Titans #1 Review: Expectations Overwhlem This Series' Solid Start
The Justice League is no more. As a part of DC's wide-reaching Dark Crisis event last year, the publisher's primary superhero team has disbanded. In its place are the Titans, the team that's now become the main cape team-up during the company's Dawn of DC efforts. Dick Grayson, the long-time leader of the group, leads the way as he tries to get every one of his teammates back on board with protecting the world.
Given Nightwing plays what's arguably the most prominent role in this story, Nightwing writer Tom Taylor has been charged with writing the new ongoing Titans series alongside artist Nicola Scott. With the release of Titans #1 on Tuesday, the titular team wastes zero time in getting into the thick of it, temporarily halting it's headquarters move to quell an attack at a nuclear facility.
It's during this fight the team takes down Titano while also introducing what appears to be one of the title's main antagonists in Peacemaker. The team's interactions with the government agent teases the scope of the story Taylor and Scott are aiming to tell, one that goes far beyond any single country.
It's a theme that's already on the minds of many around the world. In this case, Peacemaker is acting on behalf of the United States government, which believes it needs an exclusive contract with the Titans. The Titans, on the other hand, aim to remain their own thing and not answer to any single government or worldly entity. In fact, there's even a time where if this were a movie or TV show instead, we would have undoubtedly gotten a "Fortunate Son" needle drop.
Even then, the confrontation is only a small part of this debut. Taylor and Scott use this issue to set up many plot threads that they'll explore in the coming months. In this first issue alone, there's at least two major plots introduced, with the contention with Peacemaker in the face of ecological disasters appearing to be the main story while a subplot may or may not involve the murder of one of the Titans members.
Structurally, Taylor's script for this debut works because the ensemble is filled with characters most readers have known for years. Titans readers should know the stakes of the story at hand and the character arcs, allowing Taylor and Scott to use most of the paper to explore story ideas rather than character work. Still, it's missing the spark found in Taylor and Bruno Redondo's Nightwing series, with Titans #1 feeling hollow and incomplete at times. It's a solid start with one of DC's more beloved groups, it just feels like a lot was left in the bullpen.
Published by DC Comics
On May 16, 2023
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Nicola Scott
Colors by Aneette Kwok
Letters by Wes Abott
Cover by Scott & Kwok