Written by Adam Glass
Art by Sean Chen
Published by DC Comics
“Lobo of Czarnia.. I sense a disruption in your mind.”
Maybe it was the knowledge that DC’s Year of the Villain would be taking over the bullpen in full force by this point in the summer.
Or, maybe it’s just a sign of author Adam Glass’ twisted sense of humor.
Whatever the case, what is clear is that nothing about the events and revelations of the last several issues look to be winding down in any way.
On the contrary, it appears instead that Glass is fully prepared to turn the dial all the way up to 11.
So, for example, given the mad mojo rewiring he got from Djinn, you might imagine that Lobo had been effectively taken off the board at the end of last issue.
And maybe that would have been true.
But we know better. And – surprise, surprise – it seems that Lex Luthor has something to say about it, too.
That can’t be good for the Teen Titans.
But wait, hold up – given the team’s response to the revelation of Robin and Red Arrow’s secret dungeon-prison, you might imagine that there wouldn’t even be a Teen Titans any longer. And indeed, after killing Deathstroke, it appears that Red Arrow at least, has left the team… if not the cast of our story.
She’s the only one however.
If you find that strange, just wait till you find out why. Hard to imagine any way that our team of teen crusaders would continue to hang with Damian Wayne, much less follow his lead on any further missions. But a month out from, first, all the villains in their basement, and then Lobo, nearly killing everyone, that is exactly what is happening.
That’s because their victory over Lobo has provided the Titans with an alternative solution to Robin’s obsessive hardcore brand of justice. One that appears to be far more effective… if only slightly less morally objectionable.
And one that may turn out in the end, to be far more dangerous…
But speaking of dangerous, what about the fact that the team has a traitor in its midst? Because a month out from learning this, Robin hasn’t yet uncovered who it is… and neither have we.
Perhaps, as some acknowledgment of this, Adam Glass spends a little time reviewing what we know about everyone, courtesy of a frank discussion between Robin and Red Arrow.
Not that Emiko is ruled out by any means – after all, she did kill the one person who claimed to know who the traitor was.
But there isn’t any further insight into who else it might be either. Presumably we’re meant to take away the conclusion that any one of them could still be possible.
Though that might not play well in Crush’s favor, given what it sounds like Luthor and Lobo have prepared for her…
And whether or not Djinn really is a likely candidate, I seem to recall that some use of her powers is supposed to come with a price. One that no one seems to be too concerned about yet…
And sure, Kid Flash is maybe too earnest to be a villainous mastermind, and Roundhouse is maybe too much of an open book. Maybe.
But wait, speaking of Roundhouse, isn’t there another member of our cast somewhere in the mix? One we know very little about, in much the same way we still know very little about Roundhouse himself? Maybe that ought to change.
Except it’s not likely any time soon. Because Lobo’s still out there. And for some reason, he’s been biding his time…
And the Year of the Villain is far from over.
Chang and Maiolo take a break this month, though they do turn in a nifty cover. Instead we have Sean Chen, Norm Rapmund, and Ivan Plascencia stepping in for a fine effort.
Always good to see Sean Chen in action. Maybe we’ll have the chance to see more.
Next Issue: Bound by blood.
