Teen Titans #1 brings together the next generation of heroes for the DC Universe. All led by Red Hood Jason Todd. That’s right, while Jason Todd didn’t spend much time as a Titan during his time as Robin he is being put in position to lead his own Teen Titans team. Joining Red Hood are Mr. Terrific’s son Fairplay Mr. Terrific’s son and Arsenal and Cheshire’s daughter Cheshire Cat along with the debuting characters known as Proxy and Wildcard. Let’s find out how things will start out with Teen Titans #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Daniele Di Nicuolo
Colorist: Marcelo Costa
Letterer: Becca Carey
TEEN TITANS #1 SOLICITATIONS
“When one of their own vanishes after attending a rally for Ascend — a fast-growing youth movement training kids to survive in a world shaped by superhuman conflict — Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard will do whatever it takes to find their friend, including teaming up with Red Hood!
Jason thinks they’re soft and reckless. They don’t understand how he can still kill people. Now they have to work together — whether they like it or not!” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo do their best to capture the spirit of the franchise with Teen Titans #1. There is even a moment in this first issue where they have characters talk exactly about that. In addressing what they are going for within the story of this debut issue is where they stumble rather than fully sticking the landing. But stumbling when making the landing from the jump they are making with a largely new cast creates character for this Teen Titans relaunch.
The stumble that is made for Teen Titans #1 is how Higgins and Nicuolo go about capturing the rebellious teen spirit. A large part of how Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard are present are a group of teens that are done with the status quo. They don’t want to wait for their turn but also don’t have the heroic experience to truly strike it on their own when we first find them. They are still trying to figure out what started as a bunch of meta-human teens who bonded over a Discord server and now being friends in real life.
It is this aspect of how they are a rebellious group of teenagers that it makes sense they would only look to be inspired by the original Teen Titans. But because of this same rebellious spirit that they have its understandable Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard wouldn’t seek out Nightwing or the other original Titans. The Titans have grown up to be on an organized level like the Justice League or JSA, something this group of teens aren’t necessarily into because it is just keeping to the status quo.
This is where the attempts to show how they are going for the spirit of Teen Titans that the direction ends up stumbling. Their origin as a group is much more reflective of Young Justice rather than Teen Titans, especially as they are all relative new or debuting characters. The conversation Fairplay has with his father, Mr. Terrific, is reflective of this.
Because of that when we get to the moment where Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard talk with Red Hood about why they want him to lead them it comes off as preachy. They are a group of kids that just know the legends but not the true why of the New Teen Titans formation that they actually talk about. It makes it so that you do feel they are robbing the name rather than making something for themselves. Which is where the Young Justice thing may have worked better as the team found another name to call themselves while sticking to their inspiration.
It also does not help that Higgins does not try to create different sub-plots for Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard as characters. Higgins writes Fairplay to be so focused on the concept that it turns out to feel like unnecessary exposition. Especially since we don’t get a full introduction to what each kid can do in this first issue. That was what made the New Teen Titans that they are inspired by worked. Even if it was short you felt like Robin, Donna Troy, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy each had their own stories. That’s not the case for Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard, at least for now.
That all said, the presentation of Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard does help explain why Red Hood is the leader of the team. Higgins does a lot to show how this is exactly what Jason Todd needs after all he has been through the last few years. He was at his best when leading the Outlaws. This new team of Teen Titans have that Outlaws vibe. This time it will be his chance for the first time to actually mentor others rather than just stand as equals like he does with the Batman Family or Outlaws.
While the start of this intro story arc is not the smoothest what does help elevate Teen Titans #1 is Daniele Di Nicuolo’s artwork. Nicuolo’s energetic animated art style does so much to separate it from Titans and other DC superhero team books. The artwork’s energy is reflective of the kids that lead this series. The artwork especially goes a long way to make sure the personalities of Red Hood, Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard come across through their design.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Teen Titans #1 accomplishes its goal of establishing the rebellious direction this team of Red Hood, Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard will go down. While achieving that goal there are many points in this debut that the story stumbles. A lot of that is largely on going with the traditional story arc structure that limits how much can be done to properly highlight a team of largely new characters. Having Daniele Di Nicuolo handling the artwork does a lot to mask the problems faced with this debut. The energetic art style by Nicuolo provides this Teen Titans team with vibe that is its own.
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
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