Teenage Wildlife

A shorter post today, looking at two Titans titles. A lot of train travel in the next week or so...

Thirty-six years ago this November,  DC launched New Teen Titans, a reaction to the late Bronze Age success of the Claremont/Byrne X-Men. Wolfman and Perez co-opted the melodramatic and sentimental tone of the narration but retooled it so it was more cloying and yet more sadistic.

The series developed a loyal readership and it launched iconic characters like Starfire and Deathstroke. My affection for NTT, however, has waned with time. Some of Perez's character designs are too fussy and inelegant for me now while Wolfman's dialogue is either hilariously strident or sickly.

"What am I- paté?"

The Titans franchise received an overhaul in 2014 with the hardcover graphic novel, Teen Titans: Earth One. This year, the sequel- by Jeff Lemire and Andy MacDonald- sees more teenagers forced together by circumstance and discovering their common origins through the invalid mastermind Niles Caulder.

This isn't the cover that was finally used. I just like it better.

In addition to Terra, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling, we are introduced to new iterations of Kole, Impulse and Wonder Girl. Interestingly, there is no Nightwing analogue.

The artwork is cartoony, rough-edged and very contemporary. It reminds me of current Marvel titles like Moon Girl or All-New, All-Different Avengers. I found the script and premise disappointing, however. Aside from the brainwashed bratty Wonder Girl, I wasn't particularly  interested in these Titans: they aren't very different from the originals.

This "Ultimate New Teen Titans" confuses me regarding its purpose.This isn't in continuity- how is it giving fans of the 80s Titans those characters again?  "Rebirth" has two Titans teams anyway.  This graphic novel is more like a tv pitch.

 I felt it suffers from problems similar to Lemire's Justice League Canada (aka United) and specifically the Legion team-up. Lemire seems to venerate 80s DC titles but has little that is new to say about the characters. I am dubious about DC's commitment to the Earth-One line of titles and would be surprised if there's a third volume.

For me, the New 52 Titans represent a more refreshing take. In the first trade paperback, It's Our Right To Fight, Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth channel 90s comics, like Brigade or the New Men, as super-powered teens are targeted by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Here, Red Robin leads a hyperactive Kid Flash and abrasive thief Wonder Girl on a quest to liberate Superboy. They also encounter the nebulous Solstice, the arachnid Skitter and the ebullient gay hero Bunker.

 I think Barricade would be a better name than Bunker but the cameo role of Danny the Street was wacky and amusing.  Despite its dated look and the 90s villain names - Templar; Grymm; Harvest-  it's exuberant and has more heart and originality than the E-1 version. They have in common science projects with sinister directors and are therefore quite removed from the sidekick team of yore.  This New 52 version is in the spirit of Geoff John's attempts in the Noughties to restore the 80s Titans. In its favour, I suppose the E-1 Titans read more like real teenagers. But do real teenagers want to read about the Titans?

Coming soon :The Legends of River Song

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