Review: Teen Titans Academy #1

"Admissions"

Writer: Tim Sheridan
Artists: Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona
Color Artist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Rob Leigh

Review by Steve J. Ray

What do get when you cross a writer who loves comics, great art, color that explodes from the pages, a letterer who should be on overtime, and an incredible and eclectic collection of Titans; new and old? The answers: Teen Titans Academy #1, and a fantastic read.

Positives

Well… everything I mentioned above, for starters.

After his terrific introduction to a possible, and very scary future, for our heroes; writer Tim Sheridan now drags us back to the present, and the road that could take us to that Future State dystopia.

I really like the way this guy writes.

Not only am I treated to my personal favorite Titans teams from two eras (the banner image at the top of this article should give you a hint about one of them), but also a veritable cornucopia of brand new characters too! Add to this the fact that many of them seem fated to die (if you’ve read the two FS Teen Titans books, you know what I’m talking about) and I’m already hooked. On top of all this, we then get the Red X mystery, past relationships, team dynamics (or lack thereof) and a ton of action thrown in, for good measure.

I reviewed the most recent run of Teen Titans for this wonderful site, so seeing a few of those guys promoted to full-on, active members, has also made my day.

Team books are hard to balance, but Mr Sheridan makes it look easy.

Even More Positives

Being of Spanish descent, I really celebrate, and love, seeing gorgeous art from three incredible talents who also hail from the same, sun-drenched, paradise peninsula my heart calls home. Spanish and Catalonian artists have invaded American comics in recent years, and here are three of the best! Look at this stuff!

Team books, are as hard to illustrate as they are to write, as they contain so many characters; but in this book every one of them looks great, their emotions are on display, the storytelling is terrific, and the action is awesome… and those colors! Gracias, Rafa, Jordi y Alejandro! Grán trabajo, señores.

I frequently rave about Rob Leigh, particularly when he has to letter books written by writers who populate their pages with lots, and lots of (completely necessary, and excellent) dialogue. He’s really worked hard on this one, let me tell you!

Negatives

A month to wait until issue #2?!? Noooooooooo!

Verdict

Teen Titans Academy #1 is an incredibly strong first issue. It enhances the dread from the Future State prologues, honors the most recent run of the title, brings back classic Titans, and introduces us to the heroes (and villains?) of tomorrow.

That was a very strong start, and this aging (but young at heart) fanboy is totally invested.

Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment