Convergence: The Titans #1 review

In the year since Brainiac kidnapped Gotham City, placing it under a dome that takes away any superhuman abilities or advantages, sidekick-turned-adult hero Roy Harper has been doing good in a new way. A grant from the Wayne Foundation has funded a community centre in late daughter Lian's name, and he's keeping an eye out for crime with a secret base. 

Old Titans friends Donna Troy and Koriand'r - who were apparently also in town when the alien struck - are happily carrying on with their photography and modelling careers. And then the dome lifts and Brainiac's number two, Telos, declares a war between the metahumans of all the bottled worlds that have been collected. Powers return, and soon Starfire and Donna are up against the Extremists of Angor, and not doing too well. Then Roy shows up, with his nifty new cybernetic arm, and things look set to change. Until the magical Dreamslayer makes Roy an offer he can't refuse...

Stupid boy. But that's Roy all over, master of the horrible decision, as writer Fabian Nicieza, penciller Ron Wagner and inker Jose Marzan Jr remind us in an efficient two-page spread. Incorporating 40 years of Roy's rotten luck into two pages risks making the reader giggle uncomfortably, but the creators pull it off. It may help that I know this stuff, but boy, they take a risk with the story's title, 'Try for Justice', referencing one of the most reviled series in DC's history (if you missed Justice League: Cry For Justice, be glad). There's more of Roy's story in the backmatter - which DC really should be putting at the front of the book - and it does make him look like the Charlie Brown of the DC Universe. Except the Little Red-Headed Girl never atomised an entire country. Oh Roy. 

Before that two-page history spread, the story opens with a happy shot of the original Teen Titans, reminding us of the adventures that bonded the sidekicks of the Justice League. And while only Roy and Donna are present from the first version of the team - and neither of them were in that first Brave and Bold team-up back in the Sixties - new friendships were made. We see that here in the rapport between Donna and Roy, Kory and Donna. These people know one another's strengths and weaknesses, embrace the good and bad, and simply love one another. 

The trust is nicely demonstrated in the panels after super-powers are unlocked once more. I love that the women take a literal leap of faith when they could simply have jumped into the air where they stood on the roof, see if they remained airborne. That's superheroes, I suppose. 

It's good to see the characters I grew up with, who grew up with me, again. Girl next door Donna. Happy warrior Kory. Roy, able to master any weapon. Nicieza gets them, while Wagner's no-nonsense, attractive compositions and Marzan's tight finishes capture the heroes and their suddenly limited world.   The colouring by Chris Sotomayor and letters by Carlos M Mangual complement the rest of the artwork nicely, while the cover by Emaneula Lupacchino and Sotomayor is gorgeous. 

(Speaking of which, I'm starting to think the domes should encompass the entire US of each reality, as every superhero in the DCU being in Gotham when Brainiac struck stretches credulity an awful lot - did he send a mental impulse in advance, calling people there? And is a similar mind mangle ensuring everyone adjusts so well, because we've seen heroes without powers previously, and they usually keep on plugging away to find out what's going on, and a solution.)

The creators also do a good job depicting the horror bags that are the Extremists. Especially the hideous Gorgon

So, Convergence: Titans is a pretty good continuation of the story of DC's sidekicks supreme. I hope they make it out alive - and that Roy makes some good choices.