NML Crossing, Episode 040 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #82 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Forty

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #82 (February, 1999)
“Wax Man and the Clown, Part 3”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Robert Campanella
Colors - Pam Rambo & Digital Chameleon
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

With meds, food, and supplies completely depleted, Jeremiah Arkham needs to make a decision that brings with it some horrible consequences.  Does he let all of the inmates starve to death... or, does he give them their freedom -- releasing them into the new-look Gotham City?  Judging by Jerry's recent decision-making process, the answer ought to be clear!

Alan Grant and Mark Buckingham's time on Shadow ends in pretty spectacular fashion!

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NML Crossing, Episode 039 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #81 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Thirty-Nine

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #81 (January, 1999)
“Wax Man and the Clown, Part 2”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Robert Campanella
Colors - Pam Rambo & Digital Chameleon
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Morituri Te Jokeramus!

With supplies and medications nearly depleted, Jeremiah Arkham is easily convinced that all his answers lay in.... gladiatorial combat?!  That's right, Joker's able to convince Jerry that it'd be in the best interests of the Asylum to have two of the biggest and baddest residents fight... to the death!  What could possibly go wrong?

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NML Crossing, Episode 038 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Thirty-Eight

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80 (December, 1998)
“Wax Man and the Clown, Part One”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Robert Campanella
Colors - Pam Rambo & Digital Chameleon
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $3.95 (flip-book)

It's another one of those "good news, bad news" situations on the Road to No Man's Land. The good news is, we're back to Shadow of the Bat... the bad news is, this is Alan Grant's swan song arc! This time out, we check in on our favorite Arkham, Jeremiah, as he deals with the fallout of the verybadthing that happened at 7:03, and the fact that, ever since, he's been unable to get any supplies or meds for his Asylum full'a lunatics! As of this issue, he's t-minus one week away from being out of everything! What's a man to do? Perhaps turn to... the Joker for help?!

A great issue to kick off the arc, plus (by popular demand) a replaying of my "Idiot's Guide to Comic Book Podcasting" from way back in 2021! It's a long one... but, I give ya ample warning as to where you can safely hit "stop" on your listening device!

NML Crossing, Episode 029 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #79 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Nine

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #79 (October, 1998)
“The Blank Generation, Part Two: A Favorable Wind”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Wrapping up our two-parter with a bang... well, a boom.  The supervillain team-up didn't go as smoothly as the Mad Hatter would've hoped... but, hope itself now (briefly) reigns among Bruce Wayne's Junior-Entrepreneur Club!

But all 'at is just preamble to the return of the raucous NMaiLbag!

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NML Crossing, Episode 028 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #78 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Eight

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #78 (September, 1998)
“The Blank Generation, Part 1: Corporate Nightmares”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Today our "dark horse" Bat-Book delivers what might just be one of the tentpole issues of the entire NML run.  What can Gotham City do when all of the non-Wayne-owned companies and industries threaten to bail?  Thankfully, the people... those who'll stay... have some ideas, but will it (can it) be enough?!

We also get a peek at an upcoming (super?) villain team-up!

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NML Crossing, Episode 025 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #77 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Five

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #77 (August, 1998)
“Arwin’s Theory of Devolution”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

Luck is for losers... but, luck'll beat skill any day!

In today's episode we're checking in with a Professor called Arwin, who no longer believes in Darwin... and is looking to prove his own theory using the Caped Crusader as his test subject!  Lots of interesting food for thought... and, as has become a trend... plenty of callbacks to bits 'n bobs from that New York Magazine article!

Plus: The return of the NMaiLbag, featuring a discussion of comic book annuals, that is as fun as it is frustrating!

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NML Crossing, Episode 022 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #76 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Two

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #76 (June, 1998)
“Aftershock: The Gauntlet”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

Keeping up with the Aftershock theme thus far, this issue is another search-and-rescue... with a slight (and sobering) tweak on the formula.  What happens when a group of trapped partygoers run out of food?

Plus: A look at the first slew of Cataclysm ratings in Wizard Magazine, and a trip into Flashback Land for a peek Bat-adjacent USENET chatter circa early 1998!

All that plus a dip into the NMaiLbag!

