This is a difficult issue to sum up. It was...pleasantly nothing. I mean, in terms of story, nothing goes on. The Titans find themselves on a strange island full of dinosaurs, hang out there for a while, and then leave. That's pretty much the size of it.
Of course, this lack of plot leaves room for lots and lots of character moments, and many of those were excellent. Kid Flash and Solstice's tender little love scene felt natural, and I think their romance will probably be quite enjoyable as it develops. And even Red Robin's conversation with Superboy, while it started out feeling forced, ended up being an important exchange between the two biggest names on the team. Best of all, though, was Bunker. God, Scott Lobdell is just nailing it with this character. He has been the brightest, funniest, and most interesting member of this team since he showed up. There's a wisdom he brings to this superhero game that his fellow teenage heroes lack, and it makes him an invaluable part of the cast. I just wish he could give his "This isn't a zero sum game" speech to the hyper-intense, nobody-dies version of Spider-Man we have now, because it's a lesson which that dude desperately needs to learn.
Anyway, this character work is the thrust of the issue, and even though there's more good than bad, it still ends up being kind of a boring read. This isn't helped by the wedged-in death of Danny the Alley at the end, which just lacked the weight it wanted to have because Danny is such a new character to the title, and one we've seen so little of even since his introduction. Then there's the final page with Amanda Waller, essentially a teaser for whatever the next big arc of this series will be, and it felt even more shoehorned than Danny's demise. So, a story with no real movement than fails to stick the landing. Not exactly terrible, because we needed a post-Culling palette cleanser, and not disposable, either, because it advanced some of the team's relationships in significant ways, but just...pleasantly nothing. You just have to take is as it is for now, I guess, and hope the excitement kicks back in next time.
6.0/10
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