TITANS #1 brings together the original team (plus one) that I first saw in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #60 (an issue I bought waaay back when it first appeared on comic stands in 1965. More to the point, it brings together this team closer to the way most fans remember them as the NEW TITANS. Those days are gone, but so were the memories of their adventures…even their friendships. Now, they are together again, facing their biggest mystery…why? Why did Wally disappear? Why did they forget? We start to get to the bottom of this in TITANS #1! Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
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If there was any doubt that this series would at least start as a Wally-centric book, all doubt is erased in the opening sequence. We get a rundown of Wally’s life, both with Barry and with the Titans. Lilith is trying to help Wally get to the secrets, but one name keeps getting in the way. That name?
Linda Park!
Of course Linda Park is uppermost in Wally’s mind, and for Wally and Linda fans that’s fantastic news. As for Linda herself? She may not have recognized Wally, but she knows there is something about him…something that could be a BIG story, so she sets out to find this “crazy man”.
After some very welcome action involving Roy and Donna beating up some bad guys, we come back to Dick Grayson’s loft to find Lilith’s horrible realization…
…There was something out there…and that something is waking up!
All this leads us to the big bad who made Wally West disappear! And that big bad is a classic Flash villain whose name is…..
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It’s Abra Kadabra!
This brings up a LOT of questions! But, it’s great to see a classic Flash bad guy at the heart of the first TITANS arc!
NOTES: The only big question here is how Abra Kadabra fits in with REBIRTH, since Wally’s disappearance is tied into the mystery of REBIRTH but Kadabra now believes himself to be responsible. I’m not sure how that will work, but all the REBIRTH talk made this reveal all the more surprising…and that may well turn out to be a very good thing.
Speaking of good things…it was great to see the chemistry returning to the team. This is a group that is just reclaiming their memories, so not everything is back. But, they are quickly rebuilding their trust in each other, and they are already having fun with each other in a way that makes one almost ready to shout TITANS TOGETHER! (Okay, that IS a hokey catch phrase, but still…). That is thanks to Dan Abnett’s script.
As for the art, I’ve been a Brett Booth fan for quite some time, and he nails it here, with the full FLASH art team from Venditti and Jensen’s run; Norm Rapmund on inks and Andrew Dalhouse on colors. From action to expression, from interesting page layouts to the huge splash pages, this team did a stellar job.
TITANS #1 is a 10/10! You want a Wally West book? You’ve got it! You miss the Titans? They are all well-represented here. You want a 10/10 book? This is it!
Of course, that’s my opinion – what’s yours? Leave your comments here!
This book seems to contain everything I want from the DC universe. A Flash that doesn’t take himself seriously. A Gotham vigilante who enjoys having friends. An archer who can admit to being a screw-up. An amazon with a smile. An Atlantean who is not afraid to be lame. These are my favorite realizations of the different DC families.
I loved how Lilith was getting exasperated with Wally’s linda fixation (not in a dirty way but just in a “OK! You love her! we get it! can you focus on something else for a second?!?” way)
Abra Kadabra was a minor Barry Allen villain but he was made super hardcore by Waid and co. during Wally’s run. really glad he’s being brought back. as to huis claim that he made the world forget Wally….
Well given that he pulled a similar move with Linda a few years back I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility.(But a good magician should never do the same trick twice) On the other hand, for all of Kadabra’s tricks he can’t steal time so whatever his role in Wally’s absence is, it was only a minor part of a larger threat. (Don’t forget, Kadabra was “lost” himself….in fact, Kadabra was lost long before Wally was. back in Flash 158 after being tricked into making everyone remember Linda (after he had pulled her out of time so they would forget her) He tried to do a massive spell of forgetfulness on all the speedsters but they turned it back on him (using mirrors no less!) causing him to forget who he was and i don’t think Kadabra ever made another appearance in Flash from that point on! (until now!) This of course means that Kadabra couldn’t be behind Wally’s disappearance. He’s just such a massive egotist that he’ll take credit for it!
Kadabra got his memory back in the DC 1st: Flash/Superman special, but only showed up in the background during the rest of Geoff Johns’ run.
Then he was one of the Rogues working with Inertia to kill Bart in the disastrous “Full Throttle” story, which pushed him into “Salvation Run.”
He had a cameo in Flash: Rebirth, and his profile in the 2010 Secret Files hinted at a really cool story idea: Flash was only one of his rivals, as he’d made enemies in other time periods as part of some master plan. Sadly, Johns never followed up on it.
I think this may be his first appearance in the New 52, though.
My guess, since we’re getting a villain reveal very early for such a major storyline, is that there was a secret cabal of magicians involved in altering people’s memories. Someone else was responsible for altering reality, but the magicians were used to change people’s recollections of it.
Loved this issue. Reread that last scene at least five times out of sheer excitement. Abra has always been my favourite Flash villain who is actually evil (in league with Thawne, Grodd and I guess anyone who doesn’t play by the rogues code of honor). It’s amazing how we can get a great Barry AND Wally story in the same week, isn’t it? Maybe the first time ever? That alone is worth some level of celebration. Hopefully this is something DC makes a habit of in the future. Maybe if both books do well enough they can both eventually have their own solo series but this is a pretty damn close compromise for now. This is probably my favourite Rebirth #1 issue that I’ve read of the line and I didn’t even love the Rebirth special that much. Can’t wait for issue 2!
I got A LOT of enjoyment out of the issue, but have to wonder-what happened to Jai and Iris? No mention of the kids yet to my recollection. Still, a lot of fun this issue and I loved the hesitation Wally had before saying he was the fastest man alive and the costume change sequence!
I’m okay going forward without Jai and Iris. Maybe just stick them in the Multiverse somewhere?
I’m just so happy to have Wally and Linda back. Maybe have them team up with Piper since the Flash book gives him nothing to do?