TITANS (2023-) #1 Review

Titans #1 is written by Tom Taylor and published by DC Comics. Artwork is by Nicola Scott and colours by Annette Kwok. Letters are by Wes Abbott. Main cover art (left) is by both Scott and Kwok.

Titans #1 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.

Synopsis

The Dark Crisis is over and the Justice League is no more. Now, a new team must rise and protect the Earth… Titans, go!

The Teen Titans are ready to grow up. Each member joined as a much younger hero, certain that one day they’d be invited to join the Justice League. But the time has come for them not to join the League… but to replace it!

Are the no-longer-teen heroes ready for the big leagues? Danger lurks around every corner as heroes and villains alike challenge the new team before they’ve even begun. Will the DCU ever be the same?

Find out in this landmark first issue brought you by the all-star creative team of Tom Taylor (Nightwing, DCeased) and Nicola Scott (Wonder Woman Historia, Earth 2)!

Review

As one door closes, another one opens. Whilst the final episode of Titans streamed on HBO Max last week there is still plenty for fans to celebrate. Spinning out of the critically acclaimed Nightwing, Tom Taylor is reuniting the band and bringing us an ongoing Titans title which puts the team right at the centre of the DC Universe.

This is a huge moment for the younger DC team. Though they first appeared all the way back in 1964, the team has always lived in the shadow of the Justice League. But following the events of Dark Crisis the League is no more and Earth-Prime needs someone to fill the space they left behind. Who better than the Titans with the outstanding Tom Taylor masterminding their step-up in to the major leagues.

Taylor laid the groundwork for this moment in his brilliant 100th issue of Nightwing. Spoilers ahead… but in the wake of Dick’s brilliant plan to rescue Bludhaven, it was Bruce who asked his first Robin to step up and take the lead of the League. But he had a better plan. One to bring together his old team and bring hope back to the DCU.

It’s not all sweetness and light though. Titans #1 starts with bang, literally, with a core member of the team potentially taken off the board with a fatal bullet wound. I applaud Taylor for staying with an arc that will no doubt tie in to the Dawn of DC initiative. But an arc which is also incredibly personal to Dick and the rest of the Titans. Whilst I don’t want to take anything away from any creator who has worked on the Justice League title, those books often focus on the global crises which bring DC’s biggest names together. Here Taylor is able to bring the potential for large-scale storytelling but underpin in with the humanity and heart which makes the Titans a much-loved group.

Taylor also makes it clear that these aren’t just a group of heroes banding together out of circumstance. With almost six decades of storytelling under their belts there’s plenty of history between Kory (Starfire), Rachel (Raven), Gar (Beast Boy), Wally (The Flash), Donna (Wonder Girl) and Victor (Cyborg). That’s abundantly clear from the outset, picking up on the relationship between Rachel and Gar is a perfect example.

For fans of the TV version of the group, Titans #1 offers up a prime example of how brilliantly the team functions. Dick is an effortless leader and that history I just touched on makes the Titans are slick force when they come up against Titano. Whilst I’m sure there will be conflict, Taylor is making sure that before complicating matters he takes time for us to see what these characters are capable of.

Ensuring that all of that excellent storytelling lands in the best possible way are artist Nicola Scott and colourist Annette Kwok. There’s a coherence in the design work which lines up perfectly with Nightwing that I really appreciated. Both books feel like they come from the same place but not in a way which compromises any artistic integrity or originality. Titans complements Nightwing and vice versa.

Scott gets to flex her Titan-ic muscles a lot in this first outing. On top of the built in ensemble cast, who all look amazing, there’s the fight sequence with Titano which looks equally impressive on the page. Throw in to the mix a special guest appearance with ties to the overarching Dawn of DC storyline and you’ve got a blockbuster first issue that well and truly meets the brief.

Verdict

A five-star debut for the returning Titans. Taylor takes all the sensibilities which have made Nightwing the #1 DC title and applies that to a group of characters who have been crying out for a blockbuster title of their own. There’s a tough road ahead and the Titans have big shoes to fill. But under this creative team I have no doubt that Titans will be a huge success.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