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annashiv's review
4.0
Not enough raven. She's mentioned every now and then but only appears for like six pages in the entire thing. The stories were mainly about changeling and cyborg, but you also have Donna's wedding to start it off. Overall, they really went after character development and did a great job at it in these stories.
I will say the art has improved greatly in this volume. Just about every panel is fantastic. They really put a lot of work into it. It just seemed less crowded by bad detail and the forms of the characters were more proportional most of the time.
I will say the art has improved greatly in this volume. Just about every panel is fantastic. They really put a lot of work into it. It just seemed less crowded by bad detail and the forms of the characters were more proportional most of the time.
ultimatecryptid's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An important part of comics hiatory, and for good reson.
ginameix's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cleheny's review
2.0
In this volume, we see Donna marry Terry Long, the Marv Wolfman stand-in, who, for reasons unknown, is supposedly the love of Donna's life. I don't get it, and I wonder how many readers through the years liked Terry. What is nice about the issue, however, is that it's just a wedding; not a wedding interrupted by a villainous attack. It focuses on each of the Titans as they prepare for, and participate in, the ceremony. We get to see old Titans who return to celebrate (Wally, Garth and Tula, Lilith, Mal and Karen). Gar shows his loyalty and friendship by organizing the ceremony and reception; Dick and Donna's friendship is highlighted; Wonder Woman and Hippolyta both make an appearance; and Cyborg continues to be obsessed with his appearance and sulky, ungrateful, and childish when he finds out what Gar did to help him blend in with the crowd.
The majority of this volume deals with Gar's obsession with the Terminator, Slade Wilson, and Cyborg's obsession with his appearance. There is another theme, which I'm not sure was intended; the Titans are supposedly all about the enduring friendship of the heroes, but this book really shows what lousy friends these guys can make.
For example, Gar's obsession with killing Wilson means that he immediately assumes Jericho is a spy and tries to hurt or kill him, alienates everyone (including his new girlfriend), does more damage to the Titans' reputation when he deliberately acts out in court, and attacks Terminator inside a prison (further risking the Titans' reputation). The only person he actually talks to through all of this is Wilson, to whom he confides his tale of woe. I know that the issue in which the two confront each other was supposed to be powerhouse character moment, but it didn't work. First, it depends on Garfield reminding us (for the fourth time in two issues) that he's lost everyone he's ever cared for. Of course, none of this is shown--because it happened years before--but simply told, ad nauseam. It isn't effective; Changeling comes off whiny instead of sympathetic.
Second, all of this depends on Gar's relationship with Tara Markov, who we are supposed to believe Gar loved and appeared to love him. Somehow, Wolfman and Perez utterly failed to create a plausible relationship between two characters who they were in sole charge of portraying. There's no reason for Garfield to love her; she is nasty and unpleasant to him and everyone else 85% of the time. Even if Garfield is stupid enough to fall for someone who treats him like dirt, there is no reason for him to be convinced that she returned his affection. She once suggested kissing/making out, but, otherwise, showed no real interest in him. Yes, Gar is 16, and adolescents can be misled or confused about someone's interest, but we are repeatedly told that he's smart and more mature than his age. So, even if he fell for her, the idea that--for months after her murderous attacks and death--he is unable to see her for who she is, to the point that he's willing to sabotage a trial and commit murder, doesn't ring true.
And his epiphany with Slade results in no changes to him. He tells Wilson that he doesn't want to continue to be a jokester, and Wilson gives him the excellent advice that he should stop being a clown if he doesn't want to be seen as one, and he should just talk to his friends. So, what does he do? He doesn't talk to his friends because they are not all gathered together for him to do so, and, apparently, it's not worth it to do it in smaller groups. And he continues to be the clown. So, even though Wolfman and Perez say that Garfield changes, there is no real character growth.
