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The New Teen Titans (Collected Editions) #11
New Teen Titans (1980-1988) Vol. 11
Writer Marv Wolfman (CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS) and artist George P�rez (FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS, Avengers) present a group of young heroes--Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Changeling, Raven and Starfire--in these tales from the 1980s.
As this new collection of stories from the late 1980s begins, the Titans battle the Omega Men in the depths of space! Then, while the evil Blackfire takes over as ruler of the planet Tamaran, the team returns to Earth to take on new missions. Together, Cyborg and Changeling try to track down Changeling's father, Mento, while Wonder Girl leads a new team of heroes into Switzerland to stop Cheshire from disrupting a summit talk between the U.S. and Russia, and Nightwing sneaks into Brother Blood's headquarters to free Raven.
Collects New Teen Titans #16-23, Tales of the Teen Titans #75-83 and The Omega Men #34.
As this new collection of stories from the late 1980s begins, the Titans battle the Omega Men in the depths of space! Then, while the evil Blackfire takes over as ruler of the planet Tamaran, the team returns to Earth to take on new missions. Together, Cyborg and Changeling try to track down Changeling's father, Mento, while Wonder Girl leads a new team of heroes into Switzerland to stop Cheshire from disrupting a summit talk between the U.S. and Russia, and Nightwing sneaks into Brother Blood's headquarters to free Raven.
Collects New Teen Titans #16-23, Tales of the Teen Titans #75-83 and The Omega Men #34.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2020
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104 people want to read
About the author
Marv Wolfman
2,312 books308 followersMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 15, 2020
This volume is about a team in transition as everyone goes their own way for awhile. Starfire, Nightwing, and Jericho are in space helping Koriand'r to stabilize the leadership on Tamaran. Of course, Blackfire gets involved. Meanwhile, members on Earth are reeling from the deaths of Kole, Dove, and Tula during Crisis. Donna puts together a new team of old members for a mission where we find out Speedy has a child with Cheshire. Eduardo Barreto handles the bulk of the art with Romeo Tanghal's inks keeping the book looking very similar to when George Perez was penciller.
July 13, 2022
This volume was a good one, but i believe the amount of storylines happening took the bright of some things. Although the battle on Tamaran was a nice one.
But i just freaking love this run. The reason that a i'm a comic book lover these days, that i probably will love this super hero mainstream stuff for life, it's because what Marv, George and these guys made back in the day. Gonna skip the next volumes for a while, to read some different things, but believe me: this is the best that DC comics had to offer in a run for you.
But i just freaking love this run. The reason that a i'm a comic book lover these days, that i probably will love this super hero mainstream stuff for life, it's because what Marv, George and these guys made back in the day. Gonna skip the next volumes for a while, to read some different things, but believe me: this is the best that DC comics had to offer in a run for you.
July 22, 2020
Much devastation has happened to he team as members have either retired or died from the Crisis.
Starfire has been betrothed in her home planet thanks to her sisters’ doing. As a result, Nightwing has become bitter towards everyone with only Wonder Girl to put the team forward.
I feel this book was a little choppy in juggling its plots with very little resolution handed to each of them. It’s hard to write, since these were written months apart from each other, but it would be nice to have a complete arc before moving onto three others.
Starfire has been betrothed in her home planet thanks to her sisters’ doing. As a result, Nightwing has become bitter towards everyone with only Wonder Girl to put the team forward.
I feel this book was a little choppy in juggling its plots with very little resolution handed to each of them. It’s hard to write, since these were written months apart from each other, but it would be nice to have a complete arc before moving onto three others.
January 11, 2021
In “The New Teen Titans”, Volume Eleven: The Omega Men arrive on planet Tamaran! (the significance of which is completely lost on me, as I have no idea who the Omega Men are); Starfire and Dick Grayson are still in love, but Starfire must go through with the arranged marriage to end the Tamaranian civil war; Dick goes back home to Earth, where he gets into a fight with Donna Troy; Cyborg and Beast Boy battle it out with Mento, who has gone cuckoo after his experience with John Constantine and Swamp Thing; Donna gets the original Titans together (Hawk, Red Arrow, Kid Flash, and Aqua-Lad) to go to Switzerland and fight Jade, who introduces Red Arrow to their baby daughter; Dick grows a beard and infiltrates the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Blood to find Raven, but she’s not the same person she was when he last saw her; Donna’s husband, Terry, is facing losing his job at the university because he’s suffering writer’s block; Starfire finally has it out with her sister, Blackfire, and planet Tamaran will never be the same…
This comic book series from the ‘80s is so soap opera, but I’m addicted to it like heroin. They can’t reprint these compilation volumes fast enough…
P.S. Just binge-watched the second season of “Titans”, the new DC Universe TV show based on the comics. Loved it. The battle with Trigon could have gone bigger, and Trigon could have used more screen-time, but other than that, it was cool. Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke (played menacingly by Esai Morales) was the best part of the second season. Dug the introduction of new character, Connor (played by Joshua Orpin), who is the genetically-engineered product of splicing Lex Luthor’s and Superman’s DNA. Also dug the much-older Bruce Wayne, played by Iain Glen.
