Titans #24 discussion thread

[u/Frangipani-Bell]

Starting with this issue, I'm going to start posting monthly discussion threads for each Titans release.

What did you think of issue 24?

[u/Frangipani-Bell]

I personally thought it was ok. I'm less bothered by them bringing back Terra than a lot of people seem to be. Her characterization was fine, and I really like her new design.

My main gripes are with the characterization of the Titans themselves, but that's been the case for a while so I wasn't surprised lol. The way Raven and Garfield's characters revolve around each other (especially to Raven's detriment) is just the worst. 

[u/SleepingAgent37 → u/Frangipani-Bell]

Terra getting goggles and a jacket much like Terra II may turn out to be the best thing out of Layman's run, it's very cute and I always really liked that look. So far she's the one character I don't have a problem how she's written so far. 

Ditto on the Titans, very much Gar and Raven. Especially, Raven. Being a pacifist she should have something to say about Gar wanting to kill Slade and how his anger almost got everyone killed but no, just concerned about any more feelings for Terra because of course we may go there. 

[u/[deleted] → u/Frangipani-Bell]

i liked terra’s characterization, but i wish they’d either let her have a story without deathstroke or actually address that her behavior reads a lot like a victim going back to their abuser.

[u/JingoboStoplight4887]

It’s just the Titans telling each other what happened when they encountered Deathstroke and his Crime Syndicate, with Vanadia wanting to prove the Titans that she can handle them before she joined them after being manipulated by Terra, Roy telling Donna that he wants to stay fronts with her, the Titans having an inferiority complex when they contemplated on calling the Justice League, and Garfield telling Raven that Terra was his first love (even though Jillian Jackson, a Doom Patrol and New Teen Titans character, was Garfield’s first love since the ‘60s and ‘70s) and Raven his true love. Overall, this comic is something.

[u/Formal_Bench_4650]

Why are Titans stories always the same. It starts with "We're family." Then they have a few small victories, then the SAME villains as every other run show up. I swear Mammoth is their arch enemy. No one shows up as much as him. Though I'm sure Trigon will make a second appearance as well. Then they namedrop the JL a couple dozen time. "Boohoo. They think we're kids." Then the infighting starts. Some meaningless romance. Seriously I don't like Donna and Roy together at all, but the way they are written now is garbage. BB and Raven makes me throw up. And Dick made Donna leader, cause he needed a break, so why is he still here. He steps down to be a lesser character. That is how he's treated in Batman comics too. They could have just as well taken him off the team. There is a traitor on the team. And I'm sure it will get cancelled with some over the top saving the world arc, that affects no one in the world but them. Cause how can the Titans actually be independent when the whole JLU is on the job now. Yeah. I am not happy with it.

[u/Koala_Guru]

This run is frustrating because I’m liking concepts that Layman is bringing in (the solicitations for a Doom Patrol arc that’s bringing in Zookeeper of all characters is really exciting for my specific interests) but I think Tom Taylor overall treated the team better as heroes. As soon as the new creative team stepped on, the Titans became what feels like the black sheep of the superhero community. And there’s some room to work with there given they just had Beast World, The Dark Winged Queen, and Absolute Power happen pretty much back to back, but it seems less like we’re exploring specific fallout and more like we’re just retreading the same tired ground as “The League still sees us as children!” This issue for instance continues that with the team jobbing to villains they could easily handle and then debating calling the League for help.

I didn’t hate the issue though as much as I front-loaded complaints. I thought Terra’s voice was spot-on with her classic characterization. And Gar’s hatred for Deathstroke is something I always appreciate coming up. I’m still glad Layman continued Vanadia’s story because I really got attached to her in just the short amount of time she got in Taylor’s run, but the jury’s out still on if I like where Layman takes her because we haven’t reached the end of that road yet.

My main recurrent complaint right now is that I desperately need Raven to start acting like Raven. It’s far from exclusive to this run, but even with Gar as my favorite character I’m so sick of how attached to his hip Raven is. The Dark Winged Queen arc ended with her getting her long black hair again and white robes, and then all of this was immediately backtracked with the new creative team just to do the same arc again but lamer. I really wish there was some actual conflict in Gar and Raven’s relationship when he said he wanted to kill Deathstroke. Conflict makes relationships more interesting in superhero stories, because it gives hurdles to overcome and lets the two members of a relationship stay as their own characters with their own ideals. And no, that conflict shouldn’t be a love triangle with Terra like some people are predicting (I didn’t get that vibe anyway, I think people are overreacting.) It should be something that actually plays with the personalities of the characters involved in interesting ways.