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Titans (2016)
Titans, Vol. 4: Titans Apart
Writer Dan Abnett (Aquaman) and artist Paul Pelletier (Superman: The Man of Steel) put the Titans up against the most mindbending challenge they’ve ever had to face in Titans Vol. 4!
The Titans attempt to regain their balance after their epic clash with Troia—Donna’s villainous future self—and look toward a brighter tomorrow. But the Justice League wants answers about Donna Troy’s true nature, and they’ll get them—even if it means shutting down the Titans for good!
Collects TITANS #19-22, Annual #2.
The Titans attempt to regain their balance after their epic clash with Troia—Donna’s villainous future self—and look toward a brighter tomorrow. But the Justice League wants answers about Donna Troy’s true nature, and they’ll get them—even if it means shutting down the Titans for good!
Collects TITANS #19-22, Annual #2.
136 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2018
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174 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 15, 2022
The Justice League forces the Titans to disband leaving Arsenal to get in way over his head. This story ,unfortunately, wastes the great talent of Paul Pelletier. He's certainly one of DC's unsung heroes. Somehow, a drug gives you the power to control the weather? The story is dumb, the characters poorly written. I almost hope the Titans are disbanded so we can hand the book over to someone who knows how to treat them properly.
August 27, 2022
This was another good one!
So Titans break up because the JL deem them dangerous and thus the fallout and what affect it has on Roy begins, then a unity with Cheshire and what happens then, the drug incidents are back maybe and then fighting against Dick and Wally because of some reasons and then the big story vs Monsieur Mallah and the Brain and its typical bad guys wanna take over the world but the way the writer writes it and brings the team together and showing the strength of each one ..its awesome and I love the focus on Roy and Donna especially and its just awesome and next up Heroes in crisis.. umm yeah.
Well this was a good one atleast. And a solid recommend from me!
So Titans break up because the JL deem them dangerous and thus the fallout and what affect it has on Roy begins, then a unity with Cheshire and what happens then, the drug incidents are back maybe and then fighting against Dick and Wally because of some reasons and then the big story vs Monsieur Mallah and the Brain and its typical bad guys wanna take over the world but the way the writer writes it and brings the team together and showing the strength of each one ..its awesome and I love the focus on Roy and Donna especially and its just awesome and next up Heroes in crisis.. umm yeah.
Well this was a good one atleast. And a solid recommend from me!
May 1, 2024
Another struggling Titans entry, except it is Roy Harper that is the one who gets the short end of the stick. The disrespect towards the Titans is a little too harsh, and the story and characters suffer as a consequence.
April 20, 2025
Loved this one!
Five thumbs up!
👍👍👍👍👍
Five thumbs up!
👍👍👍👍👍
August 20, 2018
This book needs to end...are we getting a creative team change???
World: The art is meh, it’s middle of the road and the characters are not done well enough to really give each characters personal voice, but that also really stems from the really poor character work which I’ll get to below. The world of the Titans is fractured and after the arc from the last book this time around with the separation, it pretty much feels like the world is being shoved aside to end the series (I hope so). The pieces used here are uninspired from Intergang to Doom Patrol villains which could have been used better. Highly forgettable.
Story: The story is paced okay, that’s about the best thing I can say about the story. The story is boring, cliched and just uninteresting. The breakup was telegraphed too much and the of course resultant coming back together was contrived and emotionally hollow. The characters were written out of character and inconsistent. Last arc we just saw Wally not using his powers cause they were afraid he woud die, no problem this arc, cause of poor writing. In the end the story was pointless, the characters bad. This series needs a new creative team.
Characters: I’m so bored of these characters being written like this. This is not the Real World for Superheroes, it’s so melodramatic and whiney in a bad way. These characters also don’t act the way they should. Then the JL arrives none of the big characters really act like the rest of the Rebirth series, they are transparent drama and road block characters for the Titans and that’s it. Roy, what the fuck, can no one write Roy without only going back to the addiction, lazy ass writing. Then there’s Donna which is just as poorly written. Batman is stupid this arc, really stupid. Then there’s Flash with inconsistent powers and Nightwing who is not Nightwing. The villain was such a waste, they are campy good fun characters from Doom Patrol and here they are tossaway bad characters.
This series sucks, it’s a waste of money cause the characters here are treated and written so poorly. Don’t read it.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art is meh, it’s middle of the road and the characters are not done well enough to really give each characters personal voice, but that also really stems from the really poor character work which I’ll get to below. The world of the Titans is fractured and after the arc from the last book this time around with the separation, it pretty much feels like the world is being shoved aside to end the series (I hope so). The pieces used here are uninspired from Intergang to Doom Patrol villains which could have been used better. Highly forgettable.
Story: The story is paced okay, that’s about the best thing I can say about the story. The story is boring, cliched and just uninteresting. The breakup was telegraphed too much and the of course resultant coming back together was contrived and emotionally hollow. The characters were written out of character and inconsistent. Last arc we just saw Wally not using his powers cause they were afraid he woud die, no problem this arc, cause of poor writing. In the end the story was pointless, the characters bad. This series needs a new creative team.
Characters: I’m so bored of these characters being written like this. This is not the Real World for Superheroes, it’s so melodramatic and whiney in a bad way. These characters also don’t act the way they should. Then the JL arrives none of the big characters really act like the rest of the Rebirth series, they are transparent drama and road block characters for the Titans and that’s it. Roy, what the fuck, can no one write Roy without only going back to the addiction, lazy ass writing. Then there’s Donna which is just as poorly written. Batman is stupid this arc, really stupid. Then there’s Flash with inconsistent powers and Nightwing who is not Nightwing. The villain was such a waste, they are campy good fun characters from Doom Patrol and here they are tossaway bad characters.
This series sucks, it’s a waste of money cause the characters here are treated and written so poorly. Don’t read it.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
August 15, 2018
[Read as single issues]
The Titans are no more! After their battle with the time-tossed Troia, the Justice League have forcibly disbanded the team and placed Donna Troy under house arrest. With the team scattered to the wind, only Roy Harper seems intent on cracking down on crime, while the rest of the former Titans seem resigned to their fate. But when Roy gets in over his head (as he’s liable to do when Cheshire is on the scene), he’ll need Nightwing and Donna to bail him out before The Brain and Monsieur Mallah destroy the entire planet, right under the Justice League’s nose.
