Teen Titans #10 Review and **SPOILERS**

Shell Marks the Spot

Teen Titans #10
"Blood of the Manta, Part Two"

Script: Benjamin Percy
Breakdowns: Phil Hester
Pencils: Khoi Pham, Pop Mhan
Inks: Trevor Scott, Pop Mhan
Colors: Jim Charalampidis
Letters: Corey Breen
Cover Price: $3.99
On Sale Date: July 26, 2017

I never thought I'd see the day where I'd think less of a book for "only" coming out once a month.  DC's Rebirth initiative has gone a long way to change the way I look at comics... and I've been reading these damn things for thirty years!

It feels like we don't get a whole lot of time with the Titans when compared to the bi-weeklies of Batman, Superman, the Justice League(s), the Lanternseseses... so, when this book has an "off" month, it's amplified by it's once-a-month shipping schedule.  When it has two "off" months... well, that's an eternity.



What Happened?

We pick up right where we left off last issue.  Black Manta is taking his pound of flesh from Jackson Hyde's mom.  He gets a few good shots in... that is to say, he giggs her pretty good with his harpoon-spear, before Jackson himself arrives on the scene... with an offer.  His life in exchange for his mother's.

In the Tower, Robin is teleconferencing with Batman... who has had just about enough of this Teen Titans nonsense.  He demands Damian brief him on Titans business weekly... and also tells him to put the kibosh on Beast Boy's "interweb celebrity" status.  After the call, Raven arrives to lecture Robin on his actions of late, however the chat is interrupted by a bleeding Ms. Hyde.

We shift to Beast Boy and Starfire shopping at a Farmer's Market.  Beast Boy's a Vegan by the way.  Not only that, he's also Vegan... he also doesn't eat meat, and thinks poorly of those who do... and doesn't shut the hell up about it.  He suggests Starfire take the reins from Robin and properly lead the team.  She hems and haws, but is saved by an emergency call from da boss before she can answer.  Oh yeah, Beast Boy says if she doesn't take over, he's gonna quit.  Can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope she doesn't... and he does.

We learn the origins of how he Black Manta met Jackson's mother and all about that shell necklace... We learn that she is from from unduh da sea, and the necklace is, in actuality, a map to a long-lost treasure.

We get a fair bit of dysfunction for the second half of the issue.

After reviving Ms. Hyde, The Titans finally have it out.  Robin points out that Beast Boy was supposed to be keeping an eye on Jackson... which causes our vegan friend to flip out.  Despite him really annoying me this time out, I gotta say, that feels like a natural teen-age reaction to confrontation.  Before things go wild, Starfire takes control of the situation and begins directing traffic.  Beast Boy is quick to comply with her orders.

Black Manta and Jackson find the location of the Black Pearl... which looks appropriately ominous.  They head into the drink to procure their prize.  We wrap up with Jackson being attacked by a giant squid.

What I Dug?

We get some information about that shell necklace we've been sorta eyeing these past few issues.  I wasn't sure if this was just some sort of identifier, or if it had any significance otherwise.

Batman telling Robin to get his crew off social media!  Hell's yeah.  I was waiting to see if that shoe would ever drop... especially after Beast Boy pulled Chonnie Cung into Titan's Tower for a televised tour of the facilities.

The art here was super strong.  Pham has really made these characters his own, and Damian doesn't always have that "been chasing parked cars" face here.  Pop Mhan also turns in some top-quality work.

What I Didn't?

This might sound petty... and it probably is, but... Beast Boy, baby... we get it, you're a vegan.  Now kindly shut the eff up about it.  There's that old joke "How can you tell somebody's a vegan?  They're the ones that won't shut up about being vegan."  Here we have he and Starfire shopping at a Farmer's Market... fair enough, right?  It's unfortunate we can't have nice things... rather than stop with him carrying away a bagful of veggies... he's gotta start kvetching about "the carnivores" he shares a space with.  Dude, c'mon.  There's subtle... and there's sub-tull.  This is the latter.

Beast Boy in general is a walking talking cringe-fest.  His push for Starfire to take over from Damian, calling her "chief"... he just comes off as such a punk.  By the end I was rooting for Robin to disembowel him.  If you have a problem with Robin... take it up with Robin, don't be a passive-aggressive punk until Robin confronts you about slacking in your responsibilities.

Black Manta being led to the treasure... I dunno, it seemed like an appropriately ominous location.  Hard to figure that nobody's come across it before.

Bits and Pieces:

Jackson meets his dad and everyone's mad at Robin.  The story is moving along nicely, but the book and characters still feel soulless.

7.0/10