Lots to love in this show, and I hope it continues for several more seasons.
This comic book series from the ‘80s is so soap opera, but I’m addicted to it like heroin. They can’t reprint these compilation volumes fast enough…
P.S. Just binge-watched the second season of “Titans”, the new DC Universe TV show based on the comics. Loved it. The battle with Trigon could have gone bigger, and Trigon could have used more screen-time, but other than that, it was cool. Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke (played menacingly by Esai Morales) was the best part of the second season. Dug the introduction of new character, Connor (played by Joshua Orpin), who is the genetically-engineered product of splicing Lex Luthor’s and Superman’s DNA. Also dug the much-older Bruce Wayne, played by Iain Glen.
Lots to love in this show, and I hope it continues for several more seasons.
August 26, 2023
Eleven volumes into his Teen Titan run, Marv Wolfman decides to shake things up by putting the team on the rocks.
Nightwing and Starfire visit Starfire's home planet of Tamaran, where a political marriage, a civil war, and some WILD shirtless fashion on the Boy Wonder's part sees them break up.
Back on Earth, Beast Boy and Cyborg get into serious trouble attempting to battle Beast Boy's insane/pscyhic step-dad, Mento. Meanwhile, Donna Troy's loser husband/inexplicable himbo, Terry Long, is at risk of losing his cushy professor job because he just can't finish writing his thesis.
The early tone is melodramatic verging on silly, particularly when the exposed-skin fashion of Tamaran is concerned. As the volume continues, though, Wolfman skillfully reveals some real angst and anger.
An explosive showdown between Nightwing and Donna Troy is surprisingly effective, and it fractures the team. Nightwing ends up going undercover in the church of Brother Blood, while Donna assembles a team of back-up heroes to stave off a Soviet assassination attempt. Unfortunately, half of the replacement heroes are crazy or crippled by guilt, and the whole thing goes off the rails.
A fun side note: I read issues 21 and 22 when I was a kid, back when I got my comics at the grocery store and had zero context for what was happening or who these characters were. It was fun to read them again in their proper context...in hindsight, I picked a pretty complicated time to bounce in!
Nightwing and Starfire visit Starfire's home planet of Tamaran, where a political marriage, a civil war, and some WILD shirtless fashion on the Boy Wonder's part sees them break up.
Back on Earth, Beast Boy and Cyborg get into serious trouble attempting to battle Beast Boy's insane/pscyhic step-dad, Mento. Meanwhile, Donna Troy's loser husband/inexplicable himbo, Terry Long, is at risk of losing his cushy professor job because he just can't finish writing his thesis.
The early tone is melodramatic verging on silly, particularly when the exposed-skin fashion of Tamaran is concerned. As the volume continues, though, Wolfman skillfully reveals some real angst and anger.
An explosive showdown between Nightwing and Donna Troy is surprisingly effective, and it fractures the team. Nightwing ends up going undercover in the church of Brother Blood, while Donna assembles a team of back-up heroes to stave off a Soviet assassination attempt. Unfortunately, half of the replacement heroes are crazy or crippled by guilt, and the whole thing goes off the rails.
A fun side note: I read issues 21 and 22 when I was a kid, back when I got my comics at the grocery store and had zero context for what was happening or who these characters were. It was fun to read them again in their proper context...in hindsight, I picked a pretty complicated time to bounce in!
November 14, 2020
didn't like how it started this volume. Wasn't a fan of the whole marriage drama, but it did get good by the end. It was weird to suddenly find myself feeling sympathy for Komand'r. Starfire kind of became the villain in the end in my eyes, but it was very interesting. I'm mainly interested to see what happens next, but it was a decent volume that got better as it went.
As for the art, I would say I felt it wasn't as good as it has been, but maybe that's just me.
As for the art, I would say I felt it wasn't as good as it has been, but maybe that's just me.
April 17, 2024
The long-awaited conclusion of the Tamaran arc gives everything a Titans story should: romantic melodrama, extensive monologuing and exciting set pieces. The phrase “Make Tamaran great!” comes up frequently, which is the weirdest recursive PTSD I’ve ever experienced.
