Titans Season One
Justice League Division Two
released 14 OctOber 2018 | 15 | blu-ray/dVd
Showrunner Greg Walker Cast anna diop, teagan croft, brenton thwaites, ryan Potter
A superhero show featuring Robin, Raven, Hawk and Dove must be strictly for the birds, right? Actually, that’s a little harsh, and not because it doesn’t only feature avian-themed capes: the TV version of DC’s teen-fronted superteam also includes Beast Boy, Starfire and Wonder Girl.
They’re thrown together in a mishmash of running plots as the series struggles to decide what it is, exactly. The one-line pitch feels like it must have been a vibe: “The Arrowverse, but done like a Netflix Marvel show!” The result is surprisingly Snyderesque – Watchmen with designer violence, but also lengthy character-building scenes.
So we get Dick Grayson, who’s trying to bury his Robin persona, becoming a reluctant mentor to Raven, who’s struggling with her emerging dark powers. She’s being pursued by an amnesiac Starfire, while Beast Boy is thrown in for some “Don’t look at my willy when I’m transforming” gags. It meanders all over the place, with far too many “high concept” episodes for such a short season and a Big Bad who eventually arrives with all the impact of your first piss of the morning.
The main characters are fun, the fight scenes are energetically choreographed, and DC fans will love the glut of Easter eggs and guest appearances (there’s a Jason Todd Robin Mk II who looks like Frank Quitely drew him). A solid, slickly-made show, but one with little to add to a crowded genre.
Extras Netflix refuseniks don’t get much: one eight-minute and 13 two/three-minute featurettes, covering the characters and themes in typically staccato montages of interview soundbites and clips. Dave Golder
Meanders all over the place
Starfire creator Marv Wolfman has admitted that her alter-ego – Koriand’r – is a deliberate pun on the herb coriander.