Teen Titans #20

Hiding

Geoff Johns Writer
Tom Grummett Penciller
Nelson Inker
Jeromy Cox Colorist
Comicraft Letters
Tom Palmer Jr. Associate Editor
Eddie Berganza Editor

Our cover is by Duncan Rouleau, and I really don't care for it. Our heroes are so angular, they look evil. And I can't even tell what animal Beast Boy is supposed to be. Couldn't Tom Grummett have drawn this? Anyway, this shows the Titans battling a Lex Luthor power suit, which does happen in this issue, so I approve of that aspect of this cover. Also note the absence of Starfire.

Our story begins on a starry night after the Titans have spent the past six hours searching for Plasmus and Warp (suspects in the murder of Sue Dibny). Starfire has pulled Cyborg aside to announce her intentions to temporarily leave the Teen Titans and join the Outsiders until Nightwing gets out of whatever funk he's in. Cyborg warns Starfire that his future self told the team to stay together, but Starfire says that Batwoman told her that she needs to help Nightwing. Cyborg wishes her luck, and they both offer to help each other's teams when called upon.

Robin had been eavesdropping on the conversation, and he waits until Starfire has flown away before he approaches Cyborg to tell him he's going camping with his dad next week. But before the camping trip came, Tim's dad, Jack Drake, was murdered by Captain Boomerang. Robin visits his dad's grave, with a tombstone that simply identifies him as a husband and father. Jack's murderer is dead, and the woman who hired him is in Arkham Asylum, but that grants little solace to Tim, who is now scared that this is causing him to think like Batman.

We then cut to St. John's General Hospital in Opal City. During the murder of Sue Dibny, her husband, the Elongated Man, was tracking the illegal sale of a very dangerous and mysterious item. A villain named Bolt was the buyer, but he made a grave miscalculation and was shot by the sellers, two young men named Benny and Trey. While Bolt recovers in the hospital, he's visited by another villain named the Electrocutioner. He says he's been hired to track down the contents of that box, and he's learned the two kids who shot him took off with the item. The Electrocutioner knows where Benny and Trey are, but before he goes after them, he wants Bolt to tell him what was in the box.

At Titans Tower in San Francisco, Bart is in his costume while playing on his computer (apparently with a Robin action figure on his desk). Conner yells at him for playing his music too loud, threatening to disassemble his computer and his face. Bart says he's already turned down the volume three times and blames Conner's super-hearing. But Conner insists he needs to finish his homework.

So Bart completes Conner's trigonometry homework in half a second, which appeases Conner. Robin walks by them, noting that Superboy is his best friend and Kid Flash is a close second, but he resolves not to tell them or anyone about his dad. Cassie is in Raven's room, helping her try on a new dress. Beast Boy walks in on them, amused by this new side of Raven, as well as her student ID for Galileo High School, Rachel Roth. Raven becomes embarrassed and kicks Beast Boy out of her room. Robin walks by this scene, doing his best to bury his feelings so Raven doesn't sense them.

Conner visits Tim in his room, and Tim tries his best to give him a cheery greeting. But Conner sadly closes the door and asks Tim why he's here. He says that Superman told him about Tim's dad, but Conner hasn't told anyone else yet. Tim says he just wants to forget this, but Conner reminds him of the promise they made to each other when they learned he has Lex Luthor's DNA. He wants to help Tim with this, but Tim does not want Conner to bring it up again, saying he came to the Tower today to have fun and enjoy himself. They're interrupted by Cyborg's face appearing on the wall, announcing to the whole team that the Justice League has asked them to look after Opal City in Elongated Man's absence. Bart is especially eager to help out in this situation.

Back in Opal City, we see the mysterious box contained one of Lex Luthor's old power suits, and Trey and Benny have decided to take it out for a spin. Trey is the first to wear the suit, flying around a bit, blowing a few things up, and marveling at how the suit's computers are almost talking to him. As Benny begs for a turn, the Electrocutioner shows up and hits Trey with a blast of electricity. But he's closely followed by the Teen Titans. And in a first for this series, Cyborg shouts out, "Titans together!" (I'm sorry, that's a really stupid rally cry. Just because it's alliteration doesn't make it cool.)

