Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia, 208 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. DC Comics, 2020. $17.
Language: PG (18 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Gar Logan is a senior in high school, still picked last in gym class and known for throwing out jokes, but no closer to the popular crowd than he was last year. When Gar makes some risky choices for his fifteen minutes of popularity, he knows it won’t last -- but he didn’t know the consequences.
Beast Boy has always been my favorite Teen Titan, and this modern version of his origin story was fun to read. Garcia keeps the ideas the same but puts Gar in a world with modern technology, giving it a twist for old fans and making him more relatable for new readers. One of my favorite parts is the side message Garcia tells about how to be a good friend -- Stella and Tank watch out for Gar, and he does his best to support them, too.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Ok first of all, this version of Beast Boy is my favorite version. He’s so freaking cute and the art style is just simply amazing, i was completely pulled into his story from the art alone and love Picolo’s style. For me, graphic novels obviously start with the art, and this is it!

Kami Garcia’s story though, is what kept me invested. As a kid growing up, me and my sister were obsessed with Teen Titans but I haven’t watched the show since I was a child. Reading this graphic novel was like relearning something about a part of my childhood and felt really nostalgic to me from the very start. So for that reason alone, I completely enjoyed and loved the story.

What I loved most about Beast Boy’s story is learning more about his background and, I’m guessing, how he will eventually end up at H.I.V.E. and it makes me want to rewatch the show so bad! Learning that Beast Boy has insecurities about not being popular enough was super interesting and I loved watching him learn life lessons, this would be amazing for a lot of teens to read and see!

I’m HOPING that we eventually (please?) get a continuation of this story. After I DEVOURED this graphic novel, I immediately went and bought Raven’s novel and can’t wait to read that one as well! I think Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo make one hell of a duo and I can’t wait to see more from them!

This is an origin story, so there's some set up before Gar notices and then grows into his powers. There's a lot here about Gar feeling small and "behind" his peers, looking to be noticed, and wanting to make an impact. I feel like there were a lot of things initiated, but not much closure to anything.

Honestly, when things really started to get rolling with Gar's powers, the book was done. I was disappointed that the book wasn't longer, or that the set up wasn't compressed so there was more to the story here. I loved Gar, and I really wanted more of his story. Thankfully I discovered the third book - Beast Boy Loves Raven - is due out in early 2021. I feel much better knowing the "more" I was longing for is on the way.

This book was decent. I went in expecting it to be a standalone (albeit related to the Raven book) so I was very confused why it took Gar so long to figure out he had superpowers. The story felt a bit cliche at times, but it was still fun.

The creative powerhouse that brought us the Raven original graphic novel is back with Teen Titans's Beast Boy! Garfield Logan is 17 years old, and he wants things to happen! Senior year is almost over, and he can't figure out how to get in with the in crowd, instead of being the pizza-eating, video-game loving nerd that everyone overlooks. Tired of being short and scrawny, he stops taking the supplements his parents always give him, and things start happening. He grows six inches overnight. His voice gets deeper, and he's strong. Like, STRONG. And fast. It's almost like he can... channel different animals? He starts taking dares from the social crowd, and Gar sees his chance for social currency! But although a big dare pays off, it also kicks something into motion, and Gar decides he needs answers from his parents. They've been keeping things from him, and it's time they 'fessed up. But his parents, and his best friends, Stella and Tank, aren't the only people with a vested interest in Gar. A guy named Slade Wilson is skulking around town (DC fans will know that when Deathstroke shows up, that's never good news), claiming to have some of the answers Gar's looking for, but Slade is playing a longer game, and someone higher up is very, VERY interested in Gar.


I loved this Beast Boy origin story! I will be honest, though - while it doesn't end abruptly, it does end with a lot of questions unanswered, so I hope there's a second book in the works. There are nods to the Teen Titan fans know, including his green hair, his fanboy, upbeat attitude, and his self-deprecating humor. Kami Garcia nails it, as always, and Gabriel Picolo does his favorite Teen Titan (read the author and illustrator notes at the beginning of the book) justice by capturing Beast Boy's look and attitude perfectly. Another DC YA graphic novel hit.

This book was delightful. My 12 year old daughter declared it ”really good”! The anima rights storyline was especially appreciated.

