Conner Kent makes his triumphant debut in Tiny Titans and he didn’t come alone! His Bizarro counter part “Match†has come along for the ride as well as the Green Lantern Corps. As if that weren’t exciting enough, the issue is co-written by the one and only Geoff Johns!
Tiny Titans #25
Written by Art Baltazar and Franco
Special guest writer Geoff Johns
Drawn by Art Baltazar
Our story opens with some team members enjoying a bowl of cereal when Superboy literally flies in for a visit. He receives a warm welcome and discovers that he has inspired some of the Titans to change their wardrobe. Connor brought someone with him to the tree house; his “bizarro brother†Match. The other Titans are freaked out about Match’s appearance and odd behavior (such as eating furniture) especially when he goes ballistic after laying eyes on Krypto. That situation ends with Match chasing down Krypto with Conner caught in the middle. Connor ends up getting tangled on his dog’s leash with Match flying after them.
In our next story, Speedy is on his way to a pawn shop with a box full of items he is looking to trade. He is unaware that he has some very valuable merchandise; the rings of the emotional spectrum. Speedy makes a deal with the store clerk (who looks an awful lot like Geoff) to trade the items for bubblegum. After leaving the shop he runs into Starfire and Stargirl who ask where he got the bubblegum from. He directs them to the pawn shop and we see the girls enter then leave with a box. They purchased Speedy’s rings and share them with their team mates. Turns out the rings are the real thing and the Titans have been accepted to the corps their ring represents.
Superboy and Robin arrive and try on the two remaining rings which turn out to be merely mood rings. Meanwhile the Guardians have located the rings and send a Green Lantern to retrieve them (the identity of the Lantern is never revealed). The fun is over for the Titans when their rings are confiscated and the Lantern encourages them to “stay in school†and bids them farewell. Speedy arrives and offers his gloomy team mates some gum which sends Match into a frenzy. Back on the planet Oa we learn that the misplacing of the rings is Chips’ fault.
With an issue co written by Blackest Night writer (and newly appointed Chief Creative Officer of DC) Geoff Johns and the debut of Superboy, what’s not to love? During my phone interview with Art Baltazar and Franco back in November, I asked about the possibility of certain characters making it into the pages of Tiny Titans, one of them being Connor Kent. At the time it was hinted but no confirmation was given because according to Art it was a “secretâ€. It looks like I was on the right track and I was extremely excited when the cover for issue #25 was revealed.
Tiny Titans always delivers when it comes to the laughs. The most amusing part for me was when Starfire and Stargirl acquired the rings of the emotional spectrum and shared them with their fellow team mates. I personally would have liked to see one of the Titans with a Black Lantern ring but that probably would have been a little dark for this title. Still, I feel that would have been an entertaining situation. I think Connor Kent is an excellent addition to the Tiny Titans and I hope we will be seeing more of him. I’ve always liked the character and he is so darn cute, how can you resist not loving him? The references to his romance with Cassie aka Wonder Girl is nothing short of adorable. It was also nice to see the Green Lantern Corps, complete with Guardians make an appearance. I sincerely hope that Geoff Johns will do future collaborations with Franco and Art as this was one of my favorite issues of Tiny Titans. Drawing him into the issue was also a nice touch.
I give Tiny Titans #25 five stars.
