Showing posts with label
titans/young justice: graduation day.
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Showing posts with label
titans/young justice: graduation day.
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Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3 (August, 2003)
"Graduation Day, Part Three: Recessional"
Writer - Judd Winick
Penciller - Ale Garza
Inks - Trevor Scott & Marlo Alquiza
Colorist - Jeromy Cox
Associate Editor - Lysa Hawkins
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
By the time you're reading this... I'm back in Arizona. Did the whole graduation thing, and it was very nice. The journey had its bumps, but I'm glad I went. Now that your humble host is a college graduate, you can expect my grammar to improve, my insights to be keener, and use of a much richer vocabulary... orrrrr, maybe these pieces will just become a bit longer from time to time.
Let's see how the Amalgamated Young Heroes of the DC Universe, Ltd. get out of this one. By the way, here's another "Spoiler Alert" cover, eh?
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We open with Tempest being kapowed from S.T.A.R. Labs-Silicon Valley into a nearby fire engine. Dr. Sarah Charles and her team have arrived, and upon seeing Garth's prone body calls in one helluva trouble ticket... it would seem that one of their Superman Androids have been activated! Probably not a good idea to have Superman androids, is it?
Anyhoo, we shift to a scene in which the Supermandroid is beating the holy hell out of the amalgamated Young Titans (Titan Justice?). Impulse is thrown from the fracas and lands next to a strange bubbling goop... which will be sorta important later. At an opportune moment, Donna spears the robo-Supes out of the building. This gives Arsenal... with his stupid-looking cyber-beard, the chance to repair the little blue robot girl.
Supermandroid and Donna duke it out in the air, and Superboy arrives to lend a hand. With the Android distracted, Nightwing approaches and attaches a thermo-charge to the bot's back. This really just ticks him off.
Back at S.T.A.R., Roy and Robin tinker with the girl robot. They suddenly smells something kinda strange... something between trees and bread. Turns out what they were smelling was that strange bubbling puddle, now poppin' fresh with the yeasty goodness of Metamorpho!
Back outside, Donna and Supermandroid continue their brawl. Donna lands a powerful blow that knocks the bot's left arm off. She tackles him, and proceeds to pummel it. The Supermandroid lay motionless... and just as Donna is about to land the "killing" blow, it's left eye glows red.
... and burns right through Donna's chest.
The Supermandroid pulls itself to its feet just as the little blue robot girl arrives. She uses her... whatever the hell powers to deactivate him. The two machines slump to the ground. The day is saved... but the Supermandroid's damage has already been done. To the side, Dick and Roy are cradling Donna Troy's lifeless body.
We shift ahead to Donna's funeral, which appears to be occurring on Paradise Island. Many of the pantheon of DC heroes arrive to pay their respects. Too bad the same can't be said for Lilith. They may as well have just loaded her in a dumpster.
Following the service, Superboy, Robin, and Wonder Girl discuss the futility of what they do. Cassie brings up the (valid) point that they've been heroes for awhile, however, when push came to shove, they were worthless. Kinda craps all over Peter David's Young Justice, but it serves the story... it also leads to an eavesdropping Cyborg getting an idea.
Elsewhere, Dick and Roy are arguing about "what comes next". Roy thinks there's still a need for the Titans... but Dick, who is really living up to his name here, isn't feeling it. He pulls off his mask and proclaims the Titans to be as dead as Donna.
Who... it turns out, isn't all that dead at all. Ya see, we wrap up with Donna in the world of her nightmare. She picks herself up, dusts herself off... arms herself with a shield and sword... and runs off to meet her next challenge.
--
Ehhhhh...
Well, I guess I didn't dislike this as much as I did back in 2003... but I think it's still pretty unpleasant. Not just because of the death and stuff... it's just not a fun issue to read.
I suppose we can start by discussing the [Spoiler Alert] "death" of Donna Troy. I remember reading one of the rumor sites back around the time this occurred. It was said that Paul Levitz, who was still the President and Publisher of DC Comics at this time, was against the death... hence the nightmare framework, and the epilogue. It was also said that Donna would be back pretty quick... and she was, just two years later. Makes ya wonder why this even had to happen.
What's more, poor Lilith's death is completely overshadowed here. Lilith's death was actually quite a bit more permanent than Donna's too... she didn't make a real return until the New-52, when all bets were off so far as continuity was concerned anyway! All she gets here is a mention that her funeral service was small. Pretty lame to kill off a character that had been around for over 30 years, and not even give her a sendoff.
I didn't really need to know that Metamorpho smells like yeast... even though I can totally see it. I fear that anytime I see him from this point on, I'm going to have the smell of festering yeast creep into the back of my nose. I always kinda had his smell pegged as like crushed cinder block... and no, I really don't know why I ever thought what Metamorpho might smell like either. His appearance here does very little beside giving him a second of panel time before the launch of Outsiders (vol.3).
