Superboy vs The Elite - Teen Titan #9

Rogue Targets, Part 1

Teen Titans #9

Cover Date: August 2015

Released: 24th June 2015

⋅ Writers: Will Pfeifer ⋅ 

⋅ Pencilers / Inker: Kenneth Rocafort ⋅ 

⋅ Colourists: Daniel Brown ⋅ 

⋅ Letterers: John J. Hill ⋅

⋅ Editors: Eddie Berganza / Mike Cotton / Paul Kaminski ⋅

Continued from Teen Titans Annual #1.

Our Titans, after the events of the Annual, are "hiding" out in Chicago. Superboy is flying around whilst Ruth and Robin discuss about Conner's state of mind and give us a quick and dirty rundown of what happened. 

Meanwhile BUnker, Raven, and Beast Boy are wandering the streets, trying to be incognito which lasts about five minutes before Raven, of all people get spotted as a member of the Titans. It probably doesn't helpGar is chatting away, even if he's disgusted (to start) as a parrot. This is also where we're reminded of Raven's connection with that band, which isn't bought up again as we get into the plot.

We get a quick cut to STAR Labs, to remind us that Manchester Black still exists and is obviously a bad guy, just a quick page of him being a smart ass about the Titans eventually screwing up!

And wouldn't you know it with the crowd around the Titans knock a woman onto the tracks with a train bearing down. Now it's not to say that we're in Chicago, because unlike New York Chicago has its tracks above ground! (Sam Rami lied to us!) All-out Titans do their best t try and save the woman, but it's Conner that comes in and stops the train. This goes badly when a cop decides to pull a gun on Superboy and call it in, helpfully letting STAR Labs know where he's been hiding out.

We then get a page of Cassie and Tanya sparing, you remember the reason we're here, and whilst sparing they not only give a quick run down on Tanya's origins but also how she's bearing up with all the weirdness that's been going on! It's really the first time that we've had the two characters interact with each other in any manner. (For what it's worth it also passes the Bechdel test). It's a shame that we don't get their feelings on them leaving the Titans or the Elite themselves or even a feeling on the obvious (for us) sketchiness of Manchester Black.

We have a few pages of the two groups trying to either avoid or find the other before we have the two teams meet up. With a full splash page of Cassie busting through the door demanding that the Titans hand over Superboy.

There's a lot of good crunchy character stuff here, the stuff I generally enjoy, but the whole issue just seems to be a little hollow. I think the issue here is that we think that Conner is innocent so half of the team we followed is not only in the wrong they don't seem to be questioning the reasons for anything going down here. And apart from Cassie, Tanya, and Kid Flash (who didn't do enough for a mention) none of the other Elite have much of a personality so we don't have a feeling of just why any of them is here.

Still, it's the first issue of a new run, hopefully, things will get more fleshed out in the next few issues...