Warning: Spoilers for Multiversity: Teen Justice ahead!
A gorgeous new cover from the upcoming Multiversity: Teen Justice series from DC Comics reveals the awesome gender-bent Raven, getting fans even more excited for the return of the young Earth-11 team. The new six-issue miniseries marks the first time Teen Justice has been seen since 2020's DC's Very Merry Multiverse and Raven is the newest addition to the team's roster.
First established as an alternate Earth in Grant Morrison and Ivan Reis' iconic The Multiversity Guidebook #1 (2015), Earth-11 is home to a gender-bent Justice League called the Justice Guild, led by Aquawoman. The guidebook also establishes that Earth-11 is ruled by the Amazons of Themyscira, who have inspired women across the world to take on positions of power and leadership. The Teen Titans' Raven, aka Rachel Roth, debuted in DC Comics Presents #26 (1980) as the half-demon daughter of the terrifying Trigon, a young magician imbued with immense power who has traditionally been a member of the Teen Titans.
The Teen Justice team, all gender-alternate versions of Earth-0 counterparts, was first introduced in DC's Very Merry Multiverse two years ago and made a big impression with fans. The breakout character was the gender non-binary Kid Quick (Jess Chambers) who has been established to be the future prime Flash in Future State. The Multiversity: Teen Justice miniseries by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Marco Failla, and Enrica Eren Angiolini will follow the young team - comprised of Kid Quick, Supergirl, Robin, Aquagirl, Klarienne the Witch Girl, and Troy Donald - as they face off against attacking forces from H.I.V.E. and the Church of Blood. The synopsis for the first issue reveals that the mysterious masculine-presenting Raven may be key to winning their battle, but has refused to join the young team in the past. Now a stunning cover for Multiversity: Teen Justice #2 by Robbi Rodriguez, posted by CBR, shows the first glimpse at the seemingly male Raven, donning a similar peaked hood and shadowy face as Earth-0's Raven wears.
The official synopsis for Multiversity: Teen Justice #2 reveals that, "Supergirl and Robin attract surprising allies when they discover an unexpected mystery," hinting that Raven may be joining the team in short order because of a previously unknown connection to the villainous Church of Blood. The Church of Blood on Earth-0 is a violent cult of Trigon-worshipping fanatics who were first introduced in 1982 as a major enemy of the Teen Titans, who worked hard to expose their evils. Earth-0's Raven has a long and complex history of being tied to "unexpected mysteries" as her parentage with the demonic Trigon has led to several major reveals about her past, and her possible future, over the years. It will be incredibly interesting to see what compels Earth-11's Raven into joining the Teen Justice team, and if their adventure together will be enough for Raven to continue on as a member. Rodriguez's gorgeous cover depicts Raven surrounded by a beautiful and ominous purple mist, indicating that Earth-11's Raven may be just as powerful as the Earth-0 counterpart, and could prove essential to Teen Justice succeeding in their mission against the Church of Blood's Trigon-worshippers.
The Church of Blood is indelibly tied to the history of Raven and Trigon, but with so little revealed about the plot of Multiversity: Teen Justice it is still unclear how Raven will fit into the plot, or if the Trigon of Earth-11 will also be a gender-alternate demonic entity. Regardless, the new design for Earth-11's Raven is truly awesome, and hopefully the character will be a major part of the entire mini-series as Teen Justice continues to find their footing as a young superhero team. Make sure to pick up Multiversity: Teen Justice from DC Comics when the first issue goes on sale June 7 to see the amazing new gender-alternate Raven team up with the fierce Teen Justice team.
Source: CBR