Summary: Discover what life is like for the young heroes of Sidekick Elementary in this new collection featuring TINY TITANS #1-6! Kid-friendly versions of the Teen Titans and their rogues gallery star in this fun, light-hearted, all-ages romp beautifully written and illustrated by Art Baltazar and Franco (Patrick the Wolf Boy)!
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Tiny Titans: Welcome to the Treehouse, by Art Balthazar and Franco 6.5

I’m no big fan of DC Comics. I collected Marvel and DC and just about everything under the sun for a few years, when I was a teen, and I can safely say that most (but not all, obviously) DC Comics and characters just didn’t pull me in.

Now, with their ‘New 52’ line-up and new “corporate” logo, there’s not much chance that this will change.

But I love comics, and I l have a penchant for alternate takes or new spins on long-standing and/or iconic works of fiction – so long as it doesn’t masquerade as the real deal (ex: Guy Ritchie’s blasphemous ‘Sherlock Holmes’.. Or, I suspect, Zakk Snyder’s upcoming ‘Man of Steel’).

So when I saw this anthology of Teen Titans comic strips redone in a ‘Muppet Babies’/”Tiny Toons’ kind of way, I was curious. What sealed the deal was that it was a battered second-hand copy that only cost 50 cents: I figure that the worst that would happen is that I’d be out of pocket less than a dollar, but that my curiosity would have been satisfied.

While I’m not bounding with joy at the material contained herein, I must say that ‘Tiny Titans’ is a pleasant and completely family-friendly twist on some of DC’s more popular young heroes, such as Kid Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Robin/Nightwing, and many others.

Spun as pre-teen heroes-in-the-making, who are stuck in school all day with supervillains as their teachers, ‘Tiny Titans’ is a series of light-hearted vignettes and one-page gags that read somewhat like an Archie comic – but without all the teen angst and more mature themes. Really, it’s about these kids who also happen to be super-powered (or not, as Robin has to admit to his incredulous peers).

It’s not an engrossing read, but I would be happier giving ‘Tiny Titans’ to a kid than let’s say ‘The Powerpuff Girls‘ – it’s non-violent, it’s fun and it looks good. A kid could do worse than to learn to read with the Tiny Titans and it’s as safe a way as one can introduce them to superheroes – especially these days, when most of them are designed for mature audiences only.

Awww yeah Titans!!!