The New 52 allowed DC Comics to relaunch their entire comic universe and produce 52 new titles each month. One of the titles re-launched was The Teen Titans beginning in November 2011. This granted writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brett Booth the ability to create and develop the 4th relaunch of the Teen Titans. The first volume of The New 52 Teen Titans graphic novel focuses on how the Titans are formed as they began to face the threat of the villain Harvest and his organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
Plot:
Robin, now known as Red Robin, has been tracking down a mysterious group called N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who has been abducting metahumans from around the world. While tracking them down he runs into Cassandra Sandsmark, Wonder Girl, who is being pursued by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Together they defeat the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. unmanned drone that was following them. After parting ways with Wonder Girl, Robin locates Celine Marjorie Patterson, the metahuman Skitter, when they are attacked by a metahuman agent from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. While Red Robin is attempting to save Skitter, Wonder Girl comes to the recuse allowing for all 3 of them to escape. As this is going on Kid Flash has been captured by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and is imprisoned at one of their bases. Eventually, he escapes his cell and begins to look around to discover another metahuman has been captured who goes by the name of Solstice. As the two of them are escaping Kid Flash discovers that Solstice has been experimented on by N.O.W.H.E.R.E., which has changed her appearance and her powers. Meanwhile, Red Robin realizes that he and Skitter, who is now in a cocoon due to her metahuman powers effect, need to keep a low profile by traveling in an empty train boxcar. They are joined by Miguel Barragan, also known as the hero Bunker, who quickly gets into a fight with Robin before they both realize they are on the same side. This is when the train stops at a town where all of the locals have been placed under a trance that is forcing them to attack them. They both successfully defended and freed the locals from their trances, and make it back to Red Robin’s apartment in NYC. Once they arrive a transport door opens up allowing Kid Flash and Solstice to make it safety into his apartment, thus beginning the formation of the Teen Titans. While they are all getting acquainted they witness Wonder Girl fighting against Superboy, a metahuman created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to capture other metahumans. Robin, along with the others, decided to confront Superboy as a means to save both him and Wonder Girl. In the fight that ensues Superboy easily defeats all the members of the Teen Titans, but chooses not to capture them as Solstice explains how he is being used by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. This forces him to think and investigate his creator’s intentions, which leads to him being captured by the very same people who created him. As a result, Robin and Wonder Girl choose to save him and after much deliberation are joined by Bunker, Solstice, Skitter, and Kid Flash. Eventually Bunker and Kid Flash free Superboy, as Robin is accessing and obtaining data on N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and all the metahumans they have kidnapped. Solstice discovers that Robin knew what N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was doing in torturing and killing metahumans but he waited, as he wanted to build a case against them. Before she can address Robin, Harvest, the creator of N.O.W.H.E.R.E., welcomes the Teen Titans to his creation the “Colony”, stating that they will help to further his mysterious goals.
Significance:
The first volume establishes a new tone with the Teen Titans as the team has complete independence. Prior to this comic the Teen Titans have always had a close relationship with the Justice League and other heroes who have acted as mentors to them. This comic captures this relationship in non-existent as Robin independently is recruiting, convincing, and persuading the team he has built to follow him. The team consists of people who have similar powers to the Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but share no connection or relation to them. As a result, they have no mentorship or guidance from these heroes, which is a big step for the Teen Titans, as they will have to learn to control and live with the consequences that their powers will bring. By setting up the comic in this way it forces the Teen Titans to start to accept and take responsibility as they transition into becoming adult super heroes. This ushers in a new era for the Teen Titans as they have a team and individual heroes. They have to rise to the challenge that the group N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has presented. By doing all of this the comic establishes the Teen Titans as being their own group that is on par with the other groups in the DC Comics Universe. The comic/ graphic novel also introduces a new character into the DC Universe: Miguel Barragan/ Bunker. Bunker is an interesting character as his power allows him to create and control energy constructs using his mind in which he can determine the density of the object he is creating. Furthermore, Bunker, being an openly gay Mexican, shows that heritage and sexual preferences have no impact on being a super hero. While Bunker has not been used for any other comics besides the Teen Titans he is part of the DC Comic Universe and is a perfect example of how to appropriately create a strong diverse character that people can support and enjoy reading about. Finally, the comic sets the stage for a showdown to occur between the Teen Titans, Harvest, and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Out of this fight a new comic was created; the Ravagers. The Ravagers focuses on several of Harvest’s experiments escaping during his fight with the Teen Titans and how he is hunting them down. While Ravagers only lasted for 12 issues it would not have been possible if it were not for the New 52 Teen Titans, volume 1, setting the stage for the comic. Volume 1 of the Teen Titans allowed for the creation of several new characters, storylines, and comic series that expand the DC Universe going into the Rebirth era today.
You can pick up Volume 1 of Teen Titans : It’s Our Right to Fight here.
