it for the new reader and for this run, you can't just say it's there and that's it. The characters are basic and poorly written and inconsistent but I'll get to that more below. The story as I said is cliched and there are no consequences with Wally West being the perfect example of meh and inconsequential. In the end the reveal of the traitor and the villain that's been messing with them for a while is so stupid and cliched that all I did was rolled my eyes and wished the series would quickly end or Abnett be taken off this book.
Characters: These characters are paper cutouts, there is no soul to them, there is no personal voice to them and the melodrama is so stupid and insane that even a melodrama lover like me (I love me some manga and anime) that I find it contrived and annoying. None of these characters act the way they should and are so different from their own solo series. I have the same issues with Abnett's Aquaman run, the characters and the motivations are so basic and contrived it angers (though the last to arcs since Arthur has been down in the deep areas is really good, because the art builds characters and world so well so I credit the artist for a lot of the heavy lifting). These characters suck.
This book is terrible and there needs to be changes, it's a waste of all these characters and money.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
May 1, 2024
The reveal of a horrible twist villain that doesn't work narratively, the build-up doesn't pay off the granduer that was promised. It's full of contrived drama and relationship woes, and whilst the team is still a good combination, there's a lack of chemistry and cohesion at times.
December 30, 2017
Geez this comic really is just filled with okayness...Well it's better than volume 1 and 2 but not by much.
So the Titans have a bad guy/girl within their ranks. How do we know? The bad evil bald headed telepath tells them. Oh noes who can it be. On top of that the family drama begins. Love relationships start, betrayal of the heart, you know the typical young teen romance stuff, except with adults, though Roy acts like a child. Then the betrayer is revealed but are they really bad? DUM DUM DUM!
Good: The art has improved. Well kind of. Some moments are really cool, and the interior covers for each issue are wonderful. I also enjoyed some of the nightwing moments and even Flash had a few great moments in here.
Bad: Holy hell what the fuck was that "bad guy is not bad because he's one of us and family is family" nick toons early morning tv show type shit? Also the fights are uninspiring to say the least. The villains are once again forgettable as can be. The characters barely feel like characters but more like Abnett is writing young people like he sees on TV instead of real life. The dialog is once again just averaging between shit and okay.
Overall this is easily Dan's weakest book I read. I'm starting to lose total faith in this series. I love most of the characters but not how they're written here. Titans continues to be a mess of a book only giving us a few brief moments of goodness in-between the garbage it usually spews. A 2 out of 5.
So the Titans have a bad guy/girl within their ranks. How do we know? The bad evil bald headed telepath tells them. Oh noes who can it be. On top of that the family drama begins. Love relationships start, betrayal of the heart, you know the typical young teen romance stuff, except with adults, though Roy acts like a child. Then the betrayer is revealed but are they really bad? DUM DUM DUM!
Good: The art has improved. Well kind of. Some moments are really cool, and the interior covers for each issue are wonderful. I also enjoyed some of the nightwing moments and even Flash had a few great moments in here.
Bad: Holy hell what the fuck was that "bad guy is not bad because he's one of us and family is family" nick toons early morning tv show type shit? Also the fights are uninspiring to say the least. The villains are once again forgettable as can be. The characters barely feel like characters but more like Abnett is writing young people like he sees on TV instead of real life. The dialog is once again just averaging between shit and okay.
Overall this is easily Dan's weakest book I read. I'm starting to lose total faith in this series. I love most of the characters but not how they're written here. Titans continues to be a mess of a book only giving us a few brief moments of goodness in-between the garbage it usually spews. A 2 out of 5.
February 16, 2023
I liked the first two volumes of this Titans series but this was just a big ol' "meh" all around. The entire schtick of the Titans being family has been done to death, and it's a big basis for this volume and the big bad reveal. Abnett throws a few red herrings our way to keep us in suspense, but the end result was about as satisfying as finding out Cosmic Boy was the Time Trapper in the Legion: 5YL series (sorry for the 30 year spoiler!).
One of the great things about the classic Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans was that each Titan had their own story. Most of them didn't live at Titans Tower, either. Abnett isn't giving us much in the way of personal stories here and it kinda sucks. Nightwing has his own title, of course, but this is it for the rest of the team. With the way comics are written today, there seems to be little room in figuring out how to present the more human side of team members. Yes, there is a little bit of romance here, but it's never developed in a way that makes the reader interested in what's going on.
I'm not hopeful about the rest of this Titans run. DC usually has a hard time figuring out what to do with the older Titans and it seems that will be the case here.
One of the great things about the classic Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans was that each Titan had their own story. Most of them didn't live at Titans Tower, either. Abnett isn't giving us much in the way of personal stories here and it kinda sucks. Nightwing has his own title, of course, but this is it for the rest of the team. With the way comics are written today, there seems to be little room in figuring out how to present the more human side of team members. Yes, there is a little bit of romance here, but it's never developed in a way that makes the reader interested in what's going on.
I'm not hopeful about the rest of this Titans run. DC usually has a hard time figuring out what to do with the older Titans and it seems that will be the case here.
February 17, 2018
I gave the Rebirth Titans series a lot of leeway, I think, but I'm finally dropping it after this story. It's all competently written and drawn, and it's kind of fun. But it's not really engaging enough for me to continue spending money and time on it. (And I really think Roy needs to lose the backwards baseball cap!)
October 22, 2018
Honest . I'm surprised this hasn't received more love on Goodreads , coz I really enjoyed this one .