Bart and Beast Boy, however, are both caught off guard by Robin's unusually cheery, "Let's go get them, guys!" The Electrocutioner is shocked, saying the Calculator told him he'd only have to worry about the Phantom Lady or Black Condor. Robin is the first to go after the Electrocutioner, while Kid Flash pulls Benny away from Trey, as it seems like the Luthor suit is overheating. Cyborg, Superboy and Wonder Girl approach Trey, and the suit suddenly hits Superboy with a blast of green light. Raven catches Superboy, who says he was hit with a Kryptonite Ray. He insists he'll be all right, but immediately doubles over in pain.

Trey begins to panic, saying he's lost control of the suit, which fires a missile at Beast Boy as a vulture. Beast Boy dodges the missile, and Wonder Girl chases it down before it hits anything. Suddenly, the teleporting villain Warp appears behind Trey and pulls him into a purple portal. Robin, meanwhile, has chased the Electrocutioner down the apartment's fire escape, and pours a vial of water from his belt on the villain. But Electrocutioner brags that he paid Black Manta $4,000 to make his suit waterproof. He then begins to threaten Robin, coincidentally choosing to mock Robin's dad, saying he'll cry when his son dies, yet also suggesting that Robin's dad is like his, "cold as ice."

As one might expect, Robin's cheery disposition disappears instantly. He begins pummeling the Electrocutioner, shouting that he doesn't know his dad. Cyborg sees that Robin has lost control, and he pulls him off the unconscious villain. The rest of the team has caught up by now, and Wonder Girl asks Tim if he's OK. Raven tells him he doesn't need to hide it, and Bart asks what he's hiding. Tim allows a tear to slide down his cheek and he finally tells everyone his dad died. Cassie and Bart are horrified and Beast Boy asks Tim if he wants to talk about it. Robin wipes his face and admits that he does need to talk. As he cries on Cassie's shoulder, he realizes he's stopped thinking like Batman, and is now thinking like a Titan.

Epilogue One

We don't know what happened to Trey, but we do see that the power suit has made its way back to Lex Luthor. The Calculator calls him up, complaining that Luthor hired Warp to retrieve the suit through a different service, while simultaneously hiring Bolt and the Electrocutioner through the Calculator. Luthor says he's just protecting himself, and he threatens the Calculator with his "partner." The Calculator immediately backs off, leaving Luthor to gaze at photos of Superboy in different costumes, calling him "my boy."

Epilogue Two

It's 4:45 p.m. on a Friday at Star City (even though all the stars are out) and Green Arrow has decided it's a good time to call up Wonder Girl's mom, Helena Sandsmark, while chasing around the Royal Flush Gang. He tells her he has a "daughter of sorts," who just met the Teen Titans last week and is currently on her way to her first official weekend with the team. But before Green Arrow can ask Mrs. Sandsmark any questions, he's attacked from behind by Dr. Light.




I'm so glad Tom Grummett drew this issue. He masterfully handled Robin's forced smiles and his eventual, inevitable breakdown. The death of Tim's dad was the saddest part of Identity Crisis, and I'm glad we finally got a taste of that in Teen Titans. It was also nice to continue the thread of one of the side stories from that miniseries. Sadly, Robin's story got a bit short-changed in this issue. Not only did we get two epilogues, but also an informal prologue. But why am I worrying about Robin? He still had his own series at this point.

I was fine with the first epilogue, but the second was wholly unnecessary. Why on Earth was Green Arrow calling Wonder Girl's mom? And what's so bad about just starting next issue with the startling news that Doctor Light has captured Green Arrow? We didn't need to devote two pages to this. Anyway, after 20 issues, we have now had our first departure from the Teen Titans. And I've got to say, Starfire will not be missed. It's not that I hated her or anything, she just didn't do anything. She spent a lot of time in her garden, and would occasionally yell at somebody, but that's about it.

Next: Lights out in Teen Titans #21.

The Flash #217

Post-Crisis

Geoff Johns – Writer
Howard Porter – Penciller
Livesay – Inker
Pat Brosseau – Letterer
James Sinclair – Colorist
Rachel Gluckstern – Asst. Editor
Joey Cavalieri – Editor

Our cover by Howard Porter shows the Rogues mourning the death of Captain Boomerang —one of the casualties of Identity Crisis. This is a good illustration of what makes the Flash's enemies so unique. Unlike Batman's or Superman's villains, the Rogues are a family, and it profoundly affects them when one of them goes down. The central figure of this cover is a new character, introduced during Identity Crisis — Owen Mercer, Captain Boomerang's adult son.

