majingojira: (Godzilla Burnination)
majingojira ([personal profile] majingojira) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2012-05-23 05:40 pm

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

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.


Photobucket

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.

Photobucket


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!

Photobucket

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.

Photobucket

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!

Photobucket
Photobucket
"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! 
 
espanolbot: (Default)

[personal profile] espanolbot 2012-05-24 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it seemed to be more a case of "this is cool and our market research says it'll sell!" than "these are good ideas that are entertaining".

It isn't helped by the fact that the DC editorial seem to be unable to stick to a story one way or another, with Didio saying he hated 52 due to the lack of editorial control, only to more recently change his mind and infer that it was mostly his own idea. So much of the comic side of the new DCU seems so... dishonest. We're being told what to like, rather than having a selection of stuff for us to make up our own minds about.

Kind of why I prefer the YJ verse really. They have an overall plan for the thing, it's mostly well written with actual character development, and people exist in the story who have been utterly erased from the current DCU (a certain girl appearing in last week's episode for example) or have characterisation more in line with their original versions (Jaime Reyes, for example).

[personal profile] md84 2012-05-24 09:24 am (UTC)(link)
The YJ verse writing is so good that I don't even mind the two fridgings that took place during the timeskip too much.
espanolbot: (Default)

[personal profile] espanolbot 2012-05-24 09:29 am (UTC)(link)
Two? I know about Aquagirl, what was the other one?

And, yeah, the writing is generally better the majority of the books. And since Geoff Johns has lifted the constraints that they originally started the series with (the thing that wouldn't let them use Cassie Sandsmark, for example) the creators of the show say they're allowed to use ANY DC character that they take an interest in.

And considering they also apparently said there'd be another time skip for season three if the current one is successful, we'd be one more possible step towards getting Steph and Cass in the show. :D
practicalcat: Cropped panel of Kid Eternity as Tula (Aquagirl I) walloping Brother Blood (Tula disapproves)

[personal profile] practicalcat 2012-05-24 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
Tula got killed AGAIN? Boo!

[personal profile] md84 2012-05-24 11:07 am (UTC)(link)
Garfield Logan's mother was killed in a car crash caused by Queen Bee just to get some petty revenge against M'gann.