Review - Aquaman Volume 1: The Drowning

Following an attack on the Atlantean embassy and the sinking of an American vessel at sea, tensions between Atlantis and the United States are reaching a peak. Though Aquaman submits himself into custody of the United States, but his diplomatic approach seems ineffective in diffusing the conflict. Meanwhile, Black Manta is recruited into the shadowy organization known as N.E.M.O.

Aquaman Volume 1: The Drowning collects Aquaman: Rebirth #1 and Aquaman #1-6, written by Dan Abnett and with art by Scot Eaton, Brad Walker, and Philippe Briones.

The Drowning serves as a continuation of Dan Abnett’s work on Aquaman prior to DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative. Aquaman and his fiancée Mera are working towards improving relations between Atlantis and the surface world. To do so, they’ve opened an embassy in the United States and Mera has been posted as its ambassador. Their diplomatic work begins unraveling rapidly after Black Manta attacks the embassy. This narrative proves to be quite engaging as it remains relevant to today’s political climate due to its interest in exploring the treatment of the “other” and the often ineffectual nature of bureaucracy. Aquaman, referred to in-text, as a progressive leader is dedicated to peaceful solutions and pursues international unity. Naturally, he’s met with distrust from those within and without his nation. Some extremist Atlanteans disapprove of Aquaman’s departure from tradition and Americans are suspicious of his motives due to the fact that he is part Atlantean. Within this scheme, Abnett presents the surface dwellers as the most impetuous and this seems apt given the way in which humans are quick to distrust and scapegoat outsiders.

One of the most impressive aspects of The Drowning is its impeccable character work. Each character is distinctive in their voice and actions within the story. Aquaman is the idealistic king, Mera is the feisty warrior princess, Tula is the clear-headed leader of Atlantis, Murk is the gruff soldier, and Black Manta is the unrelenting villain. Abnett’s take on Aquaman is atypical, but is refreshing in this regard. He’s more good-humoured and diplomatic than sullen and impulsive, which makes him more like Wonder Woman. That said, he’s far from being the standout character of this trade. That honour goes to Mera. Rather than being portrayed as a one-note warrior woman or as a generic love interest, Mera is Aquaman’s equal and is given many layers to her character. On the surface level, she provides comic relief through her snarky comments and is an impressive combatant. Beyond that, she is smartly positioned in opposition to Aquaman. Where he is partly of the surface world, she is wholly an inhabitant of the seas. This affects their views of humans and influences their approach to conflicts with land dwellers. It’s genuinely just as exciting to see them agree as it is to see them disagree. They read like a real life couple in that respect.

Brad Walker and Phil Briones provide the majority of the art for this collection, though Scot Eaton and Oscar Jimenez also provide pencils. Walker and Briones’ styles are quite different, yet work beautifully together to create a nice consistency throughout this trade. Walker’s style is highly detailed and has a slight whimsical quality to it. The way he renders the costuming for the characters is really engrossing and there’s a very cinematic quality to how he sets his scenes. His work on the panels for the Superman vs. Aquaman and Mera fight is especially memorable. It’s also worth mentioning that Walker did all the covers as well, all of which would look gorgeous as posters (especially the first issue’s cover). Briones’ work is simpler and more streamlined. His work has a softness to it that I find really appealing. His depiction of Mera is worthy of praise. I love the way he draws her hair and captures the expressiveness of her character. His Tula is also quite noteworthy and he always draws Aquaman looking like a snack. Briones also gets to hang his hat on one of the coolest action sequences I’ve seen in a long time – Mera and Aquaman teaming up to tear through a literal army (tanks and all!).

I was sufficiently impressed with Aquaman Volume 1: The Drowning as it has everything I need to enjoy a superhero comic. It’s got complex character work, a narrative with depth, memorable action scenes, gorgeous art, and a lead heroine who is multi-dimensional (and also kicks all kinds of ass). While it’s not the most accessible book on the shelves (readers will have to be mildly familiar with the New 52 Aquaman material), it is genuinely entertaining and helps to return the Aquaman series to a higher quality after the middling stories published following Geoff Johns’ exit from the New 52 title.

