• Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse
• writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
• artist: Art Baltazar
• published by DC Comics
• Roar Score: 4/5

The Tiny Titans are back! After a two-year absence from the comics shelves, they’ve returned for a 6-issue limited series. Baltazar and Franco’s unique take on the Titans ran for 50 issues in its earlier life, which is impressive because it was such an anomaly. How many genuinely family-friendly comics last that long? Answer: Not many.

In the interim, Baltazar and Franco have taken their signature style on a whirlwind tour through DC (with the excellent Superman Family Adventures and Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam), Dynamite (including Captain Action Cat and Li’l Battlestar Galactica), Capstone (the stellar Super-Pets chapter books), and their own Aw Yeah Comics imprint. They’ve become an unstoppable force. Which is how it should be.

Return to the Treehouse acknowledges the missing time by having Supergirl return to hang out with the Titans and comment, “Can’t wait to tell them about our Super Family Adventures!” It’s a nice nod to that short-lived series, which deserved so much more.

The premise is fairly simple: Brainiac and Psimon are trying to earn the Brainiac Club Shrinking Badge, so they shrink the Titans Treehouse (with Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra inside) and put it inside a bottle. Superboy, Supergirl, and Robin are then on the case, trying to locate the missing treehouse.

The dirty deed

Similar to the Tiny Titans of yore, every page or two works on its own as a somewhat standalone gag. However, what’s nice is that this issue also works as a single continuous story. In other words, all pages work together to tell one story – something that wasn’t true in Tiny Titans’ previous life. This is a most welcome change.

If you’re a fan of the Super-Pets (and Zoey simply can’t get enough of ’em), never fear. Krypto, Ace, and Streaky are here. We can only hope more will show up in future issues.

Verdict? In my house, Baltazar and Franco can do no wrong. They continue their winning streak here. We’re looking forward to the rest of this series and have our fingers crossed for a new ongoing!