Tiny Titans #5

"Playground Invaders"

By Art Baltazar Writer & Artist
& Franco Writer
John Jones Editor
Stephanie Buscema Assistant Editor

Our cover by Baltazar shows the Tiny Titans East meeting up with the Tiny Titans for a playdate. Tiny Titans was Bart Allen's favorite TV show in the DC Universe. In our universe, it's a fun, kid-friendly comic, where the Titans and their counterparts are first-graders and Deathstroke is their principal. There is a Kid Flash in this series, but he's Wally West, so we haven't reviewed any issues until now, when a cute little Inertia shows up.

Our story begins with a bus labeled Sidekick City Elementary letting out a group of kids described by Speedy as "the Titans from the east side of the playground." These visitors step out of the bus and introduce themselves as Enigma, Duela, Kid Crusader, Inertia, Sungirl and Risk.

Speedy introduces Raven, Nightwing, Kid Flash, Starfire (just called Star here) and Barbara (Batgirl). Inertia is the first to interact with the other kids, telling Kid Flash he's heard of him. Kid Flash says he runs real fast, and Inertia says he runs "real, real, real, real, real fast!" To prove it, he asks Kid Flash if he wants to see him run around the world. Kid Flash says sure, to which Inertia immediately asks, "Wanna see it again?" Kid Flash doesn't seem impressed by this, but Raven and Risk are, saying that was "real, real fast!"

And that's all we get of Inertia in this issue. The rest of the issue basically just shows the kids playing nicely with each other. Duela and Enigma have a lot of bad jokes, and Nightwing has a hard time convincing everyone to use his new name. Psimon says he can relate, since everyone calls him Brainiac. And that's pretty much it.

This is a fun, cute series perfect for beginning readers interested in superheroes. I do find it a little odd, though, that this series would use the Titans East characters. Titans East was a very promising concept that ultimately fell flat, in my opinion, and I just don't see there being much appeal for these characters. And a universe with an Inertia but no Impulse is just plain wrong.

Next time, we'll check in on the real Inertia in The Flash #241.