Of course there are certain plot-holes , but overall I really dug it , the interaction dynamic between all the members were well portrayed and the villain reveal was sort of cool as well .
Of course I do understand people might have found the abrupt end of the Donna - Wally Drama a put off , but I liked it , coz man I don't like drama .
Art wasn't spectacular , but it was consistent and the pencils were really neat and sharp .
Of course there are certain plot-holes , but overall I really dug it , the interaction dynamic between all the members were well portrayed and the villain reveal was sort of cool as well .
Of course I do understand people might have found the abrupt end of the Donna - Wally Drama a put off , but I liked it , coz man I don't like drama .
Art wasn't spectacular , but it was consistent and the pencils were really neat and sharp .
November 16, 2018
Сочное киношное начало. Омен приходит в камеру к Псаймону и рассказывает ему о том, что её команда постепенно разваливается. Неразделенная любовь, кардиостимулятор в сердце, обвинение в сговоре с Дестроком - «титаны» больше не верят товарищам. Два телепата попытаются взломать друг друга, а в конце побежденный злодей прошипит: надвигается тьма, которой не способен противостоять даже Улей, а среди вас… в ваших рядах - Иуда.
В финале Иуда «повесится», а злодей, которым у читателя махали перед носом еще до большой перезагрузки, наконец придёт и покажет свои зубы. И это будет совсем не Мистер Оз.
В финале Иуда «повесится», а злодей, которым у читателя махали перед носом еще до большой перезагрузки, наконец придёт и покажет свои зубы. И это будет совсем не Мистер Оз.
May 15, 2018
the main story was too predictable. But it was okay.
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March 17, 2018
Interesting enough.
February 2, 2018
[Read as single issues]
The Titans have a traitor, an amnesiac member, HIVE at their door, and an impending threat from across time itself on their doorstep. Must be Tuesday.
This is billed as a series of one-shot issues, which all build to the last two parter that brings together plotlines from Titans Hunt to now as the identity of the mysterious voice from beyond is revealed. It's a slow burn, and feels a little bitty to begin with, but there's no denying that the story coalesces nicely.
Lilith takes centre stage in issue 12, with appropriately scattershot artwork by Kenneth Rocafort as we explore her mindscape while Psimon tries to explain the plot to her and gets completely misinterpreted. Issue 13 is Roy Harper's turn to shine, while issue 14 gives us some much needed background on Tempest. Issue 15 reveals the traitor, as well as the reason why they've been acting so sketchy (it's not as bad as you think, honest) before issue 16 manages to add Kid Flash to the mix and still not feel too crowded. That's one thing Abnett's Titans does very well; it's clear that Wally West and Dick Grayson are the main characters, but there's always lots of room for everyone else to contribute and not just feel like window dressing.
Finally, issues 17-18 lets the story that Abnett has been crafting for over a year now culminate into something we've kind of seen before, but is used to very different effect this time around. Abnett has left Donna Troy alone for most of this run, content with giving her a few one-liners that remind us that she's still part of the team, but these two issues are really about her, and explain why she's been so passive for so long. Plus there's an emotional Wally West moment, which is always nice.
Brett Booth pencils the majority of these issues, including issues 16 and 18 for the Wally West heavy stuff, while the aforementioned Kenneth Rocafort appears, and Minkyu Jung and V. Ken Marion pop up for an issue each. While Booth's is the most individual style next to Rocafort's, the other two work well enough; Jung especially feels at home, having pencilled both the Titans Annual from earlier in the year and a few issues of the main series too.
While this feels like the end of something, this is very clearly not the end of this story - where the Titans go next however is anyone's guess.
The Titans have a traitor, an amnesiac member, HIVE at their door, and an impending threat from across time itself on their doorstep. Must be Tuesday.
This is billed as a series of one-shot issues, which all build to the last two parter that brings together plotlines from Titans Hunt to now as the identity of the mysterious voice from beyond is revealed. It's a slow burn, and feels a little bitty to begin with, but there's no denying that the story coalesces nicely.
Lilith takes centre stage in issue 12, with appropriately scattershot artwork by Kenneth Rocafort as we explore her mindscape while Psimon tries to explain the plot to her and gets completely misinterpreted. Issue 13 is Roy Harper's turn to shine, while issue 14 gives us some much needed background on Tempest. Issue 15 reveals the traitor, as well as the reason why they've been acting so sketchy (it's not as bad as you think, honest) before issue 16 manages to add Kid Flash to the mix and still not feel too crowded. That's one thing Abnett's Titans does very well; it's clear that Wally West and Dick Grayson are the main characters, but there's always lots of room for everyone else to contribute and not just feel like window dressing.
Finally, issues 17-18 lets the story that Abnett has been crafting for over a year now culminate into something we've kind of seen before, but is used to very different effect this time around. Abnett has left Donna Troy alone for most of this run, content with giving her a few one-liners that remind us that she's still part of the team, but these two issues are really about her, and explain why she's been so passive for so long. Plus there's an emotional Wally West moment, which is always nice.
Brett Booth pencils the majority of these issues, including issues 16 and 18 for the Wally West heavy stuff, while the aforementioned Kenneth Rocafort appears, and Minkyu Jung and V. Ken Marion pop up for an issue each. While Booth's is the most individual style next to Rocafort's, the other two work well enough; Jung especially feels at home, having pencilled both the Titans Annual from earlier in the year and a few issues of the main series too.
