The New Teen Titans #31
Published and © by DC, May 1983
Title: “Inferno!”
Synopsis: The Titans race to Zandia to free Raven from the Brotherhood of Evil – but she just might kill them all.
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist (layouts): George Pérez
Embellisher: Romeo Tanghal
Review: Multiple times during their storied Titans run, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez tried leaning into a Dark-Phoenix-style story with Raven. But that classic X-Men storyline (see reviews) worked, in part, because of readers’ nearly two-decade-long relationship with Jean Grey. That sort of emotional resonance isn’t available to the least-well-defined member of the newer Teen Titans. Raven remains somewhere between bland and unlikable, as Wolfman’s efforts to evolve her beyond her “Rosemary’s-Baby”-inspired origin mostly fell short. This issue still scores a strong grade, though, as Pérez’s Phobia-fueled torture scene offers a master class in visual storytelling.
Grade: A-
Cool factor: Damn, George Pérez is a gifted storyteller.
Not-so-cool factor: This story was already told better over at Marvel.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 75¢ Canadian variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “This one, she has ze ‘beaute du diable’ – the beauty of the devil; the bloom and freshness of youth.” – Warp, creepy ol’ supervillain
Editor’s note: This review was written June 24, 2024.