NML Crossing on Youtube

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NML Crossing, Episode 019 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #75 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Nineteen

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #75 (June, 1998)
“Aftershock, 1: By Fire… or By Ice?"
"A Long Slow Death"
Script - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham & Norm Breyfogle
Inks - Wayne Faucher & Mark Buckingham
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $2.95

Kicking off the Aftermath Era, with an extra-sized issue of SotB!  We've got a pair of baddies to TAKE down... and a man who's lost it all to TALK down.  Lotta interesting chatter to be had today!

Also: Chatting up the Alan Grant letters pages! 

Plus: Yet another extra-stuffed NMaiLbag! 

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NML Crossing, Episode 010 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #74 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Ten

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #74 (May, 1998)
“Cataclysm, Part Nine: The Naked City”
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

As Gotham City continues to crumble, Batman realizes that times of crisis sometimes call for strange bedfellows to come together.  Also: Meet the... err... Quakemaster?!

Plus - Some "fun" Bat-chat outta Wizard Magazine, and your comments!

https://chrisisoninfiniteearths.com

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NML Crossing, Episode 002 - Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Two

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73 (April, 1998)
"Cataclysm, Part One: Castles Built on Sand"
Writer - Alan Grant
Pencils - Mark Buckingham
Inks - Wayne Faucher
Colors - Pam Rambo & Android Images
Letters - Bill Oakley
Edits - Jordan Gorfinkel & Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

At 7:03pm, Gotham City was rocked by a 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake... let's talk about it!

Today we're looking at the opening chapter of Cataclysm, in a Bat-Book I didn't even realize was still a thing in 1998!

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NML Crossing, Episode 001 - Detective Comics #719 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode One

Detective Comics #719 (March, 1998)
“Cataclysm, Prelude: Sound and Fury”
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Pencils - Jim Aparo, Flint Henry, Mark Buckingham
Inks - Bob McLeod
Colors - Gloria Vasquez & Android Images
Letters - John Costanza
Edits - Darren Vincenzo, Scott Peterson
Cover Price: $1.95

Welcome to a New Year... and a new project!  We're kicking off the Road to No Man's Land, with designs on covering every single chapter of the Batman Crossovent from Cataclysm to Endgame!

Today's issue is a fun one, taking us back to those post-Zero Hour "Batman-as-Urban-Legend" days for a somewhat ephemeral romp, before hopping into an ominous pre-cataclysmic epilogue!

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ACW Extra - Legend of the Green Flame, Chapter 1 (of 4)

Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, Part One
"Prologue: 1949"
"Chapter One: 1989"
Writer - Neil Gaiman
Pencils - Eddie Campbell, Mike Allred & Mark Buckingham
Inks - Terry Austin
Letters - Todd Klein
Colors - Matt Hollingsworth
Assistant Editor - Frank Berrios
Group Editor - Bob Schreck
Executive Editor - Mike Carlin

No time to bask in the celebratory glory of a job (well?) done.  Even though there is no more Action Comics Weekly to look at... that doesn't mean our time together, or this project is over with!

Today, as promised, we're stepping through the looking glass into a reality where Neil Gaiman's original script for Action Comics Weekly #642 actually saw print back in ye old 1989.  We'll be talking about the how's and why's as we go... but, for this pre-ramble portion, I just wanted to humbly and sincerely thank everyone for their support over this past 10-11 month long journey we've taken together.  It hasn't always been easy... Lord knows with some of the content we had to trudge through, but I am pleased and proud to say, we've made it!

As with any "milestone" posting, I almost expect confetti and fireworks to rain down and the dancing girls to cha-cha through my kitchen once I hit the "Publish" button... but, as always... it was a bit more low-key than that.  Just a deep breath... a tear in the eye... and preparing for what's next.

Speaking of which, let's get right to it!  The REAL Action Comics Weekly #642!

--

Prologue: 1949 opens in... well, 1949... Berlin.  Janos Prohaska and our main man, Weng Chan venture down a flight of stairs.  At the bottom, they discover a bunch of Justice Society paraphernalia... including Wesley Dodd's Sandman costume.  As they keep sifting through the wreckage, they happen across some feathers... and a certain old Lantern.