To unite Tamaran, Kory must consent to an arranged marriage. This plot spans the first third of the book then comes back up at the end and remains the focus until the final page. It’s peak melodrama, with people screaming their feelings and constantly crying, and occasionally hitting stuff. It’s overwrought but fun. As a fan of the Dick/Kory relationship, I love it when my favs get put through their paces. I’m a bit of a masochist that way. Kudos to Kory’s beleaguered beau, Karras, who could have easily been a one-note asshole but is depicted as a similarly lovelorn, but ultimately supportive, partner.
Post-Tamaran, the book mostly centers on Donna trying to reconcile the seeming end of the Titans. She brings back some of the old hats: Wally, Roy, Garth and Hank, while also extending an invitation to Jason Todd, the current Robin. As a Jason stan, it was fun to see him getting a chance to be young and excited about working with older heroes, before his starring role in Fast Times at Crowbar High.
Kory and Donna have the lion’s share of focus. Which, hey, great they’re my favorites. Kory is torn between her desire to be with Dick* and her duty to unite Tamaran. It’s a classic concept, but unlike your basic rom-com where our beloved hero would win the girl in the end, our ending is much more dour. What I really appreciate is how messy this volume lets Kory be. She’s always been a low-key mess; highly emotional and driven on desire, but capable of astounding compassion and kindness. She’s really unraveled here— losing her lover (who refuses to speak to her, Dick over here really living up to his namesake) and being married off to a stranger for the sanctity of the planet, fighting and losing against a rebellion, then leading a rebellion and losing that too, and then a total betrayal (in her perspective) by her parents as they side with her oppressor.
*Yeah, this is the book that includes the memeriffic image of Kory shouting at the foreground in anguish: “Dick—I love you!” that has floated around the internet without context for years. Yes, in context her frantic shouting of “I love you!” as Dick (and Joseph) leave her behind is heartbreaking. Yes, the image of her shouting her love for Dick is funny. Like Kory, I am an emotional man at war with the two sides of myself.
Speaking of wars, let’s talk about Kory’s parents and how they’ve done her dirty. Constantly leveraging her like the world’s most precious porcelain doll to maintain some level of peace. I don’t doubt they love her, sure, but they are users of the worst kind. Kory is their trump card, and they are quick to drop the rest of the deck. It’s like any sort of diplomatic crisis has only one solution: subjugate our daughter. Slavery? Exile? Forced Marriage? Eh, Kory can do it all! It’s for the good of the familyyyy.
Kory constantly defends their actions, but it’s hard to read the situation as something other than an adult woman so desperate for her parent’s approval— and so brainwashed that her suffering is the only way the people can know paradise— that she’s willing to not only tolerate their every decision, but actively defer and defend their choices. “They have sacrificed!” she’ll say because they’ll stand around and espouse the pain they’ve felt being separated from their children… while chilling comfortably in their idyllic palace and never making any sort of plan to change things. I notice they never offer themselves in any meaningful way. It’s always Kory. Their favored daughter. And preferred punching bag.
Dick’s time on page is mostly him being… well, a dick. (Yeah, I made that joke already. But I never claimed to be original and no one reads these things anyway) Most of his time with the Titans has seen Dick grappling with a lot of complicated feelings: his struggles with Batman, leaving childhood behind into an uncertain adulthood (symbolized with the Robin to Nightwing switch), coping with the complications of romance… oh, and the weekly attempts on his life. He’s a twenty-year old man trying to find his place in the world after acting as a child soldier. He’s struggling. I love Dick (insert Kory.gif here), but he can be miserable to read. I don’t mean that as a slight. His relationship with Kory has always been tumultuous—cold and hot and back again, and though the intensity of Kory’s affections can be understandably a lot, Dick is at a place in his life where he hasn’t yet learned how to properly cope or communicate these feelings and instead emulates Batman with stoic, angry acceptance of the things he can’t change.
I mentioned before, but I’m all about Dick/Kory. It doesn’t change the fact they got together on shaky ground, and Dick has a history of treating her poorly. He’d gotten better, but this new threat to their relationship causes him to shut down, unable to properly communicate his feelings, even when Kory is dropping mad hints she wants him to fight for their relationship. It’s frustrating but understandable. It also leads to him glowering in the foreground like, constantly, and it’s honestly really funny and undercuts some of the drama. But that’s just me.
It was as I was writing this that I realized Dick doesn’t wear the Nightwing suit a single time in this whole volume. Another fun fact: When Dick is trapped with Joe and Karras in a cell on Tamaran and thinks Kory has been killed, he calls Komand’r a “stinking bitch.” I literally gasped out loud. Editorial allowed that??? In the 80s?? I don’t think I’ve seen swearing in the series before, so this came as a real shock. They really wanted to show just how enraged Dick was!
Oh, and then Dick decided to shock me again by showing up at the Wayne Mansion, in the midst of his full breakup spiral (he grew a beard!) and tells Alfred to “mind your own damn business.” Mr. Grayson, you better sit your ass down and beg for forgiveness. Rudeness, to my Alfred? This type of behavior will not be tolerated on this, or any, Earth. And there’s only one Earth now, because we’re officially post Crisis. So get to begging.
