Teen Titans (vol.3) #2 (October, 2003)
"Child's Play"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Mike McKone
Inks - Marlo Alquiza
Colors - Jeromy Cox
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Over the past couple of weeks, Dan Didio's name has come up a bit more than usual. In certain corners of fandom, it seems like he's almost being given the "blame" for the events of (the first issue of) Heroes in Crisis. Funny, how a writer gets to sidestep it all... so long as they're active on social media, ain't it?
Now, these Didio-directed barbs... they're not without cause. It's been clear from the start that he has a "vision" for what the DC Universe is/was going to look like. Case in point, the book we're going to be looking at today.
One of his first (publishing) moves was the cancellation of both Titans and Young Justice. The former, a zombified husk... the latter, a wonderfully fun book, and (at the time) one of my favorite monthly reads. Both books, regardless of quality, felt aimed at a wider audience. Standard superheroics... and humor. You wouldn't worry about a young tween picking up an issue of either book.
Then... the darkness came. Now, let's not get it twisted... right now, I think Outsiders (vol.3) is a whole lot better than Titans was... and, I'm at a point in my life where I can reread this era of Teen Titans all day long... yet, struggle to get through even half an issue of Young Justice. The point is, there was a definite darker turn, and... for lack of a better term, "maturation" of the young heroes in ye old 2003. A darkness that, if books like Heroes in Crisis are any indication, is still with us... and, for better or worse, ain't leaving any time soon!
--
We open with what appears to be a conversation between Slade Wilson and his ever-loyal bosom buddy, Wintergreen. As the "camera" pans out, however, it's made perfectly clear that this was just a one-way chat. Ya see, Wintergreen's head has been stuffed and mounted on Slade's wall. Wow... Didio didn't waste a second, did he? Just wait though... we're nowhere near done yet!
We head over to Titans Tower, where Robin can't shake the idea that half of Superboy's DNA was provided by Lex Luthor. Kon, who is just finishing up a few laps in the pool doesn't want to discuss it. He's certain the whole thing is a cruel prank. He tells Tim to cool it with the speculation... and most important, do not get Batman involved. As he leaves the pool area, he drops his towel... Robin finds a single hair on it.
Elsewhere in the Tower, Gar and Bart fight over control of the TV remote. Gar wants to watch the Discovery Channel to learn about new and exciting animals he could transform into, while Bart would prefer zoning out with some 'toons. They wrestle around, and wind up destroying the television, so the whole thing is moot.
Starfire breaks up the brouhaha... and then, a few moments later, Cassie walks into the "living area"... and quits the team! Ya see, she never asked for any of this... yadda, yadda, yadda. Bart chases her out of the Tower to beg for her to reconsider. He tells her that they "need" these Titans weekends. She suggests that he doesn't really know who she is. Bart tells her that she's how he found out he liked girls. Okey doke... creep her out, why doncha?
Suddenly, they're surrounded by the rest of the team... and, naturally... they all want Cassie to stick around. Then... an explosion! This Titans Tower is in San Francisco, right on the water... and so, when a bomb goes off on Alcatraz, they've kinda got a front-row seat. They head into action... Cassie included!
En route, Starfire starts giving orders... which Cassie contradicts, and starts giving her own. As you might imagine, Cassie's make more sense... ya see, we gotta pump up the rookies at the expense of the vets. And so, over the next few pages, the Titans evacuate dozens of tourists off the island and onto a boat.
Then, to put out the fire... Gar transforms into an elephant, and starts spraying away. Kon uses his tactile telekinesis to find a water line under ground... only, he accidentally yanks a gas main instead. Whoops.
Luckily, Cyborg is on the scene. He protects the Titans in a sort of static-electrical bubble. He then officially welcomes Superboy into the Teen Titans.
We wrap up with Bart having a look around the abandoned prison to see if there are any more civilians. He hears a voice... a rather taunting voice... and suddenly finds himself walking smack-dab into Deathstroke...
... who kneecaps him!
--
So yeah, that took a pretty dark turn, didn't it?
Now, it's hard to really take myself back to 2003... and, I mean... looking at this today, with how much darker things have become in comics overall... this looks charmingly quaint. I mean, this very story is sitting on a shelf at Walmart (as part of Teen Titans Giant #2) as I type this.
I do recall that this left me with a little bit of... I dunno... culture shock? It was the first time that I felt like comics were changing from what I knew them to be. I mean, we (or I) lived through the Image revolution, where every third book had the word "blood" in the title... but, this was different. DC was kinda the "old reliable"... and with books like this, I suddenly felt, I dunno, "unsafe"?
I mean, Bart being kneecapped is going to pass in a flash... and lead to some great character development... but, man... what an image! Such a dramatic cliffhanger, having a Speedster (literally) taken out at the knees! Add to that the sight of Wintergreen's head stuffed and mounted in Slade's trophy room... and, yeah... this definitely ain't Young Justice anymore.
