100 Moments In Praise of Teen Titans New 52! #001
It may not surprise anyone that I have sort of an open tab at my local comic book store.
Mostly it's for Teen Titans, and late last year, DC launched their reinvention of the team, calling it the New 52. I was a little skeptical at first, because it didn't look like any of my favorite characters were going to be in it. No Beastboy, no Robin, no Raven, no Ravager. And then my sister bought me a copy of issue #5 for my Birthday, blissfully ignorant of the fact that I didn't have the preceding four. And once I had it, I had to read it. I was still skeptical on the character design, but decided to give it a shot and ordered the rest. I didn't go get to pick them up until earlier this week, by which time the store had already gone ahead and ordered #6 and #7 for me, too.
My aim with this challenge is to screenshot moments in the series and comment on them. I'll pick moments that are funny, moments that taught me something, moments that made me board or jump ship, moments that were just plain awesome.
This is the cover for Issue #1. I'll always include the image for the issue once I get into it.
Notes: This is a first printing. The second printing has a carmine background, and I felt it clashed a little with some of the costumes, so I paid the extra $2 for the first printing.
Description: Even though we will not meet all of the new Titans in this issue, we get to see who they are on the cover. Red Robin (Tim Drake) at the top left corner. Superboy to his left. Bunker (Miguel Jose Barragan) below/between them. Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) bottom left corner. Kid Flash (Bart Allen) to her right. Solstice beside him, Skitter (Celine) bottom right corner.
The general premise for the New 52! is that there is a secret organization called N.O.W.H.E.R.E. interested in capturing and studying metahumans (persons with super powers). Red Robin, who is not a metahuman - he's a vigilante - is trying to stop the organization.
Moment #1 - Bart Allen is a Speedster but not a Fast Thinker
Also, In Which I Learn What a Back-Draft Is.
My aunt, who introduced me to comics at a young age, was always particularly fond of The Flash. She even named her dog after him. Kid Flash, in turn, has recently become a favorite of mine, through Cartoon Network's animated series.
This moment happens about three pages in to issue #1. Kid Flash in this reinvention has no idea how he got his powers. He is an orphan. He has just made his first public appearance - the fire is being televised on the news - in order to get the attention of anyone who might be able to give him clues. While he's there, he thinks he might as well rescue the firemen that are still in the building/on the roof.
But he creates a backdraft.
I love the speaking bubble because the "oh" is sort of clinging onto the bottom, and I could tell exactly how that would be delivered if this scene was rendered into animation. The comedic timing is great. I can look forward to Kid Flash being the comic relief in this series.