While this feels like the end of something, this is very clearly not the end of this story - where the Titans go next however is anyone's guess.
October 21, 2018
DARK TROIA! I would have liked this more if the Titans weren't being written as all so clueless. They are adult children, which is a frustrating situation for so many wasted legacy characters.
January 25, 2019
A Judas Among us. This book was better than i thought it would be. This book was about Psimon telling Lilith that she is a threat to this world and she will destroy the peace in the world. But the destroyer of worlds ends up being Future Donna Troy to due her living for ever and her friends dying. I like the art, the writing, and the story concept. The only thing keeping me from 5 stars was the first issue. It was really boring and wasn’t interested until later when i understood why it was boring. Overall great book
April 4, 2022
Im on a streak reading this run by Dan Abnett. The story is really good with a combination of soap opera and drama. Its likes Im reading the New Titans of the 80s. As always Bret Booth art is mesmerizing and captivate the energy of the series.
February 23, 2021
A nice reveal of villains and who might be a spy
March 25, 2021
5 🌟
The Titans learn of a darkness from one of their villains. There is also a traitor on the team.
The Titans learn of a darkness from one of their villains. There is also a traitor on the team.
February 6, 2023
[2.5/5]
Why is nightwing always the traitor. Also, I feel like this series isn’t worried about anyone having a secret identity
Why is nightwing always the traitor. Also, I feel like this series isn’t worried about anyone having a secret identity
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2023
amazing book this is the greatest dc book series in my opinion I recommend this for dc lovers
December 26, 2017
Shouldn’t all these superhero dudes be used to time traveling versions of themselves? Also, Nightwing’s lack of powers really messes with this story here. How’s he not dead? ALSO — I didn’t know I picked this up to read a friggin love story man.
December 28, 2021
Mě to pořád baví, skvělá chemie mezi hlavními postavami a dej kdy mezi nimi je někdo zrádce mi taky přišla co se týče chování postav logická. Dej sice moc originální není a předvídatelné to je, ale tuhle sérii prostě tlačí skvělé postavy s jejich vztahy.
První sešit je nádherné nakreslenej a proto přechod k Boothovi trochu zabolel, těším se až ze série odejde. Není špatnej, ale jeho kresba už nudí. Jo a plus je tu i nějakej patlal na featu, xichty mu jdou ale akce lehce strádá. Silný Indiečko Začátečnický.
První sešit je nádherné nakreslenej a proto přechod k Boothovi trochu zabolel, těším se až ze série odejde. Není špatnej, ale jeho kresba už nudí. Jo a plus je tu i nějakej patlal na featu, xichty mu jdou ale akce lehce strádá. Silný Indiečko Začátečnický.
December 5, 2018
The "Titans" bicker and fight amongst one another, and the villain reveal and explanation why is less than stellar. This team has been together too long for this garbage, and so the writing needs to get a lot better, quickly, before this book series gets canceled once again.
October 6, 2018
Titans vol. 3: A Judas Among Us picks up where volume 2 left off. Omen is at a prison, interviewing Psimon. Psimon "reads" Omen and insists the Titans are falling apart thanks to jealousies and other "teen" problems. Psimon also tells Omen that something dark is coming and she's the one responsible for it, she'll bring total destruction. But Omen turns the tables and pulls out the information she needs - the location of Bumblebee's stolen engram (memories). Psimon is shocked that Omen is a stronger psychic than himself and that she was able to project what she wanted to him.
The Titans organize an attack on an H.I.V.E. stronghold in Delaware, but the engrams have been moved and they are attacked by Endgame - an H.I.V.E. scientist and soldier who has the power to add superpowers at will, the powers stolen by Meta Solutions. After a big fight, the Titans defeat Endgame, but they are unable to find Bumblebee's engram.
After their failure to help Bumblebee get her memories back, the Titans realize there is a traitor in their midst. Nightwing, however, has some tech that will scan each of them for subconscious or conscious spying that he got from Spyral. The catch is it will take two days to scan everyone and get the results. There's a certain amount of mistrust - but everyone agrees. Mal Duncan, Bumblebee's husband, meanwhile looks up an old friend to try and find his wife's engram. And while everyone is waiting, Omen sees Psimon a second time. Yet again he insists she's an omen of destruction.
When the results come back - they are shocking, the traitor is ... Dick Grayson. But it turns out that Gizmo put some spyware on Nightwing's uniform suit, which he tracked back to Titan's Tower, which is how H.I.V.E. knew they were coming. Dick is able to ping back the signal to track it. But this doesn't stop the Titans from revealing a lot of secrets about just who is falling in love with who.
The Titans set off again. Nightwing is "killed" but Wally rewinds time to save his friend. Wally, who has been having heart trouble since the Lazarus Contract affair, then is killed in the fight, or so everyone thinks. Mal and his friend, Gnarrk have been taken over by Psimon, the Key, and Twister - the stress, and the Flash's death result in an alternate dimensional doorway being opened. The deadly being that steps through isn't Omen, though - it's "Troia" a future, evil version of Donna Troy. The Titans try to fight her off. Donna goes through a crisis of faith, so to speak. She keeps arguing with herself (literally) but doesn't want to accept that this evil Amazon-killer is herself. Fortunately, the other Wally West, Kid Flash, shows up. Wally had felt a disturbance in the force, Speed Force, that is, when Wally (Flash) died. But Kid Flash can tell Wally isn't completely dead, just stuck in the Speed Force. Kid Flash zaps him and Wally recovers. This boosts the team spirit of the Titans. When Psimon tries to overcome Bumblebee by returning her memories, it has the opposite effect. Bumblebee remembers who she is, she remembers Mal, and she remembers her child - so she's able to break the psychic hold over Mal and he tries to fight on the Titans side, despite having no powers. Donna Troy fights Troia and sends her back through the dimensional gateway, and the Titans are all OK. The Titans also re-capture Psimon, the Key, and Twister.
