Teen Titans Go! digital issue #48 review
Well. This went a few different places I wasn't expecting.
It's always nice when the direction a story takes surprises you. That happened a few times during this installment off Teen Titans Go! The end result is still pretty routine when all is said and done, but the relative complexity of such a short story is of such a character immensely commendable.
With a title like "The Letter," I was expecting the postal service to be involved in some way, and, yeah, it is. Notably when the Titans discover that Beast Boy has been hoarding everyone's mail.
Henceforth they shall be referred to as fell-on-knees, no joust.
So first twist: I expected Beast Boy to become the new mailman. Instead, the Titans just end up sorting through their mail.
Not exactly a huge departure, but hey, let's see where this goes. Once everything is sorted and opened, Robin discovers one final piece of mail, more important than any others: his calf enhancement cream.
And also a notice that their license expires today.
So, with a new mission, the Titans set out to renew their team license. A license… with a typo.
See, they've been registered with the Jump City Licensing Board as the Ten Titans. To remedy this, they do the only thing they can: recruit more members so they number ten instead of five.
Look, I've dealt with bureaucrats in trying to cut through red tape to get something accomplished. Sometimes it's just easier to rebrand yourselves.
For the record, it was four pages.
Everything from there is pretty predictable: the team tries to get new recruits, mostly from H.I.V.E., to no avail. There are a few solid jokes, but nothing too memorable. Marcelo DiChiara makes a few interesting layout choices, and the book is as bright and colorful as ever. It's all pretty average, though, lacking any truly fun gags or jokes. It's a concept that isn't too far removed from the episode where Robin talks about buying rental properties to build up equity, and it could have been a pretty fun story boring explaining the finer points of the postal service to the reader. Instead, it's a few surprising turns that ultimately ends up being pretty rote and predictable when all is said and done.
Ray the mailman is awesome, though, falling on his knees notwithstanding.
You like Teen Titans Go!
Overall: Props to Ivan Cohen for taking this story in a few interesting directions, even if it ends up being pretty by the numbers. It's a fine looking issue, if lacking in any good visual gags or dynamic energy, and a few solid jokes land. Still, it's ultimately nothing more than fine. Nothing great, nothing bad, just fine.