Teen Titan #09 or "Harvest is an Unfunny Doctor Dinosaur"

[majingojira]

The "Harvest" arc of Teen Titans/Superboy/Legion Lost is . . . Bad. I mean, really bad. It could have been interesting, but it's just been bad. I mean, it even has a Gorgonopsid and a properly feathered Raptor show up in its pages and it's STILL bad. I love that sort of thing! And I realized the main reason why I find it so bad.

I can't take the villain as a credible threat because he comes off to much like Atomic Robo's Doctor Dinosaur.

In this issue, we have it all laid bear.

The Important part is what Robin is saying.

"No sane person could think it was a good idea to pluck teenagers from across the globe--meta or otherwise--and set them against each other in a battle royal . . . where the survivors are forced to serve your insane cause as Ravagers."

I'm sorry, but that concept is not insane--it's STUPID. Harvest has been played up as a Xanatos level schemer rather than a sadistically insane person like Granny Goodness. She could get away with a plot like that (Hell, isn't that how some Furies are chosen?). Harvest? No. You don't have your evil genius come up with this as his plan to "Save the Future".  

It's one of Doctor Dinosaurs plans in terms of complexity.




Robo then points out that there's no mail box on the island they are on.

Yeah.  Robo and Doctor Dinosaur are just fun together.  Ya know, everything Titan's isn't.  Not even a properly feathered raptor could save it. 

Then when the heroes split up, free the captives, escapes and destroy his base, he declares victory!



So aside from re-hashing the X-Men core concept without the unification behind the story, this is comparable to another incident with Doctor Dinosaur.



I'm with Robin here, but only in part. The line looks like it's a denial in the face of a superior foe, but given his initial plan set up -- I've got to say, it's only because Harvest is an apparent moron that I refuse to believe that is part of his plan.

It's Doctor Dinosaur and his Crystals.

So yeah, Harvest isn't a good villain.  They want him to be a skilled manipulator and plotter, but he's not.  He's an idiot. Behold! More Harvest level planning in action!



"IN A PERFECTLY LEGAL MANNER THAT'S HOW!"

At least Titans will be having more dinosaurs in its next issue.  At least that might be interesting.  Harvest was just annoying in that we're supposed to be taking him seriously.  Well, after this realization, I certainly can't.  Hell, I started reading his lines in the same voice I give Doctor Dinosaur: a fast-talking-when-stressed classic Starscream sort of voice. Try it! You'll love it! 
 

Comments

[shadowpsykie]

.... i stil like it...

yeah i still like teen titans... part of me feels like it's supposed to be sorta self aware of genre savvy...

but what ever the case is... i still like this book, i like the characters... some are a little more emo than i would care for them to be, but even they are growing out of that... its not easy to put together a team... but i don't mind seeing them grow into one...

[majingojira]

You're free to like whatever you wish. I'm a Godzilla fan, I should know. We have to deal with Godzilla vs. Megalon and Godzilla's Revenge. We have to admit that a lot of it is crap, but we like it.

Nothing is stopping you from liking it.

And you liking it doesn't change that Harvest is an idiot that we're supposed to take seriously.

[darkknightjrk]

Yeah--at this point I'm kind-of done with NOWHERE, but I still like the characters, and I'm looking forward to the next month or two of the team having to evade DINOSAURS. :D

[darkknightjrk]

You know, I've actually been enjoying TT as it was going, and even I have to admit this last part was a little bit of a dud. That said, I can see happening in the future a reveal of some sort of bad future event which Harvest with his own personal Ravengers defeat, making them the heroes in the eyes of the public.

[shadowpsykie]

yeah i am not saying this last part was great, but i am still really enjoying hte series too

[majingojira]

And then THIS happens:

Reporter: "Harvest! How did you form your team?"
Harvest: "Well--"
Ravager: "By kidnapping meta-human teenagers from across the country, and forcing them in battle royal death tournaments where the survivors joined his teams, with only fear off his retribution keeping us in line."
Reporters: *stunned silence*
Harvest: *Fumes*
Ravager: "***** you, Harvest. You saved the world with murder, lies and fear."
Harvest: *incinerates ravager* "I DID IT FOR THE GREATER GOOD!"
Titans: "K, thanks, die now."
Harvest: *dies*

But I doubt that would happen. The writing isn't up to par for that to happen. That the Ravagers are shown buying into it hook, line and sinker and that his moronic plan was working despite all logic working against him pretty much seals the deal on any Harvest related plans being entertaining.

[leikomgwtfbbq]

I freakin' love Doctor Dinosaur. Atomic Robo in general, because it's fantastically-written, but Doctor Dinosaur is just rad all over :D

NOW TO BUILD SOME MANNER OF FLOODQUAKE MACHINE!

I have nothing else to say. Just spreadin' the Doctor Dinosaur love.

[cleome45]

I actually had the Atomic Robo gun show/science fair story for awhile, thanks to Free Comic Book Day. Then I gave it away to a neighbor who wanted something groovy and all-ages to read to her four-year-old daughter. Good Karma, and all that.

Thanks for scanning that. No matter how many times I see it, it's still hilarious.

I avoid Big Events and so avoided the Titans/Legion thing. Maybe it will reel in some new Legion fans. [shrug] I don't know. But super-teams killing each other for villain jollies in an interminable crossover epic...? Uh, didn't we already have that with Blackest Night? If I wasn't interested then, why would I be any more interested now?

[akodo_rokku]

What comic are the upper Doctor Dinosaur scans from? I'm not familiar with the "Crystalized Antigravity" story. And I MUST read it, because I must read EVERYTHING with Doctor Dinosaur in it.

[anothermoviegeek]

3rd issue of the "Revenge of the Vampire Dimension" series.