I only previous experience with Teen Titans was reading the ARC of Teen Titans: Raven last year. I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I had anticipated, so I was thrilled to find out that the next installment was coming out this year. And it surrounded Beast Boy.
To clarify, I still know very little about Teen Titans, but I love the character of Beast Boy, or Gar Logan, as most people know him. He's "regular" teenager who is just trying to figure out who he is within the crowd. He wants to be liked and popular, so for him that starts off with eating... a ghost pepper. Maybe not the best idea, but for Gar it works out. He starts performing all kinds of stunts and eventually discovers he's a lot less ordinary than he thought.
My favorite part in reading the comic was definitely his personality and the way Gabriel Picolo made him come alive on the page. I loved the incorporation of green into his character and the surroundings!
Gar Logan has a special connection to animals, and some pretty cool powers that comes with it. I loved learning more about him and his funny personality. I connected with Gar a lot more than I did with Raven, but I can't wait to see the other characters coming to Teen Titans.

After enjoying Raven's installment in the new Teen Titans graphic novels I was ready to dive into the next one. Beast Boy's book left me a little less satisfied storywise, but the characters and energy were great. The story seemed to end more abruptly than I thought it would. There's some cool representation of neurodivergence like dyslexia as well as showing Gar having issues with his body. It's important to show that males also have body image issues. I was surprised by the name drop of P.E.T.A. in a book about an animal loving vegan because PETA has notouriously bad and inhumane practices on humans and animals.

I'm looking forward to the series and hope to see what comes from it!

I would like to start this off by thanking DC for the advanced reader copy. I’ve loved all of the Titans, and I was so excited to get the opportunity to delve into Beast Boy’s backstory. The art is stunning first and foremost. I think this might be some of my favorite artwork. The style is perfect for the storyline, and I immediately fell in love with Gar both in appearance and character. He is funny and relatable and fundamentally captures the awkwardness of being 17.

This is such a poignant story centered around a lovable character. My favorite thing is how well the author and artist have modernized a classically beloved character. They stayed true to Beast Boy’s roots while updating the storyline. And I love how one of the major subplots of the story is Gar’s attempt to find popularity in a society where content creators are constantly trying to outdo themselves in order to remain culturally relevant. We get to watch Gar make mistakes and experience complex emotions while still being the character that I know and love.

I truly loved this read, and I highly recommend it to lovers of graphic novels or anyone looking to try DC. If you haven’t ever read about the teen titans or Beast Boy, you can definitely still pick this up! I know I’ll be buying a copy for my bookshelf!

Teen Titans: Beast Boy is the second instillation in the rebooted Teen Titans series coming immediately after Teen Titans: Raven. I absolutely adored Raven so I went in with admittedly high expectations. Beast Boy fell just a little short of them. The art was still wonderful and the characters were endearing, but the story felt less polished. It had less of an emotional impact compared to the first installment. Also, the romance with the popular girl was completely dropped and, as it wasn’t super relevant to the story anyway, felt like an unnecessary addition added to move the story along. I’m looking forward to seeing him meet up with Raven in the next volume.

A solid intro to Beast Boy. DC fans and newcomers alike are sure to find a lot here to fall in love with. It's got all of the typical teen angst: not belonging, last pick for teams in PE, desire to be popular, tight group of friends, etc. Overall, a solid choice for a library collection.

New Young Adult Graphic Novel from New York Times Bestselling Creative Team Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo Hits Stores Everywhere Books are Sold Today
Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the seventeen-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to standout—and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the social elite at Bull Creek High School, he will never know what it’s like to matter.
Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, can’t understand why he cares what other people think, and they miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend. Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the popular kids, and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops, and suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger, and the stakes keep getting higher.
When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself—and the people who truly matter—before his life spirals out of control.
Be sure to check out the book trailer HERE
Teen Titans Beast Boy is the sequel to Teen Titans Raven and also includes an excerpt from the upcoming graphic novel Teen Titans: Beat Boy Loves Raven coming in fall of 2021! Pre-order now!
If you haven’t yet, be sure to click HERE to read my review on Teen Titans: Raven, it is one you won’t want to miss!