RATING: A-

Review - Green Arrow Volume 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen

With his sister as his comrade-in-arms and a new girlfriend by his side, Oliver Queen has dedicated himself to pursuing social justice as the emerald garbed vigilante Green Arrow. This life that he has built and his credibility as a hero dissolve as he is betrayed by those closest to him. Without money or allies to rely on, he must use his resourcefulness and sheer willpower to uncover the dark conspiracy that has torn his world asunder.

Green Arrow Volume 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen collects Green Arrow: Rebirth #1 and Green Arrow #1-5, written by Benjamin Percy and with art by Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra.

Having cited former Green Arrow scribes Dennis O’Neil and Mike Grell as his influences, it’s clear from the onset that writer Benjamin Percy intends to portray the Emerald Archer as a champion for the people whose political beliefs are a key part of his character. Unfortunately, the execution of this is admittedly quite goofy. The Death and Life of Oliver Queen sees Green Arrow facing off against an organization of evil bankers known as the Ninth Circle. They’ve stripped him of his wealth and have turned his allies against him, leaving him alone and ineffectual as a hero. Percy’s approach is very heavy-handed and relies heavily on some pretty tired tropes. In pulling from the oeuvre of O’Neil and Grell, he forgets to leave the problematic aspects of their work in the past. Percy undoes the work Jeff Lemire had done on Shado and Emiko Queen by reducing both to the stereotypical Dragon Lady role. Another example is that Black Canary ends up as a damsel in distress towards the end. There’s also something very campy about the antagonists, which leaves this arc reading more like a ‘60s Bond film than a biting critique on capitalism.

This collection isn’t wholly without merit. I appreciate Percy’s attempt to pare down the Green Arrow mythos and really focus on one of the more iconic portrayals of the character. Oliver embraces the label of social justice warrior and his leftist leanings are evident in his dialogue. In this way, he feels more like Green Arrow than Batman Lite (which is something Arrow is all too guilty of). Kidnapping aside, Black Canary plays a key role in the narrative and gets to be her own character outside of being Green Arrow’s girlfriend. She’s cooler than he is and is more in touch with reality due to her upbringing (even though she may be a semi-famous rock singer now). While I had a ton of issues with the direction he took her in, I at least appreciate that Percy didn’t abandon Emiko Queen. It would have been easy to write her out and replace her with a similar character. The familial dynamic between Emiko, Oliver, and Dinah is admittedly the thing I liked best overall in this trade.

While I had my share of issues with the writing, the art for The Death and Life of Oliver Queen was something I enjoyed consistently throughout. Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra share the art duties. They are both tremendously talented, but their styles couldn’t be more different. Schmidt’s work is highly stylized and is more on the cartoony side. In fact, it almost gives off the vibe of a Green Arrow animated series (which would actually be pretty neat). I do have a couple of issues with Schmidt’s art – some of his compositions look a bit lazily done and he has a penchant for drawing butt shots for Black Canary. Ferreyra’s work has a painterly quality to it. It’s really atmospheric and is cinematic where Schmidt’s art was more animated. His Black Canary is breathtaking and he really captures both the hard and soft qualities of her character.

Green Arrow Volume 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen is far from being the return to form that I think Benjamin Percy had intended it to be. It’s often shallow in that it lacks the depth necessary to tackle political issues and is just as easily undermined by predictable tropes that are sexist and racially insensitive. I likely wouldn’t recommend this as an essential read for Green Arrow like I would with Jeff Lemire’s run. With that said, the artwork inside is stunning and is worth a browse.

