Teen Titans Annual #1

The previous part of Lazarus Contact was bad enough for Flash and Damian fans. Can it get worse? Yep. Can it make sense? That ship already sailed so not really.

SPOILERS AHEAD


To Priest's credit he continues to make Grant more sympathetic in his flashbacks. The people that hit him with their car work for H.I.V.E. and want to lure him in to get Slade to finally work for them. I have no idea how Slade managed to keep it a secret from his son but Grant doesn't know. He's a complete pawn in all of this. I think these guys Grant is with are supposed to be cute but their kinda annoying because they seem to be trying too hard. They dupe him into becoming their super solider. Since they've been together for nearly a year I guess Grant lived with them ever since he ran away?

Slade stops Grant in the middle of his TT fight and Grant goes all fanboy. H.I.V.E. showed him Deathstroke in action but his happiness dies when he realizes his hero is actually his awful father. Needless to say he's not eager to listen to his dad and Slade easily knocks him out or kills him. Since this is his third attempt he probably killed him otherwise he could just take him to a hospital.

Both groups of Titans in the present summarize what happened. Garth decides to join team jackass with Damian by pointlessly making NuWally feel worse about his mistake. Gar mentions the Justice Legue, this idea is shook off so I question why it was brought up. Besides propping Slade up I mean and shouldn't the JL be on alert anyway since they heard both Wallys disappeared?

Damian decides to further prove what a crappy leader he is lest we forget. He orders NuWally to stay behind on the weak excuse that their ship can't carry the extra weight. Despite people protesting the ship still takes off.

Raven: You're leaving Wally?! Is this what we're doing now? Being cruel?

...Have you been paying attention for the last couple issues Raven? That's all Damian has done. Dick decides to just keep going while Gar snaps that Dick can't admit he's in over his head. Jackson was also left behind because Damian is such a horrible leader he forgot Aqualad existed. Well I guess everyone else did too.

The rest of the Titans apparently decide to finish their conversation once they arrive. Donna seems confident their mission will be complete by the time they call for help.

Nightwing: Leaving Kid Flash behind showed poor leadership, Robin. We Stick together.

You think?! Were you daydreaming like Raven apparently was too? Damian hasn't done any good leadership in this entire crossover! And this only occurs to Dick to say AFTER they landed? Nice to see no one noticed Aqualad isn't there either. WTF?! He quickly changes the subject to what their supposed to do. Joey introduces himself to the team.

The new members Damian didn't care about go to a gas station where NuWally calls Barry and asks for help. Joey is the only one to bother to ask if time traveling is such a great idea. But Slade is doing it so why not. Dick warns everyone that even a small change could be disastrous. Guess who will screw this up. Well technically they all do since Dick also warns not to contact their past selves and immediately they end up in front of their past selves.

Slow clap. Really they all deserve it.

Apparently the original TT were morons since none of them recognize themselves. Then Damian decides to stop Past Wally's heart to make Slade come to him. Future Wally starts to disappear from the timeline.

NuWally continues being dumb by trusting a stranger and Jackson decides to do it to. They only think to question how Wintergreen knows their names when their in his car. He explains Slade won't except blame and has no idea how to show he loves his children. I like the interplay between Wintergreen and NuWally I'm just not sure how or why Wintergreen is there. Kid Flash gets his powers back and ditches Aqualad. All of them are asses.

Grant tells his dad that he can't change the past just as Slade is cut off from the Speed Force and dies. In the past Nightwing has to restrain Damian as his past self brings younger Wally back. For some unknown reason NuWally gets his powers back. Instead of being stranded in the past the future Titans get pushed out of it into the present.

Somehow Slade tapped into the Speed Force to retain power. Just because. Joey tries to stop his dad from trying again and is ignored. Wally gets brought back and everyone happily accepts the fact Deathstroke is stuck in the Speed Force. I honestly said "oh fuck you" out loud when Damian smugly says they should thank him. I just got so pissed because Damian has no idea what he's doing. NuWally isn't happy though. He goes after Slade and Wally wants to save him. The everyone besides Damian decide to help. Joey is somehow back too.

Arguing with fate? What fate, it happened when they were messing with "fate" by time traveling. Damian complains more, Jackson finally shows up to get more crap. Raven starts to freak out over Wally's emotionally state. Jackson can't calm her down since he is still a stranger to her. He has to repeatedly demand Damian comfort her to get him to do it. Even after Damian admitted everyone would die if Raven wasn't calmed down he still needed to be coaxed into doing his job.

Everyone gets brought back, Slade is furious but decides to quit. NuWally actually stands his ground to defend his actions to save Slade. He says that Damian isn't always right and he can't control them. Damian fires him from the TT. Other Wally learns history has changed for him again as Damian's actions led to him having a pacemaker since his Kid Flash days.

I'm more than a little confused.

How does the Wally heart stopping plan work? Slade got his power from NuWally since he stole all of his speed. How would that work and how would Damian know it would work? Damian doesn't think out his plan and as a result screwed up the timeline and Wally's life because he was too lazy to search for Slade! Time wasn't endangered at that point so it wasn't an urgent matter! Slade couldn't even figure out how to save his son yet. Damian has to know he's damaging time otherwise his "plan" doesn't work. Things would just go back to normal unless there's a change within Wally and NuWally.

Why would Wally be wearing a Flash costume if they changed time and using his powers could kill him? How did this whole event not get altered since Wally shouldn't have been captured or gotten anyone out of the Speed Force?

I don't understand why the Justice League was brought up so much. It might lead to something in Titans or TT but in the event it's self it never amounts to anything. They apparently told the JL that the Wallys were missing. The League never followed up but are busy (or at least Barry is) when they are called?

This event was a mess as the Lazarus Contract it's self is a non-factor to the plot. The story telling has confusing bits like the mentioned torture. How Slade got speed powers. How the time travel worked. A lot of things really. Wouldn't the past Titans remember their future selves? Wouldn't Dick know Damian as the kid that almost killed his best friend? Why does no one make a bigger deal about this? This should have remained a Deathstroke event and kept the Titans/TT out of it.



Questions Raised?: Why did H.I.V.E. want Grant to die if they wanted to lure in Deathstroke to work for them? I thought Grant dying was an accident?

Why does stopping past Wally's heart affect NuWally?

Didn't everyone trust Joey awfully fast ? I know Wally remembers Joey but still.



Say What?: One of the H.I.V.E. guys says Grant will have serious abs but he already looks fit.

Sign his mask? Oh Grant is adorable.

Once again Gar is reduced in age to the point Roy calls him a kid. I never liked them de-aging Raven and him.

I know Damian was just being an ass but this just felt like the most petty excuse he could find. Weight limit is a ridiculous "reason" when Gar can literally change into a fly.

I really dislike how it's explained that Joey is Grant 's brother which means he's Slade's son. It very stilted.

Aqualad is wearing a wet suit made for Damian? How can he stretch it out that much?!

They found a pay phone? Why doesn't NuWally have a cellphone or comlink?

Raven can control time now?