This is definitely a ‘changing of the guard’ type arc – with most of the Titans now off the board, I expect this may be the last we see of Omen, Bumblee, or Garth in this series. Wally West’s off to rejoin the Flash, and Arsenal’s going back to Green Arrow at some point, which leaves Donna and Dick to continue on into the next iteration of the team. But we get one last hurrah here at least.
The plot’s not bad, although I do have issues with Donna being so compliant with Wonder Woman’s house arrest idea. I can see Dick listening to Batman, even if he doesn’t like it, but Donna not rebelling long before she actually does doesn’t sit quite right. Dan Abnett’s made a lot of effort with Donna and her backstory, so I thought he’d gotten a better handle on her.
At first, I thought that having Roy stumble into Brain and Mallah’s scheme was a bit daft, but on reflection it’s typical Roy Harper – trying to do good, and ending up entirely in over his head. It’s a good progression across the issues, culminating in the big team-up to save the day, although I do question how many times (and across how many continuities) Roy can fall for Cheshire’s wiles before he starts to get wise.
On art we have Paul Pelletier, who is one of DC’s underused gems. He’s a reliable artist who manages to capture so much emotion and movement in his visuals that I’m surprised he doesn’t have constant work. He’s almost like DC’s version of Mark Bagley (although Bagley did work at DC for a little while), and that’s a really high compliment. He pencils all of the main issues here, while the annual is tagteamed between him and Tom Grummett, also from the under-appreciated artists school.
Titans Apart looks like the end, but it’s only really a temporary stopping point. Titans will live on, even if not all of these characters will appear. This final arc of the original team has a suitably bonkers plotline, bringing back some old foes, and there’s always a thrill to be had seeing a team of friends fighting instead of just comrades. This book isn’t losing any steam, it’s just taking a pit stop before it shoots off into the next big thing.
The Titans are no more! After their battle with the time-tossed Troia, the Justice League have forcibly disbanded the team and placed Donna Troy under house arrest. With the team scattered to the wind, only Roy Harper seems intent on cracking down on crime, while the rest of the former Titans seem resigned to their fate. But when Roy gets in over his head (as he’s liable to do when Cheshire is on the scene), he’ll need Nightwing and Donna to bail him out before The Brain and Monsieur Mallah destroy the entire planet, right under the Justice League’s nose.
This is definitely a ‘changing of the guard’ type arc – with most of the Titans now off the board, I expect this may be the last we see of Omen, Bumblee, or Garth in this series. Wally West’s off to rejoin the Flash, and Arsenal’s going back to Green Arrow at some point, which leaves Donna and Dick to continue on into the next iteration of the team. But we get one last hurrah here at least.
The plot’s not bad, although I do have issues with Donna being so compliant with Wonder Woman’s house arrest idea. I can see Dick listening to Batman, even if he doesn’t like it, but Donna not rebelling long before she actually does doesn’t sit quite right. Dan Abnett’s made a lot of effort with Donna and her backstory, so I thought he’d gotten a better handle on her.
At first, I thought that having Roy stumble into Brain and Mallah’s scheme was a bit daft, but on reflection it’s typical Roy Harper – trying to do good, and ending up entirely in over his head. It’s a good progression across the issues, culminating in the big team-up to save the day, although I do question how many times (and across how many continuities) Roy can fall for Cheshire’s wiles before he starts to get wise.
On art we have Paul Pelletier, who is one of DC’s underused gems. He’s a reliable artist who manages to capture so much emotion and movement in his visuals that I’m surprised he doesn’t have constant work. He’s almost like DC’s version of Mark Bagley (although Bagley did work at DC for a little while), and that’s a really high compliment. He pencils all of the main issues here, while the annual is tagteamed between him and Tom Grummett, also from the under-appreciated artists school.
Titans Apart looks like the end, but it’s only really a temporary stopping point. Titans will live on, even if not all of these characters will appear. This final arc of the original team has a suitably bonkers plotline, bringing back some old foes, and there’s always a thrill to be had seeing a team of friends fighting instead of just comrades. This book isn’t losing any steam, it’s just taking a pit stop before it shoots off into the next big thing.
April 28, 2023
it was ok but it was not that good
June 17, 2019
It is possible that it has been too long since I read Volume Three, because the Justice League blaming the Titans for the whole Troia mishap does not make a lot of sense to me. I mean, did they make mistakes? Sure. But the whole thing stank of do I say, not as I do. It also made me wonder who watches the watchers? I'm just saying.
Anyway, I could rant all day but my three main issues are as follows.
1. The Justice League's solution to Troia is more likely to send Donna down that route than keep her from it. It involves them putting a woman who has done nothing wrong on house arrest and isolating her from her friends. This plan has no definite end date or intended goal. Again, I ask, who watches the watchers?
2. The Justice League treat Troia as Donna's inevitable future rather than just one of many possibilities. Never mind that both alternate universes and possible futures are comic book staples. To give you the sheer scale of the ridiculousness of this, it's like locking Tim Drake up for the events of Super Sons of Tomorrow despite the fact that no one even bothered to call him about his evil future self dropping into the timeline.
3. Batman thinks that they should have called more experienced heroes in to help - odd, considering that I'm pretty sure that these guys have been doing this almost as long as their mentors - and also thinks he's a better leader than Nightwing.
(*Insert laugh track here*)
He pulls the "I'm so disappointed in you" card to get Nightwing to cave and shut down the Titans, which is a complete dick move. Personally, I think Bruce should have more faith in (and respect for) the guy who took on all of his responsibilities back when he was MIA and did a better job of raising his son than he ever has. But. Here we are.
Anyway. All this to say that I did enjoy this book. Hence the rating.
After they get shut down, everyone goes their seperate ways. If you're a fan of Omen, Tempest, or Bumblebee, this is not the book for you. They disappear after the first issue. For the most part, this book focuses on Arsenal taking down a drug ring whilst Donna quietly frets in the background. After a misunderstanding, she sends Nightwing and Flash in to help him with all the wrong conclusions. The villains - two members of the Brotherhood of Evil - act as foils to the fractured team. Essentially, this volume is all about messy friendships and how they fall apart and come back together.