Everyone always says Wally (or sometimes Roy) is Dick’s best friend, but the past few volumes have made me think Joseph is Dick’s best friend, but Dick doesn’t realize it. The boy’s my underrated fav. No notes.
Komand’r gets a surprising amount of development. She’s still the antagonist, but she’s made shades more sympathetic while never losing the je ne sais quoi of a Titans villain. You could argue the character shift is a little clumsy—she still loves her villainous monologues— but I think it works. Komand’r finds herself truly caring about her planet, and even more so, being a strong, effective leader who wins the people’ s trust. Despite that, she’s still quite underhanded. She openly accepts her desire for power. She tells Kory that the people “know what (she) is” and they accept her. It’s big Edelgard energy, and I love it. Never thought much of Komand’r before, but now I can safely say I’m a fan. Under the layers (and layers) or dramatic pontificating, Wolfman has a consistent history of finding places to add shades of gray.
Komand’r’s kinda-sorta heel-turn works even better because it’s in opposition of Kory’s beliefs. She refuses to believe that Komand’r could love anything, much less the people, and her fanatical devotion to her (not so great) parents puts her on a warpath to stop Komand’r from maintaining power. It flips the script and makes our genuinely heroic Kory the one in the wrong. The back-and-forth between the sisters has always been “just fine” but this volume finally elevates the conflict, advances both characters, and plays with the expected dichotomy of good/evil in a clever way.
Donna is the focus of the next arc. Like Dick, she’s trying to find her place in the world and so much of her identity has been defined by her time with the Titans. She’s not ready to let them go. The world isn’t either— Donna is contacted by Faraday for a top-secret mission of vital international importance and so she puts together a quick team of original Titans who had all since moved on. Original founders Garth, Wally and Roy— the former in a deep depression over the recent death of his girlfriend, Wally coming in the role as the new Flash post-Barry Allen’s death, and Roy is, well… Roy— come at Donna’s request. As does Hank Hall— Hawk of Hawk & Dove— who has been totally unmoored by his brother’s death, and Jason Todd, the newest Robin and the youngest member of Donna’s hastily assembled team.
Donna has always been Dick’s pseudo second-in-command, so it’s unexpected to see her struggle in a leadership role. Of course, she’s not at her best emotionally and she’s working with an eclectic group of trauma survivors, but it’s not a great showing. And that’s fascinating! Donna is extremely competent and watching her flounder with this thing that she should excel at humanizes her and really puts us in her corner. I love all the work done with Donna. Her using Jason as a Dick stand-in is such great in-universe and meta commentary. Poor Jason is used as a replacement by so many people at this point in his life, but he takes it surprisingly gracefully and respectfully reminds Donna that he’s his own person. Donna immediately apologizes and the two start to bond and maybe it’s super cute and I loved it. Who can say?
Seeing Jason pre everything is great, especially when he’s not being angry and frustrated with Bruce. If anything, he’s still in his honeymoon phase with the idea of being Robin. Love to see it—and it makes Death in the Family that much harder to stomach.
Oh, and I guess we gotta update the Terry Long situation since it’s still ongoing. Okay, uh *checks notes* so Terry’s plot is that he must write this dissertation (or something) in order to keep his job, and he’s had a few years but keeps pushing for extensions. He wants Donna to help him write it, since it’s about the Olympic gods and all that jazz, but seeing as how she’s busy saving the world she can’t make time to help. So Terry, the educated and responsible guy that he is… doesn’t even try to write the paper, isn’t granted another extension, and then blames Donna for not helping him. It’s not a cute look. Then Donna feels extremely guilty— which is in character but good god girl you could do so much better— and just. Ugh. He does come around and apologize (too little too late) and just. Gah. My relationship with Terry is very complicated. He sometimes does things that are good for characterization, but I just don’t love the idea of him and Donna together. This whole thing with the paper was extremely annoying.
After Dick’s use of the word “bitch” (still amused and still not over it) in terms of surprising moments is Donna nearly driving a plane into the World Trade Center. It’s recursively uncomfortable in the blackest humor sort of way.
Gar and Vic hang out and get some time to shine, but they were mostly a blip for me. At that point I was way more invested in seeing what was going to happen with Donna’s new team. We did get a quick cameo from my fail husband John Constantine though! Meanwhile, Cheshire shows back up to bother Roy. She’s still playing in those uncomfortable Dragon Lady stereotypes, but I suppose it could be worse. We meet Lian Harper for the first time, so that’s really cool. Raven also appears, but she’s way less hammy and that makes me sad. Maybe next volume!