RATING: C

Review - Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book One

Hawkman has returned from the dead and much has changed in his absence. With a new Hawkgirl by his side, he has re-joined the Justice Society and has settled down in the sleepy southern town of St. Roch. Metaphoric and literal ghosts from their past return in full force as Hawkgirl launches a campaign to find the identity of her parents’ killer.

Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book One collects Hawkman 1-14 and Hawkman: Secret Files and Origins 1, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Rags Morales.

Spinning out of the pages of JSA, Geoff Johns’ Hawkman is a smoothly written series that seeks to resolve the complex and often convoluted elements of the Hawkman mythos. The titular hero and his partner Hawkgirl are the result of a centuries-old curse that causes star-crossed lovers Prince Khufu and Princess Chay-Ara to be reborn ad infinitum in new bodies, only to die before achieving true happiness. Khufu and Chay-Ara now live on as Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders – the winged Hawkman and Hawkgirl – but there’s a new wrinkle in this cursed cycle. Kendra has no recollection of her past and she has no intention of pursuing a relationship with Carter. On his end, Carter is trapped between the knowledge of his love for the soul of Chay-Ara and the reality of his lack of knowledge of who Kendra is as a person. This ratchets up the tension in Hawkman, leading to a truly electric dynamic between the high-flying heroes. For the first time in the history of the curse, the souls of Khufu and Chay-Ara may not fall in love. It’s never made too obvious, but the struggle between fate and free will is a central theme to this collection of stories. This is personified through the main characters’ perspectives. Carter has faith that his destiny will play out as it always has while Kendra seems intent on doing everything possible to ensure that it doesn’t. The contrast between them is highly entertaining in this regard.

The issues collected here are divided into several arcs, but tell one long overarching story. The primary thread is Hawkgirl’s search for her parents’ murderer, which brings the Hawks to India, Tibet, and back to St. Roch. Along the way they must contend with a trio of villains as they attempt to steal a mystical artifact, team-up with Green Arrow to clear his name after he is framed for the murder of several officials in St. Roch, and rescue Kendra’s grandfather after he is kidnapped by the reincarnated Hath-Set. These globe-trotting adventures provide plenty of memorable fight scenes, including a rather intense smackdown with some yeti, as well as a slew of guest stars. Green Arrow and the Atom both show up, with the former bringing out the absolute worst in Hawkman and the latter bringing out the softer side of him. These interactions not only help show some off the different facets of Hawkman’s personality, but they also give us the overall scope of the character’s influence on the DC Universe. That said, the real star of this collection is Hawkgirl. There’s something contradictory about the fact that the series is titled Hawkman when Hawkgirl has equal (if not greater) importance to the stories written. Her action sequences are stunning throughout and her brash personality has a tendency to overshadow that of Hawkman (which is a feat in and of itself). Moreover, her narrative deals with some very heavy issues regarding a tragic event in her past and it’s guaranteed to leave a lingering impact on the reader. Though Johns seems reticent to define the event for what it was, the images and implications are obvious (and gut-wrenchingly so).

Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book One offers a glimpse into one of Geoff Johns’ more underrated works. The affection he has for the history behind the character is evident and it keeps you invested in the story. Rags Morales’ expressive art and dynamic action scenes help to maintain this engagement as well. Beyond that, I appreciate the effort made to explore deeper themes and more mature subject matter without being too heavy-handed or gratuitous. Much of this converges on Hawkgirl and her place within the narrative. She could have easily been relegated into being a sidekick or stock love interest, but she is neither. Kendra is Carter’s willing partner with autonomy of her own. While she frequently falls into the “Action Girl” trope that Johns is often guilty of, Kendra has depth and the fact that Carter’s expectation for them to be together because of their curse is consistently questioned and criticized speaks is refreshing to see in a medium where women are little more than objects. As such, Hawkman proved to be a surprisingly self-aware read with a strong female presence (but Johns gets demerit points for fridging a supporting character towards the end). It's worth a read, though be forewarned that some of its subject matter can be emotionally trying.