I really liked the conflict between Arsenal and Nightwing, because it highlighted their similarities. Case in point: Arsenal thinks about how anything is a weapon in his hands, only for Nightwing to immediately brain him with a pan and then the fridge door.
Ultimately, the fact that this is THE END of this iteration of the Titans confused me. Like, they've just defied the Justice League to save the world and now they're going to split up and form a completely new team? Why? Why would they do that? Where is the logic? Is this going to be mandated by the Justice League? WHAT IS GOING ON?
Anyway, I could rant all day but my three main issues are as follows.
1. The Justice League's solution to Troia is more likely to send Donna down that route than keep her from it. It involves them putting a woman who has done nothing wrong on house arrest and isolating her from her friends. This plan has no definite end date or intended goal. Again, I ask, who watches the watchers?
2. The Justice League treat Troia as Donna's inevitable future rather than just one of many possibilities. Never mind that both alternate universes and possible futures are comic book staples. To give you the sheer scale of the ridiculousness of this, it's like locking Tim Drake up for the events of Super Sons of Tomorrow despite the fact that no one even bothered to call him about his evil future self dropping into the timeline.
3. Batman thinks that they should have called more experienced heroes in to help - odd, considering that I'm pretty sure that these guys have been doing this almost as long as their mentors - and also thinks he's a better leader than Nightwing.
(*Insert laugh track here*)
He pulls the "I'm so disappointed in you" card to get Nightwing to cave and shut down the Titans, which is a complete dick move. Personally, I think Bruce should have more faith in (and respect for) the guy who took on all of his responsibilities back when he was MIA and did a better job of raising his son than he ever has. But. Here we are.
Anyway. All this to say that I did enjoy this book. Hence the rating.
After they get shut down, everyone goes their seperate ways. If you're a fan of Omen, Tempest, or Bumblebee, this is not the book for you. They disappear after the first issue. For the most part, this book focuses on Arsenal taking down a drug ring whilst Donna quietly frets in the background. After a misunderstanding, she sends Nightwing and Flash in to help him with all the wrong conclusions. The villains - two members of the Brotherhood of Evil - act as foils to the fractured team. Essentially, this volume is all about messy friendships and how they fall apart and come back together.
I really liked the conflict between Arsenal and Nightwing, because it highlighted their similarities. Case in point: Arsenal thinks about how anything is a weapon in his hands, only for Nightwing to immediately brain him with a pan and then the fridge door.
Ultimately, the fact that this is THE END of this iteration of the Titans confused me. Like, they've just defied the Justice League to save the world and now they're going to split up and form a completely new team? Why? Why would they do that? Where is the logic? Is this going to be mandated by the Justice League? WHAT IS GOING ON?
November 21, 2018
«Лига Справедливости защищает человечество от любых угроз, а они необязательно должны исходить от злодеев». С этими словами Супермен и его банда распускают «титанов» и до завершения следствия даже конфискуют их манхэттенскую башню. Арсенал, оставаясь единственным героем без наставника, опять пускается во все тяжкие. Война с Интербандой и глупая встреча с Чешир выводят его на Месье Маллаха и его металлическую любовь, которые снова готовы превратить всех наркоманов в углеродные батарейки.
На четвертом томе «Титанов» Пол Пеллетье меняет в качестве ведущего художника Брэтта Бута, но только лучше от этого онгоинг не становится. Теперь больше не секрет, что никто даже не планировал вытягивать комикс на новые высоты. Максимум, что может позволить себе Абнетт в перерыве между навязанными извне ивентами - короткие истории про злодеев второго тира.
В этом смысле особенно разочаровывает, что на финал истории с Мозгом пришлось потратить целый аннуал.
На четвертом томе «Титанов» Пол Пеллетье меняет в качестве ведущего художника Брэтта Бута, но только лучше от этого онгоинг не становится. Теперь больше не секрет, что никто даже не планировал вытягивать комикс на новые высоты. Максимум, что может позволить себе Абнетт в перерыве между навязанными извне ивентами - короткие истории про злодеев второго тира.
В этом смысле особенно разочаровывает, что на финал истории с Мозгом пришлось потратить целый аннуал.
July 21, 2020
5 🌟
The Titans are disbanded after a series of mistakes. Arsenal goes looking in Bliss and discovers Brain and Mallah. The Titans come together to stop them.
The Titans are disbanded after a series of mistakes. Arsenal goes looking in Bliss and discovers Brain and Mallah. The Titans come together to stop them.
November 14, 2018
Roy gets 4 Stars all by himself. The rest of it....
Things I liked:
1. Roy. Obviously.
2. Roy beating up Nightwing.
Things I liked and didn't like equally:
1. The Titans' interactions with the Justice League
The mentor/mentee relationships are some of my favorite interactions... sometimes. It explores their relationships and shows the growth of the mentees. But in this instance, the Justice League just marched into Titans Tower and started throwing their weight around. They did not handle the situation well at all. They basically kidnapped Donna Troy for pretty weak reasons. The person who legit needs help is Wally, but they didn't really show what the Justice League was doing to help him. I also wanted more from the Nightwing/Batman dynamic. But I've always felt that way.
2. The ending.
Things I didn't like:
1. Nightwing.
Dick has been on pretty shaky ground in this run. He's a traitor. He treats his friends like garbage. He lets Batman dictate how he runs his team (even though he has tried to separate himself from Batman in every way). He assumed the worst about Roy. None of this has made me want to be on his side.
2. The "End of the World" plot.
Why is everything driven by the end of the world? There are plenty of stories that could have happened with the material given in this volume, but it always turns into an apocalypse. Why can't we have smaller, character-driven stories every once in awhile? Why couldn't we take a minute to absorb the whole Troia debacle? Or Wally's heart problems and the fact that he almost died. AGAIN! There is so much fundamental story that these writers are letting slip through the cracks. The "issue" format is so limiting. Can we rethink this to give the writers and artists room to make these stories better? Please?
February 26, 2021
After events that occurred in previous volumes, the team is disbanded by the Justice League.
So in my opinion, the biggest drawback with the series is the fact that they have Arsenal on the team. And this volume, which pretty much centers on Arsenal, gets bogged down by his characterization.