To unite Tamaran, Kory must consent to an arranged marriage. This plot spans the first third of the book then comes back up at the end and remains the focus until the final page. It’s peak melodrama, with people screaming their feelings and constantly crying, and occasionally hitting stuff. It’s overwrought but fun. As a fan of the Dick/Kory relationship, I love it when my favs get put through their paces. I’m a bit of a masochist that way. Kudos to Kory’s beleaguered beau, Karras, who could have easily been a one-note asshole but is depicted as a similarly lovelorn, but ultimately supportive, partner.
Post-Tamaran, the book mostly centers on Donna trying to reconcile the seeming end of the Titans. She brings back some of the old hats: Wally, Roy, Garth and Hank, while also extending an invitation to Jason Todd, the current Robin. As a Jason stan, it was fun to see him getting a chance to be young and excited about working with older heroes, before his starring role in Fast Times at Crowbar High.
Kory and Donna have the lion’s share of focus. Which, hey, great they’re my favorites. Kory is torn between her desire to be with Dick* and her duty to unite Tamaran. It’s a classic concept, but unlike your basic rom-com where our beloved hero would win the girl in the end, our ending is much more dour. What I really appreciate is how messy this volume lets Kory be. She’s always been a low-key mess; highly emotional and driven on desire, but capable of astounding compassion and kindness. She’s really unraveled here— losing her lover (who refuses to speak to her, Dick over here really living up to his namesake) and being married off to a stranger for the sanctity of the planet, fighting and losing against a rebellion, then leading a rebellion and losing that too, and then a total betrayal (in her perspective) by her parents as they side with her oppressor.
*Yeah, this is the book that includes the memeriffic image of Kory shouting at the foreground in anguish: “Dick—I love you!” that has floated around the internet without context for years. Yes, in context her frantic shouting of “I love you!” as Dick (and Joseph) leave her behind is heartbreaking. Yes, the image of her shouting her love for Dick is funny. Like Kory, I am an emotional man at war with the two sides of myself.
Speaking of wars, let’s talk about Kory’s parents and how they’ve done her dirty. Constantly leveraging her like the world’s most precious porcelain doll to maintain some level of peace. I don’t doubt they love her, sure, but they are users of the worst kind. Kory is their trump card, and they are quick to drop the rest of the deck. It’s like any sort of diplomatic crisis has only one solution: subjugate our daughter. Slavery? Exile? Forced Marriage? Eh, Kory can do it all! It’s for the good of the familyyyy.
Kory constantly defends their actions, but it’s hard to read the situation as something other than an adult woman so desperate for her parent’s approval— and so brainwashed that her suffering is the only way the people can know paradise— that she’s willing to not only tolerate their every decision, but actively defer and defend their choices. “They have sacrificed!” she’ll say because they’ll stand around and espouse the pain they’ve felt being separated from their children… while chilling comfortably in their idyllic palace and never making any sort of plan to change things. I notice they never offer themselves in any meaningful way. It’s always Kory. Their favored daughter. And preferred punching bag.
Dick’s time on page is mostly him being… well, a dick. (Yeah, I made that joke already. But I never claimed to be original and no one reads these things anyway) Most of his time with the Titans has seen Dick grappling with a lot of complicated feelings: his struggles with Batman, leaving childhood behind into an uncertain adulthood (symbolized with the Robin to Nightwing switch), coping with the complications of romance… oh, and the weekly attempts on his life. He’s a twenty-year old man trying to find his place in the world after acting as a child soldier. He’s struggling. I love Dick (insert Kory.gif here), but he can be miserable to read. I don’t mean that as a slight. His relationship with Kory has always been tumultuous—cold and hot and back again, and though the intensity of Kory’s affections can be understandably a lot, Dick is at a place in his life where he hasn’t yet learned how to properly cope or communicate these feelings and instead emulates Batman with stoic, angry acceptance of the things he can’t change.
I mentioned before, but I’m all about Dick/Kory. It doesn’t change the fact they got together on shaky ground, and Dick has a history of treating her poorly. He’d gotten better, but this new threat to their relationship causes him to shut down, unable to properly communicate his feelings, even when Kory is dropping mad hints she wants him to fight for their relationship. It’s frustrating but understandable. It also leads to him glowering in the foreground like, constantly, and it’s honestly really funny and undercuts some of the drama. But that’s just me.
It was as I was writing this that I realized Dick doesn’t wear the Nightwing suit a single time in this whole volume. Another fun fact: When Dick is trapped with Joe and Karras in a cell on Tamaran and thinks Kory has been killed, he calls Komand’r a “stinking bitch.” I literally gasped out loud. Editorial allowed that??? In the 80s?? I don’t think I’ve seen swearing in the series before, so this came as a real shock. They really wanted to show just how enraged Dick was!
