{"id":30147,"date":"2024-07-12T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T08:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30147"},"modified":"2024-07-10T16:27:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T16:27:33","slug":"tiny-titans-volume-2-adventures-in-awesomeness-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/07\/12\/tiny-titans-volume-2-adventures-in-awesomeness-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiny Titans volume 2: Adventures in Awesomeness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Art Baltazar<\/strong> & Franco<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-2328-1 (TPB\/digital edition)<\/p>\n

Links between animated features and comic books are long established and, for younger consumers, indistinguishable. Honestly, it\u2019s all just entertainment in the end\u2026<\/p>\n

For quite some time at the beginning of this century, DC\u2019s Cartoon Network imprint was arguably the last bastion of children\u2019s comics in America and worked to consolidate that link between television and printed fun and thrills with stunning interpretations of such small screen landmarks as Ben 10<\/strong>, Scooby Doo,<\/strong> Powerpuff Girls<\/strong>, Dexter\u2019s Laboratory <\/strong>and many more screen gems.<\/p>\n

The kids\u2019 comics line also generated truly exceptional material based on TV iterations of the publisher\u2019s proprietary characters – such as Legion of Super Heroes<\/strong>, Batman: Brave and the Bold <\/strong>and Krypto the Super Dog <\/strong>as well as material like Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! <\/strong>which was merely similar in tone and content. For many (mostly adults) the line\u2019s finest release was a series ostensibly aimed at early-readers but which quickly became a firm favourite of older fans and a multi-award winner too.<\/p>\n

Superbly mirroring the magical wonderland inside a child\u2019s head where everything is joyfully all smooshed up together, Tiny Titans<\/strong> became a sublime antidote to continuity cops and slavish fan-boy quibbling (all together now: \u201c\u2026 erm, uh\u2026 I think you\u2019ll find that in\u2026\u201d) by reducing the vast cast of the Teen Titans Go!<\/strong> animated series, the far greater boutique supplied by mainstream comics – and eventually the entire DC Universe continuity – to little kids and their parents\/guardians in a wholesome kindergarten environment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a scenario spring-loaded with multilayered in-jokes, sight-gags and the beloved yet gently mocked trappings and paraphernalia generations of strip readers and screen-watchers can never forget\u2026 and all located in the utopian Sidekick City Elementary School<\/em>. Art Baltazar and co-creator Franco (Aureliani) mastered a witty, bemusingly gentle manner of storytelling that just happily rolls along, with assorted (sort-of familiar) characters getting by, trying to make sense of the great big world. The method generally involves stringing together smaller incidents and moments into an overall themed portmanteau tale and it works astoundingly well.<\/p>\n

After handy and as-standard identifying roll-call pages \u2018Meet the… Tiny Titans\u2019<\/em> and a poster page cover of \u2018Titans in Space\u2019<\/em>, the pint-sized tomfoolery opens with \u2018Ya Think?\u2019<\/em> as transparent-headed Psimon<\/em> deliberates over his checkers game with similarly glass-fronted The Brain<\/em>… until Kid Flash<\/em> and Wonder Girl<\/em> start heckling…<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at school, Starfire<\/em> gets a text from her dad telling her to come home. Of course, she invites all her friends and two-and-a-half days later the entire class is wandering around alien planet Tameran…<\/p>\n

Once they get back Robin<\/em> convenes a meeting of his new avian themed \u2018Bird Scouts\u2019<\/em>, only to find his alternate identities causing a little contention and confusion…<\/p>\n

The issue ends with a Franco Tiny Titans pinup preceded by a return confrontation between Psimon and his hecklers in \u2018To Get to the Other Side\u2019<\/em>. Sadly, once again his tormentors get the last word…<\/p>\n

\u2018Report Card Pickup!\u2019<\/em> finds adult Justice Leaguers<\/strong> confronting Principal Slade <\/em>(AKA Deathstroke<\/strong>) and substitute teacher Mr.<\/em> Trigon<\/em> over the grades of the little folk whilst introducing a new intake from Sidekick City Preschool<\/em> – ominously dubbed the Tiny Terror Titans<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Starfire gives Blue Beetle<\/em> an unwanted makeover in \u2018Happy Feeling Blue\u2019<\/em> whilst Robin, Batgirl<\/em> and Ace the Bat-hound<\/em> get invitations to BB\u2019s birthday party in \u2018Joke\u2019s on You\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the other Wonder Girl<\/em> (the series played extremely fast-&-loose with continuity so suck it up if you\u2019re expecting serious logic, ok?) and tiny winged Bumblebee<\/em> indulge their \u2018Book Smarts\u2019<\/em> until Beast Boy<\/em> shows up. Meanwhile under the sea, Aqualad<\/em> chairs a meeting of \u2018Pet Club, Atlantis\u2019<\/em> until Raven<\/em> and The Ant<\/em> spoil things by breaking the first rule…<\/p>\n

Concluding with a Puzzler page and a bonus pinup, #8 gives way to a 9th<\/sup> issue and inescapable predicament as the kids go ape because of \u2018Monkey Magic\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

When Beppo the Super-Chimp<\/em> gets hold of a magic wand at Robin\u2019s Comic Book Party, the attendees are soon reduced to hirsute ancestral forms. Thankfully Batgirl & Bumblebee are meeting with the size-shifting Atom family (The Atom<\/em>, Mrs. Atom<\/em>, Crumb<\/em>, Dot<\/em>, baby Smidgen<\/em> and little dog Spot<\/em>) and initially missing the ensuing chaos.<\/p>\n

