Garcia, Kami. Teen Titan : Best Boy BK 2. DC INK, 2020. ISBN 9781779510600
Plot
Gar is 17 and unhappy. He feels invisible in the town of Georgia and unnoticed by the cool kids at Bull Creek High. His parents are in their own world, with their heads in their jobs and seem to be working all the time. Stella and Tank are his friends. He is not happy with his life and is taking a table as well, that is not very clear as to why. He grows overnight (six inches) and this new height accompanies him with feelings of being strong, brave, and now he is seen differently. The cool kids at school take note of him and Stella and Tank take the back seat. Gar's parents are scientists and have been injecting him (when he was a kid) with a serum that wasn't very well studied/researched. There is a turn of events that lead to Gar being taken to a lab and here is where he must confront Slade.Critical Evaluation
Gar has a strong character development in the story but seems like the others not so much. The story felt a little long and it was questionable to use over 170 pages to tell the story. At times it felt that certain pages went a little over than they needed to, while others didn't feel to be needed at all. The art work of Gabriel Picolo is beautiful and does its job of appealing the eye and sharing its storytelling concepts via drawings. It is easy to follow. The themes of self acceptance, newfound strength, being accepted by others that initially didn't see you, and one's true friends are subjects brought forward, as he deals with new shapeshifting powers and although it felt a little long, these themes are beautifully expressed.
Reader's Annotation
Gar a 17 year old who feels invisible goes onto a journey of discovery and acceptance, and what he is willing to lose, his true friends with his animal shapeshifting powers.
Author Information
KAMI GARCIA is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author and comic book writer. As an award-winning, Bram Stoker Award-nominated young adult author of 12 novels and graphic novels, she has been published in 51 countries and 38 languages and her books have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Kami’s best known works include the Beautiful Creatures series, Teen Titans: Raven, The X-Files: Agent of Chaos, The Lovely Reckless, Broken Beautiful Hearts, and the DC Black Label comic Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity. She is also a cofounder of the Kid Lit book festival YALLFest and co-organizer of #Creators4Comics. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @kamigarcia.
Source: https://kamigarcia.com/
Genre
Graphic Novel
BookTalking Ideas
How do you see Gar with his shapeshifting powers? Is his character/personality changing as well?
Reading Level/Age Interest
Interest: 13 - 17
Challenge Issues
I don't see challenge issues with this comic.
Why I Included This Book in Collections
It's important to have graphic novels, and i would include more DC comics, and have young boys/teen boys portrayed with softer personalities and grappling with similar issues as their counterparts, yet not falling into "strict" notions of toxic masculinity.
Interview: Kami Garcia On Teen Titans Beast Boy Loves Raven
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