Titans United! – “Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven” Graphic Novel Review

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is the much-awaited sequel to both Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy. In this YA Graphic novel from DC Comics, Raven and Beast Boy come together for an adventure in a new city on their own… or are they?

I received an advanced review copy of Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Having read both Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy previously, I was looking forward to reading Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven. In my opinion, this one is even better than the previous two books in this series. It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoyed Rachel Roth and Garfield Logan’s interactions. I also have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of this series either, if the ending is any indication! Are we going to see Dick Grayson at some point? I certainly hope so!

I will say that you probably do not have to have read the previous two stories to enjoy Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven as the book itself does provide the backstory for both characters that happened in their respective books. However, reading those two graphic novels will definitely enrich your overall enjoyment and full understanding of this installment of the Teen Titans YA series.

WARNING: There will be some brief spoilers below.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven begins with Rachel making her way to Nashville, Tennessee by train while Gar is on a bus also heading to the same location. This is not happenstance, but rather by design as they were both contacted by Slade Wilson who offered to help them in their respective books. Anyone familiar with Deathstroke knows he cannot be trusted as Raven and Gar will soon find out!

A comedy of errors results in Gar and Rachel running into each other numerous times while waiting for their respective times to meet up with Slade. Gar is smitten with Rachel, but she’s not quite so sure about him. She does like his pet monkey, though. Meanwhile Rachel has no idea that she is being tailed by her foster sister, Max, who is concerned about her and wants to make sure she is okay.

The longer Rachel and Gar spend time together, the more the attraction becomes mutual between the two. They come to enjoy spending time together while touring Nashville. They’re not aware that they’re both in the same city to meet Slade. Before they have to go their separate ways, they exchange numbers promising to keep in touch. Unfortunately, once they are separated, things turn south for our heroes. Thankfully, they have someone looking out for them along with help from another face familiar to fans of a certain well-known sidekick!

Writer Kami Garcia is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She is best known as the co-author of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels. This is the third YA graphic novel that I have read by Kami Garcia, and they’ve only gotten better. You can tell that she has a deep understanding of teen relationship dynamics and appreciation for both Raven and Beast Boy. She does a good job of portraying a somewhat realistic young romance considering all of the fantastical elements involved with two superhuman young people. Plus, the interactions between Rachel and Gar and Max and a certain son of a famous hero and villain are a lot of fun.

Artist Gabriel Picolo is a Brazilian comics artist and illustrator. His first graphic novel was Teen Titans: Raven. Outside of his published works, Picolo is probably best known for his Teen Titans fanart on his social media channels. As always, Picolo’s art is beautiful with each character being full of life. He has a good grasp of action in his panels, but I think what sticks out most is the facial expressions on his characters. It adds to and enriches the dialogue on the page. Rob Haynes joins him on the art in this book.

Colorist David Calderon brings the purple and green colors used in both Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy respectively and combines them all together. The watercolor is pleasant to the eye and paints a beautiful picture on each panel. This is enhanced by Gabriela Downie’s letters. They fit the overall feel of the story being told. It’s a very beautiful book.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is intended for readers ages 13-17. There aren’t really any warnings for this book and should be fine to read for all readers. There are a couple of instances toward the end of the book where Raven and Gar are being forced to use their powers, but there is nothing graphic. This is mostly a story of love, acceptance, and support from two characters going through similar things while trying to figure themselves out and where they fit in the world. It is also a very positive and uplifting story that will just make you feel good reading it.

I found Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven to be a fantastic read. I definitely enjoyed it even more than both proceeding books. Getting these two characters together allows the reader to see different sides of them. I can also appreciate that Gar is not at all creepy toward Rachel, which sadly is how he is sometimes portrayed in the comics and other media. He doesn’t always come off as being very respectful toward women. I can appreciate and enjoy how Kami Garcia interprets and writes the character.

I would recommend Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven to anyone who is a fan of the Teen Titans whether it be from the comics or the cartoon series, or even the Titans TV series. But it also would be a great read for people unfamiliar with the team and its characters. There’s really something for everyone to enjoy. It would also be a great introduction to both Beast Boy and Raven. Oh, and if you are a fan of a partner of Batman’s, you’re definitely going to want to pick up this book!

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is available today from DC, comic book shops, local and online indie bookstores, and your local library and their digital apps.

Author: Jessica Rae

Jessica has a BA in music with an emphasis in voice and spends her day typesetting, editing, writing, and moderating webinars. Jessica primarily reviews anime and comic book series. She also offers insights on various movies, books, games, and other geeky topics.

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