Summer lovin', had me a blast! Summer lovin', happened so fast! Yes, the hottest season of the year is upon us and comic book lovers everywhere are asking, "What romantic, yet action-packed, comic can I read while relaxing by the pool?"
Luckily for you, we here at DC.com have you covered as this week's Weekend Escape features the perfect summer blockbuster for you to peruse while lounging at the beach or to throw in your bag as you head out for a summer vacation or camping trip. After introducing their take on the pair in the bestselling original graphic novels Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy, Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo finally gave readers the romantic meetup they'd been dreaming of in Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven and this gorgeous teen yarn is the perfect summer read.
The Premise:
With both Raven and Beast Boy on a journey of self-discovery after the events of the previous books—which are organically recapped early on if you haven't had the chance to read them—the pair are drawn to Nashville, Tennessee by an unexpected cupid: Slade Wilson. Raven and Beast Boy arrive in the new city and quickly bump into each other after receiving an offer of help from Slade. Unfortunately, things between them start off on the wrong foot, but soon the teens team up for a little Nashville vacation as they both wait for their unexpected benefactor to arrive. It soon becomes clear that something strange is afoot, however, and the teens will have to work together—and with some fun friends—to survive their meet cute.
Let’s Talk Talent:
Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo come together once again for the third book in their series. In case you aren't already familiar, Garcia is the bestselling author behind Beautiful Creatures and the awesome true crime inspired Black Label series Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity. Picolo came to the fore with his beloved and often viral Teen Titans fan art, which of course makes him the perfect artist for these books. His gorgeous character designs already had the internet excited before he began pairing them with Garcia's delightful dialog and together the pair are magic. They're also far from alone in the creative process. Picolo has vital assists from Rob Haynes, while the book also boasts stunning pastel colors by David Calderon and dynamic attention-grabbing letters by Gabriela Downie that perfectly put across the emotions and voices of the heroes.
A Few Reasons to Read:
- Super Cool Art: It's hard to explain just how cool Picolo's art for this book is. Whether he's drawing the cutest outfits for the superhero kids, or bringing to life their unique powers like Gar's transformations or Rachel's soul self, this is a unique and stunning visual take on some of your favorite heroes.
- An Easy Summer Read: While many of our favorite DC comics have years of history and hundreds of issues to read before you get started, you can jump right into Beast Boy Loves Raven, or if you’re a completionist, check out the other two entries in the series first. Either way, you won't need to lug your back issue boxes to the beach.
- A beloved character: While the first books in this series have focused on everyone's favorite Teen Titans ship, BBRae, this story widens the scope, teasing new additions from the beloved team. In a highlight, a member of the Bat-Family gets a super fun introduction here who would then go on to get his own book in the series (which you could read after this one, if you want more.)
Why It’s Worth Your Time:
It's not an overstatement to say that Garcia and Picolo are one of comics’ great collaborative forces and this book showcases that on every page. It's charming, sweet, funny and filled with awesome characters from the DC pantheon. Whether you're looking for love or action, Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven delivers and it's a wonderful pickup for new readers or folks who've been enjoying Titans books since the days of George Perez and Marv Wolfman. So, no matter where you're headed this summer, make sure you take a detour to Nashville with this super fun and romantic read.
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo is available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE for Ultra subscribers.
Rosie Knight is an award-winning journalist and author who loves Swamp Thing, the DC Cosmic and writing about those and more here at DC.com. You can listen to her waxing lyrical about comics, movies and more each week as she co-hosts Crooked Media's pop-culture podcast, X-Ray Vision.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Rosie Knight and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros., nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