Meanwhile, Cyborg decides to get rid of all of cyborg-like features and look more human, losing his abilities along the way (of course, it doesn't last). Now, you'd think that someone who values his friends and teammates would let them know that (a) he's going to be gone for a while, and (b) if it all turns out as planned, the team will no longer have Cyborg. You know, so they can prepare for what that will be like. But, no, he tells them nothing. They have no idea he's undergoing major surgery and then intensive, lengthy physical rehabilitation. And, for days, no one seems to question where he is or bother to call and find out. Sure, they all gather around his bedside at the end, but where the hell were they for the last week? And why doesn't anyone feel that Vic wasn't honest with them?
And Raven's gone for who knows how long, struggling with her demon (literally). The Titans' response: "we're here for her, but we're not going to try to find and tell her that; she'll just have to decide on her own when to ask for help." I get that they can't force her to confide in them, but no one seems that concerned that she is missing, except when they need her for a fight (and, to be fair, when Donna got married).
And then there's Lilith and Wally. Wally is dying--actually dying--and not one of his former teammates knows. I get that he doesn't tell them, but, clearly, they're not bothering to stay enough in touch to know that something's not right. And Lilith returns, only to have some dopey story about immediately falling in love with a winged alien male who can't speak, but, of course, loves her madly, too. It's a dumb story, but there's one part that really works. Lilith tells the Titans not to attack the alien (who has harmed no one, and just wants to escape STAR, where he is the subject of experiments--not an unreasonable position), and insists that she is willingly choosing to protect him. Dick and the rest of the Titans ignore her and continue to attack and hound the alien, even as they all realize that they don't have a good feeling about what they're doing. After the Titans drive the alien off, Lilith tells them she's leaving, and she explicitly says that she's doing so because they don't respect her wishes and didn't listen to her. And she's right. Dick decided that an alien who didn't want to be experimented upon must somehow be a threat, and he ignored any information Lilith gave him to the contrary (he even ignored his own observation, as he could see that the alien wasn't doing anything).
About the only people who act like friends to each other throughout these issues are Donna, Dick, and Kory (and, unfortunately, Terry forces his way in there, too). And though those three say the right things about the others--I'm worried about him/her; I want to help him/her; etc.--they don't actually do anything about it. And the others (Raven, Gar, Vic) are all too caught up in their own drama to realize that they are leaving their team in a lurch.
For a series that is all about the power of friendship, there's very little of it on display here.
The majority of this volume deals with Gar's obsession with the Terminator, Slade Wilson, and Cyborg's obsession with his appearance. There is another theme, which I'm not sure was intended; the Titans are supposedly all about the enduring friendship of the heroes, but this book really shows what lousy friends these guys can make.
Spoiler
For example, Gar's obsession with killing Wilson means that he immediately assumes Jericho is a spy and tries to hurt or kill him, alienates everyone (including his new girlfriend), does more damage to the Titans' reputation when he deliberately acts out in court, and attacks Terminator inside a prison (further risking the Titans' reputation). The only person he actually talks to through all of this is Wilson, to whom he confides his tale of woe. I know that the issue in which the two confront each other was supposed to be powerhouse character moment, but it didn't work. First, it depends on Garfield reminding us (for the fourth time in two issues) that he's lost everyone he's ever cared for. Of course, none of this is shown--because it happened years before--but simply told, ad nauseam. It isn't effective; Changeling comes off whiny instead of sympathetic.
Second, all of this depends on Gar's relationship with Tara Markov, who we are supposed to believe Gar loved and appeared to love him. Somehow, Wolfman and Perez utterly failed to create a plausible relationship between two characters who they were in sole charge of portraying. There's no reason for Garfield to love her; she is nasty and unpleasant to him and everyone else 85% of the time. Even if Garfield is stupid enough to fall for someone who treats him like dirt, there is no reason for him to be convinced that she returned his affection. She once suggested kissing/making out, but, otherwise, showed no real interest in him. Yes, Gar is 16, and adolescents can be misled or confused about someone's interest, but we are repeatedly told that he's smart and more mature than his age. So, even if he fell for her, the idea that--for months after her murderous attacks and death--he is unable to see her for who she is, to the point that he's willing to sabotage a trial and commit murder, doesn't ring true.
