Review: Teen Titans – Cold Case

Written by Mark Sable
Illustrated by Sean Murphy

Don’t miss this untold tale from writer Mark Sable (Grounded, TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE) and red-hot artist Sean Murphy (JOE THE BARBARIAN) bringing the Teen Titans and The Flash’s Rogues Gallery into direct conflict! Two people already died over a mysterious object, and now both teams want it. How much more blood will be spilled to obtain it as this gets deadly personal for all involved?

I’ll be honest – you had me at Sean Murphy. Well, and at Rogues. Heck, you had me at that wonderful cover with Captain Cold. Find out my thoughts on this extra big issue and winter-y issue (just in time for the holidays!) after the cut.

Teen Titans: Cold Case is one of those examples of one-shots that you pretty much get out what you put in. For fans of the current run on Teen Titans, I’d imagine that this title isn’t for you – but for old fans of the Teen Titans from back when Geoff Johns was helming the title, this is somewhat of a nice little look back at a bygone era of the Teen Titans.

First and foremost, the main reason why you should want this title in your collection is for the art. Murphy certainly set a new standard of quality when he startled us all by the beauty contained within Joe the Barbarian, and his take on the Teen Titans is no different. While Murphy’s style is obviously notably different from the bright eyed and bushy tailed style of Nicola Scott, Murphy’s instead has an incredibly powerful resonance to it. I can speak volumes as to how much I loved the look of this art, but the end point is the same: Sean Murphy needs to have some kind of ongoing in the DCU. The way he fills out the background of the pages as well as brings the images to life with a kinetic feel absolutely trumps other artists in most cases, and he draws one heck of a Captain Cold. In fact, I could even write a list of characters I’d love to see Murphy draw based on his handling of the Teen Titans and the Rogues in this issue, but I’m afraid I’d run out of space (spoiler alert: top of my list? Darkseid). Utilizing a widescreen frame in two locations also allows Murphy to effectively show us the progression of time with artistic callbacks that effectively resonate to the reader, and I can guarantee you that the current run on Teen Titans – even with Scott on art detail – is never going to look as unique and crisp as this.

In contrast to the rather stunning art, the drawback of the issue – if anything – would be the writing. The story itself takes place after Identity/Infinite Crisis as Tim still deals with the loss of his father. With Ravager sneaking into his bed, this causes tension between Tim and Cassie – who have already had their post-Conner kiss – and the rest of the issue deals with Tim’s leadership of the titans as well as the Rogues’ search for Captain Boomerang’s son. While the position in DCU history is somewhat clear, the intentions of the issue are not. It’s almost like a callback to Pulp Fiction in the way that the issue revolves around a mysterious briefcase that both Tim and Captain Cold want, with Deathstroke mysteriously lurking in the background. I can only assume that this is supposed to be a prelude to Johns’ final arc on the book, but why the story here is told is what I’m confused about. The intentions are what’s murky, and while it’s nice to get a glimpse of Tim in his Robin costume again, it doesn’t entirely make sense to call back to a story from half a decade ago. When the actual battle takes place between the Rogues and the Titans, the script does a good job of pairing up who fights who, and the lesson learned at the day is one that does fit rather well for the Titans. I’d even add that Sable has a good handle of the characters, replacing the “gloom and doom” that has hung over the Titans for the past couple years and replacing it with a more light hearted yet serious tone. It works – but it’s just ultimately “unneccesary.”

Of course, the word unneccesary doesn’t really denote much. For die-hard canon-triple-checking fans, this issue might be superfluous, but the very basic premise – to tell a story of the Teen Titans fighting the Rogues – is kept intact. The comic does somewhat seem like DC grasping at bygone days, but it’s also an interesting way to allow new talent to play in their universe. Sable does his best to fit the story into the timeline of the Teen Titans and he does so fairly well, effectively placing this story into canon (although I’m unsure of what the finale is really supposed to say about the story). Meanwhile, Murphy proves beyond proving that he is a talent that everyone show know. His art is alive and it’s on fire, and if you think the cover looks pretty nice you should see the interior. I’m pretty much begging for Murphy on an ongoing, because in between issues of Joe the Barbarian he has managed to deliver a five-issue mini and an extra long one-shot all of which looks great. If Murphy isn’t on a regular gig by this time next year, I might have to write some angry letters to DC.

Ultimately, I think this comic is worth buying for fans of Teen Titans. If you’re a fan of when Johns wrote the book, give it a look. If you’re a fan of great art, then you’re in luck because this title has that in abundance. The title originally was one I was interested in for the art alone, and that was the biggest pay-off.

Final Verdict: 8.1 – Buy that art!