Like I said last week, I’m going to go ahead and review all the Blackest Night-related comics here at the realms, and that begins this week. I’ll work my way up to the main event, and start here, with Titans #15. This issue, written by J.T. Krul with art by Jose Luis and JP Mayers, is a prelude to the upcoming Blackest Night: Titans miniseries.

This issue focuses on the return of Tempest, the man who was once Aqualad. With Aquaman dead, the throne of Atlantis has been empty for some time, and the seas are devolving into chaos. The undersea kingdom is still rebuilding from its destruction back in Infinite Crisis, and Tempest finally manages to locate the remains of his lost wife and son. He has no time to mourn, however, before his uncle Slizzath appears. Slizzath has the ability to speak to the dead, and he’s overjoyed about some terrible event that’s looming, something that will bring all the dead back.

The real point of this issue seems to be to get Tempest into place for what’s coming next. With Atlantis so chaotic since Aquaman’s death, there’s been a power void here. If you’re a tempest fan, this is a really god issue — it’s a great spotlight on the character, it allows us to see how he views his relationships with the other Titans (Dick Grayson in particular), and it makes him seem like a main player. It’s been no secret for some time now that Aquaman is going to play a part as a Black Lantern in the Blackest Night. If the dead are going to vex those they cared most about in life, Tempest is in real trouble.

If the only reason you’re getting this book is for Blackest Night links, it may be a bit disappointing. Aside from Slizzath’s cryptic comments about the dead rising, there’s no direct link. This book exists more to set things up from the Titans side of the crossover. As such, it does its job well. Fans of the ongoing series, too, may be a bit let down, as the rest of the team isn’t really touched upon this issue.

The art is particularly good — Luis and Mayers have a real good grasp on the underwater stuff, which is never easy to do well. It’ll be hard to judge how necessary it was until we see the Blackest Night: Titans series, but taken on its own, this wasn’t bad.

RATING: 7/10