Review: ‘World’s Finest: Teen Titans’ #1 Is A Cracking, Character-Driven Read

World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1 may well be a blast from the past in focussing on the original swinging sixties team, but it is most certainly a comic of the modern era from the get go, as Speedy live streams a their duel with a demon cult and Kid Flash rounds up the release forms from the intended victims. Media savvy teens who even have their own social media guys. And wait till you get a look at who it is. Definitely a comic for both new and old DC Comics books fans with lots of knowing nods to the original series – even down to one of the villains they take on in this first issue – while also forging an all-new path in remixing the Teen Titans legacy and threading it into the brave new world that is the Dawn of DC. 

This may well be the umpteenth reiteration of the DCU, but with the likes of Mark Waid writing its history, not only is it in safe and knowledgeable hands, but this time the new DCU just might stick. I mean, you cut Waid and he bleeds DC, so it’s been a delight to see him once more back where I feel he’s always belonged. Smashing it out of the park with his Batman/Superman: World’s Finest series and now this debut issue. I just can’t get enough of his sparky, joyous scripting that brings as much brightness to the page as Jordie Bellaire’s colours. The whole affair feels like a fuzzy nostalgic step back to the comics I remember growing up with while, I do hope, offering up a Teen Titans team for a whole new generation of fans. 

Adding to what is a sensational set-up first issue is the equally sensational art of Emanuela Lupacchino, an amazing artist who I don’t often hear get mentioned as one of the shining lights of her craft. But this issue certainly proves her place as a very high caliber artist who’s art is rather reminiscent of Terry Dodson’s own style. That comparison should be more than enough to indicate how good she is and her smooth style complements this more light-hearted DC comic book and adds even more magic to Waid’s script. 

As well as quickly setting up the new/old team and establishing very distinct voices for most primary players – particularly Speedy, whose quick-witted quips and showboating seems to hide a more desperate loneliness in his life – we get a great montage of our teen heroes alongside their adult guardians with Batman coming off as the biggest dick, as you would imagine. A man unable to believe anyone other than himself could train a kid partner to an exceptional level. Although, to be fair, he isn’t the only one with trust issues. 

As the issue develops so too does the animosity between Robin and Speedy. Two very polar opposites in their views on how the team should operate. Superhero stories are built on conflict, and in a team book there’s always going to be some clashing of characters, and heads. It all adds to the drama of the book and a great hook to pull in readers. The villains are almost secondary as Waid uses each situation to better establish the individual characters and the team as a whole. This melodramatic focus is what made me fall in love the Wolfman and Pérez’s New Teen Titans, and its what appeals to me about this new run too. Character first, and you can’t go wrong. I’m already waiting with baited breathe for the next issue. Could this be another classic run in the making for the Teen Titans? It’s early days, but it certainly feels it very well could be.

World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1 is out now from DC Comics