[majingojira]

Atomic Robo and the Revenge from the Vampire Dimension #3.

[anothermoviegeek]

Although really...I would suggest just reading everything of Atomic Robo if you can. It is all amazing, and Dr. D has been known to show up as a backup story in issues before.

[sun_man]

Love that Tim is still dressing in drag

[thanekos]

It's funny, but "Darkseid-level threat" that can "go toe-to-toe with Superman" is not something I associate with a fellow that lithe-looking and prettily winged.

(Yeah, I know, "[Superman]'s wrestling an angel.. but look at how big that guy was.)

He fights impressively enough with that minimalist scythe of his, but he still looks like a straight one to the face'd drop him quickly.

[majingojira]

Wow. They appear to be genuinely unaware off what a moron they made their "Darkseid level threat".

[gerardotejada]

Why people buy DC comics? You can literally pull them apart in 5 minutes, bad writing or wrong characterisation, unsuitable plot, irrelevant story. I mean, there are like 6, 8 tops, that are readable or likeable, and that doesnt mean they are good.

And many of those not-bad books are redundant. The only reason one could buy those comics is because of the art, or because of an emotional comitment to the character.

I know taste is somewhat subjetive, but this is getting ridiculous. I mean Azzarello and Morrison look like rookies, Simone makes me feel sorry, Milligan doesnt know how to write super heros.

Even the good reads like Cornell and Lemire suffer many flaws in some issues and they are suposed to be the better writers. Looking at Marvel even the series I dont like are better than most of DC.

Im limiting miself to buying the least from DC, only really great titles that could be cancelled otherwise, Im not even buying Scott Snyder, not till DC clears his mess.

I am a fan of Avatar TLAB I can stand long Hiatuses

[majingojira]

I think it's more of a sign that the reboot was really poorly planned out and that there was little unified ideas running around.

[jlbarnett]

That speech Tim is giving in the first panel? Isn't giving long winded OBVIOUS speeches against the villains actions something that has been extremely mocked in tha past.

Seriously that should be in a parody of this book, not the book itself.

[icon_uk]

Based on the preview, Tim is monologuing to give him and the Legion time to co-ordinate a plan telepathically.

[lucky_gamble]

So the villains master plan was basically to create postive buzz for the Nowhere Org. And increase demand? Shitty plot and 90's era costumes aside, Harvest has got to be the most determined and involved PR agent In the DC universe.

[majingojira]

I don't give him that much credit. I don't think he has a master plan. He just improvises and claims superiority and planning.

[md84]

Doctor Dinosaur is how you do the card carrying villain right. He's silly, loud, and a walking cliche...yet he still manages to make Robo look just as silly even if his plans are foiled. He is so stupid he somehow loops back into genius.

So Harvest's genius plan was to kidnap a bunch of superpowered teenagers and pit them against each other in a battle royale on another planet, conscript the better ones, and scatter the rest of them back on Earth to sow chaos and earn public support for N.O.W.H.E.R.E.?

I'm with Robin on this one. Harvest is just making this up as he goes along. Kind of like the writers.

[q99]

Yea, Dino's crazy awesome. Also, because of his crazy, you forget stuff like, he really does have cool Crystal tech, and will do clever tricks in combat.

-So Harvest's genius plan was to kidnap a bunch of superpowered teenagers and pit them against each other in a battle royale on another planet, conscript the better ones, and scatter the rest of them back on Earth to sow chaos and earn public support for N.O.W.H.E.R.E.?
-

I'm not seeing the point of the battle royale to the death, personally.

[biod]

Tron Lines. Tron Lines EVERYWHERE.

[icon_uk]

It's weird, the Titans are incredibly garish, and the Legion costumes are incredibly dull. Is there no happy medium.

[espanolbot]

Heh, I've just remembered that there are at least two other villains called Harvest in the DCU already.

One was an antiheroine from Birds of Prey, who was a woman who was horribly murdered by some guys and then came back years later as a slasher film-type monster to murder those responsible one by one, and the other was a kind of gestalt-intelligence created from the people Poison Ivy fed to her plants in THAT Detective Comics story.

[md84]

Wait, Harvest is supposed to be a "Darkseid-level threat"? Yeah, no. Darkseid could wipe the floor with him and his Ravagers in a matter of seconds.

On a completely unrelated note, wasn't there a Birds of Prey one-shot antagonist called Harvest? If I recall correctly, she was a rape-murder victim who was somehow reborn as a superpowered life-draining zombie woman armed with a scythe who could be summoned to take the lifeforce of murderers and transfer it to ill children.

Way creepier and more intimidating than this wannabe big bad villain.

[espanolbot]

Heh, just what I said in the post above.

And, yeah, Darkseid is a being so evil and powerful that reality disintegrates just be his existing, causing the entirety of the multiverse to collapse into a black hole at the bottom of creation.

This guy... is a moron. Who seems to be missing a wing in some panels.

[kraesil]

Omg. Just keeps getting worse, if that's even possible.

I suppose this book could be saved with some good writing. And some simplification of KF's costume.

...But unless a different team takes over, dat's not gonna happen.

[darkblade]

Battle Royale and Hunger Games were pretty good books and reasonable movies but can we please stop trying to copy the teenage death matches plot?

The thing that both original stories pointed out was needlessly cruel and inefficient for what it did. Even then it was just to inspire fear in the population, using it to build an army is just dumb.

[majingojira]

I'd settle if they were just done intelligently. Battle Royal and Hunger Games have the Allegory to at least balance it out and acknowledge it as a terror tactic to varying degrees.

[jlbarnett]

you know I actually can by this guy as a Darkseid level threat. He tries to justify his losses the same way as he runs. THey're both equally losers