So the volume begins with the JLA evaluating the Titans team. And the evaluation doesn't go well. After the recent events of this series, the JLA pretty much asks the Titans "what the fuck are you guys doing over here???!?" and disbands the team. Most of the team takes it pretty hard, but none more than old Roy Harper. He hits the streets solo and stumbles on a worldwide scheme for domination from the League of Evil. As the JLA react to, and essentially are defeated by the plans of the League, the Titans team up again to defeat the villains.
The story itself was pretty good. I found myself entertained, but the problem is Arsenal's attitude. This guy is written like a whiny teenager from a 90's comic. His "angst" comes off as contrived and annoying more than anything. And again, since this story features Arsenal as the main character, its just ...not fun to read his parts. Also, I have a problem with how Wally West is written nowadays, as he seems to be like a rookie sidekick character, instead of someone who was an essential member of the JLA back in the 90's and early 2000's.
A good plot but with a bad protagonist, this one is recommended for die hard fans of the Titans only.
So in my opinion, the biggest drawback with the series is the fact that they have Arsenal on the team. And this volume, which pretty much centers on Arsenal, gets bogged down by his characterization.
So the volume begins with the JLA evaluating the Titans team. And the evaluation doesn't go well. After the recent events of this series, the JLA pretty much asks the Titans "what the fuck are you guys doing over here???!?" and disbands the team. Most of the team takes it pretty hard, but none more than old Roy Harper. He hits the streets solo and stumbles on a worldwide scheme for domination from the League of Evil. As the JLA react to, and essentially are defeated by the plans of the League, the Titans team up again to defeat the villains.
The story itself was pretty good. I found myself entertained, but the problem is Arsenal's attitude. This guy is written like a whiny teenager from a 90's comic. His "angst" comes off as contrived and annoying more than anything. And again, since this story features Arsenal as the main character, its just ...not fun to read his parts. Also, I have a problem with how Wally West is written nowadays, as he seems to be like a rookie sidekick character, instead of someone who was an essential member of the JLA back in the 90's and early 2000's.
A good plot but with a bad protagonist, this one is recommended for die hard fans of the Titans only.
December 18, 2018
Okay I'm really dropping this series till a new team comes on or somebody tells me it gets loads better.
This is the end for Titans and me. Sad too because when announced this was my most hyped comic. Love Nightwing and Wally so my hype was real. Then I read it. And it wasn't good. It was getting worse and worse as it went on till we finally get to volume 4, which is the worst volume yet. After a 2 star, 2 star, 2 star, and a 1 star, it's safe to say this messy series hasn't learned a damn thing.
The titans break up, which is super melodramatic and really badly done. It raises a couple of decent questions but lost in the whole "Nightwing you're batman's little bitch" from Roy. Roy is as annoying as ever, and this whole volume is based on him and his forced "Drug addiction" crap. Don't even get me started on being tricked and forced to have sex with. Ugh this whole volume is crappy and also confusing if haven't read No Justice.
A 1 out of 5.
This is the end for Titans and me. Sad too because when announced this was my most hyped comic. Love Nightwing and Wally so my hype was real. Then I read it. And it wasn't good. It was getting worse and worse as it went on till we finally get to volume 4, which is the worst volume yet. After a 2 star, 2 star, 2 star, and a 1 star, it's safe to say this messy series hasn't learned a damn thing.
The titans break up, which is super melodramatic and really badly done. It raises a couple of decent questions but lost in the whole "Nightwing you're batman's little bitch" from Roy. Roy is as annoying as ever, and this whole volume is based on him and his forced "Drug addiction" crap. Don't even get me started on being tricked and forced to have sex with. Ugh this whole volume is crappy and also confusing if haven't read No Justice.
A 1 out of 5.
December 2, 2019
2.5 rounded down.
It wasn't necessarily awful, but if you spend 80% of a team book on solo adventures then why have a team book in the first place? Also, these stories do not seem fresh: Arsenal having drug issues? No one believing the Titans? Donna doubts herself and her powers?
C'mon
It wasn't necessarily awful, but if you spend 80% of a team book on solo adventures then why have a team book in the first place? Also, these stories do not seem fresh: Arsenal having drug issues? No one believing the Titans? Donna doubts herself and her powers?
C'mon
December 16, 2018
The Titans are split apart, by what's apparently become the Fascist League of America in the Nu52/Rebirth era. And their characterization has never been better. Really, that's mostly about Roy, who gets the spotlight following the Titans' dissolution, but he gets a great story that starts out from his street-level storytelling but moves up the chain. We get classic villains for both Roy and the Titans and some really great messaging about who the Titans are, and what that means. [4/5]
March 17, 2019
Nunca vou conseguir engolir o motivo pra que eles tiveram q se separar, pqp
February 24, 2021
Super entertaining, great villains, great character development and storyline and ending
November 12, 2021
The power of friendship strikes again. Nothing can ever really keep the Titans apart. And the Justice League can eat shit, respectfully <3 (lmao just in this volume).
July 20, 2018
[Read in single issues]
My heart still hurts from everything that Wally and the whole team were put through.
Why do you hurt my babies so much, Dan Abnett? Why
My heart still hurts from everything that Wally and the whole team were put through.
Why do you hurt my babies so much, Dan Abnett? Why
November 16, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book, because whereas the artwork is great and the story is compelling, it also felt like a Teen Titans story rather than a Titans story. It was things that teenagers and not young adults deal with, and the representation of the Justice League was also dissatisfying.
October 18, 2021
Man, I love the artist, but the story was dumb. The Justice League says the Titans can't be a team. The Titans cry about it. The Titans realize they can be friends. Okay.
September 1, 2019
Titans vol. 4 Titans Apart picks up where the previous volume left off. After the near disasters of the previous volume, the Justice League arrives at Titans Tower and grounds the team, telling them they are no longer operational. Everyone goes their separate ways. Donna is taken to the Watchtower satellite and placed under house arrest. Wally moves into a new apartment and gets some help from Dick Grayson with his move. Only Roy Harper, Arsenal, ignores the order to stand down, launching a one man war on drugs, especially a new designer street drug called Bliss.
Roy goes after the drug dealers, suppliers, and labs - and runs into his old girlfriend, Cheshire. She saves his rear during a firefight and explains she's working for a consortium of families who lost love ones to drugs. Together Cheshire and Roy take down an Intergang distribution site and lab that is producing a knockoff of Bliss and even find a sample of the original drug. Heading to Roy's apartment, they celebrate with some pizza and then sleep together.