Although I liked that this volume of Titans focuses on team dynamics, the "one of us is a traitor" trope is one of my least favorite because of course, it's going to turn out the "traitor" isn't really a traitor. This volume also includes the "teammate is dead, nope he's alive, nevermind" trope which drives me nuts. If you're going to have someone die in comics - have it mean something. Everyone does react to Wally's "death" - it's what causes Donna to actually listen to Troia, but it's also painfully obvious it isn't a real "death". There have been real deaths in comics or at least deaths that lasted a long time before a new generation of writers brought the character back (Jason Todd and Hal Jordan come to mind), so it can be done, but when someone is dead for five minutes and then quickly "gets better" it's meaningless.
Most of this book is fight scenes. They are well-choreographed, and Donna's verbal arguments with herself are well done. But I prefer a bit more characterization and character interaction.
Still, with all that, Titans offers up a solid story, interesting characters, and good character interaction. I recommend this series and this volume in particular.
The Titans organize an attack on an H.I.V.E. stronghold in Delaware, but the engrams have been moved and they are attacked by Endgame - an H.I.V.E. scientist and soldier who has the power to add superpowers at will, the powers stolen by Meta Solutions. After a big fight, the Titans defeat Endgame, but they are unable to find Bumblebee's engram.
After their failure to help Bumblebee get her memories back, the Titans realize there is a traitor in their midst. Nightwing, however, has some tech that will scan each of them for subconscious or conscious spying that he got from Spyral. The catch is it will take two days to scan everyone and get the results. There's a certain amount of mistrust - but everyone agrees. Mal Duncan, Bumblebee's husband, meanwhile looks up an old friend to try and find his wife's engram. And while everyone is waiting, Omen sees Psimon a second time. Yet again he insists she's an omen of destruction.
When the results come back - they are shocking, the traitor is ... Dick Grayson. But it turns out that Gizmo put some spyware on Nightwing's uniform suit, which he tracked back to Titan's Tower, which is how H.I.V.E. knew they were coming. Dick is able to ping back the signal to track it. But this doesn't stop the Titans from revealing a lot of secrets about just who is falling in love with who.
The Titans set off again. Nightwing is "killed" but Wally rewinds time to save his friend. Wally, who has been having heart trouble since the Lazarus Contract affair, then is killed in the fight, or so everyone thinks. Mal and his friend, Gnarrk have been taken over by Psimon, the Key, and Twister - the stress, and the Flash's death result in an alternate dimensional doorway being opened. The deadly being that steps through isn't Omen, though - it's "Troia" a future, evil version of Donna Troy. The Titans try to fight her off. Donna goes through a crisis of faith, so to speak. She keeps arguing with herself (literally) but doesn't want to accept that this evil Amazon-killer is herself. Fortunately, the other Wally West, Kid Flash, shows up. Wally had felt a disturbance in the force, Speed Force, that is, when Wally (Flash) died. But Kid Flash can tell Wally isn't completely dead, just stuck in the Speed Force. Kid Flash zaps him and Wally recovers. This boosts the team spirit of the Titans. When Psimon tries to overcome Bumblebee by returning her memories, it has the opposite effect. Bumblebee remembers who she is, she remembers Mal, and she remembers her child - so she's able to break the psychic hold over Mal and he tries to fight on the Titans side, despite having no powers. Donna Troy fights Troia and sends her back through the dimensional gateway, and the Titans are all OK. The Titans also re-capture Psimon, the Key, and Twister.
Although I liked that this volume of Titans focuses on team dynamics, the "one of us is a traitor" trope is one of my least favorite because of course, it's going to turn out the "traitor" isn't really a traitor. This volume also includes the "teammate is dead, nope he's alive, nevermind" trope which drives me nuts. If you're going to have someone die in comics - have it mean something. Everyone does react to Wally's "death" - it's what causes Donna to actually listen to Troia, but it's also painfully obvious it isn't a real "death". There have been real deaths in comics or at least deaths that lasted a long time before a new generation of writers brought the character back (Jason Todd and Hal Jordan come to mind), so it can be done, but when someone is dead for five minutes and then quickly "gets better" it's meaningless.
Most of this book is fight scenes. They are well-choreographed, and Donna's verbal arguments with herself are well done. But I prefer a bit more characterization and character interaction.
Still, with all that, Titans offers up a solid story, interesting characters, and good character interaction. I recommend this series and this volume in particular.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2018
Titans: A Judas Among Us picks up where the previous trade paperback left off, collecting seven issues (12–18) of the 2016 on-going series.
The Titans seems to be tearing itself apart. Not everyone is happy with Dick Grayson making a Lazarus Contract with Deathstroke without telling the rest of the team. Wally West is dealing with a pacemaker in his heart. Donna Troy recently found out that she's a construct created to destroy Wonder Woman and filled with false memories. Karen Beecher had her memories of her husband and child taken away from her and to top that off, when Omen questioned Psimon about the whereabouts of her memories, she is told that there is a traitor among the Titans.