So, before we begin, I must confess that this issue does not include Bart Allen. Not a picture, or even a mention of him. But Bart's clone, Inertia, does make a surprising appearance, and I consider Inertia to be a valid "alternate version" of Bart to cover on this blog. Hey, this is my blog, I make the rules! Anyway, I'm also glad to have the opportunity to recap this issue, as it includes some important information regarding Bart, not least of which is the conclusion of Identity Crisis.

Our story begins with Wally West finally reuniting with his wife, Linda Park. They take a walk down the street, talking about the disturbing events from Identity Crisis. Apparently the Atom's ex-wife was behind the whole thing, murdering Sue Dibny and hiring Captain Boomerang to go after Robin's father, Jack Drake. But Boomerang's attack ended in a disaster, with both men losing their lives.

The good news, though, is Linda and Wally are very happy with their lives now. Wally's friends and family know he's the Flash, but to the rest of the world, he's just a humble mechanic for the Keystone City Police Department. And Wally's secret identity has enabled Linda to shed the weight of being a celebrity's wife and return to her career as a journalist. To celebrate their reunification, Wally races Linda out to Paris.

Meanwhile, all the Rogues have gathered at Avernus, a secret graveyard for Rogues, placed in a fourth-dimensional pocket created by the Folded Man and protected by Gorilla Grodd's cloaking technology. Mirror Master even broke out most of the Rogues from Iron Heights so they could have the chance to pay their respects to Captain Boomerang.

It's here, and only here, in this big group shot that we see Inertia, standing on the left side of the page, just to the right of Tar Pit. Captain Cold offers a few words, but Owen quickly becomes upset with the whole spectacle. He throws a boomerang through the coffin, revealing it to be empty. Owen also shocks everyone in attendance by running at super speed to catch the boomerang. The tabloids had reported that Owen's mother was the late Golden Glider, but now that is obviously in doubt. Captain Cold assures the Rogues that Owen's not a true speedster, as he can only use super speed in short bursts. Owen says he doesn't care who his mother is, or how he has this power. All he knows is he doesn't need the Rogues. Things get a little testy, but Captain Cold is able to prevent a full-on fight from breaking out

We then see Cheetah (of all people) break Zoom out of Iron Heights Penitentiary. Either the time-freezing effect on him has worn off, or he was playing possum the whole time. Flash then returns to Keystone City, only to find that while he was in Paris, all the Rogues went on a massive crime-spree, primarily using boomerangs to honor their fallen comrade. Later, Batman visits Wally at work, yelling at him for letting one of "his" villains kill Robin's father. But the two heroes are able to hash this out, with Wally pointing out that his villains are just as dangerous as Batman's are.

The main group of the Rogues — Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard and Trickster — all head back to their hideout with Owen, who admits he had a fun time with them. Cold offers him a spot on their team, and Owen accepts, provided they help him with a mysterious task. We then end our issue at the FBI headquarters in Chicago, where the original Trickster and the Pied Piper are working on Captain Boomerang's corpse, hoping to bring him back to life so he can help them take down the Rogues.



We last saw Inertia at the end of Mercury Falling, emotionally running away into the Speed Force. We have no idea where or when he went, and frankly, it doesn't make too much sense for him to be here, as he has never interacted with any of the Rogues before. Most likely, this was a slight error on Howard Porter's part, as he basically just drew every conceivable Flash villain. But one might argue that Inertia is time-traveling and scouting out some possibilities. He will make a proper return — in due time — and he will eventually team up with the Rogues. But all that is still quite a ways away.

As for the rest of the issue, I did appreciate the recap of and response to Identity Crisis. I still think Wally getting his secret identity back is pretty lame, but that hardly affects Bart. And Owen Mercer is going to give me some problems later one, but I'll save that rant for when we get there.

Next time, Kid Flash and the Teen Titans will make a quick cameo in Green Lantern: Rebirth #4.

