REVIEW: ‘Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven,’ Special Edition

Rachel Roth (AKA Raven) and Garfield “Gar” Logan (AKA Beast Boy) are two normal superpowered teenagers who both seek out a mysterious “Slade” to help them with their meta-predicament. In the upcoming Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven graphic novel, readers will be able to find out what happens during their first chance encounter. The Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven preview is written by Kami Garcia, with art by Gabriel Picolo, colors by David Calderon, and letters by Gabriela Downie.

With Garcia having written these characters before in their independent graphic novels, she knows them very well, and it’s very clear from the dialogue she writes. There’s relaxed and subdued energy to this first part of the story, showing Gar and Rachel as normal (albeit runaway and superpowered) teenagers who happen to have miraculous abilities. Gar is a sweet vegetarian kid who thinks getting a cowboy hat would make him look cool, while Rachel is the daughter of a demon who wears a “Black is my happy color” t-shirt. Garcia clearly knows the core of these characters well and gives enough backstory for each that isn’t overwhelming. She humorously moves along in the story, particularly when Gar begins to fall for a girl he’s barely even met. It’s almost like a slice-of-life comic, only with superpowered teens.

Picolo and Calderon’s images fit the subdued storytelling with great use of a cooler and almost impressionistic color palette and simple lining. The constant white background highlights the figures in the story well, including Gar’s light clothing vs. Rachel’s trademark black clothes. Additionally, there’s a great variety of skin tones throughout the issue. Calderon’s colors reach a good standard here and in other areas, allowing the New Orleans that Gar and Rachel are in to feel truly lived-in.

The letters by Downie are clear and fit in with the subdued aesthetic of the comic. They’re all good sizes and don’t intrude on the characters. Like the images, they’re easy on the eyes and don’t throw a lot of noise at you, making this an even more relaxed read.

The Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven preview does a good job setting up its characters and storyline for the full-length graphic novel coming out in September. Rachel and Gar are two likable and quirky protagonists that will endear fans of the Teen Titans and romance stories, who will be eager to see where their story goes. The art is wonderfully colorful and subdued, along with the lettering, making this a very relaxing read. Of course, this is only a preview issue, so one might read it feeling incomplete, but it does sufficiently get you interested in reading the rest of the story. Get this one for your Free Comic Book Day pile.

The Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven preview is available now wherever comics are sold.