RATING: B

Review - Wonder Woman: Earth One Volume 1

Forbidden to leave the island paradise of Amazonia, Wonder Woman disobeys her mother’s wishes and travels to Man’s World. Upon her return, the Amazon Princess is placed on trial for her transgressions and must rely upon the testimony of those she met in Man’s World to act as her champions.

Wonder Woman: Earth One Volume 1 is a 2016 graphic novel written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Yanick Paquette.

As with the rest of DC Comics’ Earth One line of graphic novels, Wonder Woman: Earth One serves as a retelling of the titular character’s origins. From the onset, Morrison remained adamant about returning the character to her Golden Age roots and focusing on the elements of bondage that permeated those early stories. Here’s the problem – Morrison is so concerned with ramming the idea of “loving submission” down the throat of his readers that he actually forgets to tell a decent story. He’s so obsessed with the sexual politics of the character that he seems to abandon any kind of driving conflict or tension. The entire book is told in flashbacks through the storytelling device of Wonder Woman giving her testimony while on trial for abandoning her home island. She recounts bringing an injured Steve Trevor back to Man’s World and then we get Etta Candy’s (she’s renamed “Elizabeth”/”Beth” for some reason – but let’s refer to her by her proper name) account of their first meeting. There’s really no conflict, barely any action, and there’s not a villain to speak of (unless we count Medusa who shows up for a little bit). If anything, the real villains of Wonder Woman: Earth One are the Amazons.

Morrison depicts the Amazons as a group of ignorant, selfish, and hyper-aggressive women who are quick to judge anyone who is remotely different than they are. Something that is especially difficult to swallow is the rhetoric surrounding ’s weight, which amounts to fat shaming. The worst of them all is Queen Hippolyta. There’s no warmth or heart to her character, instead she comes across as a despotic autocrat who seeks to control her daughter and will do everything possible to ensure that Diana remains under her thumb. She’s also a liar and the reveal during the climax (if you can even say there’s a climax to something that’s flat throughout) of the graphic novel is entirely unimpressive since it poorly imitates the work that Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang did on the New 52 Wonder Woman title. The Amazons are crucial to the mythos of Wonder Woman and turning them into shrewish caricatures is a massive disappointment. There’s also something off about the fact that Morrison chose to use Nubia in place of Phillippus. 1) Because Black women should not be treated as if they’re interchangeable and 2) Nubia was canonically Hippolyta’s daughter Pre-Crisis so the mild homoerotic subtext I get from their dynamic feels icky.

There is a sense like the intention behind this graphic novel was meant to be positive. The desire to explore elements of Wonder Woman’s character that are often ignored by others is admirable. A truly modern approach to telling her story in a sex positive way is a great idea, I’m just not convinced that it should be done singularly by two white men. I will say that I love that Diana and Mala seemed to have had a relationship (and that Diana is romantically disinterested in Steve Trevor). The characterization of Etta (again, “Beth” in this version) is superb and she ends up being the standout. I’ll also admit that Yanick Paquette’s art is gorgeous throughout. His Wonder Woman is really elegant, his Hippolyta is majestic, and the approach to Amazonia is really fun with its unique blend of classical architecture with sci fi elements. That said, there are some panels where the characters are positioned 100% in cheesecake poses that seem to contradict what the narrative is going for.

Point blank, Wonder Woman: Earth One is not going to go down as one of the best Wonder Woman stories. With so much great work out there, Morrison and Paquette’s graphic novel falls short of the excellence that others have achieved while revising the Amazon Princess’ iconic origin. Whether it intends to or not, Wonder Woman: Earth One seems like it’s trying so hard to be feminist but falls short at every turn because it is done from the very flawed perspective of two white guys. Had more women been involved, it’s likely that some of the themes wouldn’t have been undermined by cheesecake-y art and they would have been like “Oh hey, how about we have the Amazons be more than just a bunch of man-hating harpies?” If you’re looking for a great origin story for Wonder Woman, then you really can’t do better than George Perez’s opening epic from the 1987 reboot of Wonder Woman. The 2009 animated film is also a very satisfying take as well. Wonder Woman: Earth One is mildly entertaining and is worth a read for hardcore Wonder Woman fans if only for the sake of completionism. However, with its lack of villains, shallow characterization, and obsession with loving submission, this reads more like a first draft of a script for a Wonder Woman pilot than a premiere hardcover graphic novel.

