You Know, After All of the Times that Raven's Family have Tried to Kill the Titans, You'd Think They'd Learn Not to Mess With Anyone Related to Her

Titans - Old Friends, starring Donna Troy, Nightwing, Flash, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven, my personal favorite.

I have to say, as much as I don't like Judd Winick, I liked this graphic novel. The artwork was great, too (thanks, Ian Churchill and Joe Benitez).

I think it's time for a Haphazard Heroines Comprehensive Review! It starts out by recapping a tale of the original Teen Titans (well, maybe not original, but one of the first few). You even get to see Dick in all of his Robin-pantsless glory. Ah, it was worth the $25.

They're fighting Bizarro and the Joker (odd couple...actually, nevermind). The Joker is impeccably drawn. Even when he's frowning, it's still a smile XD

Skip to the present day. Cyborg is forming the Titans East. He asks for his old buddies, but all of them are somehow otherwise occupied with superheroic duties (actually, Raven is trying to fit in at high school, but that's pretty much a full time thing). Cy is disappointed, but he gets some cool characters for the Titans East (Hawk, Dove, Power Boy, Anima, Little Barda, Lagoon Boy, and Son of Vulcan).

Cy sets up a little game of tag, but in the end, Power Boy is murdered and the others end up all critical in the hospital. What was it Deathstroke once said? Or was it Jericho? "Kids shouldn't be heroes"? or something like that.

Well, one of them said it. Deosn't matter - both are pretty messed up.

Then Cy gets firebombed and we switch to Nightwing's POV.

INNERMONOLOGUEINNERMONOLOGUEINNERMONOLOGUEINNERMONOLOGUE

So, Nightwing ends up in a fight with a bunch of creepy ninjas, a naked Starfire is almost devoured in Animal Man's pool in front of Animal Man's son, Raven is attacked by a demon in her high school, Red Arrow is on his bike when spikes shoot up from the ground to kill him, Beast Boy's home is on fire and melting onto his head, Donna Troy and Kyle Rayner are attacked while in outer space by something that looks like Kory's hair, and the Flash is taking a shower when sticky red stuff attacks his naked bod. Oh, and the New Teen Titans (Robin, Miss Martian, Wonder Girl, Supergirl, Ravager, Kid Devil, and Blue Beetle) are also attacked (by the ground, no less. I thought Terra was back, originally).

So, Batman helps out Nightwing, and the older Titans meet up together at the site of Power Boy's murder.

This is it. The moment we've all been waiting for - Raven announces that Trigon has returned.

Turns out Poppa Demon is attacking all former Titans - anyone who was a Titan ever. The older Titans and their mentors/allies/parents save Argent, Bumble Bee, Vox, Red Star, and Someone whose name I can't remember.

So, they really need to figure out what's going on, so Rae-Rae takes a trip to her father's realm. He actually isn't powerful anymore. He's frail and weak and has almost no power (still manages to almost strangle Raven, though...).

Oh, and he isn't alone now. The Titans hunt down anyone other than Angela Roth that might have had Trigon's kids, but all of the women are dead. Too bad their kids aren't. And they're annoying too.

They make Wally and Donna insanely jealous of each other, Nightwing and Starfire have passionate sex in somewhere that is not their bed, and Beast Boy and Raven go at it for a while.

Envy. Lust. Wrath. - sins, right?

It takes a while, but the kids are sort of defeated...if helping their father come to Earth and then sapping his power and leaving him alone is defeating them. They didn't get much power though.

There are a couple of cutsie BB/Rae moments (that I just so happen to love). They go get food, Starfire and Nightwing have a moment, and then back to Raven and Beast Boy.

Raven goes crazy, as usual. Really, I love it when this happens. The number of times she's helped her father! XD

Her brothers have come for her and take her to wherever her other brothers are. Donna Troy has a doohicky that takes them to Raven and they attack her and her evil brothers. Turns out, Raven is the sin of Pride. She takes her brothers powers and plans on giving them to her real family - the Titans. She's planning on killing Beast Boy to channel the energy, but the thing Donna got them to the place with glows and a phantom Raven comes out of it, defeating her evil side.

The novel ends with Jericho, who breaks into the Tower. He is unable to get out of the body of Match.

Wonder where that will take the old Teen Titans...

Hope you enjoyed the review and the comic (buy it.)