TITANS #12
Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Kenneth Rocafort, Dan Brown, and Josh Reed
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: June 14, 2017
The “Lazarus Contract” is over and the damage to the Titans Team has been done, for what almost seems beyond repair for the heroes. Luckily for the Titans, they have Omen and in this special issue we’ll examine where the team has been, where they’re at, and what’s beyond the horizon for the Titans.
The issue is centered around Omen meeting Psimon for a psychic interview/battle of the minds as they both are seeking information and it appears that Psimon gains the upper hand as we take a dive into Lilith’s mind. Each subsequent dive into her mind acts as Abnett charting out the next few ongoing plots for the book and there are developments aplenty on the team!
The first is of Donna Troy and things could be better for the warrior that’s recently had her entire life upended due to the truth about her finally coming out, back in the Titans Annual. She’s strained from most of the team, being forced to confront her new reality, situation, and throwing herself into the training room.
Attempts to talk to her fall on deaf ears from some members of the team and Abnett uses each situation to bounce off of each team member whether it’s them being friends, something more, or dealing with less than ideal events going on in their lives. Relationships are becoming more of an entangled affair in Titans Tower and if The CW has taught us anything over the past few years, it’s that superhero relationships can get difficult to uphold.
Not to be held down from what came before, Abnett breaks new ground with the adult heroes and their development as characters. Teammates destined for others deviate and while relationships are forged and broken in this issue, it’s all captured beautifully by Rocafort, who’s no entry level artist when it comes to DC Comics.
Rocafort and Brown are a team that can make any page a work of art. From the most minuscule details and remarks it all has purpose and gives the book an energy that gives it a boost to carry the scripting of Abnett through to the finish. Rocafort adds and shortens panels on a whim to accentuate the mood and importance of certain happenings throughout. It leaves a lot of panel space to be desired but the characters themselves look spectacular combined with Brown’s coloring that make the title look as pretty as you think it should be and you have a recipe for a great comic.
The dialogue Lilith and Psimon have in the present is one of the better psychic tit-for-tat battles. Only a few words are spoken out loud throughout their exchange, taking almost exclusively in thought bubbles.
The ending to their conversation leaves Omen with a few key signs for what’s to come for the Titans and some are more enticing than others: Omen herself is a key figure, showing nothing, not even your code name is by chance, one of the tired and true plot lines of Team books is now in play…there’s a traitor on the Titans team and only Omen knows it, and there’s a darkness coming that’ll rip the Titans apart.
Over the course of one issue, Omen has risen to the occasion as not being weighed down as just being the team’s psychic. She’s a fully capable woman that holds her own and Abnett has set her up for a very stressful character arc, on top of the ongoing problems of her teammates. Titans #12 was a great issue that spotlights a team members strengths to propel them into a new light and refocuses the title for the next set of story arcs for the upcoming months.
The Verdict: 9.0/10
