Teen Titans #5 Review

The Teen Titans have come to Damian Wayne’s aid but to do so they must face the League of Assassin’s best fighters…

Teen Titans #5 (DC Comics)

So what’s it about? The summary reads:

“Damian Knows Best” finale! The final showdown between the Teen Titans and the Demon’s Fist is here! Will the Teen Titans rally behind their little leader? And will Ra’s al Ghul let anyone walk away alive?

Why does this book matter?

To see Damian put his own super team together is a delight as his bullheaded egomania doesn’t necessarily jive well with a leader type. Enter a group of heroes who don’t know everyone all that well (some do mind you) and the stage is set for some interesting character dynamics to explore.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

Seems like a dangerous place to live.

If you came for a brawl–which includes Ra’s al Ghul– you have come to the right place! There’s a surprise twist in there too, but overall there’s a ton of action and fun fistcuffs as the Teen Titans attempt to save Damian from his execution. The plot of this issue wraps up things well enough including a guest appearance of a certain big time superhero, a reveal of the team’s new lair, and a general sense of cohesiveness for the team. They may shout they’re friends more than once, but chock that up to it being a more younger audience sort of read and it’s all good.

A scene between Ra’s and his new recruit, cousin of Damian, is a particular highlight. It’s an interesting scene as we see Ra’s truly is a villain even in the face of his most dedicated pupils. The dialogue isn’t heavy handed, but requires you to read a bit in between the lines to see he’s not going to be treating her very well moving forward. These leads to the surprise turn of events later and the–hopefully–further development of Damian’s cousin.

Khoi Pham draws this issue, keeping the action cohesive and interesting. The skull spewing lava mountain is a nice touch and looks good and all the heroes look sharp in their costumes. Beast Boy’s transformations add a bit of comedy that works due to the art and Kid Flash looks great doing his thing too.

It can’t be perfect can it?

There isn’t a lot here to make this an above average comic. It follows a typical line of storytelling where Robin is rescued too easily, they fight, they escape, and then all is well in the world. The team itself still doesn’t feel like it needs to exist. They fight for Damian because they know he has good intentions, but what else? That can’t be all. The ending, which jumps forward 3 months, doesn’t feel earned. I’m still at loss for why they’d dedicate themselves to each other and I don’t think fighting for Damian because he’s like them is quite enough; maybe for a younger audience, but not for adults.

Nice intros.

Is It Good?

Teen Titans #5 features a perfectly fine ending with a twist or two up its sleeve, but it still hasn’t convinced me it needs to exist. On paper this team could be intriguing, but there isn’t enough here to warrant a purchase unless you love these characters singularly.