Roy had also been in contact with Donna by phone since she's under guard in the Watchtower. But when Cheshire shows up, Roy gently tells Donna he thinks it isn't good for her to continue to be in contact with him. This hs more to do with Roy hanging out with his ex-girlfriend, Cheshire, than his sudden disinterest in Donna. Donna, unfortunately, thinks that Roy might have slipped back into his drug addict ways while trying to take down dealers.
Roy wakes up, to find Cheshire and the sample gone - and realizes he's been dosed with Bliss. Roy also realizes there is something far more dangerous going on than a new street drug. Unfortunately, when he calls Donna, she is more convinced than ever that he's, well, taking drugs. Donna, to her credit, tells Batman and Wonder Woman what Roy told her, but of course, they don't believe her and Batman even insists he's done a sweep with Watchtower equipment and found nothing.
Meanwhile, we find out Mallus, the intelligent gorilla and Brain - the hyperintelligent brain in a jar, are behind Bliss. The drug forms a gestalt or cloud mind that Brain taps into to raise his intelligence even more. Brain wants to ascend, so he won't be dependent on his life support unit. Mallus (the French hyper-intelligent gorilla) cares for Brain and tries to help him through the pain.
As Brain grows ever more intelligent, he also figures out how to control the weather and sends storms and disasters all over the world. The Justice League responds, but the storms are traps keyed to each member of the League and meant to destroy them. Donna t first tries to convince Batman that the storms prove Roy was right. When Batman insists the storms are random, Donna leaves the Watchtower. Brain then organizes an electronic break-in of the Watchtower systems and an attack on Batman.
Dick and Wally are initially sent by Batman to bring Roy in to get him help. However, especially once Donna arrives, the other three Titans realize Roy was right in the first place. They storm the hideout belonging to Mallus and Brain. All the time, Brain is getting more and more intelligent and seems to be attaching himself from Mallus, his caregiver and friend.
The four Titans fight Brain's robot defenders, successfully. But when they are attacked again, they have more trouble getting through the fight. They run into Mallus and convince him to help them to save Brain. Mallus, with help from the Teen Titans, is able to defeat Brain, who goes back to his normal hyper-intelligent self. When the Justice League arrive, again, the Titans point out that, first of all, Roy was right, there was a major threat brewing, and secondly the Titans handled it just fine without their mentors and they deserve to be back on active duty.
I liked this issue of Titans. It's really about young adults coming out from underneath their "parents" (mentors) shadows. And it's Roy, who doesn't have a mentor any more, who ends up pushing the others to independence and to insisting that their famous parents treat them as adults. Also, despite the "Titans Apart" title, this book is really about the Titans coming together as friends first, and as a team second, and I liked that very much. Titans vol. 4 Titans Apart is a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
Roy goes after the drug dealers, suppliers, and labs - and runs into his old girlfriend, Cheshire. She saves his rear during a firefight and explains she's working for a consortium of families who lost love ones to drugs. Together Cheshire and Roy take down an Intergang distribution site and lab that is producing a knockoff of Bliss and even find a sample of the original drug. Heading to Roy's apartment, they celebrate with some pizza and then sleep together.
Roy had also been in contact with Donna by phone since she's under guard in the Watchtower. But when Cheshire shows up, Roy gently tells Donna he thinks it isn't good for her to continue to be in contact with him. This hs more to do with Roy hanging out with his ex-girlfriend, Cheshire, than his sudden disinterest in Donna. Donna, unfortunately, thinks that Roy might have slipped back into his drug addict ways while trying to take down dealers.
Roy wakes up, to find Cheshire and the sample gone - and realizes he's been dosed with Bliss. Roy also realizes there is something far more dangerous going on than a new street drug. Unfortunately, when he calls Donna, she is more convinced than ever that he's, well, taking drugs. Donna, to her credit, tells Batman and Wonder Woman what Roy told her, but of course, they don't believe her and Batman even insists he's done a sweep with Watchtower equipment and found nothing.
Meanwhile, we find out Mallus, the intelligent gorilla and Brain - the hyperintelligent brain in a jar, are behind Bliss. The drug forms a gestalt or cloud mind that Brain taps into to raise his intelligence even more. Brain wants to ascend, so he won't be dependent on his life support unit. Mallus (the French hyper-intelligent gorilla) cares for Brain and tries to help him through the pain.
As Brain grows ever more intelligent, he also figures out how to control the weather and sends storms and disasters all over the world. The Justice League responds, but the storms are traps keyed to each member of the League and meant to destroy them. Donna t first tries to convince Batman that the storms prove Roy was right. When Batman insists the storms are random, Donna leaves the Watchtower. Brain then organizes an electronic break-in of the Watchtower systems and an attack on Batman.
Dick and Wally are initially sent by Batman to bring Roy in to get him help. However, especially once Donna arrives, the other three Titans realize Roy was right in the first place. They storm the hideout belonging to Mallus and Brain. All the time, Brain is getting more and more intelligent and seems to be attaching himself from Mallus, his caregiver and friend.
The four Titans fight Brain's robot defenders, successfully. But when they are attacked again, they have more trouble getting through the fight. They run into Mallus and convince him to help them to save Brain. Mallus, with help from the Teen Titans, is able to defeat Brain, who goes back to his normal hyper-intelligent self. When the Justice League arrive, again, the Titans point out that, first of all, Roy was right, there was a major threat brewing, and secondly the Titans handled it just fine without their mentors and they deserve to be back on active duty.
I liked this issue of Titans. It's really about young adults coming out from underneath their "parents" (mentors) shadows. And it's Roy, who doesn't have a mentor any more, who ends up pushing the others to independence and to insisting that their famous parents treat them as adults. Also, despite the "Titans Apart" title, this book is really about the Titans coming together as friends first, and as a team second, and I liked that very much. Titans vol. 4 Titans Apart is a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2020
**3.5 stars
Synopsis: The Justice League disbands the Titans for the handling of Troia/the appearance of Troia. They also take Donna captive basically on the Watchtower until the Troia shit is figured out. Garth and Omen take a vacation together to see if they're going to work as a couple, or something. Bumblebee also bails. They never appear in the volume again.
