Author: Kami Garcia
Artist: Gabriel Picolo
Series: Teen Titans #2
Publisher: DC Ink
Released: September 1^st, 2020
Received: NetGalley
Rating:

I received a copy of Teen Titans: Beast Boy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy is the second graphic novel to hit the young adult Teen Titans series, and it is a blast and a half to read. Even if you haven’t read the first one (Raven), it is worth checking out. Especially if Beast Boy is your favorite boy (as he should be).

Beast Boy, aka Garfield Logan, wasn’t always known for his ability to transform. In fact, for a huge part of his life, he didn’t even know he could. This is his origin story, and the story of how he learned who he truly is.

It’s hard to imagine a version of Beast Boy that’s having trouble standing out – yet that is exactly the problem young Gar was facing at 17. Even with his green hair he seemed to be having trouble. That is until he started making changes and taking some risks.

I’m just going to say it upfront; Teen Titans: Beast Boy is probably my favorite new DC graphic novel. It captured everything that made this character so quirky and charismatic, all while bringing about a new take on his origin story.

Beast Boy has always been a favorite of mine, so naturally, I was thrilled to see him getting his own graphic novel here. I’m not going to lie – I was actually disappointed when it ended. I would have happily read another few hundred pages of this story, had it been there.

The whole story was fun and oddly charming, as he showed off the best of himself, all while falling into some classic teenage pitfalls (the need for attention and status, things like that).

On that note, the rest of the Teen Titans don’t make an appearance here, but Gar’s two best friends are an absolute treasure. They round out Gar’s adventure in unexpected ways, but in a good way. They softened the harder edges of his plot, all while giving him the support he so clearly needed.

All things considered, this was a fun take on the classic Beast Boy we all know and love. It’s an origin story, sure, but it also has a lot of fun with itself. I mean, this is Beast Boy we’re talking about – he knows better than to take himself too seriously.

So if you find yourself hesitating about diving into this tale, because it’s ‘yet another origin story’, do yourself a favor and give it a try. It’s nothing like what you might expect, unless you’re expecting something entertaining – because it certainly is that.

Honestly, now I’m just sitting here looking forward to whatever adventure comes next…and hoping that Beast Boy will be involved, because I’m enjoying this version of the character.