Collective Consciousness: Raven Daughter of Darkness #1
Welcome to this week’s edition of Collective Consciousness, our weekly article where the staff takes one comic and puts it under the microscope. This allows us, and you, faithful reader, to get a good idea of how the comic fares against a variety of opinions. This week we're taking a look at the first issue of a new mini-series from DC, Raven Daughter of Darkness #1.
DC solicit: “ ...Raven faces a new, otherworldly menace that is all too grounded in reality. Plus, Raven's personal life is in an uproar as her mother and aunt struggle for the soul of a Titan! It's up to Baron Winters of the Night Force to intercede on her behalf as she embarks on the adventure called "The Girls With the Anime Eyes"! “
Written by: Marv Wolfman
Art by: Pop Mhan
Publisher: DC Comics
Harlan
I think most of us will agree that this had some very awkward dialogue. My experience with Raven comes solely from the Teen Titans TV show, and her having some weird way with words seems to fit that, but it applies to everyone else in the book, too. After finishing this issue, I looked back and saw that quite a bit actually does happen, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Maybe that dialogue is a big factor but the pace of this book is very slow and groggy. I think the art is a good fit for the tone of a book about Raven, but at the same time, given her powers and the enemies she faces, there’s probably some more interesting things that could be done visually. I’ll probably keeping looking for something else to read up on my favorite character from the show.
Charles
I'd love to theorize that Marv Wolfman's Raven-scripting skills are a little rusty, but it's been barely a year since his last Raven mini. This #1 builds too much too fast on the last series' status quo. Besides a clutch of school friends and a too-religious extended family, now Raven also tackles a mystery antagonist, a sinister powers-granting lab, a snooty magic noble gunning for her, and big daddy Trigon.
Cap it all with an uneven tone for Raven's words (both thoughts and dialogue) and you've got a recipe for a scattershot comic.
Pop Mhan's art is nicely finished, but some critical design choices make the visuals less memorable than those of the 2016 series. Raven's current design is underwhelming (admittedly, this wasn't up to Mr. Mhan) and the final-page reveal of that mystery antagonist is disappointing. The action is pretty stylish, though, and visual flow is solid. Raven's flying, shapeshifting, teleporting MO might be confusing with weaker layouts, but Mr. Mhan keeps it all straight.
I don't think this series is going to disappoint existing Raven fans, but this first issue doesn't do much to make new ones. It needs a lot more focus and a touch more consistency for its protagonist's voice.
Hussein
Marv Wolfman returns to the character he co-created all those years ago. I haven't read his run on the Teen Titans so I'm not sure if any of that was necessary reading to understand what's going on here. I was slightly confused most of the time, but I enjoyed some of the Raven home-life scenes where she's just trying to fit in.
I'm also intrigued by the overall narrative thrust despite how frustratingly vague it all is. I honestly don't think this series will be able to sustain itself over 12 issues; it has the makings of a six-issue mini.
Pop Mhan's art is pretty great. Lovern Kindzierski's colours bring a whole new life to Mhan's work, which looks completely different here. This is the best his work has probably ever looked.
Despite my reservations I think this issue is worth checking out to see if you're interested. Wolfman has been more miss than hit as of late but this is well-told enough.
Peyi
I only read part of the previous series, but never finished it because it didn't grab me. The start of this issue definitely grabs me a lot more than the previous series. Wolfman in both this series and the last really gets a teenage voice well, and it doesn't come across as how older writers think young people speak. Raven has progressed a lot since the last series and it seems that Wolfman has built up a supporting cast, which feels like a change of pace for the character. The way she interacts is ver different from how she is in Teen Titans. The plot focuses on this mysterious character called Azure, who seems to create illusions. This is used in an interesting way as the illusions give a bit more of a backstory for those that are unfamiliar with Raven. Azure is finally revealed to be a strange creature, which is intriguing and makes me want to read the next issue.
There you have it folks another fine new comic book day group review! It looks like everyone agrees that this issue had some problems with dialogue and pace but that the art and colours make it worthwhile to give it a chance if you are a fan of the characters. We all agree this is not a great issue for a new reader being introduced to Raven or the supporting cast. You do need to have a prior knowledge of the history or else the whole thing seems clunky and really hard to make any sense out of what is happening. Do you agree with our reviewers? Tell us what you thought below in the comments, on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter feed. See you next week!