Omen got the information of where Karen memories are being held. However, when they reach their destination – the files that contained Karen's memories where transferred moments before they arrived, which Dick Grayson deduced that there was a traitor or double agent in their midst. Using a gizmo that he borrowed from his secret agent days, the Titans found out who was their traitor – Dick Grayson. Apparently, Dick Grayson has been unknowingly been tagged by Gizmo when he and Wally has been captured when they infiltrated Meta Solutions.
Dick Grayson managed to unbalance his listeners to trace back where they were located. However, it was for naught as they contacted him via the communication and they heard the pleas for help from Malcolm Duncan and Gnarrk who were investigating on their own. When they arrived to rescue them, they seemed to be controlled by someone along with three others – an overpowered Psimon, The Key, and Mister Twister.
It is then where the traitor of the group shows up – Donna Troy. Not the Donna Troy of the present Titans, but the Donna Troy of the future who goes by Troia – approximately a millennia and a half in the future. Troia returned to the past (from her perspective) with the aim of killing the Titans and saving her younger counterpart from the future anguish their later death would cause her.
Dan Abnett penned the entire trade paperback and for the most part it was written rather well. It wasn't one continuous story, but several short stories with the main story as a common thread weaved throughout. Also Abnett wrote from different perspectives running parallel to the main story: Omen (Titans #12), Tempest (Titans #14), the Flash (Titans #15), and Donna Troy (Titans #17). While it was nice to read from their perspective – it felt like a demented table tennis match jumping from perspectives and sometime even time periods – especially when done in the same issue, which makes the flow rather difficult to navigate.
Titans: A Judas Among Us has four pencilers: Brett Booth penciled four issues (Titans #14–16, 18) with Kenneth Rocafort, V. Ken Marion, and Minkyu Jung penciled one issue each (Titans #12, Titans #13, and Titans #17 respectively). Artistically, the penciling didn't flow all that well, but not too jarring to disrupt me greatly, but noticeable nevertheless. Having said that Booth is not my favorite penciler, but they could have found worse.
Wally West II as Kid Flash made a cameo appearance for three issues (Titans #16–18). When Wally West as the Flash dies – again, the Speed Force reached out to Kid Flash and he ran into the battle between the Titans and Troia and her memorized army. He manages to revive the Flash, which gave Donna Troy hope that the future isn’t written in stone and managed to defeat Troia, by sending her back into her time and freeing their comrades and restoring Karen Beecher's memory.
All in all, Titans: A Judas Among Us is a somewhat great continuation for the series and I can't wait to read the next trade paperback.
The Titans seems to be tearing itself apart. Not everyone is happy with Dick Grayson making a Lazarus Contract with Deathstroke without telling the rest of the team. Wally West is dealing with a pacemaker in his heart. Donna Troy recently found out that she's a construct created to destroy Wonder Woman and filled with false memories. Karen Beecher had her memories of her husband and child taken away from her and to top that off, when Omen questioned Psimon about the whereabouts of her memories, she is told that there is a traitor among the Titans.
Omen got the information of where Karen memories are being held. However, when they reach their destination – the files that contained Karen's memories where transferred moments before they arrived, which Dick Grayson deduced that there was a traitor or double agent in their midst. Using a gizmo that he borrowed from his secret agent days, the Titans found out who was their traitor – Dick Grayson. Apparently, Dick Grayson has been unknowingly been tagged by Gizmo when he and Wally has been captured when they infiltrated Meta Solutions.
Dick Grayson managed to unbalance his listeners to trace back where they were located. However, it was for naught as they contacted him via the communication and they heard the pleas for help from Malcolm Duncan and Gnarrk who were investigating on their own. When they arrived to rescue them, they seemed to be controlled by someone along with three others – an overpowered Psimon, The Key, and Mister Twister.
It is then where the traitor of the group shows up – Donna Troy. Not the Donna Troy of the present Titans, but the Donna Troy of the future who goes by Troia – approximately a millennia and a half in the future. Troia returned to the past (from her perspective) with the aim of killing the Titans and saving her younger counterpart from the future anguish their later death would cause her.
Dan Abnett penned the entire trade paperback and for the most part it was written rather well. It wasn't one continuous story, but several short stories with the main story as a common thread weaved throughout. Also Abnett wrote from different perspectives running parallel to the main story: Omen (Titans #12), Tempest (Titans #14), the Flash (Titans #15), and Donna Troy (Titans #17). While it was nice to read from their perspective – it felt like a demented table tennis match jumping from perspectives and sometime even time periods – especially when done in the same issue, which makes the flow rather difficult to navigate.
Titans: A Judas Among Us has four pencilers: Brett Booth penciled four issues (Titans #14–16, 18) with Kenneth Rocafort, V. Ken Marion, and Minkyu Jung penciled one issue each (Titans #12, Titans #13, and Titans #17 respectively). Artistically, the penciling didn't flow all that well, but not too jarring to disrupt me greatly, but noticeable nevertheless. Having said that Booth is not my favorite penciler, but they could have found worse.
Wally West II as Kid Flash made a cameo appearance for three issues (Titans #16–18). When Wally West as the Flash dies – again, the Speed Force reached out to Kid Flash and he ran into the battle between the Titans and Troia and her memorized army. He manages to revive the Flash, which gave Donna Troy hope that the future isn’t written in stone and managed to defeat Troia, by sending her back into her time and freeing their comrades and restoring Karen Beecher's memory.
All in all, Titans: A Judas Among Us is a somewhat great continuation for the series and I can't wait to read the next trade paperback.