The Flash #214

The Secret of Barry Allen Part One

Geoff Johns Writer
Howard Porter Penciller
Livesay Inker
Pat Brosseau Letterer
James Sinclair Colorist
Joey Cavalieri Editor
Harvey Richards Asst. Editor

Our cover is by former Impulse artist Ethan Van Sciver, showing a shocked Wally West pouring over some papers, while the shadow of Barry Allen looms over him. Barry's Flash outfit has popped out of his ring, coincidentally forming the "shush" pose. It is a very interesting cover, but something about it just feels a little off. Is Barry's head too small?

Even though the cover doesn't say so, this issue is a tie-in to Identity Crisis. Our story begins with Wally recapping what has happened so far. After the Elongated Man's wife was murdered, Ralph Dibny led a small group of heroes to take down Doctor Light. Wally didn't see how Doctor Light could have committed the murder, but he trusted the Elongated Man's reputation as a detective, so he joined the raiding party. However, Doctor Light was prepared for this and hired Deathstroke to protect him. Deathstroke managed to hold off the heroes long enough for Doctor Light to escape, even stabbing Wally in the chest with his sword.

The JSA later ruled out Doctor Light as a suspect, and Wally later learned the troubling reason why Light was suspected in the first place. Years ago, Doctor Light raped Sue Dibny. He was so violent and vicious at the time, several members of the Justice League proposed the idea of having Zatanna magically wipe Light's memory and alter his personality so he wouldn't repeat those grotesque actions. A vote was held, with Barry Allen casting the deciding vote in favor of the mind wipe.

Naturally, Wally is quite upset by all this. Seeking answers, he checks in at Alcatraz Island, where the Teen Titans and Outsiders are interrogating prisoners. Wonder Girl is even using her lasso to electrocute Monsieur Mallah. Flash asks Roy and Dick why they're even bothering with them, and Dick explains that they believe Mallah and the Brain might know where Warp and Plasmus are, following their theory that Warp teleported into the Dibny home and Plasmus burned Sue. Wally says that angle feels a bit desperate, and Roy admits they are pretty desperate at this point.

Wally then pulls Dick aside, and Dick tells him how Roy is worried about Rose becoming Ravager, since she used to babysit his daughter. Wally tells Dick about Deathstroke's impressive fight, saying he's even more skilled and insane than ever. Wally then begins talking about his wife, Linda, who left him after their memories were erased. Dick says Linda should be safe, since Wally's public identity is a secret again. But Wally's still worried. He had previously honored Linda's request to be left alone, but now he's asking Nightwing's help in tracking her down. Dick considers this for a moment, then decides to call Oracle to see if she can help.

Wally then pays a visit to the Watchtower and immediately begins chewing out the JLA. He says he realizes that when they brought him to the Watchtower after his secret identity was erased, they were actually worried that what they did to Doctor Light was done to them. Black Canary says that might have been in the back of their minds, but they were more worried about Wally's well-being at that time. But Wally brushes this off and goes right into his next accusation: The JLA turned his uncle into a liar.

This comment definitely ruffles a few feathers (literally in Hawkman's case), but Green Arrow quickly defuses the situation by pulling Wally aside to speak in private. Oliver criticizes Wally for his holier-than-thou attitude and says he can see that Wally is actually feeling guilty for making his deal with the Spectre. After shouting for a bit more, Wally eventually accepts Oliver's diagnosis. Now that he's calmed down, Oliver suggests he go home to be with the ones he loves, leaving him with the words: "Nobody's perfect, kid. Not even the big guy."

So Wally heeds Oliver's advice and heads straight for the isolated home of his Aunt Iris. But Bart stops Wally from entering, asking if the killer has been found. Wally says they're still working on it, but Bart's worried about who the next target will be, since the Atom's ex-wife was also attacked (although she survived). Wally tries to assure Bart that everything's going to be OK, but Bart can tell he's not sure. He asks Wally where Linda is, and Wally can't answer that. He then heads inside, telling Bart to make sure nobody enters. Bart agrees, and Wally sees something in his face he's never noticed before that makes him believe Bart.

Iris is reading about Sue's murder in the newspaper, weeping over the loss. Wally gives her a hug, and she asks him if Doctor Light killed Sue. Wally says no, and Iris infers that Wally has been told about Doctor Light's past and Barry's involvement in the ordeal. She explains that Barry made that decision during a dark time in his life, when he believed that she was dead. Iris hints that she has more to tell Wally, but first says that Oliver Queen has something to give him.

