Teen Titans #11

Rogue Targets Part 3

Will Pfeifer Script
Ricken Art
Dan Brown Colors
John J. Hill Letters
Bengal Cover
Ant Lucia Bombshells Variant Cover
Paul Kaminski Associate Editor
Mike Cotton Editor
Eddie Berganza Group Editor
Superboy created by Jerry Siegel.
By specials arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.

Our cover shows the Teen Titans fighting a bunch of super villains in a prison. Chimera's odd absence is made up for with Superboy's odd presence. And as is usual with these Bengal covers, this one is another dud. They just don't look good. Plus, this is depicting a scene that doesn't happen. Perhaps the biggest sin this cover commits is making Despero an also-ran here. This issue will build him up as one of the greatest threats imaginable, and the entire reason the Titans are breaking into that prison.

The Bombshells variant features Raven, although the fishnet stockings make her look like Zatanna. This cover is ... fine, I guess. Although I never understood the Bombshells appeal. Is it supposed to be sexy or funny or nostalgic? I don't know and I don't care.

Our story picks up in Manchester Black's apartment, with Raven lying on the floor unconscious. I would have thought this was the result of the psychic backlash she got from Manchester Black, but this issue says she's drained after teleporting herself and Red Robin from Chicago to New York. And even though Manchester Black was pleased to give his intruders all the information they craved last issue, in this issue, he spends all his time threatening Tim Drake (whose secret identity he knows) and talking about the damage the Titans have recently caused in Chicago. So Tim is forced to stage a dramatic retreat, right as the Elite arrive to help their boss.

Manchester Black oddly chooses not to pursue Red Robin, and we don't get any sense of the Elite trying to track down Superboy over the next three days, as the Teen Titans plan their break-in of the Metropolis Armory Ward, aka the M.A.W. They bring Raven along, even though she's still quite worthless ... you know, from the teleporting. Also, all the prison cells suddenly open, either by Beast Boy's accident, or someone else's deliberate action. Anyway, by the time Red Robin and Chimera reach Despero's cell, Superboy suddenly bursts into the prison in the most dramatic way possible, and Manchester Black sends the Elite there.




Pfeifer truly is perfecting his imitation of Scott Lobdell by routinely disregarding so much of what he has done from issue to issue. But worse than that, he has created a story that is dreadfully boring. There's no sense of tension, no major stakes at play, and tons of pertinent questions that are still being ignored. Why is Wonder Girl working with Manchester Black? How did Kid Flash come back? Plus, this is the third part of the story, and we've had a different artist on each issue. Why does it feel like none of the creators involved care about this book?

Let's drown our sorrows with the house ads:

Will dark secrets from the past destroy their future? Batman & Robin: Eternal.

The creator spotlight is on Doug Mahnke and Peter J. Tomasi, the creative team behind Superman/Wonder Woman.

Next time, we will conclude this strange story in Teen Titans #12.