SDCC COVERAGE SPONSORED BY MAD CAVE
THIS WEEK: The Teen Titans Spotlight is on Donna Troy in the Titans 2025 Annual #1.
Note: the review below may contain spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Titans 2025 Annual #1
Writer and Artist: Phil Jimenez
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover Artists: Phil Jimenez & Arif Prianto
When people talk about the complicated nature of DC Comics continuity, one of the most commonly-cited characters, aside from Hawkman, is Donna Troy. The history of the Titans mainstay has been subject to reboots and retcons galore, to the point that even the most ardent fan might not know what’s ‘canon’ and what’s not. With this week’s Titans 2025 Annual #1, writer and artist Phil Jimenez sets the record straight on Donna’s origin once and for all with an incredible story that has something for old and new fans alike.
Phil Jimenez won an Eisner award this past weekend for his contribution to last year’s DC Pride one-shot, and the talent and heart that netted him that award are again on full display in this week’s Titans annual. After opening the issue with a clever exchange between Donna and some fellow train passengers about what is and isn’t true online about the Titans’ history, Jimenez crafts a story that is firmly rooted in Donna’s inner monologue. Donna is on a trip to meet her birth father for the first time, and familial relationships – the heart of the best Titans stories since their reinvention in the ‘80s – are the throughline through which Donna reflects on her past and considers her present.
Those reflections, which include a number of flashbacks to key moments in Donna’s life, give readers clarity on both Donna’s backstory and how that backstory has shaped who she is today. Jimenez‘s knowledge and love of the character, and of the Titans in general, is evident throughout the issue, which he fills with nods to past stories and to the convoluted nature of Donna’s past history. That he manages to do that while also telling a totally accessible, thoroughly relatable story is an incredible accomplishment.
Jimenez’s sharp and insightful script is brought to life by his always-gorgeous artwork. It’s been since 2021’s Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1 – the book for which Jimenez won his first two Eisners – that his artwork has graced a full set of interior pages, and it was more than worth the wait. His work is a perfect blend of grounding and fantasticism, with realistic-looking characters in lived-in settings doing amazing things effortlessly and with an energy that explodes off the page.
Jimenez’s storytelling is masterful as he transitions between present-day and flashback – and occasionally flashback-within-flashback – with ease. He draws the original Teen Titans members at various stages throughout their lives, and it’s remarkable how recognizable they stay, even out of costume, no matter what age they are. His pages are often packed with panels, but they never feel crammed, his layouts smartly assembled and natural to follow. Colorist Arif Prianto does a stellar job of adding texture and depth to Jimenez’s linework, and of helping visually guide the reader through flashback transitions. This comic is a visual feast.
Titans 2025 Annual #1 is a clear labor of love from a creator operating at the absolute peak of his talents. Jimenez has poured himself and his love for Donna Troy into every page of this comic, and that devotion shines through in the reading of it. Perhaps better than anyone who’s written them since Wolfman and Pérez, Jimenez has a deep understanding of what makes the Titans characters special and is able to bring that to the page beautifully. Don’t be surprised if this book nets him at least another Eisner nomination next year. Whether you’re a casual fan or a Titans diehard, you won’t regret picking up this comic.
Final Verdict: BUY.
Round-Up
- Elsewhere in annuals, Nightwing 2025 Annual #1 is an interlude to the currently-running arc of the main series. Dan Watters and Francesco Francavilla follow Blüdhaven Commissioner Maggie Sawyer as she investigates Olivia Pearce and her connection to recent events in the city. Watters writes creepy characters like nobody’s business, and Francavilla’s art matches the noir tone of the story perfectly. I confess to not having stayed up on Nightwing of late, but this annual was easily accessible and definitely made me want to go back and get caught up.
- The only monthly issue release this week, after last week’s Bad Moon Rising Special, is The Flash #23, which we now know is the antepenultimate issue of writer Si Spurrier’s run on the series. The overall Eclipso storyline has dragged somewhat for me, but the introduction of The Shade and last week’s one-shot were a much-needed shot in the arm to the story, and this week’s issue carries that momentum forward nicely. Vasco Georgiev’s artwork on this series since he took over has been really solid, and even with Spurrier’s impending departure it’d be nice to see Georgiev stick around for a bit.
- The Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special #1 is another follow-up to the events of the “We Are Yesterday” storyline, this time picking up the thread of the timelost heroes who are trapped in the present. What I also didn’t realize this was is the creation of comics’ very own Legends of Tomorrow team, though in retrospect TV’s Marc Guggenheim co-writing the issue with Mark Waid should have been a hint to that. It’s a fun story with some new mysteries added to the mix, and it’ll be interesting to see how it ties in with everything else going on in the main Justice League Unlimited series.
- And let’s round out the week with DC’s latest anthology one-shot, Kal-El-Fornia Love #1. It’s the Summer of Superman, after all, so naturally this summer-themed one-shot is focused on the Man of Steel and his extended supporting cast. There’s eight stories here and all of them are fairly enjoyable, though the true standout is “The Gorilla Ex-Wife of Jimmy Olsen” from Christof Bogacs and Jacoby Salcedo. It’s a story very much in the vein and tone of the Fraction & Lieber Jimmy Olsen, and it’s as ridiculous as the title sounds.
English (US) · 