Chop-chop experiences something not unlike deja vu... he feels like he should recognize the Lantern... but, for whatever reason, he can't.  Jan razzes him a bit before they head back up the stairs... passing by an hourglass as they go.

We shift into the "present"... which is to say, 1989... I guess, and we're at The Daily Planet.  Hal Jordan pays a visit to Clark Kent, who he will refer to as "Big Fella" like a dozen times throughout this issue.  So, here's the thing... in this version of 1989, Hal Jordan knows that Superman and Clark Kent are one and the same... which is why this story didn't see print until 2000!  We'll talk more about that in the "down below".  Anyhoo, Hal's just seeing if Clark's got any plans that evening... and besides "the usual" (ya know, patrols and such), he's free.  They decide to grill some burgers and just hang out.  Before the ink dries on their hang-out contract, however, Lois Lane pops in... and she wants a favor!

Ya see, she's supposed to go to a Museum Preview that evening for a Lifestyle Feature... but, she's otherwise engaged.  If Clark could do this little thing for her, she would be most appreciative.  Lucky for our heroes, the invitation to this event is for two!  Hal looks to Clark, and is all "sounds good to me, Big Fella", and so... Clark agrees to the fill-in gig.

As they leave the Planet, Clark... get this... apologizes for how their last conversation went.  Ya know, that scene from Action Comics Weekly #606 that I've referred to a whole bunch of times lately?  Ya know... this one:

So yeah, ya see Gaiman did the research and read through ACW!  Too bad Editorial changed their minds about the continuity without letting him know!  Clark feels bad about how that all went down... and Hal gets it, he knows everyone has their bad days.  Heck, he might know better than anybody.  Clark asks how Arisia is doing... and learns that Hal and her had split by this point.

They cut through the Park on their way toward the Museum... and continue with the small-talk.  Clark asks how Ollie's doing... because the two of them never really gelled that well.  Hal says he misses the guy, but is willing to take a step-back as to not ruin the good thing he's got going with the "Bird Lady", which is to say, another ACW Alum, Black Canary.

They stop and chat a bit more... Hal appears to be having a bit of an existential crisis.  He goes down his laundry list of loss... the Guardians are gone, the Corps is basically done-for, his love-life sucks... Mogo won't return his calls, ya know, the usual.  Clark hates to interrupt, but he does... because, get this: they're in the process of getting mugged!

This doesn't work out so well for the would-be muggers.

We finally arrive at the Museum, where our heroes join the media tour.  Among the group is a certain Selina, who was hoping to get a peek at the Catkin Pearl.  Heyyy, it's another ACW Alum in Catwoman!  Gaiman did a great job getting as many Action Comics Weekly characters a bit of panel-time (or at least a mention) here!

Clark and Hal break away from the tour group, and sneak down a little hallway to, I dunno, continue their chat from before perhaps?  Whatever the case, they stroll down an aisle of the joint that kind of looks like it's comprised of flea market display cases.  In one of those cases is... a certain Lantern that was recovered in Berlin in 1949.  Hmm...

Hal stops in his tracks to get a better look at the thing.  Clark even engages his x-ray vision to scan the Lantern... and it appears to give him rather a headache!  Hal finds this curious... and even wonders aloud if this might have anything to do with Alan Scott.  He continues along that line of thought, and wonders how it managed to survive the Main Power Battery going boom.

Hal wills up a "mental block" to stop the other Museum patrons from venturing down that particular hallway.  Didn't know he could "will up" such a thing, but who am I to argue with Neil Gaiman?  He gets into costume and decides to... recite his Oath, and attempt to charge his ring via this found-Lantern!

Then, everything goes a bit ca-ca...

--

Pretty good stuff here, right?  I mean, it's Neil Gaiman, and I don't think I'm even allowed to criticize it even if I wanted to, am I?  I'll have to check with the rest of the community, I guess.  I kid, I kid... this is already so much better than the (for all intents and purposes) fill-in story we got instead back in 1989.

So you might be asking, what's the deal with this one?  Why is it a thing... and why wasn't it a thing back in the long ago?  Well... I've tiptoed around that scene in ACW #606.  Heck, feels like I've posted that scene like a half-dozen times over the past couple weeks.  Ya see, when Gaiman was approached with writing the final weekly issue of Action Comics, he did what all great writers ought to do when writing serialized fiction: he familiarized himself with what came before.

