(WARNING! The following review contains spoilers for Dark Knights Metal #2. Do not read this review before having read that book, lest you be forever spoiled.)

Something has come to Gotham City.

Something not of this world.

Something wicked.

Something dark.

Something that is apparently tied to the disappearance of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Something that has empowered Batman’s deadliest enemies, allowing them to remake Gotham City into a hellish labyrinth!

Something that Damian Wayne must face in order to rescue his father.

Though he will go in alone, his allies in the Teen Titans staying behind to save the lives of the innocents trapped in the mysterious maze that has grown around Gotham, Robin will not stay that way for long. Joined by heroes and villains alike, a newly-forged Gotham Resistance will take the fight to the forces that now warp the city.

The damnable thing about Teen Titans #12 is how very little it contains of the Teen Titans. The team isn’t seen until Page Four and disappears completely from the book after Page Seven. After that, it’s The Robin Show Starring Damian Wayne as he starts running into this issue’s Special Guest Stars! Spoiler! Most of the special guests promised on the cover and in the Previews Blurb for this issue don’t show up either.

Thankfully, Benjamin Percy does a fantastic job of writing what characters do show up in this issue. Unsurprisingly, given that Percy is also the writer on Green Arrow, the interplay between Oliver Queen and Damian Wayne is the issue’s high-point. The two play off of each other wonderfully, with Ollie remarking that Damian would get along great with his sister – they’re both too smart for their own good. Harley Quinn and Killer Croc aren’t given as much to do, but Percy does give Harley a few good gags.

The artwork isn’t quite as strong. Mirka Andolfo is a fine artist, but her anime-inspired style doesn’t seem to be the best fit for the aesthetic of this story.  Characters from Dark Knights Metal #2 who looked terrifying as designed by Greg Capullo – such as the so-called Batman Who Laughs – look more comical than horrific under Andolfo’s pencils. And the less said about her Juggalo Riddler, the better. Despite this, Andolfo does have a fantastic sense of composition and the action of the issue flows well visually, despite a few oddly placed word balloons.

Regular Teen Titans fans may lament the lack of Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and the rest of the team in this issue. As well they should. As a continuation of its own story-line, Teen Titans #12 isn’t very good. As a continuation of Dark Knights Metal, however, it is fantastic. Good as it is, it would have been better had this Gotham Resistance mini-series been released as its own book or had found some way to better make use of The Teen Titans in their own title.