Titans Season One – 5 Teen Titans Stories To Check Out

Originally published on Set The Tape

The first season of Warner Bros television series Titans has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray, meaning a whole host of new fans get to experience the exciting live action version of the Teen Titans. The series has some great stories, but the characters have been around for decades in the comics, and there are loads more stories that fans can experience. Here are five of the best.

Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game

Geoff Johns is a legend in comic books, and one of his stand out series was his 2003 Teen Titans run. The first big relaunch of the book since the Wolfman and Perez run, the book brought back series mainstays such as Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg in new modernised versions, as well as bringing new additions like Tim Drake’s Robin, Cassie Sandmark’s Wonder Girl, Super Boy, and Bart Allen’s Kid Flash.

The first volume of the Johns run, Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game, tells how the team comes together for the first time, the dissolution of the Young Justice team, and how the older Titans fit in with their new teammates. A brilliant introduction to a run that would last for years, with Johns working on more than 50 issues.

Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow

Another great entry from the Johns era Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow pits the young heroes against older versions of themselves. After travelling to the distant future to help the Legion of Super Heroes the Titans accidentally end up 10 years in their future, where they encounter more violent versions of themselves. In this timeline Connor has become Super Man, Tim is the new gun-wielding Batman, Cassie is Wonder Woman, and Bart has become Reverse Flash, just to name a few of the changes.

It’s always fun to pit heroes against different versions of themselves, and ‘what if’ futures are great scenarios that let writers explore strange new territory, and Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow is a great example of both. The characters get to see where their actions could lead them in the future, and it moves their story forward in important and meaningful ways. Plus, the future versions of our heroes are brilliantly entertaining.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

Taken from the classic Marv Wolfman and George Perez run on the book Teen Titans: The Judas Contract was a four part story that was extremely significant for a number of reasons. The book revealed the secret origins of the Titans villain Deathstroke, a villain that would go on to become an icon of the DC Universe. The Judas Contract also revealed the shocking revelation that the teams new member, Terra was actually working for Deathstroke to bring down the team from within. It also marked the first appearance of Dick Grayson as Nightwing.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract was a huge turning point for the series. It was full of content that was considerably more adult in tone than things that had come before, and made big changes to the book going forward. Adapted a number of times over the years in both tv and film animation, and revisited in future comic stories, it remains on of the most important Teen Titans stories of all times.

The New Titans: Who Is Donna Troy?

The original Wonder Girl, Donna Troy was a founding member of the original Teen Titans line-up in the 1960’s, and originally Wonder Woman’s younger sister. Over the years, thanks to various revisions and new writers Donna’s origins became less defined. Who Is Donna Troy? sought to shed some answers on her past.

A sci-fi epic that’s full of world building, noir detective stories, and interpersonal conflict all designed to bring Donna to the fore and make her a character with a solid back story. With Donna Troy proving to be on of DC’s more popular recurring characters, and her character’s inclusion in the series, Who Is Donna Troy? may be one of the more important Teen Titans stories around.

Teen Titans: Earth One

A standalone graphic novel, Teen Titans: Earth One takes readers to a world where there are no super heroes. No Batman, no Superman, no Wonder Woman, and no Teen Titans. In this world a group of teens suddenly develop strange new powers, and are drawn together to help save a strange alien princess. Featuring brand new versions of Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Terra, Jericho, and Starfire, writer Jeff Lemire creates a Teen Titans that couldn’t exist in the regular DC Universe.

With a second volume that expanded upon this initial concept, and introduced even more re-imagined Titans, Teen Titans: Earth One is a bold new direction for the super hero team. Fans who liked the television series revamp of the team will love this other reinterpretation.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives by V. E. Schwab – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives returns readers to the amazing world of the Shades of Magic series, once again exploring the past of King Maxim, and shedding light upon some of his greatest exploits.

Having already defeated the Pirate Queen of the Blood Coast in the previous volume of the series, Maxim is trying to turn the royal guard of Verose into a group of ‘real’ soldiers. He’s fed up with their lax attitudes and wants to further prove himself to his father, King Nokil, by making them into a guard worthy of honour and recognition.

