Tales of the Teen Titans #41
Published and © by April 1984
Title: “Baptism of Blood!”
Synopsis: Brother Blood appears to perish in battle against the Teen Titans – but is it part of the villain’s master plan?
Writers (co-plotters): Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
Writer (script): Wolfman
Artist (layouts): Pérez
Embellisher: Romeo Tanghal
Review: This two-part showdown with Brother Blood is an odd affair. Following the previous issue’s at-times-hard-to-believe setup (see review of The New Teen Titans #40), this installment sees Blood toying with the Titans through several confrontations before apparently falling to his doom – though it’s pretty clear that that too was part of the villain’s plan. The whole affair is long on questions and short on answers, leaving readers to wonder: “What exactly was the point of all that?” Luckily, there is plenty of well-choreographed action and lovely George Pérez art to keep readers entertained along the way.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Brother Blood feels like he should be a contender …
Not-so-cool factor: … but more often ends up a poor man’s Doctor Doom.
Notable: Continues numbering from The New Teen Titans.
Collector’s note: Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 95¢ Canadian variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “As long as he’s holding Dick – nothing’s going to stop me!” – Starfire, determined
Editor’s note: This review was written March 12, 2025.
