REVIEW: ‘Titans,’ Issue #7

Titans #7 is published by DC Comics, written by Tom Taylor, with art by Travis Moore, colors by Tamra Bonvillain, and letters by Wes Abbott. This is part of the Titans: Beast War event. The remaining Titans fight to control their tower as Brother Eternity and Tempest invade.

The amazing part of the Titans series is that it has fused its series and that of the Beast War main book. After Titans #5, the book looped the crossover into its plot seamlessly, with the main villains using Beast Boy’s chaos for their gain. With Nightwing transformed, Beast Boy in space, and Donna Troy trying to hold him back, the team is massively reduced and has to split up further within the tower. The pacing within the book is phenomenal, filling every page with power and energy. Brother Eternity has revealed himself as a former protector of Starfire on Tamaran, serving an even higher power.
The book is split between multiple fights, all with their dangers and fears. It makes the book incredibly exciting as the arc is being wrapped up all within the confines of the event. It does mean that it’s paramount that readers are aware of what’s happened in the main book of Titans: Beast War, but only the first issue is essential. The fight scenes are amazing, always ramping up in terms of pressure and drama. It could be argued that the action is better in this comic than in the huge event. It’s more personal and penned in. The ending is satisfying as it ends a huge arc while being rather disturbing for the future of many of these characters.

The characters are terrific in Titans #7. This event shows the team stepping up as protectors of Earth, matching the responsibility of the Justice League heroes that they were always in the shadow of. The most powerful members of the team are the ones still fighting, and they display how awesome they are on virtually every page. Forced to separate, two groups form. Starfire and Cyborg fight Brother Eternity while Raven and Batgirl deal with Tempest, with Flash as support. All of them are given a moment to shine and to demonstrate just how mighty they are.
The dialogue from the villains is nefarious and filled with menace, while the heroes carry their pain and resilience. Throughout this chapter, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg draw a smile from boasting about their power. Especially for Starfire, who has had this event suddenly turn incredibly personal and raw for her. The main comic appeared to forget how a Tamaran god started the event, but Taylor makes sure to relive it and make it crucial to the plot of this tie-in.

The art is sensational. Every character has an aura around them, especially the Titans themselves. They walk into situations with their head held high, ready to face anything. Throughout the issue, Raven looks calm, carrying a bundle of rage and pain beneath her that is fuelling her fire against Tempest and Brother Eternity. Titans: Beast War #4 hasn’t happened yet, so the real tragedy awaits her. Nightwing’s transformation is cool and adorable, with Flash making frequent jokes about it. The different fights require completely different locations, each with challenges, which Moore copes with brilliantly. Inside the tower, the water is rising, and many bodies are within that confined space. And outside, aliens and spores are flying. Now that he has transformed, Brother Eternity’s costume is frankly ridiculous but strangely endearing and beautifully detailed. That detail is everywhere, from unique hairstyles to transforming characters. And yet, the costumes of the characters shine.

The colors are gorgeous. The powers that many of the heroes and villains have are very colorful, and they can fill panels with that energy, and the costumes are intensely vibrant. From Xand’r (Brother Eternity’s actual name) comes an alien feel, with a sickly green emanating from him. In his true form, he adopts a similar color scheme to Starfire. When the book is forced to get darker, such as in the tower with the water pouring in, the brightness of the costume remains the same. The lettering is amazing and always easy to read.

Titans #7 becomes the spotlight. The main book within Titans: Beast War is excellent, but this tie-in takes the event to another level. Taylor can be more in-depth with his characters, essentially having two Titans books at the same time. But where the story of the main book has to embody the future of the DC Universe as a whole, this plot can be centered around the team completely. The Brother Eternity storyline wasn’t sidelined. Instead, it was elevated and adapted to be completely involved. Fewer characters allowed others to flourish with stunning art that made them look amazing.

Titans #7 is available now wherever comics are sold.