Oh, and then Dick decided to shock me again by showing up at the Wayne Mansion, in the midst of his full breakup spiral (he grew a beard!) and tells Alfred to “mind your own damn business.” Mr. Grayson, you better sit your ass down and beg for forgiveness. Rudeness, to my Alfred? This type of behavior will not be tolerated on this, or any, Earth. And there’s only one Earth now, because we’re officially post Crisis. So get to begging.
Everyone always says Wally (or sometimes Roy) is Dick’s best friend, but the past few volumes have made me think Joseph is Dick’s best friend, but Dick doesn’t realize it. The boy’s my underrated fav. No notes.
Komand’r gets a surprising amount of development. She’s still the antagonist, but she’s made shades more sympathetic while never losing the je ne sais quoi of a Titans villain. You could argue the character shift is a little clumsy—she still loves her villainous monologues— but I think it works. Komand’r finds herself truly caring about her planet, and even more so, being a strong, effective leader who wins the people’ s trust. Despite that, she’s still quite underhanded. She openly accepts her desire for power. She tells Kory that the people “know what (she) is” and they accept her. It’s big Edelgard energy, and I love it. Never thought much of Komand’r before, but now I can safely say I’m a fan. Under the layers (and layers) or dramatic pontificating, Wolfman has a consistent history of finding places to add shades of gray.
Komand’r’s kinda-sorta heel-turn works even better because it’s in opposition of Kory’s beliefs. She refuses to believe that Komand’r could love anything, much less the people, and her fanatical devotion to her (not so great) parents puts her on a warpath to stop Komand’r from maintaining power. It flips the script and makes our genuinely heroic Kory the one in the wrong. The back-and-forth between the sisters has always been “just fine” but this volume finally elevates the conflict, advances both characters, and plays with the expected dichotomy of good/evil in a clever way.
Donna is the focus of the next arc. Like Dick, she’s trying to find her place in the world and so much of her identity has been defined by her time with the Titans. She’s not ready to let them go. The world isn’t either— Donna is contacted by Faraday for a top-secret mission of vital international importance and so she puts together a quick team of original Titans who had all since moved on. Original founders Garth, Wally and Roy— the former in a deep depression over the recent death of his girlfriend, Wally coming in the role as the new Flash post-Barry Allen’s death, and Roy is, well… Roy— come at Donna’s request. As does Hank Hall— Hawk of Hawk & Dove— who has been totally unmoored by his brother’s death, and Jason Todd, the newest Robin and the youngest member of Donna’s hastily assembled team.
Donna has always been Dick’s pseudo second-in-command, so it’s unexpected to see her struggle in a leadership role. Of course, she’s not at her best emotionally and she’s working with an eclectic group of trauma survivors, but it’s not a great showing. And that’s fascinating! Donna is extremely competent and watching her flounder with this thing that she should excel at humanizes her and really puts us in her corner. I love all the work done with Donna. Her using Jason as a Dick stand-in is such great in-universe and meta commentary. Poor Jason is used as a replacement by so many people at this point in his life, but he takes it surprisingly gracefully and respectfully reminds Donna that he’s his own person. Donna immediately apologizes and the two start to bond and maybe it’s super cute and I loved it. Who can say?
Seeing Jason pre everything is great, especially when he’s not being angry and frustrated with Bruce. If anything, he’s still in his honeymoon phase with the idea of being Robin. Love to see it—and it makes Death in the Family that much harder to stomach.
Oh, and I guess we gotta update the Terry Long situation since it’s still ongoing. Okay, uh *checks notes* so Terry’s plot is that he must write this dissertation (or something) in order to keep his job, and he’s had a few years but keeps pushing for extensions. He wants Donna to help him write it, since it’s about the Olympic gods and all that jazz, but seeing as how she’s busy saving the world she can’t make time to help. So Terry, the educated and responsible guy that he is… doesn’t even try to write the paper, isn’t granted another extension, and then blames Donna for not helping him. It’s not a cute look. Then Donna feels extremely guilty— which is in character but good god girl you could do so much better— and just. Ugh. He does come around and apologize (too little too late) and just. Gah. My relationship with Terry is very complicated. He sometimes does things that are good for characterization, but I just don’t love the idea of him and Donna together. This whole thing with the paper was extremely annoying.
After Dick’s use of the word “bitch” (still amused and still not over it) in terms of surprising moments is Donna nearly driving a plane into the World Trade Center. It’s recursively uncomfortable in the blackest humor sort of way.
