DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY #1

By: Kurt Amacker
Review Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Far and away the greatest problem I have reviewing DC books is that I'm only marginally aware of some of the important preceding events that occurred in the last few years. Case in point: Donna Troy. I really had no idea who she was prior to reading DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY (yes, that's actually the title), but from this issue and a little web research, I learned she was one of the founding members of the Teen Titans as Wonder Girl and that she died a few years ago during John Byrne's run on WONDER WOMAN.

It seems that Donna Troy did not actually die at the end of GRADUATION DAY (though from what I understand, that was fairly obvious), but she was returned to the Titans of Myth from whom she came. She remembers little, but she dreams of her past life with the Teen Titans. The dreams trouble her, and she can find no solace in the increasingly decadent Titans that watch galactic war rage around them like sport, even at the expense of their own children. Donna only snaps and intervenes when all around her seem to content to watch her sister Sparta die.

This book is convoluted. As DC-fan-come-lately, I read all of the references to the Titans purely in the context of the original Greek myths and not with reference to their DC Universe counterparts. I'm a bit of a sap for allusion and high-minded references, so I found that aspect quite charming. However, I spent a great deal of this first issue confused. That's not to say that I only want fight books, but like many DC titles lately, this issue lacks the "pick up and play" quality so essential for anyone that didn't read TEEN TITANS four years ago and hasn't kept up with the minutiae of the DCU since then. I don't mean to whine I realize that in observing continuity, one must expect the reader to be abreast of prior goings-on. However, even the internal narrative of this issue independent of Donna Troy's past is buried in obscurity. The art's also only good-not-great. I know of George Perez's past work with Marv Wolfman on TEEN TITANS, and would appear that Garcia-Lopez tried to emulate his style. While it does make for some pleasingly nostalgic character renditions, it also lacks detail and looks unrealistic elsewhere.

THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY isn't a terrible book, but it's not great either. However, it ties into the coming INFINITE CRISIS, so you may want to read it just to stay abreast.

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