And his epiphany with Slade results in no changes to him. He tells Wilson that he doesn't want to continue to be a jokester, and Wilson gives him the excellent advice that he should stop being a clown if he doesn't want to be seen as one, and he should just talk to his friends. So, what does he do? He doesn't talk to his friends because they are not all gathered together for him to do so, and, apparently, it's not worth it to do it in smaller groups. And he continues to be the clown. So, even though Wolfman and Perez say that Garfield changes, there is no real character growth.
Meanwhile, Cyborg decides to get rid of all of cyborg-like features and look more human, losing his abilities along the way (of course, it doesn't last). Now, you'd think that someone who values his friends and teammates would let them know that (a) he's going to be gone for a while, and (b) if it all turns out as planned, the team will no longer have Cyborg. You know, so they can prepare for what that will be like. But, no, he tells them nothing. They have no idea he's undergoing major surgery and then intensive, lengthy physical rehabilitation. And, for days, no one seems to question where he is or bother to call and find out. Sure, they all gather around his bedside at the end, but where the hell were they for the last week? And why doesn't anyone feel that Vic wasn't honest with them?
And Raven's gone for who knows how long, struggling with her demon (literally). The Titans' response: "we're here for her, but we're not going to try to find and tell her that; she'll just have to decide on her own when to ask for help." I get that they can't force her to confide in them, but no one seems that concerned that she is missing, except when they need her for a fight (and, to be fair, when Donna got married).
And then there's Lilith and Wally. Wally is dying--actually dying--and not one of his former teammates knows. I get that he doesn't tell them, but, clearly, they're not bothering to stay enough in touch to know that something's not right. And Lilith returns, only to have some dopey story about immediately falling in love with a winged alien male who can't speak, but, of course, loves her madly, too. It's a dumb story, but there's one part that really works. Lilith tells the Titans not to attack the alien (who has harmed no one, and just wants to escape STAR, where he is the subject of experiments--not an unreasonable position), and insists that she is willingly choosing to protect him. Dick and the rest of the Titans ignore her and continue to attack and hound the alien, even as they all realize that they don't have a good feeling about what they're doing. After the Titans drive the alien off, Lilith tells them she's leaving, and she explicitly says that she's doing so because they don't respect her wishes and didn't listen to her. And she's right. Dick decided that an alien who didn't want to be experimented upon must somehow be a threat, and he ignored any information Lilith gave him to the contrary (he even ignored his own observation, as he could see that the alien wasn't doing anything).
About the only people who act like friends to each other throughout these issues are Donna, Dick, and Kory (and, unfortunately, Terry forces his way in there, too). And though those three say the right things about the others--I'm worried about him/her; I want to help him/her; etc.--they don't actually do anything about it. And the others (Raven, Gar, Vic) are all too caught up in their own drama to realize that they are leaving their team in a lurch.
For a series that is all about the power of friendship, there's very little of it on display here.
sans's review
3.0
This is awful. Terrible and ridiculous and very entertaining because of it. I had to knock a star off because of the wedding though. No. Just no.
depreydeprey's review
2.0
I don't know how to rate this. Sometime during the last volume Marv Wolfman became his own editor and the series downshifted from great to good. Here, longtime collaborator George Perez leaves the book and Wolfman really seems to go off the rails after the issue 50 wedding of Wondergirl to Marv Wolfman avatar Terry Long. That last sentence should brand this collection as creepy and really their relationship has consistently been the worst part of the series all along so I was dreading the wedding issue but was pleasantly surprised by how well thought out and executed it was. Things go off the rails after that. The lack of editorial oversight really starts to catch up to the series and at times the action and plot lines are often hard to follow and characters disappear for long stretches without any explanation and the whole thing drifts towards a fun but unearned slugfest that concludes the collection.
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