But... is it any good? Well yeah! I'd go so far as to say that the Teen Titans book hasn't been this good... since the mid-2000's! There are things I don't quite enjoy... such as having Cassie override Kory... but, that's just something that's going to happen. Wonder Girl was the leader of Young Justice, so it stands to reason she'd be comfortable giving orders... and being more tactically-oriented than Starfire. It's just that, in 2018, I find I identify more with the vets than the rookies... so, maybe I'm a bit more sensitive to that scene than I was as a pup.
The art here... I can't deny that it's really good, but it doesn't really speak to me. There's a certain looseness here that I struggle to get past. I mean, even the cover... I rather dislike it. There's no reason to... but, I dunno... there's just something about it.
Overall... although most of this discussion might come across as negative... I really do love this era of Teen Titans. I'd recommend it to anyone really... Titans fans or Titans-curious. This is probably the most accessible run of Titans from the past quarter-century... it's probably also the best. It's been collected any number of ways... even in the (still on the shelves) Teen Titans Giant #2 Walmart exclusive. It is also available digitally.
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Teen Titans (vol.3) #36 (July, 2006)
"The New Teen Titans, Part 3"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Tony S. Daniel
Inkers - Kevin Conrad, Andy Lanning & Norm Rapmund
Colorists - Tanya & Richard Horie
Letterer - Travis Lanham
Assistant Editor - Jeanine Schaeffer
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Can even Geoff Johns hope to repair the post-Byrne Doom Patrol? I guess a Superboy-Prime reality-shattering punch can do the impossible!
--
In Paris... we know it's Paris because the Eiffel Tower is visible... the Brain and Monsieur Mallah are discussing the Brotherhood's latest plot. The former wants revenge on the Doom Patrol... and everyone they love... he'd also like an actual organic body, but we'll get to that later. Speaking of the Doomies, they take the Titans to their creepy new digs. They're surprised to see Mal Duncan is among their number. They're even more surprised when he doesn't greet them... because, ya know... he can't. Robotman, Vox, Bumblebee, and Negative Man port-out to follow up on the Brotherhood. In a cool bit, when the Negative Entity flees Larry's body, he slumps into a wheelchair.
Beast Boy explains Mal's "issue". During his time in space with Vic and Bumblebee, they ran into some problems. Vic was 'sploded... Mal's weapons blew up in his face, costing him his lungs and vocal cords... and Bumblebee was permanently shrunken to six-inches tall, and is now reliant on a special drug from the Chief to keep her tiny heart from exploding. Gar then offers Vic a spot on the Doom Patrol.
Meanwhile, the Chief and Elasti-Girl are operating on Kid Devil... in a secret room behind The Painting That Ate Paris. Caulder is really cold and matter-of-fact... he talks down to Rita, and seems to be treating her like she's no more than a simple tool for him to use. It's really quite sad. We also learn that Niles is responsible for Rita's rebirth in the first place (because he reminds her). Turns out he took her skull from Codsville, and treated it with proteins until he could re-grow her body.
The surgery is interrupted by the ringing of Tim's cell phone. An angry Caulder evicts him from the operating theater. On the line is Blue Devil... and he has some very surprising news for the Boy Wonder.
Elsewhere, Beast Boy is checking in with his adoptive father, Steve Dayton... who's wearing the Mento helmet, and appears to be quite mad. Gar asks him for some help in locating the Brain and the Brotherhood... but Mento is too busy writing novels for Rita.
We join Cyborg, Wonder Girl and Ravager who are taking in the odd sights of the Doom Patrol's headquarters. For any long-time fans of the franchise, this is quite the treat. There's Brotherhood of Dada stuff, a Mister Nobody portrait... just some cool visuals.
Niles Caulder rolls in to inform them that Kid Devil is recovering... and that he'd like to discuss his future. Tim says first things first... before they talk about him, he wants to talk to him. In recovery, we learn that Blue Devil and Kid Devil are estranged... they haven't spoken in years, and Cassidy didn't even know that Eddie was a Teen Titan! Robin asks who Kid Devil has been checking in with over the phone... Eddie says "Nobody".
Niles interrupts the discussion to suggest that Kid Devil doesn't belong with the Teen Titans... instead, he should be part of the Doom Patrol. Robin says "no dice", to which Beast Boy takes exception. Tim brings up how the Chief was responsible for causing the accidents that made the Doom Patrol into... the Doom Patrol. So, I guess that's still part of continuity here. Rita says they've all forgiven him for that... which is kind of them.
Suddenly the Negative Entity returns... turns out Cliff, Mal and Karen have been captured. The Titans head to Paris and find their friends.
