Hi everyone!
Today, I am so excited to review two books
that mean quite a lot to me.
They are both written by Kami Garcia and illustrated
by Gabriel Picolo.
The first book is Raven, and the second book
is Beast Boy.
Both of these books are part of a new comic
book series by DC Comics.
They are obviously about the Teen Titans -- I'm
not sure if we're going to see all of the
Teen Titans, but so far, we've got Raven and
Beast Boy.
And the thing that makes me most excited about
these books is that both of the character
designs for Raven and Beast Boy are based
off of the character designs for these characters
from the 2003 TV show Teen Titans.
And and I was (and am) still a huge fan of
that cartoon.
So let's talk about these two books.
So first of all, I want to talk about the
illustrator of these books, Gabriel Picolo.
He is most famous (I think, most famous) for
his Modern Teen Titans series, which he began
way before these books were released.
Drawing inspiration from the 2003 TV show,
Gabriel Picolo drew Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire,
Cyborg, and Robin, as well as a few other
Titans, in a modernized comic book style.
I've linked Gabriel Picolo's Instagram below
where you can check out this series -- I love
this series, especially since I'm such a big
fan of the show.
I've been following his art account for a
while, and as a major fan of the original
Teen Titans TV show, it's been really fun
to keep up with his art series.
You get to see the Teen Titans from the 2003
TV show in a completely new art style, what
they may have been up to today... so anyway,
big nerd moment.
I love that art series because I love the
original 2003 TV show, and when I first found
out about this comic book Raven, and that
Gabriel Picolo would be the illustrator, I
was so excited.
I flew through this book (pun intended, sorry),
and I also flew through Beast Boy, which I
was really lucky enough to get as an arc on
Netgalley, but I also bought the print version
too because NERD ALERT.
And just as I was hoping, the art for both
of these books and the character designs for
both Raven and Beast Boy are exactly the same
as Gabriel Picolo's designs in the Modern
Teen Titans series.
These books are honestly such a gift for fans
of the original 2003 TV show.
But the books are also a gift for long-time
fans of the Teen Titans comic book series,
as well.
While I was reading these comics books, Raven
and Beast Boy, I was reminded not only of
the original cartoon counterparts that these
characters were based off of, but I was also
reminded of their comic book counterparts
from The New Teen Titans series.
Another thing that makes these books interesting
is the way that Kami Garcia tells the stories.
Most of the side characters in both Raven
and Beast Boy are completely new characters,
and while Raven and Beast Boy have very similar
backstories and superpowers to their original
cartoon and comic book counterparts, both
Raven and Beast Boy are placed in situations
that I've never seen them in before.
I also really enjoyed the new characters,
and seeing Raven and Beast Boy's interactions
with them.
I thought this was a great choice because
no matter if you've been a fan of Teen Titans
for as long as I have, or you've just discovered
these books, you won't be lost in the narrative
and the story will be fresh.
So we're gonna flip over here so you can see
the artwork of the first book too.
To be clear, I love both of these books a
lot, but there is one potential drawback to
this series, and that is that Raven and Beast
Boy are both discovering their superpowers
for the very first time, which is definitely
not a drawback if you enjoy superhero origin
stories like I do, but if you're going into
this series expecting a lot, a lot, a lot
of action, you may be disappointed.
That is not to say that there isn't action
in either of these books, because in both
of these books, there are action sequences,
and they were very fun to read, it's just
not very heavy on the action in both of the
books.
They're very much more character-based.
I am hoping that as the series progresses
we get to see Beast Boy and Raven and hopefully
some of the other Teen Titans really come
into their own and really become stronger
and braver and know how to use their powers
more, and I am hoping that we get to see some
more action sequences in the future.
Gabriel Picolo and Kami Garcia are teaming
up to bring a third book into the series,
which I was so excited to hear about, and
that book will be Beast Boy Loves Raven, which
is being released in February 2021, and you
can bet I will be pre-ordering that book.
While I am hoping for a little bit more action
in the series moving forward, one thing that
I truly love about these books is how character-driven
they are, and how Beast Boy and Raven not
only look like their original cartoon counterparts
from 2003, but also act like their original
cartoon counterparts, so here's a reference
of how similar they look.
And as a fan it just makes my heart happy.
I absolutely love Gabriel Picolo's art, I
love that these books are a nod to the original
Teen Titans cartoon, and I just love Raven
and Beast Boy.
I love all the Teen Titans, and I really hope
that we get to see more of them moving forward.
Especially Starfire, I really hope they write
about her next because she's my favorite.
She's always been my favorite Teen Titan.
But regardless, I love this series and I cannot
wait to see where it goes...
But I really hope they write about Starfire!
Thank you all so much for watching my reviews
of Raven and Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and
Gabriel Picolo.
I hope you all are doing well and staying
safe.
If you are a Teen Titans fan, let me know
if you are a fan of the cartoon, or the comics,
or where you became a fan and how, and let
me know your favorite Teen Titans character.
And I will see you all very soon with another
book review.
Bye!
(Instrumental.)
