Tag Teen Titans Academy

A Dark Crisis #2 Micro-Review – Conflict De-Escalation

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Dark Crisis 2, cover, 2022, Daniel SampereTITLE: Dark Crisis #2
AUTHOR: Joshua Williamson
ARTISTS: Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

RELEASED: July 5, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

The idea with an event comic is that the threat continues to escalate throughout the story, right? And you build to the big climax toward the end. Dark Crisis #2, on the other hand, seems to de-escalate the conflict and end on a premature note of hope for the heroes. That’s an odd choice for a book like this.

I appreciate the incorporation of the Teen Titans Academy into the proceedings. I maintain that book was cancelled way too soon.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #11 Micro-Review – Shazam’s Farewell

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Teen Titans Academy #11
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Rafa Sandoval & Jordi Tarragona, Brent Peeples, Alex Sinclair (Colorist), Jeremiah Skipper (Colorist), Matt Herms (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Sandoval & Sinclair.

RELEASED: January 25, 2022

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I didn’t like this one. First off, the cover seems to indicate that we’ll finally get Red X’s identity. That doesn’t happen.

Secondly, Shazam gives the teachers a heartfelt goodbye in this issue, which doesn’t land because we haven’t explored Billy Batson’s relationship with the Titans to any great length. That’s a bizarre misstep, considering we had a four-issue Shazam! miniseries that directly tied into Teen Titans Academy.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #10 Micro-Review – Proper Use of an Invisibility Cloak

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Teen Titans Academy 10, cover, 2021, Rafa SandovalTITLE: Teen Titans Academy #10
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Mike Norton, Tom Derenick, Alex Sinclair (Colorist), Jeremiah Skipper (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.

RELEASED: December 28, 2021

Raven has a line in this issue where she tells Stitch that a magic invisibility cloak isn’t meant for sneaking around. I found that both hilarious, and a little stupid. From an in-universe perspective, what else would you use an invisibility cloak for? Perhaps we should ask Harry Potter.

As this series has gone on, we’ve learned bits and pieces about Red X. In this issue, the details air on the sympathetic side. While we still don’t know who it is, that does give this mystery character a bit of a teenage flair. That’s an interesting little twist.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #9 Micro-Review – Life After Death

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Teen Titans Academy #9
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Mike Norton, Hi-Fi (Colors), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.

RELEASED: December 14, 2021

I tensed up when I saw “The End Begins Here!” I have a fear that they’re going to pull the plug on this series before its time comes…

There’s a mention in this issue of finding Roy Harper’s young daughter Lian, who apparently is missing. Once all this Red X business is sorted out, that might be an interesting plot to explore with the classic Titans.

This issue also has a sentimental reunion between Roy and the man who seemingly killed him in Heroes in Crisis, Wally West. Nice. Anything that defies Heroes in Crisis is good in my book.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #8 Micro-Review – Buncha Bullies!

Rob Siebert 1 Comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

Teen Titans Academy 8, cover, 2021, Rafa SandovalTITLE: Teen Titans Academy #8
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Mike Norton, Hi-Fi (Colors), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.

RELEASED: November 30, 2021

I actually came away from this issue disappointed in some of the new characters, i.e. the Academy students. They steal something from another student, and then when they’re caught they refuse to give it back. Buncha bullies is what they look like…

I was pleasantly surprised to see Mike Norton’s name on this issue. I’ve enjoyed his work since his days on Green Arrow/Black Canary.

So Wally West is the official, canonical Flash again, huh? That’s interesting. He shows up here, and the only downside is that we’re reminded of Heroes in Crisis.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #7 Micro-Review – Grodd vs. Gregg

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

TITLE: Teen Titans Academy #7
AUTHORS: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona (Inker), Alex Sinclair (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.
RELEASED: November 2, 2021

Great issue. The best of the series so far. I’ve been waiting for them to give Gorilla Gregg a story like this. As an added bonus, Summer also gets a nice spotlight.

Also, Sandoval, Tarragona, and Sinclair give us a hell of a gorilla fighting sequence. It’s gorgeous, in a…simian sort of way.

This is the kind of stuff I want to see from Teen Titans Academy, as opposed to stories focused on the Bat Pack. Or as I think of them, Batman backwash.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Shazam! #4 Micro-Review – Lightning and Exposition

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Shazam 4, cover, 2021, Clayton HenryTITLE: Shazam #4
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer).
RELEASED: October 19, 2021

Considering this is a finale, there’s an awful lot of talking and exposition up front. But that can be forgiven if you plan on sticking around for what this mini is setting up over in Teen Titans Academy. On its own, however, these four issues only stand up so-so.

Clayton Henry’s work is consistently a joy. He’s got what I consider to be an animated and cartoony style. But at the same time, he knows his way around an imposing monster. He’s a tremendous fit for superhero comics in general.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Shazam! #2 Micro-Review – The Finest Casino in Hell

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Shazam 2, cover, 2021, Rafa Sandoval, Alejandro SanchezTITLE: Shazam #2
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.
RELEASED: August 17, 2021

Reading this mini thus far, and reflecting back on the brief run the Geoff Johns book had, I’m starting to appreciate that the magic and fantasy elements in Shazam’s stories. You can do a lot with him that wouldn’t work as well with, for instance, Superman.

In this issue, for instance, Billy Batson dresses up in a nice suit and goes to what is essentially the finest casino in all of hell. I like the creativity there. This is turning out to be a nice companion to Teen Titans Academy.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Teen Titans Academy #5 Micro-Review – Too Much Nightwing?

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Teen Titans Academy 5, cover, 2021, Rafa SandovalTITLE: Teen Titans Academy #5
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Steve Lieber, Dave Stewart (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer). Cover by Rafa Sandoval & Alejandro Sanchez.
RELEASED: July 27, 2021

This is the first issue of Teen Titans Academy I didn’t like. It sees the Bat Pack characters take center stage for the second consecutive issue. Granted, they’ve been part of the book since issue #1. But So have characters like Summer, Alinta, Brick, Gorilla Gregg, etc. I’d rather have spent time with them than a trio of Batman groupies.

Also, I’m starting to think this book is a little too Nightwing-heavy for me. And I say that as a Nightwing buff.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

A Shazam! #1 Micro-Review – An Elective Course

Rob Siebert Leave a comment

***This is where we keep it nice and simple. Comic book reviews in 100 words or less. Straight, concise, and to the point.***

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Shazam 1, cover, 2021, Clayton HenryTITLE: Shazam #1 (of 4)
AUTHOR: Tim Sheridan
ARTISTS: Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo (Colorist), Rob Leigh (Letterer)
RELEASED: July 20, 2021

Underplayed in Teen Titans Academy has been that one of the students is none other than Shazam, whose powers have been malfunctioning. This four-issue mini by Academy author Tim Sheridan is a nice way to zoom in on this Billy Batson story without having it pull focus in the main book.

So far, this feels more like an Academy story than a Shazam story, as we see a lot of Billy interacting with his peers at school than doing supehero stuff himself. Academy readers should be pleased. As should fans of Clayton Henry’s highly expressive, animated art style.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.