Wonder Girl and Ravager run in and slip in a bit of wet-stuff. Turns out it was the fluid where the Brain kept his... brain. Turns out the cloning was a success... and we can see the Brain has found a body... with a very butt-shaped head!
--
This was a grim... and uncomfortable read.
The Chief here is especially sinister, and the entire time I was waiting for that other shoe to drop. He's made it so the Doomies are so beholden to him... he can talk to Rita like she's an object... he can convince Steve Dayton that he has to stay in the Mento helmet in order for Rita to remain in love with him. It's really quite creepy.
Creepy... and interesting! This might not be a Doom Patrol I'd want to read on a regular basis, but it's cool enough for a guest-spot. It also helps us to learn what is (and isn't) in continuity. In the 2004 John Byrne reboot, we were made to assume that the Doom Patrol were a "brand new" concept in the DC Universe. None of the stories before it happened... not the Morrison, not even the Arnold Drake!
Here, we come to find that many of the Morrison concepts actually did happen! The Painting that Ate Paris... Mister Nobody... the Chief "masterminding" the accidents of the Doom Patrol members... it's really cool, and satisfying for long-time readers/fans of the franchise.
A Kid Devil mystery is introduced here. If he wasn't calling into Cassidy, just who has be been talking to? Could he (and Vic) wind up leaving the Titans for the Doom Patrol? What's the Chief's plan here? Does he have an actual endgame in mind... or is he just lonely? A lot of neat questions here... and that's without even mentioning the Brain in his butt-head!
A worthwhile read... one I'd certainly recommend.
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Teen Titans (vol.3) #35 (June, 2006)
"The New Teen Titans, Part 2"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Tony S. Daniel
Inker - Kevin Conrad
Colorists - Richard & Tanya Horie
Letterer - Travis Lanham
Assistant Editor - Jeanine Schaeffer
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
This one might be a bit light on the analysis... by the time you're reading this (if you're reading this on the day it's put out), I'm somewhere back on the East Coast. Got a big family thing back home... it's sure to be a busy weekend!
Now, for the comic... Did somebody say Doom Patrol? Yes... we did, yesterday! Gar Logan's back with the band... let's see how this shakes out!
--
We open at the headquarters of... the Doom Patrol! Our old friend Gar Logan is chatting up the newest Doomie, Vox. We know him better as the Hornblower... or the Herald... or the Guardians... or Mal... it's Mal Duncan, by the way... only now he can't talk lest he blow out Beast Boy's eardrums. They see that they've got a voicemail, and Gar is overjoyed to see that his pal Vic Stone is back among the living.
Back at Titan's Tower, Robin's latest attempt to reclone Superboy is... unsuccessful. Defeated, he heads back to his room... and soon finds himself mounted by his new teammate Rose Wilson! She's nekkid annnnd a little bit drunk, by the way.
Suddenly there's an intruder. This interloper uses an outdated security password (Jericho) which triggers an alarm to sound, The New-New Titans all head into the war room to see who's invaded. It's totally Wonder Girl, by the way... and she and Ravager proceed to beat the hell out of each other.
Cyborg breaks in and is able to separate the furious females. Wendy and Marvin pop their geeky heads in to survey the damage. As care-keepers of Titan's Tower, repair and upkeep is going to fall to them.
Later that night, Ravager sorta "teases" Kid Devil. It seems like he's got the "hots" (pun!) for her.
Back in the war room, Vic, Cassie and Robin talk strategy. She's looking for information on the Brotherhood of Evil (who had recently destroyed Bludhaven). Also, it turns out that the Blastocyst Map they had stolen has something to do with cloning... hmm.
We shift scenes to the Brotherhood causing some some trouble in New York City. Before long, the Titans arrive on the scene. After a few pages of pretty even fighting, Plasmus grabs Kid Devil... and burns his chest.
While the Titans attend to their fallen member, the Brotherhood escapes. EMTs arrive on the scene... while Eddie babbles incoherently about "phone calls". Ravager appears to be especially torn up over this. The EMT's are called off, however, as some specialists in the bizarre arrive... hold on to your hats, it's the Doom Patrol!
--
A fine "bridging" issue... putting more pieces in place to move the story forward.
Some pretty good character work here... I appreciate the fact that Cassie is still at-odds with the team, and while she's almost immediately swept back in their world here, there's still a discomfort... and plenty of contention.
The battle with the Brotherhood is pretty boilerplate until poor Eddie gets his lung crushed by Plasmus. He mentions something about a phone call... something that will pay off a bit later. The fight scene wasn't so long that I felt like it overstayed its welcome... and it did facilitate the next stage of this arc.
We'll discuss more about our "guest stars" tomorrow, as we pay their headquarters a visit.
Sorry for the brevity today... we'll hit up more analysis later on!