The story mainly revolves around Donna and Roy's characters, though not necessarily their romantic relationship. Roy decides to undertake his own personal war on drugs in the wake of the Titans disbandment. Roy is specifically targeting gangs selling knockoffs of a drug called Bliss. He runs into Cheshire while getting the original Bliss compound and they end up hooking up afterwards. Cheshisre steals the sample and gives it to Mallah and the Brain.
Roy reaches out to Donna, sensing that something bigger is going on. Donna, Dick, and Wally all think Roy has relapsed. Nightwing and Wally go to talk/fight with Roy, but he gets away. I'm not going to go into specifics, but basically, the Brain uses the Bliss compound to increase his intelligence and eventually it will max out at 100%. While the Justice League is distracted with the Brain's machine forces, Roy and Donna get to the physical location of the Brain.
When the Brain eventually starts bending reality, Mallah betrays him to the Titans and they're able to unplug (?) him. The Titans - Dick, Wally, Donna, Roy - now reformed, answer a call from the Justice League.
Review: This is pretty much the last volume of this run with most of these characters and the Titans team as we knew it is done after this due to the events of Heroes in Crisis. It's a bit of a bummer because this ends on a good note, but most people know at this point it doesn't end up that way.
Anyway, back to this volume. I could see how this book could be disappointing because it really isn't anything big happening, regardless of what the writing wants you to think. This title has always been more character focused, though, but I commend it for having a pretty consistent plot. There are so many other Rebirth titles that struggled with keeping things straight even when it was the same writer issue after issue. I think that Titans did that really well.
Each Titan got their moment to shine and moment to grow or do something different. In that way, I wasn't surprised that this volume focused on Donna and Roy - their relationship has been teased since the beginning and still needed some resolution after the last volume. The focus on Roy was my favorite part. I've always thought he was so underrated. If Green Arrow is the poor man's Batman as Roy puts it, then I guess Roy is the poor man's Jason Todd because he doesn't act like Dick.
A problem I had with the story was the Justice League's reaction to Troia. They, of all people, should know how timelines are always in flux, so the appearance of an supposed evil former hero isn't that nuts. You don't see them locking Batman up for all the various versions of the dark Batmen he COULD become.
The other issue I had was how Omen, Garth and Bumblebee left. They literally just peaced out after the League disbanded the group. It felt out of character and I was sad to see them go. Garth might have had an excuse given what's going on in the Aquaman book at this time. Still, it was sudden.
The mix up with the main team members is why I never really got into the Titan groups, but I enjoyed the match up for this one. Overall, I'm happy I picked this series up. The characters played well off each other and it does have a story that the reader can follow. It sucks where some of them end up but I liked having the extra time with each of the Titans before shit hits the fan.
Sidenote: was no one going to tell me there's a gay relationship between an intelligent gorilla and a supermind that looks like a lipstick tube or was I just supposed to read that myself?
Synopsis: The Justice League disbands the Titans for the handling of Troia/the appearance of Troia. They also take Donna captive basically on the Watchtower until the Troia shit is figured out. Garth and Omen take a vacation together to see if they're going to work as a couple, or something. Bumblebee also bails. They never appear in the volume again.
The story mainly revolves around Donna and Roy's characters, though not necessarily their romantic relationship. Roy decides to undertake his own personal war on drugs in the wake of the Titans disbandment. Roy is specifically targeting gangs selling knockoffs of a drug called Bliss. He runs into Cheshire while getting the original Bliss compound and they end up hooking up afterwards. Cheshisre steals the sample and gives it to Mallah and the Brain.
Roy reaches out to Donna, sensing that something bigger is going on. Donna, Dick, and Wally all think Roy has relapsed. Nightwing and Wally go to talk/fight with Roy, but he gets away. I'm not going to go into specifics, but basically, the Brain uses the Bliss compound to increase his intelligence and eventually it will max out at 100%. While the Justice League is distracted with the Brain's machine forces, Roy and Donna get to the physical location of the Brain.
When the Brain eventually starts bending reality, Mallah betrays him to the Titans and they're able to unplug (?) him. The Titans - Dick, Wally, Donna, Roy - now reformed, answer a call from the Justice League.
Review: This is pretty much the last volume of this run with most of these characters and the Titans team as we knew it is done after this due to the events of Heroes in Crisis. It's a bit of a bummer because this ends on a good note, but most people know at this point it doesn't end up that way.
Anyway, back to this volume. I could see how this book could be disappointing because it really isn't anything big happening, regardless of what the writing wants you to think. This title has always been more character focused, though, but I commend it for having a pretty consistent plot. There are so many other Rebirth titles that struggled with keeping things straight even when it was the same writer issue after issue. I think that Titans did that really well.
Each Titan got their moment to shine and moment to grow or do something different. In that way, I wasn't surprised that this volume focused on Donna and Roy - their relationship has been teased since the beginning and still needed some resolution after the last volume. The focus on Roy was my favorite part. I've always thought he was so underrated. If Green Arrow is the poor man's Batman as Roy puts it, then I guess Roy is the poor man's Jason Todd because he doesn't act like Dick.
A problem I had with the story was the Justice League's reaction to Troia. They, of all people, should know how timelines are always in flux, so the appearance of an supposed evil former hero isn't that nuts. You don't see them locking Batman up for all the various versions of the dark Batmen he COULD become.
The other issue I had was how Omen, Garth and Bumblebee left. They literally just peaced out after the League disbanded the group. It felt out of character and I was sad to see them go. Garth might have had an excuse given what's going on in the Aquaman book at this time. Still, it was sudden.
The mix up with the main team members is why I never really got into the Titan groups, but I enjoyed the match up for this one. Overall, I'm happy I picked this series up. The characters played well off each other and it does have a story that the reader can follow. It sucks where some of them end up but I liked having the extra time with each of the Titans before shit hits the fan.
Sidenote: was no one going to tell me there's a gay relationship between an intelligent gorilla and a supermind that looks like a lipstick tube or was I just supposed to read that myself?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2019
This trade paperback picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next four issues (19–22) of the 2016 on-going series and Titans Annual #2.