RATING: C- 

Review - Justice League Season One

After being accidentally awakened on their native planet, a group of Martians launch a full scale invasion on Earth. Seven of Earth’s greatest heroes band together to stop this threat and become the legendary team known as the Justice League. Together they are Earth’s only hope against despotic aliens, treacherous Atlanteans, and nefarious supervillains.

Justice League is an animated series that made its debut in 2001, created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. Its first season consisted of 26 episodes and featured the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum, Carl Lumbly, and Maria Canals.

As far as iconic superhero cartoons go, Justice League is way up there with Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series. This seminal adaptation of DC Comics’ premiere team introduced a generation of kids to superheroes like Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Hawkgirl alongside old favourites Batman and Superman. With its sophisticated multi-episode story arcs and streamlined animation, it stood above its contemporaries (and even most of its successors) in terms of quality. What also helped to set it apart was its pitch perfect casting. From Carl Lumbly’s ambivalent Martian Manhunter to Maria Canals’ attitude-filled Hawkgirl to Michael Rosenbaum’s comedic Flash, the voice work on Justice League is distinctive and embodies each character flawlessly. In fact, it’s so good that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in these roles.

The series opens with “Secret Origins,” a three-part saga that sees Superman and Batman assembling a team of heroes to defeat a Martian invasion. It clearly draws inspiration from the first arc of Grant Morrison’s JLA run, though it’s streamlined significantly and features a slightly different roster. While the alien invasion narrative is predictable, it does its job of assembling the team in a way that makes sense and provides the epic grandeur that is necessary for origin stories of superhero groups. It does struggle a bit with its introductions. Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and the Flash are without actual origins, while Wonder Woman’s gets mangled to the point that it’s unrecognizable (more on that later!). Still, it’s a great start.

Aside from the opening arc and the concluding one, the rest of the first season is comprised of two-part arcs. These vary in quality. The Aquaman-centric “The Enemy Below” is a standout. It introduces the King of Atlantis as he deals with the treachery of his half-brother Orm. Orm covets the throne and will do whatever it takes to get it, including starting a war with the surface world and attempting to murder his own brother. It’s a surprisingly dark storyline with some truly harrowing moments. Beyond that, it also accomplishes portraying Aquaman as someone who is not to be trifled with.

“Paradise Lost” and “Fury” are also some of the better episodes from the first season, though both are somewhat hindered by their failure to properly portray Wonder Woman and the Amazons. “Paradise Lost” sees Wonder Woman striking out on her own to recover artifacts for the sorcerer Felix Faust, who has turned her Amazon sisters to stone and won’t reverse his spell unless Wonder Woman completes his tasks. It’s a fun globe-trotting adventure that feels very reminiscent of Indiana Jones. It also features one hell of a smackdown between Superman and Wonder Woman while they are under the influence of one of the artifacts. “Fury” is an all-female romp as Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl team-up after a renegade Amazon unleashes a plague that only affects men. It’s enjoyable from a superficial level as it gives the series’ lead heroines the opportunity to interact with one another and get to kick butt without their male teammates sucking up the spotlight. However, its thematic elements are problematic as it’s clearly attempting to tackle feminism, but is done through the lens of a male writer and a male director.

