Picking up where the last three books left off, Damien, Raven, Maxine, and Gar are all on the run from slade Wilson and H.I.V.E.. This book then introduces Dick Grayson, Damien’s brother and Bruce’s adopted son. Dick wants a relationship with Damien and is worried about him, so he goes to search for him. This book mainly focuses on the brotherhood and relationship between Dick and Damien. I adored Dick and Damien’s relationship in the comics, with Dick being the almost father figure to Damien and constantly taking care of him despite his gruff and spiky personality. Let me first start off with what I think this book did well, it was take a new take on their relationship. Yes it’s been mentioned and done a few times, the strain on how Damien and Dick view their relationship in terms of being the son Bruce wanted and being the one he chose. I think its great that this comic highlights how much of a brother Dick is, he is caring and does want to build a relationship with Damien. I don’t know if this comic will further introduce Jason and Tim, the other Robins and sons that Bruce takes in, but it seemed kind of strange how Dick felt so much younger while Damien was aged up and how that impacted their portrayed relationship. I adored the batfamily and especially the relationships between the robins because at the end of the day they’re all brothers, they all care about each other despite the strain about who is a robin and who is the favored one from Bruce. Now onto the things I didn’t quite enjoy as much, the romance for Damien wasn’t really in my interest, and honestly the story has not progressed that much since the last three books. Damien felt a bit OOC but I guess that can happen when you age up a character and try and take a new spin on them. Overall the artwork was gorgeous but I think I might have to drop these comics because I love the batfamily so much and this just felt a bit to OOC for me to want to continue onwards with it.

*Thanks Netgalley and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This one was just okay. I think my students would enjoy it, however, the story didn't have as much substance as the Beast Boy, Raven and Beast Boy & Raven Books. The writers did accurately capture these characters, however, so I enjoyed that aspect of the book!

A fresh take on classic characters. I've always loved Gabriel Picolo's character designs, they are nostalgic of the early '00s cartoon. This installment of the series felt like more of a character exploration as the characters waited for their next plan. The only thing that I would critique is the quick development to the relationship between Max and Damian. Raven and Beast Boy's felt quick as well, but given their past iterations, I was more prepared for it. I would have liked to see more build up before they jumped in.
Otherwise a well-illustrated, pleasant story.

In the fourth installment of Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo's Teen Titans graphic novels we add Robin to the list of characters. This is book is a beautiful blend of learning to be who you are and learning to let accept all types of family. The storyline picks up where Beast Boy loves Raven leaves off so it would not be one that you could pick up by itself. It does not feel like a full story by itself, but adds a lot of character development for the continuation of the main storyline.

So I'm a little out-of-date on my comics, and I wasn't aware we were at the start of yet another reboot. I knew reading this would be partially into an already started story but wow was I thrown when nothing made sense to me. The comic is competently written and drawn (though the art was incomplete, what was done was done well) but was wildly boring and felt incredibly low stakes. Also, I guess I'm just unhappy with this reboot. I get it's updating the characters for a new generation but they changed quite a few things in ways I'm unhappy with.

I initially jumped at requesting this ARC because Damian is a favorite of mine; his haughtiness is amusing, his cunning made him interesting, and his relationships with each of the batfam were well-balanced. His unusual, sheltered, (lack of) childhood also made for some fun fish-out-of-water humor when he'd interact with other kids. He was the comic kid relief without becoming annoying. Apparently he's now just a normal-ish kid with heavy angst. So boring! And of course everyone is coupled up immediately (Dick is the only one not, but they're clearly about to introduce Kori and you know they'll then immediately couple up). It was just all so low stakes, boring YA teen drama.

Also, where on earth is Tim? They've essentially turned Dick into Tim now - Damian sees him as Bruce's favorite, "the son he always wanted", and hates him, whereas before that was all Tim. It's so weird to me.

Anyway, it's a perfectly fine entry for anyone unfamiliar with the old Teen Titans and Batman stories/relationships/characters. Especially younger ones (it felt very PG). For those who are familiar with the older comics, you'll be disappointed with the changes and how beige everyone has become.

Even though I have zero interest in super heroes, I really enjoy this series. The characters’ reactions and decisions are realistic and the book focuses on evolving relationships and ways to manage life successfully. There’s some action, but I like that the real focus is on the characters and how they deal with the confusing world around them.

This series never disappoints. I really appreciate how the author works in a form of a re-cap that effortlessly reminds the reader where the story left off from the last book. The illustration design is one of my favorite features of this series and a reason I always enjoy it! The storyline builds with each book, and my only complaint is that I have to wait a year before the next release. If you're a fan of the first books in this series, you'll enjoy this one as well! It was more of a character driven plot than action this time around, but is setting the stage for another character addition (Starfire?) and for epic adventures to come.