Gar and Vic hang out and get some time to shine, but they were mostly a blip for me. At that point I was way more invested in seeing what was going to happen with Donna’s new team. We did get a quick cameo from my fail husband John Constantine though! Meanwhile, Cheshire shows back up to bother Roy. She’s still playing in those uncomfortable Dragon Lady stereotypes, but I suppose it could be worse. We meet Lian Harper for the first time, so that’s really cool. Raven also appears, but she’s way less hammy and that makes me sad. Maybe next volume!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2021
I really liked this issue for a number of reasons:
1. Their portrayal of grief. Dick Grayson loses the love of his life so far to a forced marriage and falls apart in the most destructive way possible. You see him stop taking care of himself (isolation, the beard), lashing out at the people who love him (Donna) and engaging in reckless behaviour (going after Raven alone, despite his previous encounters with Brother Blood). It's ugly and pitiful and not romanticized at all. There's no angel friend to save the day and he doesn't take the noble route of swallowing his emotions and being a good leader. You do see him try to reach out to Batman, but of course that goes awry both becuase of his preconceived notions of Batman's prioities and, well, Batman's priorities.
2. The murkiness of the conflict between Komand'r and Kori. We already love Kori, so it would be easy to dismiss Blackfire as the bad guy who is power hungry and cruel but this isn't entirely the case. Due to her disability she was shunned from her family, and even her right to the throne was taken away while Kori and R'yandr were doted upon and treated with love. While this neglect turned her into a more bitter person, it also enabled her to look past her father's halo to see his deep flaws. He always valued peace over justice and sacrificed his daughter's life and safety to avoid a war. You could argue that this is for "the greater good", but its repeatedly said that Tamaraneans are ruled by their emotions, not logic. So how did he rationalize selling his child into slavery, and then into a loveless marriage? He also surrendered to the Citadel rather than fought for the righhts of his people. He was a bad King, and honestly Komand'r might have actually been a better one, especially with Kori and Ryand'r advising her. She is violent and vicious but on Tamaran, everything is fought to the death so it wouldn't really be any worse than they were originally.
3. The OG Titans team up with Jason. I loved this. Having Wally and Roy back with Garth and Donna was fantastic and it was heartwarming (and breaking, knowing what happens in A Death in the Family) to see Jason working alongside them and finding his own place. He stood up to Hawk but still listened to orders and I was so happy for him. Jason deserves better. It's also nice to see Wally growing out of his doubt and embracing the role of Flash (even if it's for misconstrued reasoning), and to see Roy treated as a capable teammate rather than a junkie that needs to be watched. Though it ended poorly, calling the old team in was Donna's best decision as leader.
4. Beast Boy and Cyborg's friendship. I love how these two are completely platonic but still have each other's backs no matter what. Cyborg was the only one to join BB on his mission to save his Dad, and Cyborg's life and safety were always at the forefront of his decisions. I love this friendship.
My least favourite part of this was Terry Long. You're a grown man, write your own paper and stop blaming a 20 year old kid for your lack of accomplishments.
1. Their portrayal of grief. Dick Grayson loses the love of his life so far to a forced marriage and falls apart in the most destructive way possible. You see him stop taking care of himself (isolation, the beard), lashing out at the people who love him (Donna) and engaging in reckless behaviour (going after Raven alone, despite his previous encounters with Brother Blood). It's ugly and pitiful and not romanticized at all. There's no angel friend to save the day and he doesn't take the noble route of swallowing his emotions and being a good leader. You do see him try to reach out to Batman, but of course that goes awry both becuase of his preconceived notions of Batman's prioities and, well, Batman's priorities.
2. The murkiness of the conflict between Komand'r and Kori. We already love Kori, so it would be easy to dismiss Blackfire as the bad guy who is power hungry and cruel but this isn't entirely the case. Due to her disability she was shunned from her family, and even her right to the throne was taken away while Kori and R'yandr were doted upon and treated with love. While this neglect turned her into a more bitter person, it also enabled her to look past her father's halo to see his deep flaws. He always valued peace over justice and sacrificed his daughter's life and safety to avoid a war. You could argue that this is for "the greater good", but its repeatedly said that Tamaraneans are ruled by their emotions, not logic. So how did he rationalize selling his child into slavery, and then into a loveless marriage? He also surrendered to the Citadel rather than fought for the righhts of his people. He was a bad King, and honestly Komand'r might have actually been a better one, especially with Kori and Ryand'r advising her. She is violent and vicious but on Tamaran, everything is fought to the death so it wouldn't really be any worse than they were originally.
3. The OG Titans team up with Jason. I loved this. Having Wally and Roy back with Garth and Donna was fantastic and it was heartwarming (and breaking, knowing what happens in A Death in the Family) to see Jason working alongside them and finding his own place. He stood up to Hawk but still listened to orders and I was so happy for him. Jason deserves better. It's also nice to see Wally growing out of his doubt and embracing the role of Flash (even if it's for misconstrued reasoning), and to see Roy treated as a capable teammate rather than a junkie that needs to be watched. Though it ended poorly, calling the old team in was Donna's best decision as leader.
