Rashomon Review:Two Books, Same Story, What're the Diffs?

This week, Teen Titans #50 spent a few pages telling the same story we read last week in Blue Beetle #18, which gives us the unique opportunity to compare some telling differences in the two tales. From a splash page comparison to differing stories on who wants to have sex with Blue Beetle, here they are:

Case 1. Lobo Reacts To Wonder-Broad

Blue Beetle

Teen Titans

"Whuh-oh" certainly makes more sense, but I kinda liked the impenetrable weirdness of "whuh-ih", like maybe a guy who says things like "bastich" and "frag" has his own slightly-different set of non-verbal exclamations too.

Hit the jump for teenage sexual tension and Robin being a jerk!


Case 2. Blue Beetle Asks an Awkward Question

Blue Beetle

Teen Titans

I'm split between which version I like better. The "seeing anyone" is a more natural line, and makes Megan's "what?" a lot funnier. But Jaimie is not exactly what you would call a player, and I don't know if I buy him being so forward. The random "related" question is a little more with his personality, in that it's mundane enough to feel like something an unsure of himself teen would say when meeting new people.

Case 3. Beetle Makes Some Sort of Miscalculation

Blue Beetle

Teen Titans

I'm still confused as to what Jaimie is talking about in the Blue Beetle version. I guess Lobo is speeding up his momentum as he comes towards him [impossible! -ed.]? As if he thought he and Supergirl would just keep hitting Lobo back and forth like a badminton birdie? In the Teen Titans version, it's still a little unclear, but at least he acknowledges getting in the way of a flying Lobo is never a good idea under any circumstances.

Case 4. Beetle Gets Hit On By Superchicks

Blue Beetle

Teen Titans

The Titans version definitely gets props for being so over the top, what with the touching and fawning and all. I do, however, LOVE the *ahem* we get from a jealous Kid Devil in Beetle (who earlier in the Titans issue had been skinny-dipping with the now Beetle-loving Ravager. Poor devil thought he had a chance...). Another notable difference is that in Beetle it's Ravager who drops a sexy hint and in Titans it's Miss Megan the Martian Manhuntergirl who wants Blue's beetle.

Case 5. Robin Gives Beetle a Hard Time

Blue BeetleTeen Titans

In Titans, Robin is significantly harsher ("zero skill"!) to the n00b superhero, and Beetle is more deflated since he doesn't see the cutdown coming like he does in his own book. In Titans the reprimand could be seen as an expression of Robin's despair over the recent death of his good friend Bart Allen, who could have survived if he was a better fighter.

Case 6. Titans Together!
And finally, a look at the two splash pages, just because they're both eye-poppingly awesome. I personally like the Rafael Albuquerque one in Blue Beetle better.

Blue Beetle

It's interesting that the Blue Beetle splash doesn't include Blue Beetle...