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Teen Titans: A Kid's Game
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Mike Mckone and Mario Alquiza
DC Comics

Giving in to temptation, I got the first trade compilation of the new Teen Titans, penned by Geoff Johns with art predominantly by Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza. In this series, Titans veterans Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy (formerly Changeling) recruit former Young Justice members Impulse, Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl to continue to fight crime and evil while giving the young’uns a weekend hideaway for their teenage angst.

It starts off enjoyably well, and I really like the twists Johns puts here, but the encounter with the Justice League later on didn’t sit well with me. It felt like fan service, pitting the experienced JLAers against the relative newbies. I mean, c’mon, surely Superman et al would know better. Oh well.

McKone has found a slot in my favorite artist list. Despite his fluid lines, he’s able to inject a lot of dynamism in his compositions and camera angles, and he knows how to add that special oomph in both action and quiet scenes. This is one fine display of comics storytelling, folks.

It’s unfortunate that the arc had to end with the JLA battle, because I was getting to the point where I’d watch out for more of this new incarnation of the Teen Titans. Maybe if I get to peek through more of the latter issues, I’d find new gems that’ll convince me to pick up the second trade.

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