Teen Titans #51

The Titans of Tomorrow ... Today! Part One: Futures of the Past

Sean McKeever • Writer
Ale Garza • Pencils
Derek Fridolfs, Rob Hunter, Marlo Alquiza • Inks
Rod Reis • Colors
Travis Lanham • Letters
Garza, Scott Williams & Reis • Cover
Adam Schlagman • Asst. Editor
Eddie Berganza • Editor

Our cover by Garza shows the future versions of our Titans standing triumphantly over the unconscious bodies of the JLA. The perspective feels a little odd, but this is otherwise a decent cover. I find it interesting that the future Kid Devil is holding Wally instead of Martian Manhunter, since I think his connection to fire would make him the best choice there. But that's a trivial complaint. But I will submit a stronger complaint about the tagline "Guest-starring: Justice League of America." Anyone who picked up this issue for those characters will be sorely disappointed.

Our story begins in Smallville, nine years from now. We're essentially brought back to the closing scene of our previous encounter with the Titans of Tomorrow way back in Teen Titans #19. The future version of Kon-El is talking to Lex Luthor, telling him how their younger selves have escaped to the past and have changed history. Kon and Lex can already feel their memories begin to change, but Lex confidently urges his "son" to keep fighting.

In the present, Blue Beetle has decided to take up Robin's offer to train and has flown to Titans Tower in San Francisco. He's surprised to see the security has been deactivated, and as he wanders the deserted hallways, he passes a picture of the cover of Teen Titans: Year One by Amy Wolfram and Karl Kerschl, confirming that it is in continuity. Anyway, we quickly see that the Titans weren't home to welcome Blue Beetle because they're all at the old Titans Lair in Gotham County, where there future selves are holding the JLA in captivity. Robin is shocked to see the future versions of Bart and Conner, since they're supposed to be dead. So they explain to Robin that they're clones created by him. Apparently Robin finally succeeded after all those failed attempts to bring back Conner, so he went on to clone Bart, as well.

With that out of the way, the conversation turns toward the Titans of Tomorrow's purpose being here in the past. Future Cassie says they still remember their previous encounter, but have seen their world begin to change, so they have come back in time to make sure it stops changing. Robin claims he'll never become a murderous Batman, but future Tim says if that were true, then he wouldn't still exist. Future Kon interrupts their arguing, saying they have less than an hour to prepare for Starro's attack of mind-controlled super villains. The future Titans explain that Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash and Martian Manhunter did manage to defeat Starro, but that battle left them too weak and unprepared for an even greater threat, which they refuse to tell their past selves about at this time. All they're willing to say now is that they've imprisoned those members of the JLA for their safety, and it's up to the Teen Titans to fight in their place. And if they try to tamper with those prison cells, the JLA will die.

Nobody argues with this, and they all split off into different teams to battle random Starro-controlled villains. Wonder Girl and Supergirl go to California with future Cassie and Kon; Robin and Miss Martian go to Gotham City with their future selves; and Ravager and Kid Devil go to Chicago with Red Devil and the clone of Bart. Chicago is being attacked by Livewire and Rampage, but initially, only Ravager is fighting them. Kid Devil wants to help her, but his future self holds him back. Bart's clone says that Rose will eventually hurt Kid Devil and betray the entire team. He argues it'll be better for everyone if they let Livewire and Rampage kill Rose. Kid Devil is appalled by this, but Red Devil actually make a fairly compelling argument. He asks Eddie what he would say to his younger self if he had the chance. Red Devil urges him to trust his future self and just wait a little longer before the three of them take down Livewire and Rampage. But Red Devil doesn't notice that the clone of Bart ran away while he was talking.

Robin is having an especially tough time in Gotham, as he's fighting Prometheus in the middle of a burning hospital and his future self refuses to help. Robin eventually flips Prometheus out a window and shouts at his future self for not at least rescuing other people trapped in the hospital. Future Tim says if everyone in this hospital died, it would be nothing compared with how many innocents will suffer if Robin doesn't learn to start making a real difference. To illustrate his point, future Tim pulls out his gun, which Robin immediately knocks away. He says he will make a real difference, starting with himself, as he picks up the gun and points it at his head.




I do not like McKeever's sense of how time travel works. Of course, he's not entirely to blame, as he's essentially following Geoff Johns' rules from the initial Titans of Tomorrow story. But it really bugs me how the future isn't changed instantaneously. I hate this idea of characters slowly watching things change around them, and acquiring new memories, but not losing their previous memories. It feels like McKeever is trying to have his cake and eat it, too. I much would have preferred to wipe the slate clean and make it clear that this is an entirely new group of characters from a different, yet similar future, caused by the Titans' failure to stop another massive calamity and Robin's undying obsession to resurrect his deceased friends via cloning.

Speaking of clones, this future "Bart" is just his second clone we've ever met — as far as I can tell. Much like the first clone, Inertia, this clone is also a villain. Which sadly means that the original Titans of Tomorrow Bart, who was a rare beacon of hope in a troubled world, now ceases to exist. In his place is a rather bland jerk, who is participating in what seems to be a rather convoluted plan. Obviously there's more at stake here, but here's a rundown of what they've done so far:

While watching their reality change around them, the Titans of Tomorrow somehow traveled back in time just ahead of a Starro invasion, which we'll soon find out was actually a precursor of the Sinestro Corps War. The Titans of Tomorrow kidnapped the JLA, then forced their younger selves to come with them to battle Starro-controlled villains. And none of our heroes seem to object too strongly to this plan. Obviously, the best strategy is to let Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Martian Manhunter fight alongside them to increase their odds of winning. But nobody makes that argument and they just immediately split up and go off on their separate, and rather boring, adventures. The only semblance of any pushback we got from our heroes was at the very end, when Robin pointed a gun at his head. Sadly, this is a rather sloppy story. At least it has decent art.

Next time, we'll begin our final month of 2007, starting with a brief Impulse cameo in Booster Gold #3.