The New Teen Titans #5
Published and © by DC, March 1981
Title: “Trigon Lives!”
Synopsis: The Titans thwart the monstrous Goronn, but prove no match for the invader’s master – Trigon the Terrible!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: Curt Swan
Inker: Romeo Tanghal
Review: This early fill-in issue from Superman stalwart Curt Swan underscores George Pérez’s importance to the success of The New Teen Titans. Swan’s storytelling simply lacks the visual gravitas required for a story of this scale. Marv Wolfman’s characterization work is subpar here, as well; while his Titans are on their way to becoming “real,” they still feel more like a collection of character traits than fully formed people. New Teen Titans #5 feels a bit like a B-list summer movie: subpar special effects, wooden characters and a sneaking suspicion that this one could – and should – have been better.
Grade: C+
Cool factor: Goronn looks pretty menacing on that George Pérez cover …
Not-so-cool factor: Inside this issue? Yeah, not so much.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “To one who has decimated worlds, one who has ravaged galaxies – and brought an entire universe to its knees – the puny powers you display only serve to whet my appetite for destruction!” – Trigon, the long winded
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Sequential Reaction (Vol. 1) on Feb. 2, 2016.