From his Introduction piece in this very Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, he writes: "I even prided myself on using plot threads from ACTION COMICS WEEKLY - like the one where Green Lantern - who was then the Man Without Fear, Hal Jordan - undergoing an emotional crisis, telephones his oldest friends, and none of them want to speak with him - not even Superman, whom he phones at work at the Daily Planet."

All well and good, right?  Here's a fella who did his due-diligence... something I wish more writers would actually do, especially today.  What could possibly go wrong, right?

Well, that's the question, ain't it?  From Neil's Intro: "There had been a continuity miscommunication discovered regarding DC's earlier reboot of Superman, in the week between my writing the story and its arriving on [Superman Editor] Mike Carlin's desk.  The change-winds had blown, and the nature of reality had shifted."

Okay... so, what's the problem?

Well...

"It had been decided that too many people knew Superman's secret identity.  It wasn't special anymore.  So from now on, the only people who would know it would be Mr. and Mrs. Kent and Pete Ross, and maybe Mr. Mxyzptlk.  Nobody else.  Certainly not Green Lantern."

Neil was offered the opportunity to rewrite his story... but, let's be honest, by this point in time Gaiman was already ignoring his Miracleman scripting duties... there's no way he's going to rewrite something for Action Comics Weekly.

Now, the most surreal part of this is... just the fact that a Neil Gaiman superhero script was ever rejected... and for all things, continuity issues!  This was most definitely a pre-Sandman world.

So, where do I stand on all this?  Well, I'm of two minds.  First, Editorial never should have been in such a state of disarray that the original scene in ACW #606 ever took place at all!  They really should have had a firmer grasp on the new-look Superman... his trappings, and most importantly (at this juncture) who knew the secret!

On the other hand, I'll give it to DC for holding firm (once they figured out what it was they'd be "holding firm" to).  It would have been easy to waver, and just run the story... not that any of the readers would have noticed anything "wrong" with it.  Had this happened today, I'm sure the story would have run... and any fan who might've raised issue with it would've been mocked.  I think that's what editors "these days" do, right?  It sure isn't curating continuity!

But I digress.

Tomorrow we'll talk more about the actual story... but for today, I just wanted to set the table with they why's and how's of the situation.  All I'll say for now is: So far, so good... Big Fella.

Tomorrow: To Hell Wit' Em... and, ugh... the Phantom Stranger

Titans #16 (2000)

Titans #16 (June, 2000)
"Survival, 2 of 2: Limbo"
Writer - Devin Grayson
Penciller - Mark Buckingham
Inkers - Marlo Alquiza & Richard Bonk
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Separations - Heroic Age
Lettering - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

I ever tell ya this place was originally going to be a Titans blog?  Prob'ly...

Anyhoo, today we wrap up the two-part Survival "epic" from 2000 (Part 1 is right here).  I'll go ahead and toss it up on the Collected Editions page in a bit.

--

We open with a young Dick Grayson sitting out Haley's Circus with his elephant pal Zitka.  He heads into the park proper and chats up his parents... and they have a bit of a quarrel about his "playing Gotham", and suggest perhaps "playing Metropolis" was more a more worthy game.

We then shift scenes to Paradise Island where Wonder Girl is diving from a waterfall.  A friend asks about the whereabouts of Diana... to which Donna suggests she's on "Man's World".  Hey, waitasec... wasn't Donna herself just there as well?

Next stop, Atlantis... where a young Garth is being comforted by his mother.  I guess the Atlantean kids were making fun of his purple eyes... which I suppose was probably a thing that happened.  Garth feels like something just ain't right.

Elsewhere, a young Wally West gets beaten up by his post-Crisis (and, perhaps... a Manhunter) father Rudy.

Finally, we meet up with Roy... who swings over to his Park Ranger father while in full American Indian garb (plus blue jeans).  Things might begin to get a bit meta here... Roy asks about his mother, to which his father mentions that he doesn't have any particulars to share about her... she's was just "never referred to", and was never meant to play into Roy's story.  Weird.