Unfortunately, many of the royal guard in the city still don’t feel like Maxim belongs there. They see him as something of a spoiled brat, given his position because of his birth, not because he’s actually earned it. Whilst Maxim believed that slaying the Pirate Queen would have won him some respect with his men it seems like it’s not enough to make him the leader he wants to be.

When Maxim learns about the mysterious Night of Knives, a series of trials that prove the bravery and power of those who survive, he believes that he’s found his way of gaining the respect of his men and earning his place as their leader.

The Night of Knives is a great concept. Pitting Maxim against a series of trials that are designed to test him to his limits is a brilliant way of putting the character on a path of self discovery, which seems to ultimately be what the series is about. Yes, we’re learning more about the character and how he became a legend, but ultimately it seems to be about him learning to become a real leader, discovering the qualities that he’ll need in order to be a good king one day.

The trials themselves are pretty fun and inventive. The first trial requires Maxim to use his magic to navigate a death trap, whilst the second is purely about survival whilst stripped of powers. The third trial is something of a classic story trope, the hero having to face a manifestation of their own fears. Schwab herself acknowledges it’s a trope in the included interview, but she’s managed to avoid making it feel too cliched or done before, instead making it feel like a natural progression of the trials rather than something thrown in because it’s expected.

The final trial is something that’s a little unexpected, and in all honesty is a slight twist in the story. I’m not going to say much about it as I don’t want to ruin the ending, but I will say that it was really good and set up possible things to come in the future. I’m also a little angry at myself for not seeing part of it coming. If you know the rules of the Shades of Magic universe then there’s something that happens you can pick up on if you’re paying enough attention; but then V.E. Schwab is clever enough to not make it too obvious and telegraph what’s going to come.

There’s been a change of artists between volume one and this book, with Budi Setiawan joining in the art duties with Andrea Olimpieri. Honestly, even with the book telling you which artist worked on which issue it’s hard to notice much of a difference between the two of them. Sometimes when a comic changes artists mid-story it can be a really jarring art style shift, and it can draw you out of the narrative, but here the two artists work brilliantly together to produce a book that feels like one cohesive whole.

The designs they make for the new characters introduced in the book, such as the ‘psychotic magic blade for hire’ Rio, are great, and fit into the already established aesthetic whilst managing to look fresh and distinct. The trials also have brilliant designs and whilst the notion of magical trials isn’t a new one they’re presented here in a way that feels unique.

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince – Night of Knives is the perfect continuation of the story of the Steel Prince, and manages to not just be as entertaining as the first volume, but ups the ante on character development, universe building, and interesting antagonists. Fans of the Shades of Magic universe will of course love the book, and even those new to the story will be able to entertained throughout.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

October Faction: Open Season – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

October Faction is a new series coming to Netflix, that follows the adventures of a globetrotting family of monster hunters. The series is based on a comic book written by Steve Niles, and drawn by Damien Worm. With the series on the way IDW have put together a new bumper book containing the first twelve issues of the series, October Faction: Open Season.

October Faction: Open Season introduces readers to the Allen family. There’s the college professor Fred, his wife Deloris, and their teenage kids Geoff and Viv. Fred used to be a monster hunter, but has since left that life behind for his family, but this has led to a less than perfect family life. His wife has become somewhat distant from him and the two of them hardly speak, and his children want desperately to follow in his footsteps and become monster hunters; something that he is dead set against.

This boring life gets thrown out of balance, however, when an old enemy of Fred’s, Merle Cope, arrives in town and meets with Deloris. This sets off a series of events that makes Fred and his family the target of a number of supernatural threats, brings them closer together as a family, and even brings some strange new additions into their ‘October Faction’.

Despite being a hefty twelve issues long the book is really an introduction to the world and the Allen family. It’s not until the end of the 12th issue that it actually feels like they’ve all finally come together as a team and descided to make hunting monsters their mission. And you know what? It’s actually really good.

A lot of comics, especially ones that have a team, tend to have the set-up happen quite quickly. Normally by the end of issue six a team comes together and has set out on their mission to do good. October Faction: Open Season takes its time with setting up the characters and the world. It knows that this isn’t an established universe that fans already know, with recognisable characters, so it doesn’t rush laying the groundwork. We get to know the characters, their motivations, their back stories, and the narrative is better for it.