October 6, 2020
Synopsis: Omen goes to see Psimon and gets the location of Bumblebee's memories using her psychic abilities, though she discovers one of the Titans will be a traitor. The Titans break into Alton Labs, but Bumblebee's memories have been moved elsewhere. Omen confides in Tempest that one of the Titans will betray them right before Nightwing accuses Omen of having been turned by Psimon. This just leads to a lockdown of the Tower, which doesn't lead to anything because they have to break it for some crisis happening in the city.
Later, Arsenal discovers that Nightwing is the mole in the group. However, Nightwing explains that HIVE infected him with nanotech so he hasn't been voluntarily giving HIVE information. He was only talking directly to them in hopes that it would surprise them enough long enough for him to run a trace on their location. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's husband Mal and another guy named Gnarrk, are also on the hunt for his wife's memories.
Psimon breaks out of Rikers and takes control of Mal and Gnarrk. During the confrontation with Psimon, Wally ends up having a heart attack when he reverses time to save Nightwing. Psimon claims they need more emotional anguish to bring someone there so he returns Bumblebee's memories. This allows an evil Donna Troy, calling herself Troia, from the future to step into their time.
Essentially, Troia is evil because all of her friends died around her while she was immortal. She urges Donna to accept her destiny as a weapon. Of course, she doesn't and there's a fight. Kid Flash has been pulled to the location by the Speed Force and he manages to bring Wally back to life. Donna sends Troia back through the gate she came from and that's that.
Review: You know what would have been actually really cool? If one of the Titans was ACTUALLY a traitor. I'm not talking a "traitor" as in they didn't know they were a traitor via technology or psychic powers. And I am certainly not talking a "traitor" as in a version of one of the Titans in the future. It's such a fucking copout.
That being said, I suppose that it does resolve Donna's issues that began in the first arc when she learned about her true purpose/origin. So in that way, I'm not that angry about it. I liked the emotional journey, but the physical journey was a bit lack luster. It would have been so much better if Donna actually went rogue for awhile. I used to love evil versions of characters in the future, but it's used so much in ways similar to this that it isn't really a crazy plot twist anymore. Plus, Troia? Really, that's what you're going with?
I didn't include it in the summary because it wasn't super necessary, but there is quite a bit of relationship drama with the Titans. I found it funny in the way that everyone had some kind of romantic relationship drama except for Dick, oddly enough. I was glad the Donna love triangle worked itself out, though I'm not sure how her and Roy will fair as a couple. I don't care much for Omen and Garth - I'd rather see her with Wally honestly if he's not going to be a thing with Linda right now.
Also, Wally told Kid Flash to go get the Justice League for Troia and then it doesn't come up again? Regardless, I think that's overkill considering Donna takes care of her in that same issue.
Overall, it's fine. It ties up almost everything up to that point, whether the answers are satisfying or not.
Later, Arsenal discovers that Nightwing is the mole in the group. However, Nightwing explains that HIVE infected him with nanotech so he hasn't been voluntarily giving HIVE information. He was only talking directly to them in hopes that it would surprise them enough long enough for him to run a trace on their location. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's husband Mal and another guy named Gnarrk, are also on the hunt for his wife's memories.
Psimon breaks out of Rikers and takes control of Mal and Gnarrk. During the confrontation with Psimon, Wally ends up having a heart attack when he reverses time to save Nightwing. Psimon claims they need more emotional anguish to bring someone there so he returns Bumblebee's memories. This allows an evil Donna Troy, calling herself Troia, from the future to step into their time.
Essentially, Troia is evil because all of her friends died around her while she was immortal. She urges Donna to accept her destiny as a weapon. Of course, she doesn't and there's a fight. Kid Flash has been pulled to the location by the Speed Force and he manages to bring Wally back to life. Donna sends Troia back through the gate she came from and that's that.
Review: You know what would have been actually really cool? If one of the Titans was ACTUALLY a traitor. I'm not talking a "traitor" as in they didn't know they were a traitor via technology or psychic powers. And I am certainly not talking a "traitor" as in a version of one of the Titans in the future. It's such a fucking copout.
That being said, I suppose that it does resolve Donna's issues that began in the first arc when she learned about her true purpose/origin. So in that way, I'm not that angry about it. I liked the emotional journey, but the physical journey was a bit lack luster. It would have been so much better if Donna actually went rogue for awhile. I used to love evil versions of characters in the future, but it's used so much in ways similar to this that it isn't really a crazy plot twist anymore. Plus, Troia? Really, that's what you're going with?
I didn't include it in the summary because it wasn't super necessary, but there is quite a bit of relationship drama with the Titans. I found it funny in the way that everyone had some kind of romantic relationship drama except for Dick, oddly enough. I was glad the Donna love triangle worked itself out, though I'm not sure how her and Roy will fair as a couple. I don't care much for Omen and Garth - I'd rather see her with Wally honestly if he's not going to be a thing with Linda right now.
Also, Wally told Kid Flash to go get the Justice League for Troia and then it doesn't come up again? Regardless, I think that's overkill considering Donna takes care of her in that same issue.
Overall, it's fine. It ties up almost everything up to that point, whether the answers are satisfying or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2018
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Titans Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us by Dan Abnett (illustrated by Brett Booth) is a graphic novel seeing the team trying to infiltrate H.I.V.E. This graphic novel collects Titans #12 – 18.