Y’all, I still can’t believe I have this book in my hands. I was so overwhelmed with Raven’s novel last year, that it truly opened my whole reading genre up. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen with Beast Boy.
So, first off, I need to start by saying a huge THANK YOU to DC for sending me this free copy. It means so much to me that I get to continue doing this and help get these books into the hands of their readers.
So, let’s get into this shall we?
First off, I absolutely loved Gar’s story and the visual ambiance of his personality and life. Visually this entire book will leave you drooling because it’s so well done and captures Gar’s personality perfectly.
The story itself tackles the life of a typical teenage boy. The need to be built bigger, taller, more popular, get followers, do dares, and be “that” guy at school. Gar is 17 and is fully immense with his image and being liked before he graduates. While he doesn’t have that sudden change of heart that we always see in typical coming-of-age stories, we witness a realization within Gar. A realization that he is already greater by being himself as opposed to what the crowd at school wishes him to be. I wouldn’t say that Gar is cocky, but he sure has an independent attitude. His best friend, Stella, is an amazing counterpart at keeping his head level. She is a cool, calm, and collected individual who loves Gar as he is and won’t settle for any less. She also sets his tone straight like when Gar was criticizing the views society has on how tall men need to be. She isn’t afraid to tell him how it is for women either.
Not everything is about you Gar, everyone deals with these issues, it’s normal to process this.
Next, this book is perfect for animal lovers. I say that in a sense of this novel spreading awareness for animal shelters and the dispute of animal testing. Gar is also a vegetarian which helps aid in this role for the animals in need. This part was not overly, in-your-face political, but it was very well tied into the storyline.
I already brought up Stella (slightly) but I wanted to share a small glimpse of Gar’s friends. Tank and Stella each had their own mini storyline within this novel. It was tied into Gar’s own journey yet none of them overshadowed one another which was a great perspective for friendship. Which I won’t get into detail because they matter, and I won’t spoil their transitions.
Be aware that if you are a die-hard Teen Titans fan, this is a new perspective on Beast Boy’s origin. It is also told in a way that is perfect for the YA audience. This novel ends on a cliff-hanger, but in a way that opens it up for more possibilities. Remember what I said about that little excerpt in the back? Yeah, you’re going to want to read that. Teen Titans: Beast Boy was the perfect novel for discovering your first crush, gaining your self-esteem, discovering your own identity, and finding out who your true friends are.
Kami and Gabriel are such a knock-out team. They are absolutely perfect together.
You can grab your own copy of this book from any book retailer.
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Until Next Time, Happy Reading!
Love,
Brittany from DauntlesslyReading

The Teen Titans are an example of superheroes where we aren't overwhelmed with origin stories (with the exception of Robin). This is probably because we typically only see them in the context of their team while origin stories are the realm of solo books. So I was super excited to learn that DC was introducing this Teen Titans series, with books focused on the history of individual members. It began last year with Raven. Now we come to my personal favorite: Beast Boy. Garcia is digging into Gar's motivations. We see him as a jokster, with humor trying to cover up his feelings of inadequacy. Picolo's illustrations add a great deal of complexity to an otherwise simple story. This is really only an introductory volume but I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy is a fantastic graphic novel written by Kami Garcia, illustrated by Gabriel Picolo and published by DC Comics. The character Beast Boy is from the comic book Teen Titans. His given name is Garfield Logan, Agar for short.
Gar is a sweet guy who never seems to get what he wants. He isn't as tall as he'd like, he has gotten muscular and the girl he likes doesn't know he's alive. At seventeen and a Senior in high school, he still hasn't achieved anything with significance. Will a change in fate give him popularity and get him a kiss from the girl he likes?
Teen Titans: Beast Boy is a book that both teenagers and adults can enjoy. It inspires a person to fight for what they want whether with great skills in video games, being a great athlete or a risk taker.
I recommend the book as well the author. Kami wrote the incredible series- Beautiful Creatures. She has a strong voice and will continue to impress in the future.
Thank DC Comics and Warner Bros. for sending me a physical copy and trusting that I'll give an honest review.
I give the book 5 stars.

Publisher: DC Ink, Paperback
Pages: 208
Release Date: September 1, 2020

Teen Titans: Beast Boy is a brilliantly written story with gorgeous art, hilarious mishaps, and a much-needed lesson on finding self-worth in a world fraught with social media fame. I loved Kami's portrayal of Beast Boy. He was flawed and rebellious, but no matter what his friends always came first. It was also nice to see him interacting with all of the animals. I immensely enjoyed watching him figure out his powers throughout the story. Seeing how things slowly came to a head his parents really added depth to the plot and a transition in Beats Boy taking control of his powers. It's hard to know people you love have kept something as informative to your identity as powers a secret. 

