A's Fandom Journal

( Plenty of Denials indeed. )

General Roundup:
Not bad an episode.

We're introduced to the magical side of this 'verse (Earth-16, according to the DC Wikia), meeting some interesting characters and getting to see a drawn-out magical battle.

My only personal gripe is about how one of the magical characters (a favourite from the comics 'verse in not much more than a cameo appearance here) is written - but that gripe is so strong that it makes me wonder about the characterization of the magical "villain" of the episode. How different is it from the comics, I wonder. And am I less willing to accept the change of characterization for one because they're a favourite while the other is just someone I know in passing? The only thing I can really say for sure is that I didn't like how one was written even though I wasn't bothered by the other.

We also see what the members of the team that are present in the episode (one isn't) feel about magic, and how that may or may not have changed by the end. There's also a nice continuity nod to a habit that Kid Flash has been exhibiting in the other episodes.

The 'romance' plot continues to move forward slowly...and this episode puts an interesting touch on it.

Teen Titans #94 ("The Power of Myth") - J. T. Krul [writer], Nicola Scott [penciller], Doug Hazlewood [inker], Carlos M. Mangual [letterer], and Jason Wright [colourist]. The cover is by Scott and Hazlewood with Wright.

( Click for a spoilery summary )

My thoughts:
This was an interesting issue. It had good setup for what's to come next.

Kiran continues to be interesting. She seems to fit in nicely with this group of Teen Titans ( apart from one thing that's not really her fault ). I expect it'll be a plot point in one of the next three issues in this arc. I like her response to something Rose says, and I like that she does seem genuinely, and very, pleased that Tim knows what he does about the Ramayana (and that she's able to express that pleasure with a quip).

And good for Tim for knowing that, too, although I wouldn't be surprised that reading up on the world's great stories is something done as part of training (at least; if not for pleasure) by someone who takes being part of the Batfamily the way that Tim does. In fact, I'm somewhat amused at the thought that he's probably read more advanced translations/different versions than I have! :P

The story of the Ramayana as I know it isn't quite like what Krul describes, but I suppose he's using what he can of the epic that suits his own needs, like I'm fairly sure other writers have done with other mythologies. ( Examples ) Anyway, a little online searching and looking through another version I have at home, to learn more about the source, was I think good for me.

The Raven/Gar relationship, though. It's clearly strained here - and Tim mentions it in the last issue - and I wonder if I don't really understand why because I haven't read any of the TT titles prior to this (well, if you don't count an old copy of the first issue of the current volume, read about six years after it first came out). I find myself wishing that Gar's focus wasn't so particularly "Raven above all else" when he's around her. 'Course, his awkwardness leading to unintendended insensitivity leading to anger from Raven isn't great either. But let's see...apparently issue #96 is going to be a spotlight on him. I just hope it's better than the last Gar-focused issue I read! :|

Looking forward to the next chapter.

Since northstarfan recently gave us a brief look at what's happening in The Unwritten #12 (and despite the fact that since "unwritten" still describes, for the moment, one of my papers for this semester), I thought I'd do a post about what Mike Carey and Peter Gross have in store for us for next week and the two months after that.

ETA: The images should be displaying correctly now.

( Three pretty covers and their solicits under the cut )

For all trade-waiters (and trade collectors!) out there, The Unwritten Vol. 2: Inside Man (which collects issues 6-12) has been solicited for August 11. I'm looking forward to it very, very much. ♥