Trying to infiltrate the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination (H.I.V.E.), the Titans stumble through personal issues. Nightwing is still getting over his fight with Deathstroke, arsenal has a crush on Donna Troy, which in turn is falling for Wally West (who is struggling with his own issues).
On top of that, the psychic Omen foresees that someone on the team will betray them.
As it turned out, if you didn’t read the Lazarus Contract crossover story-line, you miss a lot of what this issue is about.
I didn’t.
One of the reasons I stopped reading single comic book issues is because I couldn’t keep up with the all the crossovers, but I still enjoyed them. Titans Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us by Dan Abnett (illustrated by Brett Booth) suffers from an incomplete story, as far as this reader is concerned, because some of the major plot points are missing, which I only discovered after reading this graphic novel.
This is certainly a character driven story-line, I thought it interesting even though it goes over the top with the melodrama. The story seemed to be rushed for all the big changes which take place, so even though the writer concentrated on characters, a bit less major reveals would have made the story smoother.
The final reveal of the traitor is very interesting, considering the character’s background and the writer makes good use of their history for a compelling case. Some of the interactions are funny and interesting, the artwork is very good and enhances the story.
This is not a bad book at all, I just wished it was a bit slower and takes its time telling a good story. The teenage angst story-lines made me give up on many comic books and some very popular comic book based TV series.
Titans Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us by Dan Abnett (illustrated by Brett Booth) is a graphic novel seeing the team trying to infiltrate H.I.V.E. This graphic novel collects Titans #12 – 18.
Trying to infiltrate the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination (H.I.V.E.), the Titans stumble through personal issues. Nightwing is still getting over his fight with Deathstroke, arsenal has a crush on Donna Troy, which in turn is falling for Wally West (who is struggling with his own issues).
On top of that, the psychic Omen foresees that someone on the team will betray them.
As it turned out, if you didn’t read the Lazarus Contract crossover story-line, you miss a lot of what this issue is about.
I didn’t.
One of the reasons I stopped reading single comic book issues is because I couldn’t keep up with the all the crossovers, but I still enjoyed them. Titans Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us by Dan Abnett (illustrated by Brett Booth) suffers from an incomplete story, as far as this reader is concerned, because some of the major plot points are missing, which I only discovered after reading this graphic novel.
This is certainly a character driven story-line, I thought it interesting even though it goes over the top with the melodrama. The story seemed to be rushed for all the big changes which take place, so even though the writer concentrated on characters, a bit less major reveals would have made the story smoother.
The final reveal of the traitor is very interesting, considering the character’s background and the writer makes good use of their history for a compelling case. Some of the interactions are funny and interesting, the artwork is very good and enhances the story.
This is not a bad book at all, I just wished it was a bit slower and takes its time telling a good story. The teenage angst story-lines made me give up on many comic books and some very popular comic book based TV series.
February 12, 2025
Titans, Vol. 3, A Judas Among Us
DC, Collects issues 12-18
Lilith visits Rikers Island Correctional Facility. She gets 30 minutes with inmate Psimon, a member of the criminal group the Fearsome Five. They have a back-and-forth on love connections between various Titans. Psimon sums it up, “My, It’s like a soap opera.” She dupes the villain and gets the information she came for – Where the terrorist organization H.I.V.E is holding her teammate Bumblebee’s stolen memoires. Destination Alton Laboratories.
The Titans arrive and face opposition. They win and lose. No luck finding Bumblebee’s memories.
Nightwing believes there’s a traitor on the team and points an accusing finger at Omen.
Atlantean villains, The Trident Three, attempt to poison the team via pizza. Points for creativity. The trio are defeated.
Back at Titans Tower, the traitor is revealed to be … Nightwing. I did not see that coming! Arsenal confronts him and Nightwing explains his actions. He was a spy for H.I.V.E. to learn the location of Bumblebee’s memories.
The Titans arrive at the location as does Mal Duncan, Bumblebee’s spouse, and Titan member Gnarrk. Surprise of surprises so does Psimon. Flash saves Nightwing but suffers a heart attack.
And if this recipe doesn’t have enough ingredients lets toss in more villains - The Key and Mister Twister. To balance the flavor, here comes Kid Flash. Not enough? The missing ingredient is Troia. The villains are her henchman.
At this point, the backstory became confusing for me. I hoped for another Crisis on Infinite Earths to streamline the plot and simplify things. No such luck.
Kid Flash resurrects Flash. Donna and Troia battle. Donna is triumphant.
Happy ending for everyone but the bad guys.
The story keeps you guessing. Enjoyed it till Troia is introduced. Then I was confused.
Best quotes:
Psimon “Friendship is your team’s greatest weakness.”
Psimon “The Darkness is here.”
DC, Collects issues 12-18
Lilith visits Rikers Island Correctional Facility. She gets 30 minutes with inmate Psimon, a member of the criminal group the Fearsome Five. They have a back-and-forth on love connections between various Titans. Psimon sums it up, “My, It’s like a soap opera.” She dupes the villain and gets the information she came for – Where the terrorist organization H.I.V.E is holding her teammate Bumblebee’s stolen memoires. Destination Alton Laboratories.
The Titans arrive and face opposition. They win and lose. No luck finding Bumblebee’s memories.
Nightwing believes there’s a traitor on the team and points an accusing finger at Omen.
Atlantean villains, The Trident Three, attempt to poison the team via pizza. Points for creativity. The trio are defeated.
