I miss Starfire.
I think it was Jack who said that with Grayson's proposal to Barbara Gordon, Starfire had no reason to be on Earth, since she couldn't win his heart (this is his interpretation of DC Editorial's thinking). Screw that, especially since that appears to have fallen through and Grayson is a big old whore, even more than Daredevil, Hawkeye, or Green Arrow since Kevin Smith brought him (say what you will about Ollie being a chauvinist, back in the day he knew how good he had it with Dinah, and he didn't step around on her), and that says something. Not that I want Starfire with Nightwing anyway, who knows what Earth "social" diseases might be communicable to Tamaranians. Still, of all the team members not there One Year Later, she's the one who most needs to be, and has the least reason to not be there, from my standpoint.
I can see Mia going off with Connor somewhere, maybe because they feel they make Ollie vulnerable after Dr. Light went after them, maybe because they fell in love, I don't know.Beast Boy joining the Doom Patrol, sure whatever. I'd say that was pretty much ordained since since Superboy-Prime altered reality by punching his way out of Speedy's 'Space-Filler' Arrow, and the original(?) Doom Patrol returned.
Raven retires after Beast Boy breaks her heart? Yeah I'm editorializing, but Gar usually comes off as a wannabe player that can't be too serious, so I'm sure it's his fault. Hopefully she's going to school, I'd be satisfied with that.
I am surprised Bart semi-retired. He seemed so determined to be the best hero he could be to pick up the mantle of the Flash, not from Wally, but from Barry (at least, that's how it seemed to me), that for him to walk away from it seems odd. But, maybe being in the Speed Force aged him a lot somehow (like older than Jay Garrick) and that's why he retired. Maybe all the death overwhelmed him. Maybe he still hasn't come back. He probably should still be there though. Teen Titans needs at least one romantic conflict, and Bart/Rose has already been foretold as a great tragedy, so let's see it. Come on *kicks tires*.
Cassandra's reason for not being on Robin's team makes perfect sense to me. Tim ditched her; why the hell should she be there when he asks? She's Ares' champion; I don't think he's known for forgiveness.
I'm real glad Cyborg is on the team, but I feel like Starfire needs to be there as his counter.
Under more normal circumstances, I saw Cyborg as the sort of calm, steady, tactical leader, the one who gave the pat on the back or the consoling word when it was needed. When Speedy joined the team and hit Cyborg with a cryonic arrow because she thought he'd gone out of control, Vic convinced her it was no big deal, that he wasn't angry or anything. He was the one who helped to feel like she could belong here, if she wanted to.
Starfire was the more emotional, firey one, perhaps a little more devious. She was also the one that was going to give someone a kick in the butt if they needed it. At the start of the series, she got on Impulse because he'd zipped around and saved a few people, and seemed satisfied with that. Starfire was the one who told him to stop standing around and help, try to push him to do more.
Being part machine placed some limits on Cyborg, being highly emotional did the same to Starfire. Put them together, they provide a nice compliment to each other. And really, I think that's what I would have liked to have seen in this issue. Starfire being there when Vic woke up, someone he's known and trusted for a long time. I know that would have ruined the "shock" effect that Johns was going for, Cyborg being as surprised at his teammates as we were, but it seems like, right now, the team is lacking something. Right now, there isn't anyone on the team I think Cyborg regards as his equal except Tim, and while Tim has the deviousness going for him, emotional, not so much. I guess maybe Johns plans to make Vic the emotional one during this period of adjustment, but even then, you could have Starfire reverse roles and play the calm consoler for her friend.
I feel kind of bad, dumping on the book after just one issue. They haven't convinced Wonder Girl to rejoin yet, we haven't even seen what they can do in combat. Maybe the threat of a brain in a can will impress the hell out of me. Still, the whole thing just feels "off" to me, and what's a blog if not a great place for me to vent? Normally, with a character I know zip about, I'm intrigued, see Chamber in Joe Casey's run on Uncanny X-Men. For whatever reason, Kid Devil isn't doing that for me. I have no idea why; he's a demon-thing, breathes fire, why is this not exciting me? I know why I'm against Ravager, she's connected to Slade, and those people always wind up going crazy and screwing over the team (see Terra, Jericho). And given that they've pushed Robin possibly well into and possibly beyond Batman territory, he might as well just spend his time in Gotham and leave it at that. I don't even know what to say about Marvin and Wendy. "Die slowly and painfully", perhaps?
It's funny; Robin did a really good job getting my attention coming out of the gate, in a positive way. I got my fingers crossed (figuratively) that Teen Titans #35 will do that.
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