Really not a whole lot to say about the Supermandroid... other than the fact that it's really stupid to keep a ridiculously powerful, nigh unstoppable robot version of Superman laying around. I mean, what's to stop Lex Luthor or (ahem) Brainiac from activating it? What's worse, Dr. Charles said "A Superman android has been activated"... emphasis on the "A"... meaning they've likely got a garage full of 'em. That's really not very smart!
My last takeaway is the same as it's been for the past couple of issues... Nightwing does not come off well here. I don't think I've ever seen him be such a jerk. He's never been the guy who just snaps at his teammates... which makes the very few times something like that happens really stand out. I'm thinking about him firing Danny Chase from the Titans when he makes a real peach of a comment about Jason Todd's death.
Here, though? Dunno... I totally understand him feeling the pressure after burying Donna. It makes sense for him to "go off" after that. The thing of it is... he was acting the exact same way for the first two parts of this... so his "losing it" at Roy didn't feel like he'd finally "had enough"... it was him just acting the same way he had been. It didn't stand out... it was just him still being unpleasant.
The art here feels a bit looser than earlier in the miniseries... perhaps the pressure of a three-part biweekly series caught up with Garza toward the end. Some of these panels, when put side by side with those in issue one, look pretty rough.
Overall... I have a tough time recommending or suggesting avoidance of this one. It's a piece that really sets the table for both the tone of and what's to come for the post-Didio DCU... and looking at it as such, it's sorta historically important. Otherwise, however... any recommendation I'd give of this story would be soft at best.
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Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #2 (July, 2003)
"Graduation Day, Part Two: Commencement"
Writer - Judd Winick
Penciller - Ale Garza
Inker - Larry Stucker
Colorist - Jeromy Cox
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Lysa Hawkins
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
If you're reading this piece on the morning it comes out (Saturday, May 13) there's a pretty good chance that I'm sitting uncomfortably in my cap and gown waiting to hear my name called.
That, of course, is assuming the flight there went smoothly. Speaking of things "going smoothly", our pals the Titans and Young Justice sure have had a bad time of it, no? Let's see how they pick up the pieces.
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We open up at San Francisco General Hospital... which is evidently, like the greatest hospital on the west coast. The Titans and Young Justice-ers are being treated. Nightwing is directing traffic, imploring that no masks are removed unless it's absolutely necessary. Dr. Sarah Charles from S.T.A.R. Labs arrives to tend to her on-again-off-again, Cyborg.
Meanwhile, at S.T.A.R. Labs' Silicon Valley facility, the mysterious robot girl arrives to raise hell! The security team proves to be enough to take her down... at least initially, likely due to the damage she has already taken. As she sits... seemingly prone, she lets off an energy surge that fries the guards.
The robot girl slumps to the ground. As the smoke clears, she is joined by... Superman!
Back at the hospital, Robin is chewing Superboy out for the recklessness their team showed in battle. Kon tries to reason with him, suggesting that the Titans had rough patches during their early days (not to mention, ya know... today). Robin shrugs him off.
Nearby, we see that Dick and Donna are within earshot of Tim and Kon's conversation. Donna suggests they head over and let them know that no team is perfect. Dick declines. She suggests he offer to lead Young Justice. Dick... declines, and changes the subject to discuss her recurring nightmares.
They head into a stairwell, where they run into Wonder Girl. Dick gives the (wonder) girls some space so they can chat. Cassie is really upset... and questions how much better her life might be if she was just a normal teenager.
We shift to a scene between Roy and Vic. Victor is trying to convince Roy that the robot girl didn't mean any harm. Roy ain't buying it, but Victor is steadfast.
On a waiting room television, news of the Silicon Valley facility attack is shown. Nightwing calls for all able-bodied heroes to join him to check it out.
Upon arrival, they find Superman standing among the wreckage. They all realize that there's something very wrong with this picture. Lilith walks over to Superman in attempt to use her psychic powers on him... and he grabs her by the throat... and, well... snaps her neck, killing her.
Her corpse drops to the floor... and Superman turns his attention to our crew of young heroes... and his eyes are glowing red!
--
That cover kinda spoils things, don't it? I guess it might make you buy it if you wanted to know why Superman is wrecking the Titans... so, whatayagonnado? Spoiler alert... next issue's cover spoils the ending of the entire miniseries!
Well, here we mostly see the Titans and Young Justice licking their wounds. It's written at an uneven pace, which actually serves the tone rather well. It's an uncomfortable and frantic time for both teams... and I appreciated how the scenes rapidly changed to illustrate that.
Nightwing continues to be rather unpleasant... though, this time, I guess I can understand it, he's worried about his team. What I didn't necessarily dig is when he wouldn't take Donna's suggestion to attempt to comfort Robin and Superboy. I mean, Robin may as well be his little brother, and he won't head over to check in on him? To use some crass DCYou era promotional copy, seems like Mr. Winick might not know Dick.
