One Brief, Shining Moment, part 2
Teen Titans #8
Cover Date: May 2015
Released: 18th March 2015
I hesitate to use the term filler, all the subplots are being moved along nicely, but nothing major happens in the comic. If I was going to borrow a term from television it feels like a breather episode, where the show gives a light episode between two major plots. And having peeked ahead a little I can confirm that we're moving into a new plot.
And just how the cover show thing, Tanya really isn't a major player in a story of subplots, right now her story revolves around the shadowy plotting of STAR Labs and Manchester Black.
We open with the Teen Titans enjoying the adulation of having saved the city from the Eraser last issue, all the while Red Robin is being seriously mistrusting of Manchester Black, worrying about what worse toys that were mentioned. Everyone else seems to just be enjoying the moment, and in a "subtle" moment we close on someone being beaten up on the edge of the crowd, ignored by the Titans on high who can't see the problems right in front of them. Then we get a quick reminder that STAR Labs knows about the escaped villains we saw at the end of the last issue.
Then in the Beast Boy story, we have the shapeshifter appearing on a knock off Saturday Night live, with Bunker being here to be the supporting best friend. When someone from the crowd goes to attack, in their best hipster get up, Gar springs into action restraining the assailant in a snake form. We cut between this and the other stories, long story short the whole thing was set up by the show's producers to provide a buzz about the appearance.
In a piece of symmetry, Raven is hanging out with the band when some trouble makers in the audience start to rush the stage. It's not clear if it's the music doing it or just people in the crowd causing trouble (pay for or not), but it's enough that Raven uses her vaguely defined empathy powers to shut them all down and save the concert from ruin.
Cassie stops a burglar from being beaten up by some of the gang inspired by her, only to end up giving him a (minor) beatdown of her own. She then realises that the guy has been filming the whole thing, Cassie then finds out that it's being streamed now. Tanya's only line in the comic is to tell and show, her that the whole thing is going out live.
Indeed the three stories seemed to be linked together by things happening and appearing on social media, Raven's is more subtle what with a single panel of them watching Beast Boy's heroic moment, but the other revolves about how the event will appear online. Or I assume as neither of the stories has the counter downfall when the truth is outed. It's also a thematic link to the final panel of the issue.
We end with Manchester Black talking to Red Robin about those events whilst Tim does his best Batman moment investigating the STAR Labs. It plays up how Tim really doesn't truth what there seeing so far, whilst Manchester Black teases him apparently know more about everything than he lets on. Talking of we end with the big reveal of the issue, worth a full-page splash and everything, of footage of Superboy taking on a cell with Manchester Black telling Tim that he's apparently killed a lot of people!
Nothing happens, yet lots of things move forward, and it's a well-told tale which I'm interested to see how the story moves on. But that will have to wait until we come back to the story in the Fall...
⋅ Writer: Will Pfeifer ⋅ Penciler / Inker: Kenneth Rocafort ⋅
⋅ Colourist: Blond ⋅ Letterer: John J Hill ⋅
⋅ Editors: Rickey Purdin, Mike Cotton & Eddie Berganza ⋅
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