DC solicit: “ ...Raven faces a new, otherworldly menace that is all too grounded in reality. Plus, Raven's personal life is in an uproar as her mother and aunt struggle for the soul of a Titan! It's up to Baron Winters of the Night Force to intercede on her behalf as she embarks on the adventure called "The Girls With the Anime Eyes"! “
Written by: Marv Wolfman
Art by: Pop Mhan
Publisher: DC Comics
Harlan
I think most of us will agree that this had some very awkward dialogue. My experience with Raven comes solely from the Teen Titans TV show, and her having some weird way with words seems to fit that, but it applies to everyone else in the book, too. After finishing this issue, I looked back and saw that quite a bit actually does happen, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Maybe that dialogue is a big factor but the pace of this book is very slow and groggy. I think the art is a good fit for the tone of a book about Raven, but at the same time, given her powers and the enemies she faces, there’s probably some more interesting things that could be done visually. I’ll probably keeping looking for something else to read up on my favorite character from the show.
Charles
I'd love to theorize that Marv Wolfman's Raven-scripting skills are a little rusty, but it's been barely a year since his last Raven mini. This #1 builds too much too fast on the last series' status quo. Besides a clutch of school friends and a too-religious extended family, now Raven also tackles a mystery antagonist, a sinister powers-granting lab, a snooty magic noble gunning for her, and big daddy Trigon.
Cap it all with an uneven tone for Raven's words (both thoughts and dialogue) and you've got a recipe for a scattershot comic.
Pop Mhan's art is nicely finished, but some critical design choices make the visuals less memorable than those of the 2016 series. Raven's current design is underwhelming (admittedly, this wasn't up to Mr. Mhan) and the final-page reveal of that mystery antagonist is disappointing. The action is pretty stylish, though, and visual flow is solid. Raven's flying, shapeshifting, teleporting MO might be confusing with weaker layouts, but Mr. Mhan keeps it all straight.
I don't think this series is going to disappoint existing Raven fans, but this first issue doesn't do much to make new ones. It needs a lot more focus and a touch more consistency for its protagonist's voice.
Hussein
Marv Wolfman returns to the character he co-created all those years ago. I haven't read his run on the Teen Titans so I'm not sure if any of that was necessary reading to understand what's going on here. I was slightly confused most of the time, but I enjoyed some of the Raven home-life scenes where she's just trying to fit in.
I'm also intrigued by the overall narrative thrust despite how frustratingly vague it all is. I honestly don't think this series will be able to sustain itself over 12 issues; it has the makings of a six-issue mini.
Pop Mhan's art is pretty great. Lovern Kindzierski's colours bring a whole new life to Mhan's work, which looks completely different here. This is the best his work has probably ever looked.
Despite my reservations I think this issue is worth checking out to see if you're interested. Wolfman has been more miss than hit as of late but this is well-told enough.
Peyi
I only read part of the previous series, but never finished it because it didn't grab me. The start of this issue definitely grabs me a lot more than the previous series. Wolfman in both this series and the last really gets a teenage voice well, and it doesn't come across as how older writers think young people speak. Raven has progressed a lot since the last series and it seems that Wolfman has built up a supporting cast, which feels like a change of pace for the character. The way she interacts is ver different from how she is in Teen Titans. The plot focuses on this mysterious character called Azure, who seems to create illusions. This is used in an interesting way as the illusions give a bit more of a backstory for those that are unfamiliar with Raven. Azure is finally revealed to be a strange creature, which is intriguing and makes me want to read the next issue.
***
There you have it folks another fine new comic book day group review! It looks like everyone agrees that this issue had some problems with dialogue and pace but that the art and colours make it worthwhile to give it a chance if you are a fan of the characters. We all agree this is not a great issue for a new reader being introduced to Raven or the supporting cast. You do need to have a prior knowledge of the history or else the whole thing seems clunky and really hard to make any sense out of what is happening. Do you agree with our reviewers? Tell us what you thought below in the comments, on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter feed. See you next week!
A Look Inside
