TEEN TITANS GO! (DC Comics) These are the last two comics I was able to pick up at the New York is Book Country festival earlier this month. For those of you unfamiliar with comics the original TEEN TITANS were the teenage sidekicks of adult DC heroes (Robin, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash & Speedy {this last the scarlet attired ward of the Green Arrow}). As the years (and popularity) went by the cast changed and eventually the group dropped the ‘teen’ from their name becoming the New Titans.

When the property was turned into the animated series on the Cartoon Network, the cast became a combination of old and new members. It now consists of Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy (who was originally a member of the Doom Patrol). The show itself is styled on almost pure Japanese anime, with the characters displaying strong emotion by comical facial distortion. The comic uses this same cartooning style, capturing the fun of the television series.

Issue #2 - "The Beast Who Cried Wolf" - Writer J.Torres does a take on the classic tale, with Garth (Beast Boy) playing tricks on his team mates, only to have it backfire. When a group of alien collectors come to Earth in search of the Dodo bird they are unable to locate one, so they decide to earn some extra reward by taking Starfire instead. Artists Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker capture the look of the animated series, inserting the manga-like ‘mini-characters’ on some pages to add further gags and poke fun at the story.

Issue #3 - "Lame" Features Cyborg, who is feeling sorry for himself, but learns a lesson from a group of kids who have learned to deal with their own handicaps. A nice story, without the moral being too heavy-handed and showing that this series is perfect for younger readers and their parents.

I give both issues a solid three stars and toss in an extra half star for some of the cuter gags in #2. Recommended for all ages, this is one of those books fans can suggest to kids who might not already read comics.