“Arena Of Death”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Scot Eaton and Wayne Faucher
Color Artist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Review by Steve J. Ray
Titans – Burning Rage #7 was an unexpected surprise, and a welcome one at that. Alongside Superman: Up In The Sky, Wonder Woman: Come Back To Me and the brilliant Batman: Universe, this series collected the new 12 page stories that originally saw print in the (extremely hard to find outside of the U.S.A.) Walmart 100 Page Giant anthology comics. All the aforementioned collections ran for six issues, so imagine my surprise when a seventh issue of Burning Rage appeared in my inbox!
If you haven’t been reading this gem of a title, then the collected trade paperback should go on your “must buy” list, particularly because of the extra 24 pages of fun you’ll be getting! (You really should pick up Batman: Universe too).
Reader’s Digest
Since this series launched I’ve been saying how it’s the perfect title to hand anyone who wants to get into superhero comics. If you have a 10-12 year old, and don’t know what’s safe to give them, Titans – Burning Rage is the answer to your prayers. If you’re not sure about buying a 100 plus page trade paperback, heck, hand them this issue! Dan Jurgens, Scot Eaton, Wayne Faucher and Tom Napolitano have crafted a done in one story that delivers the whole package. Action? Check. Great characters? Check. An Awesome villain? Check. A complete story that doesn’t necessitate scouring back issue bins to research? Check, check and triple check. This story just ticks all the right boxes.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, as you need to grab this book for your youngsters (or even for your oldsters who are still young at heart). Dan Jurgens has created a complete story that shows all the Titans’ personalities, introduces and perfectly encapsulates what two classic, longstanding, and important DC villains are all about, and does so without melting your brains, or boring you with decades worth of unnecessary, historical baggage. Lovely.
Conclusion
Titans – Burning Rage #7 is everything a comic-book should be. There’s brilliant story by Dan Jurgens, with great art from artists Scot Eaton and Wayne Faucher. It’s beautifully colored by H-Fi, and classically lettered by (Teen?) Titan, Tom Napolitano. Look up, that title page alone is a perfect example of everyone’s tremendous work on the issue.
Thanks DC Comics. That little bonus was greatly appreciated.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment