You don't know how long i've been waiting for this, sexy.
Wait! What? *starts panicking like a little kid*, where’s the continuity?! Where and I?!
When am I?! What’s going on!!!........ So for those of you not fluent in panic-eas I’ll try and translate the above into English. Teen Titans: Cold Case dose not take place in current continuity. This one-shot takes place after Identity Crisis and before Final Crisis. Superboy and Kid Flash are still dead, Kid Devil is still alive and Tim Drake is still Robin. So unless you’ve figured that out you’re going to be pretty confused and disorientated as far as Cold Case is concerned. But if you’ve wrapped your head around that idea lets dive into Teen Titans: Cold Case.
The one-shot opens up to a look-back to Identity Crisis, with Jack Drake opening a package containing a note saying “protect yourself” and a gun. His door’s broken down by Captain Boomerang. Drake shoots. Tim rushes up to his home as Robin to find his father murdered by Boomerang. Tim then wakes up, a little than a year later, in . It’s at this point that we learn that the Tim narrating this issue is the Tim in current continuity ( Red Robin ) looking back at the events. So Tim, waking up screaming, is welcomed by an unwanted guest a.k.a. Rose Wilson ( with complimentary Robin Thong ) in his bed… but not for long as Tim shoves her out. The other Titans rush into the room, though Cassie runs out crying after seeing Rose
and Tim in the room…. It was at that stage in Titans…. The forming of the love triangle. Tim shouts at everyone to leave his room and then proceeds to leave the room himself. We then turn to Rose who’s now walking on the beach outside of the tower where she bumps into a hologram of her father, Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator. Slade tells Rose where she can find something that’ll get her back into Tims’ good graces, he also informs her up front that it’s a trap but she still goes. Rose heads to Slades’ Cabin and finds a mirror with the Robin emblem stuck to it as a sticky note. As she touches the strange mirror she realizes that she’s been followed by Eddie the Kid Devil who says that he wont let her go anywhere alone. So Rose, clutching Eddies arm, runs through the mirror and comes out in the middle of a rouges poker game in Central City. Can two Teen Titans take down a group of villains who have come together to take down the Flash? What item is in their possession which could put Rose in Tims’ good graces? Read Teen Titans: Cold Case to find out.
Cold Cases story is indeed a good one, taking us back to an earlier period in Titans history,
with a current continuity Tim narrating the tale, looking back and commenting on his own actions. It follows an important event in Tims life ( both in past and his future ) and results in his acquisition of an important, and possibly dooming item. The issue also focuses heavily on family with Tim and Rose suffering different father issues, and the Rogues treating and thinking of each other as a family ( not to mention that the stories title is “Fathers Day”). There is one niggle that I found in the story, and that’s that Slade says that it was Rose who mounted Wintergreens head on his wall instead of Jericho, but that’s just a little niggle so good work Mark Sable. Sean Murphys artwork is cartoony in essence ( look at Cassies first appearance as proof ) but good for this sort of story. There are two great wide screen style two page spreads and some wonderful detail. The style would seem out place in current Titans continuity, but in an issue like this one it seems right. Colouring wise I have no complaints, Brad Anderson did a good job and deserves congratulation just for that. I would also like to mention the beauty of the cover which took three people to create ( Jason Fabok, Ryan
Winn and Brad Anderson ) and with positive results. The image of Captain Cold standing above the frozen Titans, pointing his freez ray gun at Tim, with a giant spectral image of Slades face looking at the chaos from the background. It’s a cover which has significance to the issue, and also goes crazy ( but beautiful ) with the use of all the blues which goes with the title “Cold Case”, but which also seems absent from other Titan covers ( usually preferring the , yellows, blacks and reds ). It’s a beautiful cover, and a pleasure to look at.
To conclude I’d give Teen Titans: Cold Case a 4.5/5. This one-shot issue has had a lot of time and effort put into it, and it really shows. For Teen Titans fans this issue is a great buy, and really if you haven’t already got it I’m going to start tutting you in disappointment. For new readers it’s accessible. The events are explained ( by Tim ) and made more understanding for all with each character given a brif explanation just to allow us to keep us in the know. Now if you’re a new reader picking this issue up to get into the main Teen Titans series I’d say stop. This issue takes place in an earlier time setting than the current Teen Titans series, and so don’t reflect the current Teen Titans team, so if you want to get into the main series pick up Teen Titans #88 and this one ( for the enjoyment of it ). So Teen Titans: Cold Case gets:-
4.5/5