Back at Titans Tower, the traitor is revealed to be … Nightwing. I did not see that coming! Arsenal confronts him and Nightwing explains his actions. He was a spy for H.I.V.E. to learn the location of Bumblebee’s memories.
The Titans arrive at the location as does Mal Duncan, Bumblebee’s spouse, and Titan member Gnarrk. Surprise of surprises so does Psimon. Flash saves Nightwing but suffers a heart attack.
And if this recipe doesn’t have enough ingredients lets toss in more villains - The Key and Mister Twister. To balance the flavor, here comes Kid Flash. Not enough? The missing ingredient is Troia. The villains are her henchman.
At this point, the backstory became confusing for me. I hoped for another Crisis on Infinite Earths to streamline the plot and simplify things. No such luck.
Kid Flash resurrects Flash. Donna and Troia battle. Donna is triumphant.
Happy ending for everyone but the bad guys.
The story keeps you guessing. Enjoyed it till Troia is introduced. Then I was confused.
Best quotes:
Psimon “Friendship is your team’s greatest weakness.”
Psimon “The Darkness is here.”
April 12, 2018
Continuing with storylines from both Vol 2 and The Lazarus Contract Volumes, Omen (Lilith Clay) goes to interrogate Psymon as to the whereabouts of the missing memories of Bumblebee. Besides being annoying and manipulative, he has a prophesy about a 'Girl of Clay' coming to herald the end of the Titans, them being destroyed by a traitor in their midst. She takes this back to the team, seeing herself as the "Omen" who will possibly herald.
Everyone is dealing with the recent events in their own way, which creates romantic tension between Donna Troy, Flash (Wally West), and Arsenal, as well as Tempest and Omen admitting their feelings for each other. When you throw on the paranoia from a "traitor", the Titans are stressed and tension is blossoming between them. Mental testing shows the traitor to be Nightwing, but it turns out that Nightwing was only allowing himself to be manipulated so he could find out the location of the H.I.V.E. base, so they could get back Bumblebee's memories.
Mounting their attack on the H.I.V.E. base, Psymon, Mr. Twister, and The Key all react to the "coming" of the enemy, all while fighting the Titans. A portal opens and out steps Troia, a future version of Donna Troy. She explains that she was a traitor, having slowly lost all the Titans over time, and working against them. Donna fights back, explaining that she will never allow herself to fall so far.
Troia is defeated and vanishes, Bumblebee's memory is restored, and Herald (Malcolm Duncan) and Gnarrk rejoin the team (previous members of Teen Titans from way back in the day) after being freed from Mr. Twister's mind control.
Titans has been a very solid title since the start of Rebirth, and this Volume is no exception. Art and story keep this book at the top of my must read for DC.
High recommend.
Everyone is dealing with the recent events in their own way, which creates romantic tension between Donna Troy, Flash (Wally West), and Arsenal, as well as Tempest and Omen admitting their feelings for each other. When you throw on the paranoia from a "traitor", the Titans are stressed and tension is blossoming between them. Mental testing shows the traitor to be Nightwing, but it turns out that Nightwing was only allowing himself to be manipulated so he could find out the location of the H.I.V.E. base, so they could get back Bumblebee's memories.
Mounting their attack on the H.I.V.E. base, Psymon, Mr. Twister, and The Key all react to the "coming" of the enemy, all while fighting the Titans. A portal opens and out steps Troia, a future version of Donna Troy. She explains that she was a traitor, having slowly lost all the Titans over time, and working against them. Donna fights back, explaining that she will never allow herself to fall so far.
Troia is defeated and vanishes, Bumblebee's memory is restored, and Herald (Malcolm Duncan) and Gnarrk rejoin the team (previous members of Teen Titans from way back in the day) after being freed from Mr. Twister's mind control.
Titans has been a very solid title since the start of Rebirth, and this Volume is no exception. Art and story keep this book at the top of my must read for DC.
High recommend.
March 8, 2021
A major villain is revealed in this one, and the identity is someone who is much closer than anyone suspected.
I think Abnett was definitely going for epicenes with this volume, and unfortunately the reveal of the villain falls flat. It's revealed that
Mmm semantics I guess. I also dislike how badly they beat up on Wally in this series. They constantly have him going through the ringer, and getting treated like a kid. Wally was, in my opinion, the best Flash at one point. I think he surpassed Barry as far as power, and was a great character. It hurts my heart to see him treated like a 2nd rate hero.
The art was pretty well done, except for the Booth issues. But that is more personal taste for me. Unfortunately, they tend to use him for the major plot impactful issues, so yeah.
The Titans are a team of heroes who started out as kids, and now are adults. Perhaps it is time for them to move forward, as this team dynamic seems to be wearing a bit thin.
Recommended for diehard fans of the Titans only.
I think Abnett was definitely going for epicenes with this volume, and unfortunately the reveal of the villain falls flat. It's revealed that
Mmm semantics I guess. I also dislike how badly they beat up on Wally in this series. They constantly have him going through the ringer, and getting treated like a kid. Wally was, in my opinion, the best Flash at one point. I think he surpassed Barry as far as power, and was a great character. It hurts my heart to see him treated like a 2nd rate hero.
The art was pretty well done, except for the Booth issues. But that is more personal taste for me. Unfortunately, they tend to use him for the major plot impactful issues, so yeah.
The Titans are a team of heroes who started out as kids, and now are adults. Perhaps it is time for them to move forward, as this team dynamic seems to be wearing a bit thin.
Recommended for diehard fans of the Titans only.
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