Written by Kami Garcia
Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo
Published by DC Ink
Teen Titans: Raven,the first in a new series of graphic novels written by New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia, and Brazillian artist Gabriel Picolo, is a treat and a fresh new introduction to the
oftentimes sullen and gothically represented member of DC Comics first teen superhero team.
This retelling takes place in the present day before the creation of the team. We find an amnesiac Raven in New Orleans moving in with her foster mother’s sister and niece after a tragic accident.
She is completely devoid of any previous memories of her life before the accident and unaware she is the half- demon spawn of the demon Trigon.
She is now faced with the unenviable task of dealing with a new home, new school, new everything.
This along with her loss of memory and the trials and tribulations of just being a teenager she also has to contend with the fact that she has all this power, empathy and telepathy and she doesn’t know why she has them.
Even though this book wasn’t written for me, per say, exactly, I loved it. I think Kami Garcia’s take on a modern day Raven is perfectly executed. She captures the original essence of Raven while updating the character. Garcia handled her really wanting to try to fit in but can’t because either the amnesia has left her without knowing who she really is and so she doesn’t trust if this is the real her or not. She is also coping with the fact that some crazy supernatural stuff is going in with her making her hear people’s thoughts and causing them to do harm to themselves regardless of whether she wants to or not.
Gabriel Picolo’s art is wonderful and his use of color to highlight action and characters are so well done. His style is very kinetic and lively and heightens the tension and drama in this very dramatic teenage girls coming of age and power story.
This is a great summer read for adults both young and older. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and I hope these two creators stay with it throughout each character’s story to give it the continuity and adhesion it deserves.
