Writer: Dan Abnett
Pencils : Tom Grummett and Tom Derenick
Inks: Cam Smith Mick Gray Trevor Scott
Published by: DC Comics
Reviewed by: Rick Garcia
While most of the major comic book publishers indulge in massive crossovers and stories which change “everything
you know” about some characters it’s nice to see a comic that’s pretty much a standalone story in Titans Annual 2. Plus, it has a talking Gorilla with a beret so it already has a special place in my heart.
I have been a New Teen Titans reader on and off from its first issue. The writing by Marv Wolfman and the amazing art by George Perez quickly elevated the sidekicks to the best selling DC Comic in the early 1980’s. Since then the title has gone through many changes -some good and some downright awful ( who thought the characters of Pantha and Danny Chase were a good idea ?). Luckily it looks like the DC “rebirth” has the Team back to basics.
In this Annual the Brotherhood of Evil members Monsieur Mallah ( The Gorilla) and his friend/ lover the Brain have devised a scheme to control satellites, incapacitate the Justice League, and to destroy the Titans. With the Justice League out of commission it falls on the Titans Arsenal, Flash, Donna Troy, and Nightwing to stop the dangerous duo while bickering along the way.
Writer Dan Abnett knows these characters well. The story moves along at a good pace with enough action and characterization to keep it entertaining. Some type of falling out has happened with the team before this issue and as the action unfolds Abnett adds enough information from the dialogue to get you up to speed.
Tom Grummet and Tom Derenick share penciling duties on this issue with Grummett handling the first half and Derenick on the second. Usually when this is done the change in art can be quite jarring but the two styles work very well together. These artists are both adept at clear composition and dynamic poses and it’s a joy to behold.
There are quite a few inkers on this issue but it all seems to mesh well with each penciler’s style.
The vibrant coloring by Adriano Lucas and the capable letters by Travis Lantham round out this talented team.
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