4. Beast Boy and Cyborg's friendship. I love how these two are completely platonic but still have each other's backs no matter what. Cyborg was the only one to join BB on his mission to save his Dad, and Cyborg's life and safety were always at the forefront of his decisions. I love this friendship.
My least favourite part of this was Terry Long. You're a grown man, write your own paper and stop blaming a 20 year old kid for your lack of accomplishments.
July 18, 2021
Look, I just hope these guys have been writing this story continuously since the 1980s so there's 40 years of material for me to catch up on. Don't tell me if I'm wrong.
Here, soem of the personal problems seem silly when there's all this life and death stuff (esp. Beast Boy and Firestar's stories compared to Nightwing's story). I like how Nightwing just doesn't care about Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Here, soem of the personal problems seem silly when there's all this life and death stuff (esp. Beast Boy and Firestar's stories compared to Nightwing's story). I like how Nightwing just doesn't care about Crisis on Infinite Earths.
March 7, 2021
This volume centers on the Post-Crisis time frame, in which the team members must deal with the aftermath of the Multiverse’s death.
Aqualad has lost Tula, Hawk has lost his brother Dove, Starfire leaves to enter an arranged political marriage, Wally West must take up the mantle of Flash with the death of Barry Allen...
So much going on. This is a good set of stories.
Aqualad has lost Tula, Hawk has lost his brother Dove, Starfire leaves to enter an arranged political marriage, Wally West must take up the mantle of Flash with the death of Barry Allen...
So much going on. This is a good set of stories.
December 20, 2020
Is it the best volume? Of course not, but the titans still have alot of puff in them, as they break down. LOVED Donna Troy's attempt to lead, Dick's beard, and Starfire vs. Blackfire with an unexpected twist.
December 11, 2023
Eduardo Barreto has improved a lot and little by little I am caring about for all the members of the New Titans. Marv Wolfman has made a good work with continuity and with the psicological description of each character of the team
December 31, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was good but there were some flaws, the biggest one being the relationship issues between Dick and Kory. Dick was way too harsh for something out of her control, he made me so mad! Meanwhile Kory had to deal with her country being in the middle of a civil war AND her parents arranging her political marriage without even asking her. I felt so bad for her.
The story got better after Dick left and the plot focused on Kory’s feelings. And I enjoyed how the situation got resolved. I loved the fight between Kory and Komand’r, the dialogues and the drawings really made me feel all of Kory’s anger. I got chills!
This was good but there were some flaws, the biggest one being the relationship issues between Dick and Kory. Dick was way too harsh for something out of her control, he made me so mad! Meanwhile Kory had to deal with her country being in the middle of a civil war AND her parents arranging her political marriage without even asking her. I felt so bad for her.
The story got better after Dick left and the plot focused on Kory’s feelings. And I enjoyed how the situation got resolved. I loved the fight between Kory and Komand’r, the dialogues and the drawings really made me feel all of Kory’s anger. I got chills!
July 29, 2025
An interesting collection in which the team split and go their separate ways with varying results. The sections on Starfire's planet must have seemed like dated B-movie sci-fi even in the 80s and massively over-estimate how excited we'll be by a crossover with The Omega Men (no, me neither). And Dick Grayson lives up to his name as he falls out with Starfire and Wonder Girl. But still lots to enjoy in the other soapy, melodramatic threads, especially Donna's attempts to get the OG Titans back together without causing an international incident!
June 24, 2023
Saying this installment was intense is an understatement. The team goes through a lot of emotional and personal journies which push them to their breaking point. We're talking in fighting, relationships being tested, and the team barely still being able to call themselves a team. Still, anyone who enjoys the Teen Titans needs to read this volume of the incredible run of Marv Wolfman.
October 13, 2024
I absolutely loved this volume, a bit of a rough start but the fracturing of the team coming out of crisis and then continuing to find themselves in worse and worse situations while apart is done so well.
I included my notes on each issue in this series on their respective issue on good reads as I just have so much to jot down.
Issues Covered:
Omega Men #34
NTT #16 - #23
I included my notes on each issue in this series on their respective issue on good reads as I just have so much to jot down.
Issues Covered:
Omega Men #34
NTT #16 - #23
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2020
Not the strongest collection of stories. It was a pretty low time for the Teen Titans as the team fragmented away and the stories were more individuals than team stories. The new titans while fascinating were not well written and it was obvious it wouldn’t work out well.
June 30, 2020
Other than some missteps with Raven this volume is a real return to form for Wolfman and the artwork in the Interludes issue is crazy good.
March 5, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
April 6, 2021
Well, that was grim. Also very 80s. Can I smack Dick Grayson please?
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