- Title: Teen Titans #4
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Benjamin Percy
- Artist: Jonboy Meyers
Unable to properly prepare or hide his new team from the Demon’s Fist, Damian decides to turn himself over to Ra’s al Ghul to fight for the lives of his new friends. This means trial by combat with cousin Mara. Although he wins the fight, Damian’s unwillingness to kill his cousin costs him dearly as he is jailed by the League awaiting his former family to make an example of him.
There are a couple of smart choices here worth noting. There is no internal conflict for Damian in his choice to spare Mara’s life. Despite Raven‘s comments about his internal struggle, it seems this version of Robin is far more in Batman‘s side than his New 52 counterpart. Given the trouble the New 52 led the character down by hyping the character’s bloodthirsty nature, even after he had grown out of it prior to the relaunch, this makes a pleasant change. Once again, some of the damage of the New 52 is mitigated.
Thankfully for Damian, he made a greater impression on Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and Kid Flash than he expected. It seems Robin crafted himself a new team after all. Worth a look.
[DC, $2.99]