The scene between Vic and Roy was decent. It helped to frame our little robot girl lost as perhaps more a victim than a villain... which, solicitations for Outsiders (vol.3) #1 might have already spoiled... but whattayagonnado?
The ending? Well... I think Lilith deserved a better exit. I mean, I get it... they needed to put an exclamation point on this, and show that this Superman wasn't the real one... but, still. What's worse is we don't even get a chance to mourn... the Next Issue Blurb promises yet another death... and it's one that will overshadow the loss of poor Ms. Clay. And remember folks, this is just the start of the Titans characters transforming into the "meat factory" they would eventually become.
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Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1 (July, 2003)
"Graduation Day, Part One: Invocation"
Writer - Judd Winick
Penciller - Ale Garza
Inker - Trevor Scott
Colorist - Jeromy Cox
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Lysa Hawkins
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Welcome to a very special installment of whatever it is that I do here. This is a rare piece that I have written a bit ahead of time, because if you're reading this Graduation Day entry today (May 12) there's a very good chance that I am on a plane headed from Arizona to Indiana to (finally) attend my own Graduation!
Figured it's only appropriate to cover a story with a graduation theme... and so, for better or worse... here we go!
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We open with Donna Troy locked in battle with some beasties during a thunderstorm... only to learn that this is a recurring nightmare Ms. Troy has been experiencing for quite some time. She finds that the more times she experiences it, the less scary it becomes... and that scares her worst of all! We jump forward about a month in time to see a female robot with blue-green skin emerging from a portal. She appears to be from the future.
We meet up with the Titans the following day in San Francisco. They are meeting with the CEO of Optitron Corp about a sorta kinda sponsorship deal. Jean Walters is the suit, and he's offering the team a whole lotta perks... causing the ears of several members of the team's ears to also perk. Nightwing isn't so sure. In fact, he turns Walters down cold.
He sics Lilith Clay on Walters to do some mind-reading. She finds that Optitron is doing it primarily for the potential tax-breaks the arrangement would afford them, however... he really does appear to want to do some good in the world. Despite the feelings of his teammates, Nightwing still declines the offer... and stomps out of the office.
In the waiting area sits... Young Justice! They're also waiting for a meeting with Mr. Walters.
We shift down to the Tucson base of the Metal Men, just as they are joined by our new friend, the little robot girl. She "interfaces" with the Metal Men, however, learns that they have insufficient cybernetic technology to be of aid to her.
Back in San Francisco, the Titans are leaving the Optitron Building. They're all pretty annoyed at Nightwing for turning down what might have been a great opportunity. They don't get to squabble long, however... as the robot girl arrives on the scene! She immediately latches on to Cyborg.
Young Justice members Empress and Impulse head in to help... but neither are successful. Impulse has vibrated into the robot girl... and she explodes! Well, she doesn't explode... but she causes one helluva boom.
Superboy snags the robot, but is snapmared into next week. Donna Troy delivers a rabbit punch to the back of the "baddie"... Tempest blasts her with his eye beams... then Roy shoots her right arm off! It looks as though the 'bot is about to deactivate... however, before she does... she summons another portal, and blinks out.
The issue ends with the Titans and Young Justice members laid out. Cyborg tells Nightwing that he knows the robot girl was scared... and never meant to hurt anybody. Nightwing... isn't convinced.
--
I'm glad I've given myself another opportunity to read this story, as the first time around, I was just so bummed that the Peter David-penned Young Justice was being cancelled, that it kinda clouded my judgment. First time around, I really disliked this one... this time, I only sorta disliked it.
I guess I ought to start with my immediate takeaway... Nightwing is written to be just so damned unlikable here. I mean, I understand cynicism... but, it was ratcheted up to eleven here. I always think of Nightwing as being a guy who, while being the "leader" in the field, he still acts like a member of the team. He's a guy who will listen to, and carefully consider, the opinions of his team members... here, he just shoots everyone down. Didn't like that at all.
That's really the only part that stuck out. The rest was pretty boilerplate superhero team-up stuff. We have a situation that facilitates both sets of heroes being at the same place at the same time... and an introduction of our threat... who makes both teams look like a bunch of amateurs. The Donna Troy nightmare bits seem a bit out of left field if you were following the Titans title... but are necessary for the ending... and appeasing a certain DC Comics executive... but we'll get there.
The art is... I dunno... I kinda dig it, but at the same time... kinda don't. It feels sorta manga inspired... which was sort of the flavor of the day. I think they wanted this book to look "young"... to show that this is going to be the look of the younger heroes from this point on. This is very early in Dan Didio's tenure as Vice President of DC Editorial... and I'd wager this is where we start seeing his vision for the DC Universe take shape.
Overall... In light of Teen Titans (vol.3) and Outsiders (vol.3) spinning out of this, it's difficult for me to tell folks not to check this out. It's an important little bridging story... which, while weak, leads to some really fantastic stuff.
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