I picked up a couple of comics at Zia Comics recently and ordered a trade from Amazon. I also got a couple of used comics at Coas Bookstore. I couldn’t make any sense out of the Ambush Bug comic and I loved the first two Bug limited series. I also got an issue of The New Teen Titans, which was a crossover with Infinity Inc. Basically, I just got it to see Jade. I’ll actually review the other books.
Ducktales #1
Very classy cover. It’s the main reason I got this. I do like the Disney ducks and their adventures. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got in this comic. I guess it was sort of an introduction to this new Dynamite published series, but I would have started off with a cool new adventure to an exotic place.
This all took place in Duckburg with Uncle Scrooge doing some quick reminiscing about some of his travels, as prompted to by the boys.
It’s very well drawn and I’ve seldom seen the characters more expressive. There’s seems to be some indication that future stories are going to be centered in town, which is a different take on Ducktales. I’m not exactly condemning this, but at $5 an issue, I was hoping for more.
The Savage Sword of Conan #5
What a cover! Also, it’s a 48-page black and white magazine with no ads for $7. It’s quite the bargain. Titan Comics took over publishing Conan and I’d had their take on the character recommended to me by a Youtube comic commentator.
The artwork isn’t bad, but it’s unappealing. The main story, which featured King Conan, was somewhat confusing. It also featured Conan getting lectured by a witch, instead of him just killing her as he would normally do. Somehow, he’s become reflective in his old age and seems to regret some of his previous killings of magic-users. It’s not “woke,” but it’s as close as it could get and still be called “Conan.” This was also Part 1 of 2, so I don’t know how this pays off.
The second story is about young Conan and features tits. It’s also a bit confusing and pretty brutal. I’m standoffish on this whole magazine. I’m not sure what I was missing here to enjoy this. I certainly like Conan, but haven’t had much luck (see previous review 6-5-24).
The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
I was given an Amazon gift card for Christmas. I had no end of consternation trying to decide what to get. Several books I wanted weren’t available or weren’t quite what I wanted. I over-thought this for a quite a while before finding this trade with a classic storyline. This seemed like an easy winner.
A co-worker thumbed through this and wondered where Starfire was. He was only familiar with the cartoon Starfire with the long, straight hair. He didn’t like 80’s Starfire. Well, everyone’s entitled to their tastes. (I question his sexuality.)
I effusively reviewed Volume 1 of the New Teen Titans a while back (11-5-20). I even mentioned the Judas Contract, never actually having read it. Its story is well-known in that a new member betrays the group. There’s not a mystery. The readers knew Terra was bad, but the Titans had no clue. Her being related to another superhero and being a good teammate before turning on them had fooled them all.
Writer Marv Wolfman in the introduction apparently had a real inferiority complex over the X-Men. This was his answer that the Titans weren’t a knockoff. He created a cute little teen character, like Kitty Pryde, and then surprised the readers by having her be a bad girl. In actuality, he’d redone the Phoenix Saga without the cosmic elements, though still somewhat having the theme of absolute power corrupting absolutely. While Jean’s suicide was something of a redemption, Terra’s evil had to be covered up by her teammates upon her death.
Artist George Perez in his introduction said that this story was also a means of severing the Titan’s ties as the teen sidekick characters to the JLA. This was apparently always seen as a problem, rather than an opportunity. Kid Flash leaves the group after the initial story, which really disappointed me, since Wally West is a good character. Likewise, Robin leaves the group, while Dick Grayson, probably my favorite DC character, tries to figure out who he is.
After that happens up front, the group confronts Brother Blood and his cult. I have a hard time understanding how a guy in a horned, red costume named, “Brother Blood,” could somehow become a media darling. The Titans disrupt his operations, though they are concerned that there was a bigger plan at work, which will keep for another tale. This story is a bit rushed and seems to skip over some beats.
Tara (her civilian name) is now a full member of the Titans and has their trust and knows their secret identities. Her and Deathstroke, who’s still trying to fulfill the HIVE contract on the Titans from back in Volume 1, make their move. This was my favorite part. Dick, caught completely off guard and in civilian clothes, still manages to escape Deathstroke, who’d underestimated him. His superpowered teammates, however, all get caught as Dick discovers in his investigation. This part was well done and not presented how you’d expect.
Unfortunately, after this we get a full issue backstory on Deathstroke, which kills the momentum of the story. Dick does debut his new superhero identity, Nightwing, and Jericho joins him in trying to free the Titans from HIVE. They manage to do it, though not without another flashback about Deathstroke’s backstory. What follows is a knockdown drag out fight between Deathstroke and Terra versus the Titans. Slade allows himself to be taken out by his son, while Terra loses control of her powers and it’s her downfall.
There was no ambiguity about her demise. Tara’s body is found and buried. Tara’s motivation, other than her (highly) inappropriate romance with Deathstroke, was just simply to be evil. This is bashed over your head in caption after caption in the final fight scene. This motivation doesn’t make sense in real life, much less in literature. I guess this was to differentiate her from Phoenix.
I was disappointed. I was expecting more of a story, especially since this is a classic. Maybe it would have worked better if there had been a mystery leading up to the betrayal. Certainly, Tara needed more development to explain her actions. The creative team meant for her to be irredeemable from the start, though. If nothing else, the Perez artwork does not disappoint. There is a newer reprint of this trade that has more issues to it. Perhaps it might be better, though it’ll come down to the same ending.
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