So Wally heads to Star City to visit Green Arrow in his base. He tells Oliver he now realizes that when he mentioned the "big guy," he wasn't talking about Superman, but Barry. Oliver says Barry had the hardest time among them holding on to the lie. Wally turns the topic to Iris' message, and Oliver pulls out an envelope. He says he wanted to give it to Wally earlier, but he decided to get Iris' approval first. He says it's a letter Barry wrote to him after the business with Doctor Light. He warns Wally not to judge Barry too harsh, saying he was only trying to make the world a safer place.

We then see that Sue Dibny's murder has even affected the Rogues. Captain Cold abruptly calls off a bank heist in the middle of the job and orders his crew to send flowers to Ralph. Meanwhile, Wally heads to the Flash Museum to read Barry's letter under his statue.



This issue highlights one of the main problems with Identity Crisis — retconning. It really is unfair to readers to randomly tell them, "Oh, by the way, years ago your favorite characters faced an ethical dilemma and have been carrying a dark secret with them ever since and nobody bothered mentioning it until now." It's actually easier for me to handle reality being completely altered because of some grand, cosmic event like in Zero Hour or Genesis than something like this. And I do feel bad for Geoff Johns in this case, as he's forced to try to explain this massive change caused by Brad Meltzer.

But I do like seeing how this mystery murder has caused so much panic throughout the superhero community. And the ethical debate about these mind wipes is an interesting debate to have — I just wish it wasn't the result of a retcon. As for Bart's involvement, it is a little frustrating that Johns once again went out of his way to say that he likes Bart better as Kid Flash than Impulse, while simultaneously keeping him excluded from everything in this story.

Next time, we'll take a step away from Identity Crisis with Teen Titans #16.

Identity Crisis #1

Chapter One: Coffin

Brad Meltzer – Writer
Rags Morales – Penciller
Michael Bair – Inker
Alex Sinclair – Colorist
Kenny Lopez – Letterer
Valerie D'Orazio – Assistant Editor
Mike Carlin – Editor

Our cover is by Michael Turner, who was one of DC's premiere talents of the time — as you've seen me gush over every one of his covers I've got to review. Sadly, his work with DC was rather limited, and he tragically died from cancer in 2008 at age 37. So, with what may be my final Michael Turner cover on this blog, I'm pleased to say he gave us an impactful, haunting image to kick off this event comic. We have an old photograph of the JLA (back when Barry Allen was on the team) shattered and covered in blood. I think it's an effective way of showing the team is falling apart both from external and internal sources.

Our story opens with the shocking and mysterious murder of the Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibny. Since the Elongated Man's identity is public, this becomes national news and sends shockwaves through the superhero world. The murder coincidentally occurred on the night of Dick Grayson's parents' anniversary, which he was honoring at their grave with Starfire when he heard the news. Tim Drake has finally told his dad that he's Robin, and the two of them learn of the murder from TV. Tim's dad doesn't say anything, but pulls his son close to him.

Two days later, everyone who's anyone attends Sue Dibny's funeral. Bart even shows up in his Kid Flash uniform, even though he's never had any encounters with Ralph or Sue. Perhaps he's mostly there to support Wally, who was chosen as one of the pall bearers. Jay Garrick is there, too, sitting between Wonder Woman and Superman. But poor Bart is shoved off in a corner next to a couple of people I don't know.

After the funeral, the various superhero teams break off to investigate any and all leads. The Teen Titans go after Plasmus and Warp, but secretly, the Elongated Man and a few others believe Dr. Light is responsible for Sue's murder.



And that's the extent of Bart Allen's involvement in this miniseries. Although the ramifications of Identity Crisis will eventually be felt in Teen Titans. For better and worse, Identity Crisis had a major impact on the DC Universe for years to come. It was one of the first comics I ever read, and I loved it. It made me cry and inspired me to delve deeper into this world. But now, revisiting it several years later, I do understand many of the criticisms against Identity Crisis. The story is best when it focuses on the small, personal relationships — such as Ralph and Sue Dibny. The story is weakest when it tries to incorporate too many characters and editorial mandates, and relies on revisionist history to provide characters' motivations. In short, it's a mixed bag.

Next time, we'll find out if Raven will finally join the Teen Titans after 12 issues of buildup.