Review by Ian Keogh

For the Titans the ongoing consequence of Beast World has been the sowing of distrust. The Titans saved the world, but Amanda Waller was able to control the propaganda to such an extent that her willingness to kill millions when another solution was available is drowned out in the online chatter.

That the Titans know. What they don’t know is that the Raven who returned to them isn’t the Raven who previously kept her evil side suppressed, but an evil Raven whose better personality has been banished. Tom Taylor ensures we keep looking in on her father Trigon, a fully fledged demon by the way, and his plans to have Raven fulfil her destiny by becoming the Dark-Winged Queen, a bad-ass to rival him. There seems an obvious flaw in that plan as far as Trigon is concerned, but who are we to question the scheming of a demon? Taylor does supply a good reason no Titan suspects the Raven they’re dealing with is not their friend.

The Dark-Winged Queen is a slow brew. Taylor provides a series of threats to keep the Titans occupied, all of them interesting, while simultaneously readers are monitoring the threat from within and the even bigger threat of Trigon. The primary artist is Lucas Meyer, who’s relatively new, yet progressing in leaps and bounds via the experience of working on a regular monthly title. His pages here are clearer than those for Beast World, and he has the confidence to slightly redesign characters such as the Spectre. Stephen Segovia, an artist with considerable experience, is nowhere near as diligent on the opening chapter, providing sloppy people and mundane layouts, and a fill-in by the better Daniele di Nucuolo still can’t compete with Meyer’s enthusiasm.

Having gradually moved events toward a terrifying possibility, Taylor’s ending confounds expectations, which is always welcome. The penultimate chapter points to a need for all DC heroes, and the final chapter features inventive use of what individual Titans can do, which has been a feature throughout Taylor’s run. That ends here, which is a shame, but this is solid superhero entertainment unaffected by the crossover needs of Beast World.