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Teen Titans (vol.3) #34 (May, 2006)
"New Teen Titans, Part 1: One Year Later"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Tony Daniel
Inkers - Kevin Conrad & Art Thibert
Colorists - Richard & Tanya Horie
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Jeanine Schaeffer
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
What the crap... more One Year Later? What can I say, I'm hooked. Well, not so much "hooked" as intrigued. As hit-or-miss a proposition that this is... it hasn't yet failed in making me scratch my head. It's pretty ambitious to take an entire comics universe and shift it ahead in time.
I also noticed that not only is this our tenth "One Year Later" in a row... it's also our tenth Geoff Johns book in a row. Damn, this dude was everywhere, wasn't he?
--
We open on a caption which reads "One Year Later"... even though it appears as though we're getting glimpses (from Cyborg's point of view) from the "missing" year. This is his system "rebooting" and catching up with the "present" day. We hear hints of new team members joining... and quitting. We see Raven and Beast Boy breaking up. An odd team of mishmashed Titans including Zatara and Offspring... and finally our first look at the Wonder Twins, Wendy and Marvin. They appear to be working on Cyborg... and finally, Vic Stone lives again!
He stumbles out of the... wherever the hell he was kept, and overhears some chatter from a pair of people he doesn't realize are currently on the team... Kid Devil and Ravager.
Considering the last time he saw Rose, she was trying to kill the Titans... he immediately goes on the attack. While the battle rages, Wendy and Marvin pop their geeky heads in to admire their work. In a cute bit, Kid Devil tries to tell him that they are the "New" Teen Titans... to which, Vic informs him that he was one of the "New" Teen Titans.
Finally Robin walks in to calm Vic down. The pair walk the grounds as Tim fills him in on everything he's missed. Starfire's gone (she's currently lost in space with Animal Man in the pages of 52)... Speedy quit... Bart retired... Raven quit... Gar rejoined the Doom Patrol... and Kon is dead.
Vic asks about Wonder Girl... and so, we shift to S.T.A.R. Labs San Francisco where the Brotherhood of Evil are stealing a Blastocyst Map (which is actually a real thing... has to do with mammalian cells). Anyhoo, Wonder Girl has arrived to dispense justice... and it looks like they're on the street from Full House.
The Titans arrive to give her a hand... but only really serve to distract her so Gemini can get away. She's overjoyed to see Vic back among the living... but a little less pleased to see Ravager. Robin ask her to rejoin the team, but she's all "no dice". We learn here that following Infinite Crisis, Robin ran off with Batman for a year of globetrotting... leaving her to pick up the pieces.
Back at the Tower, Vic is trying to get a hold of Gar over at Dayton Manor. He gets the video answering machine, and is surprised to see that Bumblebee has also gone over to the Doom Patrol. He and Tim have an uncomfortable chat about the state of the Titans before Tim leaves to head to his lab.
Once down there, we see what he's working on... and it's pretty dark. He's mixing the DNA of Lex Luthor and Superman in hopes of cloning him a brand new Superboy!
--
I remember being really disappointed by this one when it first came out. I quite dug the pre-Infinite Crisis Teen Titans... thought they really worked well together. I didn't see much in adding Ravager and (especially) Kid Devil. Really saw this as a step down for the team... and it wasn't long before I sorta walked away from the title.
I'd check back in semi-regularly (until I lost my job in 2008, anyway)... and was never enticed to stick around. This is the tail-end of the Johns run... after he left, we were in some really dark times as Titans fans. It wouldn't be until the J.T. Krul run that I decided I was "back" (and of course, went back and bought everything that I missed)... and oddly enough, I've been "back" ever since... even though Teen Titans has gotten horrendously terrible since The New-52!
Now... this time around, I thought this issue was pretty great. I guess over a decade of hindsight can really alter the way we receive things. We get the impression that ever since Infinite Crisis, the Titans have had a really rough time of it. I remember learning that they added (and subtracted) like dozens of new members in this year alone. I think that really opens things up for future exploration (though, I can't say for sure that they took full advantage of it).
It's a bit jarring, sure... but that's sort of the name of the game for One Year Later. I think we're supposed to be uncomfortable, and walk away with more questions than answers. For all the grief I give the "big two" about continuity of late, this was an actual attempt at making everything feel as though it were occurring at the same time. From what we've learned since, this Infinite Crisis/52/One Year Later project was one that Didio and company took very seriously. In reading it all these years later, that's pretty clearly the case... of course, reading it in 2006 felt like sort of a mess.
Overall, this was a really good time... and damn, it's a pretty book to look at. Tony Daniel really kicks this book's ass... it's just looks so good. Not really a fan of Tim's emo haircut, but at least it's well rendered. I'd say this is one worth checking out.
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