Bad boys of the Brotherhood of Evil aren\u2019t so lucky when Beppo flies over and suddenly Brain and Psimon are as simian and banana-dependent as their talking-gorilla comrade M\u2019sieu Mallah<\/em> and before long Starfire and Batgirl also get monkey-zapped…<\/p>\n

Resolute, bureaucratic Robin then institutes the first meeting of \u2018The Titan Apes\u2019<\/em> but that only provokes the pesky Super-Chimp to really see what his wand can do and even after Raven\u2019s magic sorts everything out, Beppo rises to the challenge…<\/p>\n

Closing with another Tiny Titans Puzzler Page and pinup of the diminutive \u2018Atom\u2019s Family\u2019<\/em> the animal antics carry over into the next month as \u2018World\u2019s Funnest!\u2019<\/em> sees Supergirl<\/em> entertaining Batgirl at \u2018Tea Time\u2019<\/em>. Tragically, the Girl of Steel has forgotten to feed pet cat Streaky<\/em> and her guest has been equally derelict in her duties to Ace, forcing the power pets to seek redress as the little ladies set out on a global jaunt, meeting annoying monsters Kroc<\/em> and Bizarro<\/em>…<\/p>\n

A Tiny Titans Word Link Puzzler and Bonus Pinup of the eventually-reconciled stars wraps up the issue before the penultimate outing reveals romantically declined Beast Boy in the throes of \u2018Terra Trouble\u2019<\/em>. The green Romeo\u2019s intended inamorata is a feisty lass with refined tastes and in \u2018Counting on Love Rocks!\u2019<\/em> she shows him the depth and density of her disaffection, after which Robin greets visiting Russian student Starfire<\/em> and gets wrapped up in a tempestuous \u2018Name Exchange\u2019<\/em> dilemma.<\/p>\n

Terra<\/em> meanwhile is not fooled by a viridian \u2018Rock Dog\u2019<\/em> and Beast Boy ends up with more bruises. Wiser, younger heads (mask, helmets, etc) just go to a carnival and leave them to it, with the lovesick loser escalating his campaign with a little \u2018Rock Show\u2019<\/em> whereas Aqualad and scary blob Plasmus<\/em> attend a monster movie \u2018Double Feature\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Agonisingly undaunted, Beast Boy decides on a costume makeover and new origin. Dressed like Superman<\/strong> he builds a \u2018Rocket Box\u2019 <\/em>but yet again fails to kindle a spark…<\/p>\n

Silent mirth then illuminates \u2018Tiny Titans Presents… The Kroc Files: Changing a Lightbulb\u2019<\/em> before another TT Puzzler and \u2018Super Bonus Pin-Up! of Alfred and the Penguins\u2019<\/em> escort us smartly to the final outing in this smart and sassy tome.<\/p>\n

\u2018Faces of Mischief\u2019<\/em> focuses on the school staff as \u2018Morning with the Trigons\u2019<\/em> finds the substitute teacher and demonic overlord called in on short notice. It\u2019s \u2018Monday Morning\u2019<\/em> and as the Principal and Trigon goof off to a baseball game, Slade leaves cafeteria server Darkseid<\/em> in charge. This is the chance the Apokolyptian Lord of Destruction has been waiting for…<\/p>\n

With the adult slackers listening to \u2018Take Me Out to the Ballgame\u2019<\/em>, the kids are forced to endure exams and their \u2018Finals Crisis\u2019<\/em> seems eternal. After apparent ages, Robin needs a \u2018Hall Pass\u2019<\/em> but is soon accosted by not just the official Monitor<\/em> but also the diabolical Anti-Monitor <\/em>(trust me, if you\u2019re wedded to DC Lore, this is comedy gold: for the rest of you, it\u2019s still hilariously drawn…)<\/p>\n

Finally, the dread day ends for the kids, but as Raven heads home with Slade\u2019s kids Rose<\/em> and Jericho<\/em>, she hears something that could ruin her life and takes drastic steps to ensure \u2018Our Little Secret\u2019<\/em> just as their dads concoct a sinister do-over for the following week…<\/p>\n

Bringing the graphic glee to a halt is a silent \u2018Kroc Files: Sending an E-Mail\u2019<\/em>, a TT Baseball Unscramble Puzzler and a pin-up of the entire nefarious \u2018Sidekick City Elementary Faculty\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Despite being aimed at super-juniors and TV kids, these wonderful, wacky yarns – which marvellously marry the heart and spirit of such classic strips as Peanuts<\/strong> and The Perishers<\/strong> with something uniquely mired and marinated in unadulterated nerdish comic bookery – are unforgettable gags and japes no self-respecting fun-fan should miss: accessible, entertaining, and wickedly intoxicating to readers of any age and temperament. What more do you need to know?
\n\u00a9 2008, 2009 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Art Baltazar & Franco & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-2328-1 (TPB\/digital edition) Links between animated features and comic books are long established and, for younger consumers, indistinguishable. Honestly, it\u2019s all just entertainment in the end\u2026 For quite some time at the beginning of this century, DC\u2019s Cartoon Network imprint was arguably the last bastion … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Tiny Titans volume 2: Adventures in Awesomeness”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[351,113,76,125,97,311,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apes-monkeys","category-comedy","category-dc-superhero","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-legion-of-super-pets","category-teen-titans"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7Qf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30149,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30147\/revisions\/30149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}