Altogether, I think Teen Titans: Beast Boy has definitely become one of my favorite comics. I can't wait to see how the series continues. Hopefully, we'll be able to see the rest of the team coming together in the next few installments. Fingers crossed. If you're a big Teen Titans fan I highly recommend you check out this series.

The art in this graphic novel was great and the story was fun but also sad. It was fun to learn more about Beast boys background and how he got to be this person. I had a chance at reading this before it came out but couldn’t get it to download. I knew this was one I wanted to read after reading Raven so I got my copy today and read it in one sitting. I highly recommend this if you like Teen Titans it’s worth the read.

For the few misgivings I had on Raven’s book, I’m really pleasantly happy with this sequel.

Admittingly, I might be biased as Beast Boy is my favorite, but having no idea how Kami Garcia or Gabriel Picolo would spin this story I was completely blown away with its fantastic story direction and clarity.

As a fan of Gabriel’s illustrations on instagram and knowing of his own bias for our animal loving boy, I certainly felt that his excitement and love for beast boy further sharpened Kami's storytelling here. Creating a space for Gar to be more than just the comic relief he’s beloved for from the original series by giving him character depth with understandable real life insecurities and well rounded friendship groups.

Additionally, the artwork remains to be beautiful but thankfully updated from the first book to a cleaner and crisper coloring scheme that's richer in its use of multiple colors and ultimately enhances the focus on the plot and its characters. This paired with the further mystique of Slade scouting the teens for his organization makes me honestly excited to see how the rest of the series will be handled. With me trusting that both Kami and Gabriel will only be getting better and better as we progress.

Huge thanks to DC Comics and Netgalley for this fantastic piece of literary art! I enjoyed this so, so much! I finished it a few days ago and it has been on my mind ever since. This graphic novel is a coming-of-age story featuring Garfield Logan, aka Beast Boy, as comes to understand why he just can't seem to grow any bigger. It's a story of friendship, self discovery, and a super hero coming to life. The art is my favorite part of this graphic novel. It is absolutely gorgeous. The story is well written and relatable for the young and old! I will be continuing the series!

Overall, I gave this book 5 stars. I will read this one again and even purchase a hardcopy for myself. If you are a fan of super heroes, READ THIS NOW!

This book was fantastic! I absolutely ADORED the art!! Anyway, enough fangirling about the art, let's get to the meat of the story. First of all, Gar is such a relatable character. I love seeing how he cracks jokes and is sarcastic about himself to ward off the bullies. He even said so himself. He beats the other guys to the punch so eventually they'll get tired and leave him alone. And I feel that! Oftentimes when I was younger, people would make fun of the way I talk (as an American born latina, I sometimes mispronounce words ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) or even make fun of me for being fat/not pretty enough/or whatever. I used to hate those comments to the point of crying but as I got older, just calling myself fat before anyone else could or cracking a joke at my expense became my defense mechanism. And I see Gar doing the same thing. And honestly, even if we have amazing friends like Stella and Tank, we still feel the need to belittle ourselves, like we'll never be popular enough or good enough or pretty enough. But I'm happy to see Gar come to see who his real friends are! And it was delightful to see him try to make things up to his friends when he gets a bit carried away with pulling those crazy stunts to fit in with the popular crowd! Hands down the best part was seeing Gar and Kong the monkey become friends! <3 Also shout-out to Stella for dishing out sage advice! "Other people will never accept you if you don't accept yourself." Easier said than done but I like that Stella was always looking out for her best friend! She wasn't overbearing about it either, she let Gar stumble and find his own way. Yet she was always there if he needed a hand! And Gar's friend Tank is such a sweetheart!! I love that the authors also touched on dyslexia. And how a sport all-star can have dyslexia too....a touch of spoilers here but Tank takes the whole thing about having dyslexia pretty well. He might find reading to be difficult but that doesn't stop him from trying and I love that! The one message I got from the gorgeous graphic novel is to always find a way to persevere, no matter what.

I had an absolute blast reading this graphic novel. This story was about someone who wanted to stand out so bad they were willing to take a big risk. It seemed to work, until they began to notice some huge changes. They weren’t sure what was happening, but they had to find some way to control it. As this story comes to a close, Gar decides to go to someone who says they have answers about what is happening to him. If you liked Teen Titans: Raven then you will want to check this graphic novel out.