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Teen Titans #16 - Gotham Runs Red!

4

It's Red Robin and Red Hood vs. Joker...or is it? Find out how Joker manages to turn the tables on Batman's two former sidekicks.

The Good

I've mentioned before that I really dig that Scott Lobdell put both Tim and Jason in the same "Joker trap" rather than have Joker deal with them both separately (since he's already doing way too much all over the place).

What you'll notice immediately is Brett Booth's art. I've enjoyed his art in the past but he's been doing something lately and has amped it up. His Joker is downright creepy. Seeing Joker cackling with his mouth wide open and seeing the roof of his mouth just creeped me out.

The real kicker is, through means I won't reveal, Tim and Jason end up fighting each other. Is it a cliché? Who cares? How many times have we wanted to see these former Robins (or former Robin and current Red Robin) go at it?

For those that have had enough of the Death of the Family story, there are some other developments as well with the other members of the Teen Titans. And if you read the solicit, you know that Raven appears in this issue as well.

The Bad

It might be a minor thing but in the opening dialogue, Tim mentions that Jason has "come closest to being an actual brother" in his life. Moments later he says he hasn't really spoken to him a lot since Jason returned from the dead. The question is, how and why would they be like brothers? Tim didn't know Jason before since we saw in TEEN TITANS #0 he came into the role after Jason was dead. It woud seem that there'd be more interaction possible between Tim and Dick.

Thankfully the conclusion to Death of the Family is fast approaching. There are some great moments here but as great as the scenes between Tim and Jason are, they almost feel like filler as we see other events unfolding around them with the other characters. Those will more likely have longer lasting effects in this title.

The Verdict

How could you resist a comic featuring Tim Drake, Jason Todd and the Joker? Scott Lobdell sets up some nice moments and Brett Booth provides the glorious visuals. It's not just about being a Death of the Family tie in. We do see some other developments with the other members as well as Roy Harper. We also see the 'return' of a certain pre-New 52 Teen Titan which will be very interesting. If you've ever wanted to see Tim and Jason face the Joker or each other, this is the comic you'll want to check out.