Dinner Tuesday?

Francis Manapul & Clay Mann “Trinity Volume 1: Better Together” (DC Comics, 2017)

I think that when this book is being evaluated, it’s important to think about when this book is being produced.

It is being put out at the beginning of the “Rebirth” launch. It’s coming out of the Nu52 – the most 90s of all events. Suddenly the heroes are heroic again. It’s been years since we have spent time with these characters, and in-universe, they need to get to know each other.

So what we have here is really a simple story, one that would not have been out of place in the silver age. Batman and Wonder Woman come over to have dinner with Superman and Lois. Of course some rando villain ruins the evening.

This is a book that isn’t so much about being BIG and IMPORTANT as it is just reaffirming who these characters are and letting us spend time with them.

Personally I’ve missed them, and felt like it was time well spent.

The art is a bit too fussy for my tastes. His style feels a bit overdrawn to me.

Overall, though, this was a solid read that I enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for a review copy.

Born to Die

Bejamin Percy & Jonboy Meyers “Teen Titans Volume 1: Damian Knows Best” (DC Comics, 2017)

Rumor has it that Grant Morrison’s plan all along was to kill off Damian as he left writing the Bat books. He was created to fulfill a certain function in Morrison’s stories, never to be an ongoing character.  DC editorial stepped in and stopped this from happening. 

Now given the mixed reactions to Grant Morrison, Damian Wayne, and DC editorial, any or all of this story could be apocryphal and meant to serve any one of a variety of purposes by the teller.  Still, the question remains, what do you do with a character that was born to die?

Here the idea is to plug Damian into the Teen Titans. It’s a ploy that has worked for a variety of Robins, so why not Damian?

With the “Classic” lineup (to my thinking, anyway) being used in the “Titans” book, “Teen Titans” is the more recent lineup (Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, Kid Flash), with Damian filling the Robin role.

While there is a story of sorts here, it’s really about getting the team together, and introducing a nemesis for Damian, a cousin who stayed with the League of Assassins.  This is a VERY Damian centric story, and I have a say that I was surprised at how well I felt Percy wrote the character. And the introduction of him into a new setting gives him more of a reason to exist.

Meyers’ art is fun and fresh feeling. It must have been somewhat difficult to design, given the sheer amount of exposition necessary for this type of story, but somehow it never feels less than dynamic.

While working in an environment that is not my favorite by any stretch, I felt like this was a very enjoyable comic. Tonally it would work well for younger readers. It’s a good start to a promising series.

Thanks to Goodreads and DC Comics for a free copy to review.