The characters are a varied and interesting group, and the members that come from outside the family to join them are actually some of the more interesting; though I don’t want to say much about them as I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the surprises. The story also touches upon a much larger world, making it bigger than just Gristlewood, and giving hints to readers about the kind of creatures and adventures the heroes might have to face in further volumes.

The artwork helps a lot with this too, with Damien Worm taking on a much more muted look through many of these early parts of the book. He doesn’t go for big splashy backgrounds that the characters get lost in, instead making the people the focus of panels. He creates artwork that captures the look and feel of the world, often full of atmosphere, but a lot of the time there’s actually nothing in the panel except the characters. But, unlike some artists this doesn’t stand out in a bad way.

October Faction: Open Season is a great introduction to the comic series, and I’m certainly going to be checking out more of it now. Plus, I’m really interested to see what the Netflix adaptation is going to be like and what things they change. A great horror comic chock full of interesting characters, fun creatures, and some great writing and artwork.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove - Book Review

'It is 1890, and in the days before Christmas Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are visited at Baker Street by a new client. Eve Allerthorpe - eldest daughter of a grand but somewhat eccentric Yorkshire-based dynasty - is greatly distressed, as she believes she is being haunted by a demonic Christmas spirit.

'Her late mother told her terrifying tales of the sinister Black Thurrick, and Eve is sure that she has seen the creature from her bedroom window. What is more, she has begun to receive mysterious parcels of birch twigs, the Black Thurrick's calling card...

'Eve stands to inherit a fortune if she is sound in mind, but it seems that something - or someone - is threatening her sanity. Holmes and Watson travel to the Allerthorpe family seat at Fellscar Keep to investigate, but soon discover that there is more to the case than at first appeared. There is another spirit haunting the family, and when a member of the household is found dead, the companions realise that no one is beyond suspicion.'

I'm a bit of a sucker for Sherlock Holmes, and will always be up for reading stories that involve the world's best detective. So when Titan Books asked if I wanted to read their new release, Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon I said yes just because of the name. Then I read the blurb and saw that Holmes and Watson would be investigating a series of events attributed to a Kramus like creature I was even happier. Then I saw the first line of the book was Holmes yelling 'Father Christmas! Halt right there!' and I think I was already in love with the book.

After apprehending a jewel thief posing as Father Christmas Homes and Watson are approached by Eve Allerthorpe, a young woman who had travelled to London to get away from her Yorkshire home, fleeing what she describes as a supernatural Christmas demon. She explains to Holmes and Watson that she is soon to inherit a large fortune, on the condition that she be sane come her 21st birthday; however, following the recent death of her mother, a supposed haunting within the walls of her castle home, and now the appearance of the demonic Black Thurrick she is close to wits end. Agreeing to take on the case, the two detectives head into the snow covered landscape of remote Yorkshire and the imposing Allerthorpe home to try to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon is, as the name would suggest, a very festive book, set within the week leading up to Christmas. Fellscar Keep, the Allerthorpe home, is a huge castle sat on a small island in the middle of a frozen lake in the snow covered countryside, and the hall is soon host to a large family gathering to celebrate the holiday. Almost immediately the reader is thrust into this time of year, and it quickly becomes apparent that a cold, snowy day would be the best time to read the book. It conjures feelings that are associated with winter, and you can almost feel the chill of the snow creeping in on you as you read. As I was sick when I read the book I was wrapped in a blanket with a hot up of tea at the time, and this actually enhanced the experience somewhat, especially as if I tried to get out from the blanket I'd be wracked with chills. I'm not saying that people should go out and give themselves the flu before reading the book, but if you're already suffering with it this could be a great way to pass the time.

The central mystery of the story is, thankfully, complex enough that it will keep you guessing throughout. Whilst there were times that I thought I might have figured out some small part of the larger mystery, and was even then wrong a lot of those times, there's no way that a reader will be able to put together everything the way that Holmes manages to here. There are small hints throughout that indicate how a few of these mysteries will pan out, but James Lovegrove manages to keep back enough that you'll be surprised by the revelation. But that's not to say that the author hides important information, there are small clues hidden throughout the book, and Holmes always makes some kind of small comment, or pays attention to things that will later be shown to be a part of the mystery; it's just up to the reader to be able to pick up on these subtle moments and to figure out how they play into the mystery.