At this point, grown-up Roy walks into the scene... and it's revealed that his "father" is actually... the Gargoyle!  That reaction you just felt was probably either yawning... or fighting off a yawn.  Don't hold it in, it ain't good for ya.

Young Roy then (somehow) convinces his father/Gargoyle to escort him to Haley's Circus... where he meets young Dick Grayson... and where it's confirmed that they still have memories of their real lives.

Then... Wally, Garth and Donna also enter the tent (Donna escorted in by John Grayson)!  They're still a bit salty toward one another, but come to realize that their anger is both (in part) caused by and strengthening the Gargoyle.

John Grayson is then revealed to be... the Gargoyle!  He reveals that the kidlets are in Limbo, and explains that he was able to return to taunt them due to the recent "crisis in hell", which we've already discussed here at the blog during Day of Judgment.  Worth noting that this fella had been locked away since Teen Titans #14 (March, 1968)... and is actually a transformed version of Brom Stikk... ya know, Mister Twister!

The Titans tussle with the Gargoyle for a while, but it's plainly clear that they can't do much to hurt the baddie in Limbo.  Robin hurls a 'rang at him... which, actually looks to do the trick.  Well, actually... it's pretty obvious that it is a trick.  Gargoyle just wants the Titans to keep up with the in-fighting.

And so, the Titans begin to walk... through all of the bits of scenery we opened with... barring Atlantis of course, that would just be madness.  During this walk, the Titans make nice... and actually decide to push their baggage aside and listen to what each other is saying.  It'd be touching... if it weren't so contrived.

Then... then... Roy starts getting confrontational again.  The rest of the Titans haven't the foggiest idea what he's on about.  It gets so heated that he actually punches Robin in the jaw... which, uh... somehow wakes them all up in the present?

Okay... it's flimsy, but we'll let Dick explain.  He claims that the Gargoyle was trying to "stagnation"... which is to say, doing things the same way.  Roy's punch was "novel" and therefore made them "unstuck" in Limbo.  I... guess?

We wrap up with the T-Jet being thawed out... and the Titans heading home.  While in the air, Roy admits that his "saving the day" was purely accidental.  Wonk wonk.

--

There was that saying that went around the internet awhile back... hell, you still see it from time to time.  What was it... "You never go full..." something or another.  Ah, it must've been... "You never go full Twilight Zone"!

The second part of Survival goes full Twilight Zone... and, for the most part... it's a bore.  Anytime we take a team and toss 'em in Limbo... or put them in their most "perfect world" or make them face their "worst fears", I kinda check out.  It's overused... overdone... and, really not a whole lotta fun (rhyme!).

I'll admit... the way Roy busts'em out of Limbo was cute... and definitely a "zag", when I was expecting a "zig"... but, that doesn't really make up for the rest of the book.  I get the feeling that maybe Grayson thought of the (admittedly clever) ending first... and wrote backwards?

I'll give a bit more credit where it's due... Grayson really did some digging here.  The Gargoyle/Mister Twister isn't a villain we hear about all that much.  I'd go as far as to suggest many current-day Titans comics fans only know about him from the semi-recent Titans Hunt limited series.  And this was 2000... before Showcase Presents "phonebooks" and digital distribution made these stories easily and affordably accessible... so, there was definitely a little bit of homework done.  The idea that she might've had some "help" does nag at me a bit... but for now, we'll just play it straight.

For the cliffhanger last issue... the Gargoyle doesn't even appear as much of a threat (also, how did Dick get out of the caved-in cave?).  I really wish they'd have just played this one straight.  Could've been a Titans Classic!  We do at least get a bit of closure on Wally and Donna's drama... which was handled pretty well, if not wiped away a hair too conveniently.

The art here, while still nice... wasn't as nice as last issue.  I did notice there was an extra inker listed on this one... which might've had something to do with it.  Worth mentioning... ya know how sometimes we bag on artists for only having a handful of go-to "faces" in their arsenal?  Gotta say... Mary Grayson just looked like a taller version of Wonder Girl here... and, ya know... vice versa.

Overall... Survival started out exceeding all expectations.  Great interpersonal drama... fun conflict... rising tension... and then, freaking Limbo.  If Twilight Zone riffs are your thing, you might dig this.

