Raven is usually portrayed as a mysterious superhero in Teen Titans with a very dark past. But, unless the issue or episode is really focusing on her you don’t really learn a lot about her origin.
And, from everything I remember about Teen Titans comics and even the show is that you have to be paying attention to map together her back story. It’s not hard to learn about her, but it’s easy to miss details, and she is sometimes portrayed as very quiet and reluctant to open up. That being said, I’m really excited to dive into this issue of Raven Daughter of Darkness.
When Raven isn’t a superhero she goes by her human name, Rachel Roth. We learn that she has made a group of friends and this issue begins with them hanging out on a beach.
All of her friends currently have some rough patches they’re going through. Terri’s grandma is in the hospital, Dude’s parents are divorcing, and Archer’s dad cheated on his mom which resulted in her joining a cult. Rachel planned this beach day as an escape for her friends.
When Archer talks about his mom joining a cult in order to find herself that makes Rachel open up and talk about her childhood. She tells her friends that her mom joined a cult and that she was born into one. She goes into some details about her upbringing but leaves out the fact that her father is a demon. She also leaves out that she’s a member of the Titans. And of course, she omits that she is Raven, but otherwise she is pretty honest with her friends about her past experiences in a cult.
While all this is going on we see Baron Winters in Wintergate Manor talking with his Leopard Merlin. Baron Winters is discussing how important Raven is to the balance of things. And, he asserts that Raven is good, but he’s still reading her in flames. Things will be very bad without balance. And, what if Raven eventually gives into her dark side?
Rachel and her friends are camping on the beach when she suddenly hears a scream. She goes to investigate and finds dead soldiers, and soldiers that are near death. She also notices that a young woman is running from them. That’s when it happens, that’s when Trigon appears. Raven’s father appears in full terrifying demon fashion. Raven takes off after the girl because if she’s brought Trigon to this realm he could potentially destroy everything. Unfortunately the girl evades Raven, so Raven returns to the campsite.
The next morning Raven returns home. We learn that she’s living with her Aunt and Uncle because she wants to learn more about her family. They seem to care about her and want her to learn more of their world as well. They speak of Rachel being raised in a strange religion, but that they’re thrilled she’s made friends and seems to be fitting in. They also invite her to help decorate their Christmas tree, and she has never even seen an ornament before.
Raven takes off for school the next morning, but decides to make a detour to investigate the soldiers from before. She learned they worked with a company called 2MorrowTek. She is determined to find that mysterious girl that could possibly be tied to bringing her father to this dimension. Raven can’t let that happen. Will she successfully find the mysterious girl and see what her link is to Trigon?
I avoided spoilers like the plague in this review. I am loving the story setup so far. I was somewhat surprised to see Raven open up with her friends on the beach about her upbringing. I like that Raven is connecting more with her human side and learning more about her family in this dimension. I also like that Baron Winters is keeping an eye out on her. Baron Winters is a pretty mysterious character as well. I’m really interested in seeing how his character develops in this story.
I love the story for the mysterious girl so far. It almost seems as if she and Raven are connected somehow. She gets a name at the end and we learn more about her origin and abilities. But, I just didn’t want to ruin those reveals for the readers. If you’re a fan of Raven you absolutely need to be reading this.
Rating: 9/10