“Injustice for All” is another noteworthy episode. Long-time Superman foe Lex Luthor escapes from prison and enlists the aid of Ultra-Humanite in order to assemble a gang of supervillains capable of taking down the Justice League. These types of superhero team vs. supervillain team are typically among my favourites whenever they crop up in comics and adaptations. They generally provide for a lot of interesting interactions and “Injustice for All” does not disappoint. From Lex and Ultra-Humanite’s rivalry to Cheetah’s flirtations with Batman, writer Stan Berkowitz gives us plenty of fun dynamics that punctuate this episode. Its only shortcoming (surprise, surprise) has to do with Wonder Woman. Cheetah is amongst the cast of villains used in this episode, yet she’s not acknowledged or even portrayed as a Wonder Woman villain.

The best episode from season one may be the three-part conclusion “The Savage Time.” In it, the Justice League (sans Batman – thank the Gods) are transported to an alternate past where the Nazis won World War II with the aid of the immortal villain Vandal Savage. Along the way, the League are fractured and must rely upon the aid of others to prevent Savage’s further assault on western Europe. Hawkgirl and the Flash ally themselves with the high-flying Blackhawks, Green Lantern becomes a part of the US military unit known as Easy Company, and Wonder Woman takes part of a sabotage mission alongside the spy Steve Trevor. Savage is a menacing villain and the technology that he introduces into the war makes for some great imagery. More importantly, “The Savage Time” digs deep into the motivations and emotional core of its lead heroes. The trio of Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and the Flash are integral to the overall plot, but they also offer differing point of views on war. The contrast between Hawkgirl and the Flash is especially fascinating. Hawkgirl has a more militaristic, greater good approach whereas the Flash has a “no man left behind” perspective that’s more personal in its nature. Green Lantern, meanwhile, proves himself as a capable hero without the use of his ring. This is crucial to showing the audience that he’s more than just some ring-slinging space cop. I also must admit that I quite enjoyed all of the interactions between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. While I may not like them much as a couple in any medium, their dynamic here was quite cute.

The rest of the episodes from season one vary greatly in quality. Those that feature Green Lantern more heavily (“In Blackest Night,” “The Brave and the Bold,” “Metamorphosis”) tend to be on the duller side. “Legends” is a frustratingly disposable entry as it uses analogues for the Justice Society rather than the actual characters, which would have made for a more impactful storyline. “War World” suffers from being ridiculously predictable by pulling out the gladiator games trope (which is done in just about every TV show – including Smallville, Supergirl, and twice in Justice League Unlimited). If that weren’t enough, it’s also one of the (many) episodes where we see Superman severely depowered in order to make him seem more vulnerable.

Part of what makes Justice League so special was its strong adherence to character development. The first season is significant for its plotting of a budding relationship between Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. Both are very militaristic characters, though the former is wilder and more impulsive. She’s exciting and gives the usually straight-laced Green Lantern a foil. We see this replicated with his dynamic with the Flash, who serves as the comedic relief on the team. Ultimately, these are the characters that help to ground the series and they end up being the standouts. While this trio was afforded a lot of great character development that endears them to the audience, the same cannot be said for Wonder Woman. It’s clear from the onset that the producers don’t understand her character and they don’t even seem to like her. Where Hawkgirl is the cool girl on the team and can hang with the guys, Wonder Woman is presented as the prissy ice princess who is antagonistic towards men. In this series, Wonder Woman is very aggressive and there’s very little warmth to her. She’s not driven by any kind of divine mission of peace, which is evidenced by the shift in her origin story from a warrior who earns the right to be the Amazons’ champion to a petulant princess who steals her armour. Her lack of compassion and the overall harsh nature of her character betrays a very shallow portrayal. This is extended towards the Amazons as well. They’re not given any kind of depth or interiority. Instead, they’re man-hating extremists whose isolationist views are coded as weird and aggressive. It’s a place that Wonder Woman can’t wait to escape from, rather than a peaceful home that she loves to return to from the harsh realities of Man’s World. The problem is that the series is plotted by a bunch of men who can’t seem to understand why women would want to isolate themselves from the rest of the world (i.e. men) and who have a very difficult time writing women as anything more than love interests or aggressive warriors. It’s clear that they were pulling mostly from a late Silver Age or Bronze Age context for the Amazons, but it feels dated and unnecessary as they chose to ignore (and thus disrespect) George Perez’s influential work on the character and her mythos.