James Lovegrove is no stranger to writing Sherlock Holmes books, and has a good few in his bibliography, including some great sounding crossovers with Cthulhu that I really want to read, and his experience with writing the character really shows here. There are some writers who seem to think that Sherlock Holmes can just be written as an unpleasantly grumpy person who makes clever deductions seemingly out of nothing (I'm looking at you BBC's Sherlock), but seem to forget that he's actually a very pleasant person beneath that exterior. James Lovegrove sidesteps this trap completely, and crafts a Holmes who is incredibly endearing and at times absolutely lovely. There is something that happens towards the very end of the book that I won't talk about to avoid spoilers, but it might be one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes moments of all time.

This great characterisation isn't just reserved for the leads, however, as James Lovegrove is able to create an interesting and impressively layered group of supporting characters for our detectives to interact with. Many of them seem one dimensional to begin with, and you'll think that you've got a good handle on what they're like fairly early on, but James Lovegrove manages to surprise, and you'll come to see that there's a lot more to all of the characters than you first think. You'll come to dislike people who at first seem to be kind and open, and you'll find characters that seemed like horrid people when you first meet them turn out to be very kind and even a little lovable.

If it's not clear yet, I absolutely loved Sherlock Holmes & The Christmas Demon. It has quickly become one of my favourite books of the year, and I struggled to put it down so that I could do other things. But even so, I managed to read the whole book in a single day. This isn't because it's a quick or easy read by any description, but because the quality was that good that I kept wanting to come back to it, kept picking it up, and didn't want to stop reading it. Whether you read it at Christmas time or not, this is an absolutely perfect book for any fans of Sherlock Holmes, or people who love a great mystery.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Marvel Action: Spider-Man #9 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Issue nine of Marvel Action: Spider-Man sees the team having to work through their differences as they come up with a plan to stop the bad luck-inducing Black Cat.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man continues to be my favourite book in the Marvel Action line. The way that Delilah S. Dawson writes the three spider-heroes is easily the best part of the book, and they have such fun chemistry that an issue of just the three of them hanging out, not having to fight villains, would still be an awesome book.

In this issue the three heroes kind of have it our with each other following the interpersonal drama that started a few issues ago, in part thanks to the way Black Cat has been messing things up for them. Peter admits that he feels that he deserves to be the leader because he’s older and has been a hero for longer, and that he views Miles as ‘Spider-Man 2’ because that was his name first, but he comes to see that whilst he might have more experience they’re a team together, and others feelings matter a lot too.

Gwen thinks that the boys don’t like her assertiveness and wanting to rush into situations because she’s a girl, thinking that she’d be listened to more and liked if she was a guy. Miles explains that he feels like he’s often overlooked, and that the others discount what he has to say and brings to the team because he’s not the first Spider-Man, or different enough from him like Ghost-Spider.

Despite having a big chunk of the story given over to three teens arguing with each other, the book doesn’t make it annoying or un-entertaining, and you really actually want the three of them to have this conversation so that they can move past this. The characterisation is that compelling that even when they’re having a silly fight you’re engaged and want a good outcome for them.

Thankfully, the three of them are able to put most of these issues to bed and come together as a team to stop Black Cat from breaking her dad out of prison. It’s good to see the three of them working together so well, and using their smarts to beat her despite her bad luck powers still affecting them.

Throughout the time we see Black Cat in this issue too she mentions Kingpin a lot, and I genuinely thought that this was slowly being used to set up for the villain for the next story arc. However, come the final panels there was no hint of the Kingpin being around or that he would appear anytime soon. The preview cover for the next issue actually makes it definitively clear that he won’t be the next focus, however, as Venom is front and centre. Whilst I’d have loved to have seen what Dawson would have done with the character I have to be honest, I’m a little more excited for Vemon.

Fico Ossio continues to provide artwork on the book, and as per usual it’s beautiful. The fight scenes between the spider-heroes and Black Cat are full of dynamic movement and action that helps to make this book stand out from some of the other Marvel Action titles. Even the ‘boring’ scenes where there are no superheroes are so full of energy and fun that every panel is a joy to behold.

Marvel Action: Spider-Man is a great example of how good the Marvel Action line is, and showcases some of the best work that IDW and Marvel are bringing readers.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn