Teen Titans Go! #3 review

Tropes. Every piece of media has them, and comics and TV shows are certainly no exception. When we combine the two, we get this: Teen Titans Go! #3. Here, Robin falls victim to the most classic of blunders, pretending to be someone else and having to switch between both characters to carry out a plan. For reference, see the classic Batman ’66 episode “Ice Spy“,  wherein Bruce Wayne has a quite spectacular phone call with Batman.

No one told you comics were gonna be this way

I have to say, I thought that this series was going to be a lot more of a chore than it really is. I’ve reviewed my fair share of subpar comic books, and assumed that a tie-in to a TV show I have little to no interest in would be sure to add to that category. Well, you know what they say about assuming!

This issue doesn’t aim very high in terms of scope and concept, but because of that, it is a very engaging and entertaining read. The main gag here is that Robin mishears Starfire mentioning that it’s Silky’s birthday and believes it to be hers instead. When discussing the surprise birthday party, Starfire overhears, and the Boy Wonder has no choice but to say that the party is for someone else: his cousin, Texas Robin.

From there on, hijinks ensue pretty much as expected. Robin pulls a Superman 4 and has to keep switching back and forth between his different personas. Like I say, the plot isn’t very complex, but it is, very importantly, funny. I wouldn’t say laugh out loud, crying, can’t breathe funny, but I got the occasional chortle.

Tight-trope walking

Last issue, we had an homage to Rashomon. This time, an homage to classic TV tropes. This isn’t Teen Titans Go!‘s first time playing with this type of thing. In fact, the character Control Freak basically exists for that purpose.  He even makes an appearance in this issue, and is quickly blamed by Robin, only he isn’t the one to blame. I very much like the idea that, because this is a comic book rather than a TV show, he wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway.

If this series has shown me anything, it’s that the writers now know what they’re doing and how to go about it. The tone and scope are very similar to the show, but I’ve found that I actually find myself preferring this run. This may be a bold statement for so early in the series, but hey, until they prove me wrong, I’ll stick by it. The art is trying to outshine the series in any way, and no, I wouldn’t say it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, but it certainly gets the job done and never feels cheap.

Recommended If

• You’re a fan of the show
• Classic sitcoms are your jam
• You have some spare time on your hands, it fills in a good 20 minutes quite nicely

Overall

I must say, this series has surprised me. It really takes me back to the TV show-based comics I used to read in my younger days: The Simpsons, Regular Show, Adventure Time, all provided a solid amount of enjoyment by providing all-new adventures of characters I liked, even when I couldn’t access a TV. So far, Teen Titans Go! certainly fills that criteria for me. Here’s hoping that keeps up!

Score: 7.5/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.