The Justice League criticizes the Titans' recent battle against Troia and force the Titans to step down, while putting Donna Troy under house arrest – indefinitely. The Titans go their separate ways, but Roy Harper as Arsenal, stumbles across Cheshire and a secret drug operation secretly run by Brain and Monsieur Mallah. However, the rest of the Titans and League do not see any proof of such an operation, leaving Roy to take matters into his own hands.
Dan Abnett penned the entire trade paperback and for the most part, I am rather divided on the narrative. While I liked the idea of the Justice League and Titans duking it out – this story was not one of them. The reason the Justice League wants to shut down the Titans seemed slightly inconsequential and Dick Grayson as Nightwing so easily towed to their wills is rather incongruous. I did, however, liked a story focusing on Roy Harper.
Paul Pelletier (Titans #19–22), Tom Grummett, and Tom Derenick (Titans Annual #2) are the pencilers for the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style complements each other rather well, yet remains distinctive, which makes the flow of the trade paperback somewhat smooth – artistically speaking.
All in all, Titans: Titans Apart is a wonderful continuation to the series and I cannot wait until the next trade paperback comes out.
The Justice League criticizes the Titans' recent battle against Troia and force the Titans to step down, while putting Donna Troy under house arrest – indefinitely. The Titans go their separate ways, but Roy Harper as Arsenal, stumbles across Cheshire and a secret drug operation secretly run by Brain and Monsieur Mallah. However, the rest of the Titans and League do not see any proof of such an operation, leaving Roy to take matters into his own hands.
Dan Abnett penned the entire trade paperback and for the most part, I am rather divided on the narrative. While I liked the idea of the Justice League and Titans duking it out – this story was not one of them. The reason the Justice League wants to shut down the Titans seemed slightly inconsequential and Dick Grayson as Nightwing so easily towed to their wills is rather incongruous. I did, however, liked a story focusing on Roy Harper.
Paul Pelletier (Titans #19–22), Tom Grummett, and Tom Derenick (Titans Annual #2) are the pencilers for the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style complements each other rather well, yet remains distinctive, which makes the flow of the trade paperback somewhat smooth – artistically speaking.
All in all, Titans: Titans Apart is a wonderful continuation to the series and I cannot wait until the next trade paperback comes out.
June 28, 2022
Ok, first of all, we got a huge improvement on the art on this one, thank god! Paul Pelletier is a great artisti, with a very loose pen and a great anatomy control. And all the other artists are good. Way much better that Brett Booth is. At least, Roy's glasses really looks like a common pair of red glasses, not like, a huge version of Cyclop's red glasses.
About the plot, the Justice League come to Titans and demand that the team stop their operations, 'cause of the events of Titans, Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us, with Donna and all. She spents half of the book on the League Watchtower. And then, we got a story more focused on Arsenal and his war on drugs, which will be something bigger on the end.
Really cool volume, with a nice story being developed. My only concerns were with Dick bending his knees easily for Batman for the end of the team (really, Nightwing is his own hero. His gimmick is all about have nothing to prove to Bruce, and then this happens), and about Mallah and Brain. They really seemed like a couple on this one, i didn't have any sign of this in other stories.
Anyway, again, this is a realyy great volume, and i'm just really have that Booth finally got out. On to the next one!
About the plot, the Justice League come to Titans and demand that the team stop their operations, 'cause of the events of Titans, Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us, with Donna and all. She spents half of the book on the League Watchtower. And then, we got a story more focused on Arsenal and his war on drugs, which will be something bigger on the end.
Really cool volume, with a nice story being developed. My only concerns were with Dick bending his knees easily for Batman for the end of the team (really, Nightwing is his own hero. His gimmick is all about have nothing to prove to Bruce, and then this happens), and about Mallah and Brain. They really seemed like a couple on this one, i didn't have any sign of this in other stories.
Anyway, again, this is a realyy great volume, and i'm just really have that Booth finally got out. On to the next one!
April 12, 2021
Jako jo, pořád mě to bavilo, ale už to ke konci začalo být docela únavné.
Přitom začátek byl fajn, ubralo se na akci a více se zaměřilo na mého miláčka Arsenala, který po rozpadnutí týmu Titans (protože Batman byl zase chytrej jak rádio), se dal na sólovou dráhu a šel po stopách nové vysoko návykové droze. V tomhle úseku je to fajn, příběh plyne, postavy vás zajímají a je to celé takové fajn drama o kamarádech kteří spolu prakticky už moc být nemohou.
Pak se ale do toho všeho dostane mozek v nádobě a jeho gorilí pomocník (Ta Gorilla svého mozko kámoše oslovuje mimochodem "My old love") a celé to dost ubere na všem. Neříkám že mi vadí ustřední záporná dvojka, ze začátku jsou vtipný, pak ale Abnett na jednou přejde do dob kdy v komiksech záporáci 60x vysvětlovali své plány v rozsáhlých monolozích a prostě najednou vás čtení začne vyčerpávat.
No a ve výsledku i to že se Titans rozpadli tak v závěru vyšumělo prakticky nikam. První dva sešit jsou hodně fajn, pak už ale to postupně bavit přestává.
Takže tak, Titans jsou pořád fajn, je to prostě odpočinková jízda o přátelství která se nebere až tak vážně, proto si myslím že se tomu dá hodně co odpustit, ale tady už to prostě nefungovalo.
Přitom začátek byl fajn, ubralo se na akci a více se zaměřilo na mého miláčka Arsenala, který po rozpadnutí týmu Titans (protože Batman byl zase chytrej jak rádio), se dal na sólovou dráhu a šel po stopách nové vysoko návykové droze. V tomhle úseku je to fajn, příběh plyne, postavy vás zajímají a je to celé takové fajn drama o kamarádech kteří spolu prakticky už moc být nemohou.
Pak se ale do toho všeho dostane mozek v nádobě a jeho gorilí pomocník (Ta Gorilla svého mozko kámoše oslovuje mimochodem "My old love") a celé to dost ubere na všem. Neříkám že mi vadí ustřední záporná dvojka, ze začátku jsou vtipný, pak ale Abnett na jednou přejde do dob kdy v komiksech záporáci 60x vysvětlovali své plány v rozsáhlých monolozích a prostě najednou vás čtení začne vyčerpávat.
No a ve výsledku i to že se Titans rozpadli tak v závěru vyšumělo prakticky nikam. První dva sešit jsou hodně fajn, pak už ale to postupně bavit přestává.
