Titans # 11

I heard this crossover was bad and wanted to see what the big deal was.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Deathstroke has decided to bring back his first kid--Grant--after years of him being dead. I did a little digging to find out why now and apparently he messed up big with his other kids. That involves Slade sleeping with his second son's girlfriend, fighting with Joseph after she's killed on their wedding day (Slade didn't apparently kill her), and letting Joseph wail on him until the point he unintentionally hurts Rose. Now Slade wants to undo his mistakes and get Grant back.

The Titans encounter fake H.I.V.E. members that deliver an ominous message and Wally is taken during this encounter. Slade wants to use the speedforce to time travel. Simple enough plan but here's what makes the execution weird for me. Some of its little details like one of the fake H.I.V.E. members screaming not to let the woman in black harm him anymore. I had to actually stop reading for a moment and wonder who he meant. Donna has little to no presences in this and we never see her do anything to warrant that kind of fear. When he screams this NIGHTWING has him pressed against the wall. As a result I wondered if the guy confused Dick for a woman.

Only Slade, Dick, Wally and to a lesser extent Lilith actually affect the plot thus far. And I'm not even convinced Dick and Lilith's plot thread matters in the greater scheme of things. Slade hired guys to fight the Titans so he could kidnap Wally when their distracted and tells Dick the deal was off. Lilith senses Dick is keeping things from them. He lies but she realizes this.

I'll bring this up in more detail in other reviews but I'm not sure why he doesn't come clean about it. With the deal being off you'd think Dick wouldn't feel obligated to keep quiet anymore. Since Wally was taken any information could be vital. As leader it's his job to be as honest as he can be with his team lest they start distrusting him.

Some of the dialogue is cheesy or just odd. Wintergreen pops up early on to tell Slade that he's not blind anymore. I'm guessing they only worked on one eye but the one that's covered in bandages is the one that's supposed to be missing. I found Wintergreen's explanation to be unnatural when saying Rose is Slade's daughter and Joseph to be his son. He says this to Slade as he's explaining their conditions like he's not sure Slade knows who they are. Then adds:

Wintergreen: Your surviving son, I mean. Grant is still dead.

Who talks like that? I know Slade was saying Grant's name in his sleep but he has no reason to phrase it like that. Slade doesn't act confused and he previously stated the son to be Joseph.

Much like that scene I have no idea why Slade has Wally tell him things he already knows under a truth serum. Sure he gets some confirmations but it reads pretty corny especially with Wally saying it like he's reading a summary for his comic. I do like how earnest Wally is about wishing he could save Grant though this line will make you groan:

Wally West (Flash): Something went wrong...his heart couldn't take it.

This line might not seem bad now but knowing what's to come? It will be groan worthy later on once you've read the whole thing.

Garth makes suggestions for where Wally could be which earns him annoyed reactions from his teammates. Not really sure why since he seems to be making valid suggestions since no except Dick seems to know what's going on. Dick could clear this confusion up but he doesn't.

Wally makes a speech to stop Slade from using him to go back in time. It sounds like editorial telling fans that they can't have the stuff they loved with Wally again. I'm not a big Flash fan in general although I like the characters well enough, this just sounds pretty meta. Anyway Slade tries to make a deal, Wally declines and Slade reveals he has the other Wally.

This didn't bore me I just didn't like the way some of this is written. There's some good ideas but a lot doesn't make sense. It might be okay if you don't focus on the flaws or know where this leads. This issue doesn't however deserve the perfect score it currently has on DC's digital comics site.



Questions Raised?: How did Slade capture Wally within a few moments when they have a telepathic with them?

What's the deal with this Pizza Fish stuff in the art?