WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Titans Annual #2
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DC’s Titans have finally reassembled, with the fate of the world at stake. Back in January, the Justice League officially disbanded the team. A series of blunders had torn the Titans apart, and the League concluded that their former sidekicks lacked the discipline to protect the world. The Titans have gone their separate ways since, and it hasn’t been an easy road. Appropriately enough, this story is coming to a head in this week’s Titans Annual.
Unbeknownst to the Justice League, two members of the Brotherhood of Evil - Mallah and the Brain - have hatched an insane plan. Brain is currently evolving his intelligence, seeking a hyper-intelligent state where he will literally become master of reality itself. Already, he’s developed to the extent that he’s able to effortlessly launch devastating attacks against the League.
With the Justice League crippled, only a handful of younger heroes stand ready to save the world.
That’s the crisis that finally leads the Titans to reunite. But the decision to get the band back together will be a difficult one; the last few months have seen their old friendships collapse. A love triangle even led Flash and Arsenal into turning on one another during a scrap with supervillains. Arsenal, for his part, is the only one who’s on the trail of the Brain… and pretty much everybody else has fallen out with him by this point.
The latest Titans arc has felt as much like a soap opera as a superhero story. The relationships between the various team members have been tested as never before. Writer Dan Abnett’s approach has really worked, and the Titans have felt rather like a dysfunctional family. The only question is whether or not the family can be reconciled in time to save the planet.
Making this story even more effective, though, is the fact that Mallah and the Brain’s narrative is focused on friendship as well. Mallah is fiercely loyal to the Brain, but this loyalty is being tested as never before. As the Brain’s intelligence grows, he’s abandoning all traces of humanity - including the ability to care for his friend. Ironically, Mallah is beginning to realize that he may need to save the Brain from himself. In thematic terms, this dysfunctional relationship serves as a counterpoint for the Titans themselves. In the end, the world will be saved only if the heroes - and indeed the villains - come to recognize the value of their friendships.
But one question remains unanswered in the Titans annual: how will the Justice League respond to the Titans reforming? The Justice League had a valid argument, and this act of disobedience may well prove their point. The two teams seem to be headed towards a collision, in true superhero style.
MORE: Lobo’s Daughter Crush is joining the Teen Titans
Titans Annual #2 is available now from DC Comics and in comic book shops.
