Caught up on New Titans (2026) and why does it feel like the book is actively making fun of the reader for liking the previous titans teams? Like the book is constantly having the new team make fun of them for being old, outdated, and cringy. (Which unless I'm completely misunderstanding the timeline, which isn't unlikely the timeline isn't really a thing, they're not that old?) It's wild though that despite how long they've been regularly saving the planet, and the fact that the team wants to be titans they still act like the older titans are an inconvenience (except Cyborg I guess, they're pretty neutral about him and the rest who just straight up not there for some reason, so this is mainly Starfire and Nigthwing), which is only backed up by the narrative.
The book itself also treats the older titans like they're lame. For some reason they're completely useless in a fight at best and actively in the way at worst, despite being the most experienced fighters present.
This mixed with the premise at the start, that the Titans have become stagnant, repeating the same villains and stories, which could be a solid criticism of the industry playing it safe and making regular cash grabs, until you mix it with the repeated mockery of the old team, and fully replacing them as a solution, makes it seem like the characters are the problem, as if there's no way the old titans lineup could be taken in new directions or given new stories. (Which the new lineup is cool I'm just frustrated with how the story inserts them by treating the old team as outdated rather than passing on the mantle as they have in the past)
This isn't even getting into having Starfire and Nightwing's consent yet again violated by brainwashing, and Terra victim blaming them, as a part of the repetitive storyline rehashing at the start. Hopefully they do more with it than just use it as an excuse to make them both feel worse as if there weren't already plenty of reasonable ways to have them step back from the team. (It's frustrating and feels like an excuse for a Starfire/Nightwing moment but I don't want to make a definitive condemnation until things are wrapped up since they've at least acknowledged it wasn't their fault and they have feelings about it but man I'm frustrated with this book)
It sucks too because there's a lot I was looking forward to. I'm a fan of Jon, and especially excited to see Stephanie allowed to be an incredibly competent and intelligent leader. It's exciting to see how clever she is and her training with Barbra really shining, but kind of undercut for me by them then throwing in moments with Starfire and Nightwing who I also like being put down by the narrative.
I can't even decide if this judgement is a little too dramatic, but then the writing throws in another moment of Starfire and Nightwing being a hinderance and everyone being frustrated with them and I'm just so done. Makes me nervous about how they're going to handle things with the Teen Titans book starting soon, but I'm still somewhat hopeful there since it's a different writer. It's just confusing that they spend so much time in a Titans book making fun of the Titans, like idk about some other people but it being a TITANS book was part of the appeal to me, I like the old titans team even if they aren't the main team, I still assumed they'd be mentoring like usual since they're on the covers and stuff, only for the book to just not be that, which yet again I'd have accepted them not really being involved too but then it just spends so much time making fun of them and idk.
