Titans #4 - DC Comics

TITANS No. 4, December 2023

Intriguingly treading the line between low-level crime-fighting and international terrorism, Tom Taylor’s narrative for “Out Of The Shadows” certainly seems to start well, courtesy of a touchingly intimate focus upon Beast Boy and Raven as the couple reconcile Garfield Logan’s doubts about the future of humanity by defeating a pair of knife-wielding neighbourhood bullies. But whilst this somewhat tongue-in-cheek transformation into a talking tiger proves entertaining enough, some within this comic’s audience might be left scratching their heads in bemusement at the rest of the book’s plot.

For starters the notion that the Teen Titans should suddenly decide to return to the Southeast Asian island of Borneo at precisely the same location as one of its settlements is being forcibly removed by the gun-toting Demolition Team is arguably a little too manufactured, considering that it appears to occur solely upon Changeling’s whim to “lead a reforestation effort” with the agencies there. Admittedly, the young vigilante has been badly affected by the recent deaths of the area’s wildlife in a mysterious fire. But to immediately convince the rest of his friends to abandon investigating the Flash’s imminent death sadly smacks of the “New York Times bestselling author” sluggishly contriving the super-group’s separation simply so Wally West proves an easier target for his enigmatic assassin.

In addition, the sudden disappearance of both Nightwing and the Scarlet Speedster just when an alien-influenced Tempest arrives at the Titan’s headquarters also appears incredibly fortuitous for the extra-terrestrial invader. Indeed, the pair’s absence, weakly explained as being due to them “being off somewhere” arguing seems unlikely considering Linda Park-West has already made it crystal clear her husband won’t be participating in any adventures for at least the next twenty-four hours; “I wouldn’t say I’m a secret weapon. But you’re going to listen to Donna and Dick…”

Happily however, what this twenty-page periodical debatably lacks in convincing penmanship it makes up for with prodigious pencilling. Whether it be Nicola Scott and colorist Annette Kwok’s awesome-looking regular cover illustration, featuring Beast Boy being surrounded by a veritable menagerie of birds and animals, or a grumpy Peacemaker scrutinising the satellite images of Donna Troy’s battle against the Demolition Team, each and every panel within this comic is incredibly well drawn.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Artist: Nicola Scott, and Colorist: Annette Kwok