DC Admits It’s Been Holding Back An Iconic Superhero Team For Too Long

I never thought I’d see the day, but DC Comics has actually admitted how one of its iconic teams is being held back. Now, I’m a DC stan. Always have been, chances are I always will be. But even as someone who’s been singing DC’s praises since I got my first Kenner Batman action figure, I do my best to look at the franchises I love with a critical eye. Admittedly, I can be a little overly forgiving when it comes to DC stuff, but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice trends that are rubbing fans the wrong way.

Case in point, the Titans. You know them, you love them, but you’ve got to admit, these heroes all seem to be caught in an endless cycle. Facing the same bad guys, going through the same interpersonal conflicts. I know the status quo is what it is, but the well of ideas when it comes to Titans comics dried up a while ago. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. As part of DC’s big Next Level initiative, new blood is coming to handle the Titans, and its relaunch has a few things to say about the franchise.

New Titans #33 Calls Out Decades of Titans’ History

Titans has relaunched as New Titans, with this new issue coming to us from Tate Brombal, Sami Basri, Adriano Lucas, and Tom Napolitano. It’s a day that starts like any other. The Titans gang has coffee when their peaceful morning is interrupted by the Fearsome Five. The team handles their old enemies with ease, and they end the day hoping the best for the villains. The next day starts with another coffee meeting and more hanging out, until the Tower is attacked by Terra. The Titans defeat her, and again, end the day with hope for a better tomorrow.

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It becomes clear quickly that something is seriously wrong. The Titans experience a cycle that repeats every day. Every day is different, from the Titans’ designs to the villains they fight. One day, we get a callback to Beast Boy’s red New 52 look, and another day, they are joined and eventually abandoned by their friend Garth. No one seems to notice the weird cycle the Titans are going through. Except for Nightwing, who begins to receive messages from the team’s coffee machine, telling them that they’re all trapped in a false reality.

The cycles continue, and things are rehashed over and over. Cyborg’s struggles with his humanity, Raven’s darkness overcoming her, and even Nightwing and Starfire’s relationship. The only one who notices is Dick, who stops drinking the coffee, allowing him to realize all the strange irregularities with this reality. Things really start to get weird as the Titans’ drama and history begin to combine and create new, nonsensical developments for the team. Nightwing has had enough of this world and destroys the coffee machine, allowing the team to be rescued from this false reality by Jon Kent and the New Titans.

New Titans is Literally Breaking the Cycle of Titans Storytelling

I’ve got to tell you, I have a lot of respect for the creative team addressing the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to the Titans. While there have been a lot of little changes over the years, the truth is this property has been caught in a loop that it’s struggled to break. Maybe not as short or simplified as the one they’re literally experiencing in this issue, but the false reality works as a metaphor for how little this franchise has grown or changed in the past few decades.

I think the best part of this book, and the reason why it’s so important that the Titans break this cycle, is at the end, when the false world starts blending identities and manufacturing drama that doesn’t make sense. Merging Brother Blood and Deathstroke? Adding Donna to Nightwing’s love triangle? It’s all so confusing and doesn’t make sense. And yet, that’s the point. By not growing as a property and expanding beyond the classic villains and drama, the only new stories we get with the Titans are things cobbled together from previous storylines.

While it’s disappointing to only see the titular New Titans at the end of this issue, it is a nice bit of symbolism. It’s the creative team informing us that fans don’t have to worry about the cycle anymore. The team is aware and ready to take this franchise into a new direction. Will it actually work? That’s a whole other question. But I will admit it is incredibly refreshing to see a new chapter of Titans history start with such a frank, meta meditation on the past, and I’m excited to see what this means for the team’s future.

How do you feel about New Titans #33? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!