Raven the Graphic Novel
Teen Titans Raven is a graphic novel written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Piccolo. The story explores Raven’s origins before she joined the Teen Titans, judging by her age and the art style chosen in the novel. The novel introduces Raven to us as if we have never met her. Her usual themes of trauma, control, and emotional intelligence are retold in a new and compelling way. Because of this, I have decided to dive deeper into my own opinions and explain exactly what I love about Raven’s new origin story.
Emotion as Power
In Teen Titans (2005) we learned that Raven’s powers are controlled by her mind and her emotions. The stronger her emotions are, the stronger her powers are. The problem in this is that she is one of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe and her father is an interdimensional demon that is trying to use her as a weapon to destroy and enslave planets. Raven’s immense power is inherited from both parents but her mother’s contribution is unclear. Because her powers can act beyond Raven’s control, she struggles with mental and emotional stability outbursts that would usually be safe in her mind can affect the physical world.
In Raven’s origin story we quickly learn that she has amnesia (not gonna tell you how bc that’s a spoiler). She had to start from scratch and learn about herself and her powers all over again on a timer she didn’t know about. The lack of information both Raven and the reader has paired with the knowledge that Raven’s immense power can her greatest strength as well as her weakness has adds an incredible amount of intensity of the situation. I was literally leaning over the book like a madwoman trying to read everything as fast as possible.
Controlling her emotions after such terrible loss (no specifics bc spoilers) after we know how intense Raven’s powers can get, created the perfect balance of control and exploration in her origin story. Raven learns to rely heavily on her friends and family to balance her out. They validate her emotions, allow her to heal, and give her space to freely explore her powers without the risk of harming herself or those around her. By the end of the novel, we can see exactly how Raven’s powers can be used and how she can grow.
Timeline
I loved that this novel started out an arc before she joined the Teen Titans. There is enough time for the readers to enjoy this arc while still anticipating the TV series to merge with the graphic novels. It also means that this is building off Raven’s major arc in Teen Titans three part special The End. Raven knows about her father, she knows that she and those she loves are in danger, and she knows she has to stop him. That aligns perfectly with the fact that Raven knows about Trigon in the TV series but didn’t say anything because she wanted to fix the problem herself and she is still learning to trust her new family, the Teen Titans.
In addition to how much I love the timeline it also stresses me tf out because it means that she will eventually leave her family in Atlanta before she finds her new family, the Titans, in Jump City, California. Readers can see that Raven has been displaced twice by the end of the novel and it is implied that she has been displaced too many times before that. This lack of control over finding a home adds to her trauma she has to endure and makes her close up when meeting new people for fear that they will be temporary, or evil. Nevertheless, this displacement forces her to make new allies and learn how to spot enemies in new environments. It teaches her the same lesson over and over again, You think you’re alone, Raven, but you’re not.
Art
The art style is a huge reason I bought the book. I have been following Piccolo for a number of years on Tumblr and Instagram before I heard the amazing news that he would be the illustrator for the new graphic novels. I pray with all my heart that Piccolo will be the illustrator for every Teen Titans graphic novel in the series. He is already working on the Beast Boy origins story (spoilers, sorry couldn’t help that one) and it looks phenomenal.
Coming from someone who adores fan art, fan fiction, and fan theories, I am so proud of Piccolo. It is evident in his previous work that he was super invested in the series and spent a lot of time exploring all of the character’s emotions, their thought processes, and their lives beyond their hero work. I am the kind of b*tch to scrutinize every facial expression, hand motion, and sneer just to think to myself “That’s not Raven, Raven wouldn’t do that.” and Piccolo robbed me of that snobby satisfaction because there was not a single moment where I could fathom to question that the Raven before me in this graphic novel was the Raven I knew and loved from the series. Piccolo did an amazing job partnering with Kami Garcia’s immaculate writing to create Teen Titans Raven, available in stores and online now.
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