Comics

Published on February 12th, 2014 | by Kerry Craigwell

Titan #1 Review

Reviewed by Kerry Craigwell

Writer: Tony Kittrell

Artist: Austin Brooks

Colors: Rachel LaChance

Letters: Chris LeBlanc

Editor: Petira Bruce

Hey all! I have another review and this time it is of the one and only, Titan! It has been a pretty well known point of discussion amongst comic book fans of what should be done with Superman. Is he a hero that others can relate to? What makes him so cool? I would dare those who love Superman to come and give Titan a shot.

Tony lands a winner with Titan. Between cheesy one liners and old school, Stay Tune True Believer’s styled quotes, Tony informs his audience of who his hero is and what he is about. This task seems to hold as much gravity as the hero’s name as the audience is soon informed that Titan took on Lucifer and Satan. What? As large as that may seem, Marcus is still quite relatable as we find out his ex-wife is fighting him over custody and visitation rights for his children. You have to feel for him as his wife chews him out.

Adding insult to injury, our resident heroes, The Liberators, take issue with Titan leaving them high and dry and again Marcus’s life defeats him. He is trying to change our perception by being compassionate while accepting his road isn’t one where he can differ what he is capable of. For all of his strength and prowess he does more harm than good throughout his life and is clearly more focused on being true to himself. Right now, that just happens to be his role as Titan. His plight is one that will come familiar to fans of Peter Parker and it works here as well because most people can relate to wanting to do more yet being burdened by other responsibilities.

The team comes together quite nicely for Titan. As we get acquainted with Titan, Austin adds a solid level of depth to Titan, ensuring that we see Titan as the hero he is in his own right. One of my favorite images from Austin is his opening shot of Titan and Marcus on page 1. It reminds me of the image where Peter dumps his identity into a garbage bin claiming Spider-Man no more. The lines he manages for Marcus adds an realism often missing in a super-hero book. The choice of earth tones by Rachel adds a humanizing element that sells the book well.

As much as the book hits the right notes, there is much that holds the book back. Striking for our hearts there is a lot of dialogue that is used at the expense of some art. One of the most jarring examples of this occurs on page 23. In a comic, by Western standards, you read from left to right. That said I am highly confused by the third panel. What train of thought was it connected to? Titan addresses the newly founded group of super powered beings but what he says doesn’t directly relate to the panel to the left. After further reading I realized the panels were meant to be read top to bottom left and then top to bottom right. Without clear directions this comes off as quirky instead of a crafty way to play with the medium. I am quite surprised that this page was allowed to print, as there are many story telling errors that make it quite confusing and off putting. The word balloons obscure the action so much that even though these newly powered people pelt out hero with nuts and bolts, instead of whatever powers they actually may have, it is hard to make out when the fighting begins. There are a few other quirks that had me guessing such as in the adjoining story when Titan takes on Legend. The fight is a treat with solid characterization but the dialogue makes the two punches thrown become an exaggerated slugfest. Unless I missed a few bits of action two punches start a fight at best.

Sadly for all that goes right in this comic, the overuse of caption to inform the reader, while colorful, takes away a bit too much from the action happening on the page. Tony’s characterizations are flawless so I’m curious as to how he has improved since then.

My final grade is a 2.5/5

About the Author

Kerry Craigwell

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