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

854

Titans #15 (2000)

Titans #15 (May, 2000)
"Survival"
Writer - Devin Grayson
Penciller - Mark Buckingham
Inker - Marlo Alquiza
Color - Gregory Wright
Separations - Heroic Age
Lettering - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

I ever tell ya that this blog was originally going to be all-Titans, all the time?  I probably have... but I beg your indulgence, cuz I'm gonna say it one more time (today... I'm sure I'll repeat this eventually down the line).

Way back when we first started this... my first post was a look at Tales of the Teen Titans #55.  One of my favorite single issues of all time.  I figured, from there I'd just use my Showcase Presents: Teen Titans "phone book" and maybe do an issue a week.

Well, that's not exactly how it worked out is it?  Maybe it's like when you change something like a half-degree... and it doesn't look like it's that far off the mark until it's hundreds of miles away.  I dunno.

Anyhoo.  I took a look at my index... and, found it actually quite humorous that there's so little Titans material covered here!  So, I'm gonna try a little harder to rectify that.

--

As we open, we come to find that things aren't so sweet with the recently-re-formed Titans.  The Honeymoon is most definitely over, and all of their idiosyncrasies are no longer looked as as cute.  When Donna suggested the founders maybe "get away" for a little bit and try to find themselves, the newbies felt that was a capital idea... and from the looks of it, even volunteered to help them pack for the trip!

And so, the founding five (or four-plus-Speedy) have gone off for a Titans retreat on a deserted island.  This isn't the first time we've seen a little Titans camp-out... and it won't be the last.  Donna plays "den mother" and tries to keep the peace among the gang... but it's to no avail.  She stomps off to unload the T-Jet, leaving the boys to bicker among themselves.

The razzing grows more and more personal until Donna just can't take it anymore.  She hurls their baggage... their literal baggage, that is... into their campfire.  Ay yai yai.  It's probably worth noting that Donna's not exactly herself around this time... ya see, there was this Dark Angel... and Donna lost her memory... and everything Donna knows about herself is based on Wally West's memories of her.  It's a whole "thing".

Just then... it starts to rain.  Ain't that always the way?  Then, as we know... rain can only do two things to a situation 1) make it romantic... or, 2) make it a whole lot worse.  Well... let's explore that second thread first.  The fellas continue to squabble, with Roy going to stomp away into the woods/jungle/place on the island covered with trees.  Dick lambastes him for "walking away", and Aqualad calls him (Roy, that is) a junkie and... a racist.  Well, Roy ain't havin' none'a that.  He reminds the gang (and us) that he was raised by the Navajo, which rules out any sort of "-ist" allegations.  I'm not sure that's how it works, but his heart's in the right place.  Then Garth doubles-down with the junkie talk.  Feels like we might be reaching a point-of-no-return, don't it?

As Roy disappears into the trees, Dick spills the beans that Roy and Donna are currently knockin' boots.  Speaking of which, we next join Roy and Donna... who look to be getting ready to... knock boots.

While Dick, Wally and Garth try and build a quickie shelter... and argue some more... we shift back over to Titans Tower, where Vic and Kori are trying to get some New Tamaran information from a... cold and very distant Oracle.  Ya see, they don't know Oracle's true identity... but Oracle knows that Kori might still have eyes for one Dick Grayson.

Back on the islands, the rainstorm has advanced into a full-on monsoon.  Roy loses his grip on his bow (and no, that's not a euphemism)... Donna flies off to grab it (again... not a euphemism).  Then... they start arguing!  Donna brings (Roy's daughter) Lian up... which really gets under his skin.  Donna then tells him that she's afraid what will happen to Lian after she and Roy eventually break up.  That's probably not the kinda conversation you wanna have with the woman you love, right?  Anyhoo... Roy splits... because, evidently... that's what Roy does?

Back at the beach, Tempest... fearful of the rising tides... has encased the T-Jet in ice, which... I dunno, sounds so much worse than having the tide come in?  I'm not sure jets work after being thawed out... then again, I'm no engineer.  Roy approaches to resume their earlier quarrel... and the fellas realize that this time Dick's disappeared.  At this point, Wally really lets loose with some anti-Dick sentiment.  And again, that's not a euphemism either.

Elsewhere on the beach, Dick is (unsuccessfully) trying to build a lean-to while Donna rattles his cage about her recent encounter with Roy.  They are soon joined by the rest of the team.  Wally and Garth mock Dick's carpentry skills... claiming that Batman would've already figured it out.

The argument intensifies... again.  This time Wally and Donna split off from the group.  Donna reveals how weird it feels to be "built" from Wally's own memories of her.  She doesn't know what's real... or what's Wally's "Pollyanna Fantasy" version of "Donna Troy".

Just then... a tree falls!  Like right on top of Wally!  Donna tells him to vibrate through it... and he does.  Once the dust (and wood chips) settle, she lambastes him for endangering her with his out of control vibration.  I mean, wha--?  You gotta be more clear with your demands, Donna... vibrate or don't.  Er, not a euphemism?  Worth noting that our monsoon has been upgraded to "hurricane" at this point.

As we approach our conclusion, the Titans reconnoiter and notice that Nightwing found a cave!

As they go to enter it, however... Dick triggers an explosion which closes off entry.  I dunno... if given the choice between being out in a hurricane, or sitting in a caved-in cave... I'm gonna brave the rain!

We close out with the "big" reveal.  The Titans have been acting so terrible toward one another because of... the Gargoyle?  Oh, c'mon.

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Okay... we've got quite a bit to unpack here.

Devin Grayson seems to get a lotta flack online for how she handled the Titans.  Gotta say... I'm not so sure I agree with some of the levels of vitriol I've seen.

Let's get it out of the way... the ending sucks.  That said, the only reason why I feel that way is because of how strong I felt the rest of the issue was.  The Gargoyle reveal feels like such a cop out.  It's like when you're watching a really good episode of Twilight Zone or something... and you're just riveted to the set, and the climax is... aliens (or something just as cop-outty).  The "easy out" almost never results in a satisfying story... and sometimes is even bad enough to spoil what came before.

Let's look at the Titans... and what brought them here.  These are young people who have been friends forever.  They didn't have a shot at a "normal" life... and so, not only are the Titans friends... they're also their own support structure.  Nobody in the world can educatedly-empathize (which totally isn't a word that exists) with them better than other members of the team.

Look at friends you've had since you were little... or if you're still little, look at the friends you have now.  You can't tell me you've never gotten on each others' nerves.  Maybe even threw (and/or received) a punch or two.  That's just something that happens.  It's human... which is my whole point.  We have a team of young people who didn't have the opportunity at a "normal" life... who are acting in a completely normal way!

The Honeymoon is over.  They've reunited... the hoopla has passed... and now it's time to move forward without the novelty of "how cool is this?".  I mean, if we wanna be complete wannabe literary savages... we could compare this to the readership.  The novelty of "how cool is it that the Titans are back?" has, at this point, passed.  We're in our second year of stories... so, what's next?

It also might be worth pointing out that the Titans are all at different points in their lives... which, is a very new dynamic for them.  This is just another "human" thing they must face.  Wally's on the Justice League... so he can't give the Titans all of his time.  Roy and Garth both have children.  I think, as we've all gotten older (those of us who are "older"), we've seen friendships... well, maybe notsomuch "end", but "go cold" as people have moved on with their lives.  Gotten married... started families and careers... stuff like that.  It can be hard to swallow... which, makes the Titans' reactions here so damn good.

For all I know, this might've originally been intended as a fight-free/villain-free arc, as the founding five (or four plus Speedy) re-learn why they've been a "family" for so long.  The Gargoyle might've been a last minute addition.  I hope that's the case anyway... because this could have (and perhaps should have) been a Titans Classic.  Grayson's definitely got the chops to make this feel like "real" interactions.

I remember absolutely loving this the first time I read it half a lifetime ago.  Though, when the jibes started to go "over the line", I was just waiting for that other shoe to drop... and unfortunately, it did.

Overall... despite not caring for the ending (at all), I'd still recommend checking this out.  This Titans volume isn't perfect (and it becomes pretty much unreadable toward the end)... but I'd say this bit is worth a look.  Mustn't forget we've got Mark Buckingham on art... and he really does a great job here as well.

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