Takže tak, Titans jsou pořád fajn, je to prostě odpočinková jízda o přátelství která se nebere až tak vážně, proto si myslím že se tomu dá hodně co odpustit, ale tady už to prostě nefungovalo.
February 19, 2023
Last volume we had the "found family" trope which seems to run through every Titans iteration. This volume we get the second most common Titans trope, which is the one where the Justice League comes in, treats the Titans as incompetent children, tells them they're not good enough yet to be on their own, completely disregards every time the JL or, heaven forfend, each of the Big Seven has screwed up royally, and then finally realizes maybe the Titans aren't so bad after all. Which is weird because each of the Titans has more experience than current JL members Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz, or even Firestorm when he was admitted to the JL of America back in the satellite era. The hypocrisy is mind-boggling.
The overall story is also bad. Although The Brain and Monsieur Mallah are interesting villains with a Titans pedigree, this is more Pinky and the Brain with its half-cocked plan. Arsenal's addiction is used as a deus ex machina of a sorts, which completely disrespects Roy's struggle. Then there is the shuffling off of the lesser known yet very worthwhile Titans such as Bumblebee, Lilith, Garth/Tempest, Mal Duncan, and Gnarrk. It's as if there's no idea how to use these characters any more. Sad.
The art is shitty, too.
The overall story is also bad. Although The Brain and Monsieur Mallah are interesting villains with a Titans pedigree, this is more Pinky and the Brain with its half-cocked plan. Arsenal's addiction is used as a deus ex machina of a sorts, which completely disrespects Roy's struggle. Then there is the shuffling off of the lesser known yet very worthwhile Titans such as Bumblebee, Lilith, Garth/Tempest, Mal Duncan, and Gnarrk. It's as if there's no idea how to use these characters any more. Sad.
The art is shitty, too.
December 23, 2018
3.5 Stars.
All of the previous events of the title come to a conclusion here. The Justice League comes in and forces the Titans to disband, locking up Donna Troy (the whole "Troia" thing is really bad) in the Justice League orbital satellite, and sending the team apart. Each deals in their own way.
Most of the story surrounds Arsenal. Roy has decided to track down the origins and supply of Bliss, a new street drug. Doing that brings him back into contact with his dangerous ex, Cheshire. But... Cheshire is working for the real villains of the Volume: Brain and Mallah from the Brotherhood of Evil. (Apparently, these villains have been seen before, but I've not heard of them.) Their plan: Mallah created Bliss to allow Brain to hack into the minds of the people and use them to help expand his consciousness so he could expand beyond his feeble contained body. As his mind expands, Brain gets less and less personal and Mallah decides to ally with the Titans to stop him.
Hopefully, this proves to the JL that the Titans can work together and be the great team they are.
I'm wondering how the larger events of the DCU will affect the team and title. Guess I'll see.
Recommend.
All of the previous events of the title come to a conclusion here. The Justice League comes in and forces the Titans to disband, locking up Donna Troy (the whole "Troia" thing is really bad) in the Justice League orbital satellite, and sending the team apart. Each deals in their own way.
Most of the story surrounds Arsenal. Roy has decided to track down the origins and supply of Bliss, a new street drug. Doing that brings him back into contact with his dangerous ex, Cheshire. But... Cheshire is working for the real villains of the Volume: Brain and Mallah from the Brotherhood of Evil. (Apparently, these villains have been seen before, but I've not heard of them.) Their plan: Mallah created Bliss to allow Brain to hack into the minds of the people and use them to help expand his consciousness so he could expand beyond his feeble contained body. As his mind expands, Brain gets less and less personal and Mallah decides to ally with the Titans to stop him.
Hopefully, this proves to the JL that the Titans can work together and be the great team they are.
I'm wondering how the larger events of the DCU will affect the team and title. Guess I'll see.
Recommend.
March 24, 2019
On the surface, this one is just ok and pretty predictable. Still, I’ve enjoyed the hell out of this run. Since Rebirth launched in 2016, my favorite titles have been this, Flash, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, and Superman (the Tomasi/Gleason run). I liked this volume because it made me care about Roy Harper, a character who I always saw as an entitled prick. He always came across to me as a slightly cooler version of prequel Anakin Skywalker.
Here however, Dan Abnett’s writing made me empathize with him, and it kept me invested in a storyline told mostly through Roy’s perspective. Obviously it was going to end with the Titans getting back together in order to save the world from some cosmic threat, but I still enjoyed the ride. The art here by Paul Pelletier is solid, but I do prefer the work by Tom Grummett in the last issue. It’s just a personal preference.
Overall, I think any fan of the Titans/Teen Titans will enjoy this run. It’s a good combination of old and new, and it’s a must-read for any Wally West fan.
Here however, Dan Abnett’s writing made me empathize with him, and it kept me invested in a storyline told mostly through Roy’s perspective. Obviously it was going to end with the Titans getting back together in order to save the world from some cosmic threat, but I still enjoyed the ride. The art here by Paul Pelletier is solid, but I do prefer the work by Tom Grummett in the last issue. It’s just a personal preference.
Overall, I think any fan of the Titans/Teen Titans will enjoy this run. It’s a good combination of old and new, and it’s a must-read for any Wally West fan.
October 8, 2023
This volume puts the Titans team out of their misery for the Rebirth era. Batman's right - they're loose cannons who luck into solutions while threatening world-ending catastrophes. And while they manage to avert another one here (more due to the better-presented characterizations of the antagonists), it still doesn't manage to make them look at all good as a team or individuals. Where's the much more likeable Nightwing of his individual series? The more charming Arsenal from his hangouts with Red Hood? And I have to feel sorry for Wally here - his whole Rebirth arc has been nothing but trauma and destruction, and this book doesn't do much else for him. The storyline jettisons a couple of the B-list Titans characters after the first issue, leaving us basically with Donna, Dick, Roy and Wally, but that may actually be for the best; Karen. Omen and Garth all disappear, which means attempts at storylines for them can finally be abandoned.
I have to say, I'm glad they ended the series here. It was foundering for most of its run, and the characters deserved better than they got.
I have to say, I'm glad they ended the series here. It was foundering for most of its run, and the characters deserved better than they got.
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