After all these years, Justice League still holds a special place in my heart. While it can at times adhere too much to common tropes and it fails miserably at portraying a well-written Wonder Woman, there’s a lot to love about its first season. The voice work is stellar and the amount of character development that is packed into these 26 episodes is nothing short of amazing. Hawkgirl remains the star for me and she steals every single scene she’s in, so further applause is in order for Maria Canals for that. The complex storytelling that is achieved is also brilliant and is worthy of praise. While the first season doesn’t quite hit a home run, it’s always worth a watch – though some mild cherry picking may be necessary.

Review - Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan

In order to better control her nascent metahuman abilities, Karen Beecher-Duncan seeks out the aid of Meta Solutions. Unbeknownst to Karen, the organization is run by the nefarious Fearsome Five. When her husband discovers the truth, he enlists the help of the Titans to investigate Meta Solutions’ true motivations before his wife can be drawn into their web.

Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan collects Titans issues 7-10, Titans Annual 1 and material from DC Rebirth Holiday Special. It is written by Dan Abnett, with art by Brett Booth and Minkyu Jung.

While the first arc of this Rebirth series focused exclusively on Wally West, Abnett hits his stride by recalibrating the title to make greater use of its ensemble cast. The interpersonal relationships of the Titans are the focal point of this collection and there are many fantastic interactions between the characters, especially between Donna Troy and Roy Harper. Their flirtatious dialogue acts as a way of grounding the book. This emphasis on the interpersonal is ultimately what drives the overarching plot as well. On a superficial level, it’s a pretty standard superhero beat-‘em-up storyline wherein the Titans face off against their long-time foes the Fearsome Five. The catalyst for this conflict is personal. Their friends, Mal and Karen, are directly affected by the Fearsome Five’s actions. To the team, they are family and what does family do when their loved ones are in danger? They go all mama bear.

The fact that Made in Manhattan revolves around Karen Beecher-Duncan (AKA Bumblebee) is bittersweet. I love that she’s finally given some shine after being relegated to the background for so long in comics, but Abnett fails to understand the appeal of the character. She seems to have no prior history as a superhero and her only connection to the Titans is through her husband (ugh). Furthermore, the manifestation of her powers and reliance on the suit Meta Solutions gives her to control them erases her status as the earliest black girl genius in comics. She went from this bad ass inventor who built her own suit in order to fight crime to being someone’s generic wife who is unable to deal with her metahuman abilities. Hell, even Brett Booth’s art lets her down. It’s clear from the way he draws Mal that he has difficulty drawing black hair, so it’s no surprise that he’s basically given Karen a fairly generic vaguely wavy hairstyle. That said, the scene in which Bumblebee takes on the Fearsome Five is worth the price of admission. She kicks ass. Sadly, Karen isn’t the only character that Abnett misses the mark on. Wonder Woman appears in the annual and her treatment of Donna Troy is ridiculously out of character.

As I previously mentioned in my review of the preceding volume from this series, I’m not a fan of Brett Booth’s art. It’s dated and unattractive. It really lowers the quality of what could otherwise be a really great book. This is made all the more evident when it’s contrasted against Minkyu Jung’s gorgeous artwork for the annual collected here. Jung’s art is cleaner and infinitely more dynamic.

Titans Volume 2: Made in Manhattan is a vast improvement over the first trade. It’s action-packed and more deftly handles its ensemble cast. I appreciate the effort that Abnett has put into ensuring that this group reads like a family as that is central to the appeal of the Titans. Unfortunately, the characterization of Bumblebee and Booth’s art chipped away at what would otherwise be a nearly flawless follow-up to the mediocre Rebirth relaunch of the Titans.

RATING: B