Titans Monthly- Issue 28

 -Teen Titans 28 Spoilers-

Since I've only just started blogging and I've yet to find a particular style or whatever that suits me, i figured I'd try something else. So starting with this post I'll be reviewing each entry in a particular comic book series. This month's entry will be over Teen Titans 28.

In an earlier post i stated that after issue 30, the Teen Titans is being cancelled, so in a couple months it looks like I'll be changing focus...

SO, I've stated in the past that Bart Allen, a.k.a. Bar Tor a.k.a Kid-Flash, had in truth been a time lost revolutionary. Once in his original timeline (Some 1000 years into the future) Kid-Flash reverts to what seems to be a morally ambiguous and somewhat frenzied state. His team mates are left to question if the friend they have known for so long exists, or if the Bart Allen they knew has only been a lie.

Well, in the pages of Teen Titans 28, the battle between Kid-Flash and his army of rebels and the government of the 31th century reaches its climax. Both sides war without abandon, leaving the Titans stuck in the middle, searching for a way to preserve life on both sides of the conflict as well as trying find a way to save their friend.

The battle ends once Bar Tor's sister (who is working for ECHO, a time-based division of the government.) Brings Tor to the realization that what he's doing is wrong, soon after the conflict ends and the young speedster is forced to pay for his crimes against the universe, but TWIST!!!

Solstice, Kid-Flash's teammate and love interest refuses to let the man she loves go. So she decides that she will work on a "labor planet" (gotta love the future.) However, the high council or whatever they call themselves tell her she hasn't done anything illegal. Her response? How about sending a pillar of pure light energy through the chest of one of the government officials. How's that for illegal?

With only 2 issues (and an annual) left, the Teen Titans has become a pretty intense title. Bart Allen's Kid-Flash has always been my favorite Titan, so the Trial of Kid-Flash story line has been especially thrilling for me... 

Dr. Hochenauer's Visit

Dr. Kurt Hochenauer visited my class today and gave some helpful words of advice for up and coming bloggers. What i picked up was that blogging provides more challenges and difficulties than I initially believed. 

I'd say the most important thing Dr. Hochenauer said would be regarding the writing put into the blogs. He proposed that we write everyday, to continue writing no matter how boring the activity became, because the most effective way to procure more blog hits is to have a well-written blog that's worth reading. 

Honestly, what i took away from the experience was that blogging would take a lot more time and effort than I originally suspected. Especially a blog, like mine, that's only just starting out. 

Dr. Hochenauer also said something about pandering. That the way to acquire a greater number of hits would be through pandering to the masses, without selling out to the lowest common denominator. That seems like a complicated balancing act that I'm afraid to attempt for fear of just selling out altogether.   

Personally, I think getting the chance to hear the advice of an experienced blogger has given me the help I need to actually make my blog something. You know, like maybe get more than just 19 hits? 

Batman and...?

 -Spoilers for Batman Incorporated #8-

Batman and Robin is on one of my favorite titles from the New 52. It features Batman and the newest Robin, Damian Wayne. (Batman's son) The title focuses mainly on the father/son relationship shared between two crime-fighters.

There is, however, a problem with this dynamic. In issue 9 of Batman Incorporated Damian Wayne is... quite brutally stabbed through by a rather large blade... DC Comics killed a 10 year old half-Asian .

To recap, Batman and Robin is a popular title, Robin is dead, so obviously DC would have to cancel Batman and Robin, right?
... right?

As it turns out, DC has found a way to keep one of their most popular titles alive and running. Starting with issue 19,  the title dropped the "Robin" and has been changing its name ever since.

Batman and Red Robin #19 focuses on Batman's relationship with Tim Drake, the third Robin.
Batman and Red Hood #20 focuses on Batman's relationship with Jason Todd, the second Robin.
Batman and Batgirl #21 focuses on Batman's relationship with Barbra Gordon, one of his first allies.
Batman and Catwoman #22 focuses on Batman's relationship with Selina Kyle, his sometimes love  interest 
Batman and Nightwing #23 focuses on Batman's relationship with Dick Grayson, the first Robin.

Batman and Robin 24-29 (I think...)  is a story arc titled Batman and Two-Face. I really liked this arc, or at least all that I've read so far. With these six issues we see Harvey Dent's (a.k.a. Two-Face) back story, which involves a set of Irish twins who run a crime family.  So points for originality.

Finally, The latest issue of Comic Shop News has information on Batman and Robin issue 30. This issue is titled Batman and Wonder Woman. The storyline is about the titular characters going to Themyscira (Wonder Woman's mystical homeland) in search for the deceased Damian Wayne's body. 

Personally, I hope that this quest involves the resurrection of the dead Boy-Wonder, but who knows? Maybe another orphaned child will pick up the mantle. One thing is for certain: There needs to be a Robin for Batman and Robin to work, otherwise you just have Batman and... and that's pretty lonely.

Gone in a... Flash

 -Spoilers for Teen Titans #27-28-

The Flash is probably one of my top five DC heroes. He has an interesting cast of side characters and an even more interesting rouges gallery of villains. However my favorite aspect of the Flash's story is Kid-Flash.

The original Kid-Flash, Wally West, was a founding member of the Teen Titans, and after a cross-over titled Crisis one Infinite Earths, West became the new Flash. (The previous one had died.)

The second Kid-Flash, Bart Allen, is the one i grew up reading about. According to his back-story he is Barry Allen's (The original Flash) grandson from the 31st century. I'm not sure how Bart can be Barry's grandson and still be born 10 centuries from now, but that's a post for a different day.

This was all before the New 52. After the universe altering events of Flash-Point, The Flash legacy was changed as well as everything else.

After the New 52...

First, Wally West hasn't yet been mentioned in the pages of The Flash or Teen Titans and we're about three years into the New 52. Instead Bart Allen is now the first Kid-Flash as well as a founding member of the Teen Titans. This isn't necessarily a bad thing... As I said above, Bart Allen is the Kid-Flash i grew up reading.  However... The origins of this Kid-Flash have finally been revealed and it breaks my heart.

In the New 52, Bart Allen still comes from the future, but his REAL name is Bar Tor. So there's that. A name isn't so important though, and I'd be able to get past that, but on top of everything else it's revealed that Bar Tor is a war criminal responsible for the death of millions of people, then sent back in time as a part of a witness relocation program in the future... This was revealed in issue 27, and the series ends with issue 30. So i think it's fare to say Bart Allen's time as Kid-Flash is over...

On a related note, I have heard rumors of Wally West appearing in the New 52. Originally, West was the nephew of Iris West, whose brother (In the New 52) turns out to be the new Reverse-Flash. Which means if West becomes the Flash's sidekick once more, he could possibly have a super-villain dad.
So that could be interesting.