The truth of Troy?
Creative Staff:
Story: Dan Abnett
Art: Minkyu Jung, Mick Gray
Colors: Blond
Letterer: Josh Reed
What They Say:
“THE WORLD STOPS!” part two! As the Titans face their darkest hour, the terrible truth about the team’s traitor is finally revealed! But how did it come to this? What could possibly turn friend against friend? All the cards are on the table in this stunning issue destined to change the Titans forever!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Titans run continues to be a very busy book but one that takes some interesting turns even if it all feels weirdly compressed at times and decompressed in others. Dan Abnett knows how to play big with it all but it relies on us knowing these characters for years rather than giving us the strong quiet (and fun) character time that allowed us to become close to them. This issue brings in Minkyu Jung and Mick Gray on the art and it’s definitely different than the very energetic material we get from Brett Booth but it serves this particular issue well as it’s all dialogue oriented with a look at the big picture across the decades. It’s slowing down in the right ways and Jung and Gray give it a lot of detail and emotion.
While the focus is on Donna Troy, it’s not the Donna Troy we know. Instead it’s on Troia, a version of her some 1300 years into the future or so that has embraced her role as the weapon made of clay that she is, something that Donna in the here and now is just starting to grapple with because of what’s’ been revealed about who she really is. Troia provides an extended look at what she’s experienced over the years and all the friends that died, making it clear to the team what their futures involved, while also rattling off a range of threats that the world has faced. It’s an interesting idea as it paints her as being able to deal with it all because of that loss and a renewed focus on being a warrior, while Donna herself wants to believe that it’s the friends that give her the real strength even as she grapples with everything. Naturally, Troia just wants to burn the world down to free herself of the pain from the past so we get a simple setup for where this is all going.
In Summary:
Titans goes big as it has done for a lot of its run so far and it works well enough because we know these characters and their experiences across several relaunches and reboots and imaginings. Troia brings a fun kind of grand scale to it and a familiar take on the potential of the character through Abnett’s eyes and it works in a way that leaves me wanting more, which is a good thing obviously. Jung and Gray’s artwork really sells it well here combined with the color work from Blond that just gives it the right kind of otherworld and end of world feeling. It’s quieter and powerful in its own distinctive way and has that calm before the storm design to it that it definitely needs.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 8th, 2017
MSRP: $2.99
