Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo have outdone themselves once again with the latest in their Teen Titans series of graphic novels, finally bringing together Raven and Beast Boy with immensely delightful results. Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is the third entry in the series, but all of the humor, inner turmoil, charm, and action from the first two is back in spades for the third go-round, but it’s the sweet and evolving romance between these two favorites that puts this story over the top. Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven delivers a story that is perfect for new and longtime fans alike, and anyone who gives it a chance is going to be pleasantly surprised.
The story picks up right after Teen Titans: Raven and Beast Boy, as our two heroes are on a colliding path thanks to Slade. Things pick up pretty much from the first page, as we quickly see Raven and Beast Boy come together and start generating their delightful chemistry. Their first meeting is refreshingly awkward and goes about as well as any first meeting does, and that willingness to live in the fumble for a bit makes the later parts that much more rewarding while simultaneously creating more empathy for both.
Picolo shines in these early sequences, though to be fair his artwork shines throughout the entire book. The scenes of Raven and Beast Boy walking through the city and just playing off of each other’s contrasting personalities and baggage are some of the book’s best, and Garcia’s dialogue brings an authenticity to their dynamic that further invests you into their given situation and their issues with trust.
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