Teen Titans The Lost Annual 0

Teen Titans: The Lost Annual is another great standalone comic, though at $5, it’s not a great value, especially since there’s just one story and a few sketch pages. But what a story it is. You probably know at least the elevator pitch by now (the Titans circa the sixties must save President Kennedy from alien kidnappers) and if you’re up on your blogosphereoverse, then you also know it’s by Bob Haney, one of the godfathers of DC’s batshit crazy Silver Age.

I’ll be honest here; I often find it hard to read older comics, because while I understand their importance as cultural and comics history, and they are often fun, they are also a bit of a tough slog for me. I’m just more accustomed to modern superhero comics and the way they tell stories; I know, it makes me some kind of sad and twisted comics fan, almost pathetic in his lack of appreciation for the greatness of Infantino Flash and Mort Weisinger Superman. Let’s just say I do appreciate them, but when I curl up to read for ten minutes before I fall asleep every night, that’s not what I’m looking for.

All of that is preface to the fact that I actually enjoyed this Haneyverse concoction quite a bit, maybe because removed from its era and all the attendant baggage, it’s a kooky little story with some fun dialogue quirks and a great use of language. I’m enough of a writer geek to enjoy words put together well, which is why I take a much kinder view to Jack Kirby’s writing than others, and there’s some of that appreciation going on here as well—the opening page of the story, with its recurring “Wither Goest Thou???” repeated phrasing, is probably not everyone’s cuppa tea, but I eat it up as the verbal carnival it is, almost irrespective of meaning and/or tone.

On the art side, godDAMN is this a great looking book. Jay Stephens pencils and Mike Allred inks, and again, we’re talking another Platonic ideal of modern, retro comics art. Page layouts are just plain brilliant in spots, and Laura Allred’s colors are awash in bright tones without beating the reader over the head with, “Hey, look! It’s poppy! It’s campy! BAM! ZIP! POW!”

It woulda been nice if they’d included some kind of bonus material aside from the Nick Cardy sketchbook, although a fine sketchbook it is. But for your $5 admission, you get quite a ride from Mr. Haney, and it’s a fitting final work from the quirky comics creator.