The Titans are scattered! Due to the events of DC K.O., the team is forced to spread their coverage. Earth has been evacuated. Nightwing and Raven have their hands full at a refugee host site. Beast Boy is on another assignment. Same with Wonder Girl and Arsenal.
They can’t give assistance to Starfire. She’s isolated with an Apokolipic army en route! Can she survive what’s coming next?
TITANS #29 by John Layman, Pete Woods & Wes Abbott continues its’ tie-in to DC’s major event!
Let’s take a closer look at where things are now.
TITANS #29 by John Layman, Pete Woods & Wes Abbott (DC Comics)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Layman puts a solid majority of time into Nightwing & Raven’s current troubles. Gemworld seems to be too good to be true. Evacuating most of Earth to the new landscape feels too easy. As the story moves forward, more cracks start forming. This falls onto Raven’s shoulders. Her choice of handling Terra proves costly as another factor comes into play.
Once the spotlight gets to Starfire, the pace picks up. Readers watch as she does receive back-up in an unlikely form. This leaves room to grow her plot point. The biggest draw back with this moment is it’s way too short to have a true payoff. Hopefully this is fixed for next chapter. The attention goes back to Nightwing’s fight. There are tough calls made as Gemworld is under attack. It leads the chapter into the final page. While brief, this point maximizes its time as to where readers can expect to go from here.
Woods juggles many characters in the opening frame. Having the team discuss how to deal with villains foreshadows more to come. Donna Troy’s expressions steal panels before launching into Gemworld. The full page image teases a potential win for the heroes. Once Raven discusses moves with Amethyst, this illusion starts fading fast.
Starfire comes into focus via full page image. Her stand-off with the enemy front builds up tension. It’s brief as events go back to Gemworld. The true enemy stands revealed via full page image. In this phase, there is much hopping around. Back to Starfire, her reinforcements take over with a full shot. The only complaint is the briefness of this section. As Gemworld gets more chaotic, Raven’s choie is granted a full page to let the moment sink in. It leads readers into the close where another figure takes lead. The parting panel hits the mark as a new phase is ushered in.
FINAL GRADE: 8
Plot pacing takes away from an very solid crossover tie-in. The writing leans too heavily in one story while leaving more plots too brief. Woods constructs excellent panels through the ever-winding chapter. While a solid read, too much focus on Nightwing takes away from the overall experience.
Let me know your thoughts on Titans #29 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!