Booknote: Teen Titans: Earth One, Volume 1

Jeff Lemire, Teen Titans: Earth One, Volume 1. New York: DC Comics, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4012-4556-6.

Like other first volumes in this series, we get an origin story. It starts out promising. The angle of Raven as Native American leaving the reservation to meet the others was an interesting twist. We'll have to see how the others come together. Our Teen Titans, before they become heroes, start in high school. They all seem disparate with nothing in common. What they share is that they are not normal, and they each reluctantly discover their new abilities. We also find a much deeper conspiracy.

The book features a nice contemporary art style. The story, once it picks up the pace (it does start slow), does not let go. As in other volumes in the Earth One series, the characters are familiar yet new. I will note that compared to previous volumes I have read--the Superman (link to my review) and the Batman volumes-- this one just did not have the same degree of depth. While the story is good, it is fairly superficial in terms of character development. Part of it may be because they are focusing on multiple characters versus a single character in other volumes. However, the story did feel light in comparison to other volumes. This volume is only the beginning, so readers will have to seek out the rest of the series to see how things turn out. Still, it was a nice opener.

I really liked it overall, and I am willing to take a chance on the next volume, for now, so I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

For libraries, if you have already been collecting the Earth One series, then you will likely want this one. Also, fans of Teen Titans may want to read this.