Titans Hunt #8 review

And so it begins. And ends. Shortly after Titans Hunt began, apparently a sop to longtime fans, it was announced that it would herald the coming DC Rebirth linewide makeover. Which is rather neat, given that Titan Mal Duncan is once more in his old identity of Herald, and a key cog in the plan of mini-series villain Mr Twister to... well, just what was unclear until this conclusion. 

Here we learn that he wants to invite something over from another reality, something massive and scary and very... very hungry. Previous issues have been spent gathering the Titans of pre-Flashpoint continuity together, reminding them of who they once were, and that they had been a team. Now, everyone is gathered atop a twisted tower, not knowing if in facing Mr Twister, they're giving him exactly what he wants - enough control over them to blast reality wide open. 
Dan Abnett once again demonstrates what a smart, elegant writer he is as he uses the fact that all but one of the heroes has a new name, maybe even personality, to further the story. The changes mean Mr Twister can't control them as easily as he'd like - names being power in fantastic fiction. All but one - we have Nightwing, Donna Troy, Gnark, Lilith, Arsenal, Hawk, Dove, Karen & Mal Duncan and Garth and one of these has form as a traitor, whether intentional or as a dupe... and knowing that really ups the drama. 

It's not exactly spoiling things to note that the Titans triumph, but one mystery besides the identity of the big beast remains...
Ha, a flash of lightning. I've speculated that this issue would end with a lead-in to next week's DC Rebirth 80pp giant showing the return of Wally West, Kid Flash turned adult speedster. And while he doesn't appear, we're very much in '...yet' territory. Heck, alongside her new power blast, Karen is moving pretty fast - is a Speed Force-trapped Wally lending her power? DC have promoted Rebirth as being about returning legacy to the DC Universe, and who embodies legacy more than Wally West, the first kid hero to replace his mentor?

Whatever happens, this has been a hugely enjoyably read, bringing back some of the characters I grew up with and restoring them to something akin to their previous selves - the Garth and Donna we have by the end of this series, for example, are very different from the savage warriors at commencement. That's less due to gradual character development as returning memories allowing for renewed relationships; and there's a strong likelihood that in remembering who they were, the Titans are ushering in yet another reboot of the DC Universe. I'm more than fine with all of that, let the majority of the post-Flashpoint fade as the classic DC Universe reasserts itself. 

Paul Pelletier steps into the penciller's role this issue and, with the aid of inkers Ray McCarthy and Wayne Faucher, keeps the book's tone consistent with earlier instalments. The character acting and storytelling are great, with Mr Twister seriously intense and Gnark's pie-eating class a treat. 
Paulo Siqueira, who's drawn much of this series, makes his presence felt with a corker of a cover, coloured by interior contributor Hi-Fi. 

I'm looking forward to DC Rebirth hugely and, after that, seeing where the Titans go next. Who says you can't go home again?

Comments

  1. Thanks Martin; if I was sitting on the fence about picking this series up before, then I'm definitely in now....

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    1. Give me a yell if you get a chance, I'd love to hear what you reckon to it.

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  2. It never occurred to me Kid Flash was the missing titan. I know Wolfman soured me on that iteration of Wally but I never realized how badly! And you left out Abnett's greatest achievement: No one's ever done an awesome Gnark before!

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    1. Wasn't he wonderful? I do like that name 'Caveboy' - was it ever actually used, I don't recall it.

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    2. In the first iteration of Teen Titans (1966-1973), if 'caveboy' was used, it was more as a nickname than a code name. His initial appearance (TT 32-33), it was more like "What do we do with a teenager from a billion years ago?" Then, he started reading Proust and Kerouac and Shakespeare, and was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character: well-read and erudite until angry, than primitive and enraged. Looking back, I believe his only other significant appearance after his origin is TT39. He doesn't appear in the final 4 issues of the original series. So, no to "caveboy" I guess is my answer :)

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    3. Steve - I was at issue 4 before it occurred to me that Wally wasn't present, and then I started getting a little concerned that this was going to be yet a brand new version, because it was Wally, not Donna, in that original Mr. Twister adventure in Brave and Bold 54. But I have to say I REALLY liked this series: Lilith died such a completely senseless, logic-defying, Tasha Yar kind of death in Graduation Day (because a precog wouldn't see the attack coming), that I've been angry for YEARS about it, and wouldn't touch a Titans title. Seeing her alive and well, and serving a central purpose (and not convoluted with 14 other powers... and a bloody CLOAK) makes me 10 years old again. It's a glorious feeling.

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    4. So, is Donna actually back to being Donna even though she's now going to be attached to a blade like "Diana"?

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