Teen Titans
| Teen Titans | |
|---|---|
| File:Teentitansoyl.png | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Brave & the Bold vol. 1, #54 (original team) Teen Titans vol. 3, #1 (current team) |
| Created by | Robert Haney Bruno Premiani |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Titans Tower: New York City (1980–91, 1999–02) San Francisco (2003–Present) Other: Solar Tower, Metropolis (1997–98), USS Argus, Earth Orbit (1994–95), Titans Liberty Island Base, New Jersey (1991–94), Gabriel's Horn, Farmingdale, Long Island (1976), Titans' Lair, Gotham City (1966–76) |
| Member(s) | Cyborg Kid Devil Ravager Robin Wonder Girl |
| Roster | |
| See: List of Titans members | |
- "Teen Titans" redirects here. For the animated television series based on this comic book, see Teen Titans (TV series). For the segments in the The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, please check that article.
The Teen Titans, briefly known as simply The Titans, is a DC Comics superhero team that first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964).
As the group's name suggests, its membership is usually composed of teenaged superheroes. In its early adventures, the team is a junior Justice League of sorts, featuring Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, the sidekicks of Leaguers Batman, The Flash, and Aquaman, respectively. The team has branched out to include Wonder Woman's protégé Wonder Girl and characters not connected with adult heroes, notably Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven.
While very well recieved in it's original 1960's run, The Teen Titans comics reached new heights of popularity in the 1980s when writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez began work on the series The New Teen Titans. Since then, the concept has fluxuated in terms of success as creative teams have come and gone. The Teen Titans franchise attained a higher profile through animation twice since it's inception. Once in 1967 and again in 2003.
Silver Age
Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad first teamed together in The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964), with Wonder Girl joining in Showcase #59. Despite Wonder Girl's history as a teenaged version of Wonder Woman, an editorial error presented her as a separate entity, a sidekick to the adult character. This error was finally addressed in the 1980s, as well as by John Byrne and the writers of Infinite Crisis.
The Showcase #59 appearance was the first usage of the term "Teen Titans". The story portrays the characters as a junior Justice League, joining together as had their mentors: Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman. The Teen Titans were popular enough to be awarded their own series with issue #1, cover-dated February 1966. The early issues were noted for Nick Cardy's luminant artwork and Bob Haney's writing.
The series' original premise was the Teen Titans helped teenagers, answering calls from around the world. Their first stories included saving a town from a band of teen rockers turned criminals, helping a teenager's burgler brother reform, investigating international teen tension at the Japanese Olympics, and vindicating a teenager who claims interdimensional aliens were infiltrating his high school.[citation needed] Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy also soon joined[1], but some future inductees would be created from scratch, notably Lilith Clay[2] and Mal Duncan[3]. Other exising heroes such as Hawk and Dove[4], a duo of teenaged superpowered brothers, and Beast Boy of the Doom Patrol were added to the team. Honorary members included Aquagirl[5]and Gnaark [6]
The series's tone shifted from the freewheeling fun of the 1960s to the darker side of the modern world, particularly the Vietnam War and its related protests. One storyline beginning in issue #25 (February 1970) saw the Titans deal with the accidental death of a peace activist, leading them to reconsider their methods. As a result, the Teen Titans briefly abandon their identities to work as unpowered civilians, but the change brought howls of protest from fans.[citation needed] The theme of teenagers learning to take on adult roles and responsibilities was common throughout the series. The series' popularity flagged during the early 1970s and went on hiatus as of issue #43 (February 1973).
1970s revival
A few years after its cancellation, the series resumed with issue #44 (November 1976) but struggled to find focus, moving through a number of storylines in rapid succession. Notable among these are stories involving the mysterious Joker's Daughter[7], the Bumblebee and Teen Titans West, a team consisting of a number of other teen heroes including Bat-Girl (Betty Kane) and Golden Eagle. The revival was short-lived, and the series was canceled as of #53 (February 1978). Tellingly, in the last issue the heroes realized that, now in their early 20s, they had simply outgrown the "Teen" Titans. In the last panel, without speaking, they sadly go their separate ways.
(Note: After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Bumblebee and Mal Duncan/Herald were said to have been a part of the Titans West at some point, and the character of Bat-Girl was replaced with Flamebird (Bette Kane). Mal Duncan has two separate heroic identities during this run; first as the Guardian and later as the Hornblower. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, those identities were retconned away, and he was established as having always been the Herald.)
New Teen Titans (1980–1996)
 |
DC Comics Presents #26 introduces a team of new Titans, anchored by founding members Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash, soon followed by The New Teen Titans #1 (November 1980). It re-introduces the Doom Patrol's Beast Boy as Changeling and introduces the machine man Cyborg, the alien Starfire, and the dark empath Raven. Raven, an expert manipulator, forms the group to fight her demonic father Trigon, and the team remains together thereafter as a group of young adult heroes.
The villains' motivations are often complex, following trends that were coming to a head at that time towards greater depth in comics , particularly in the case of Deathstroke the Terminator, a mercenary who takes a contract to kill the Titans, in order to fulfill a job his son is unable to complete. This leads to the Titans' most complex adventure, in which a psychopathic girl named Terra infiltrates the Titans in order to destroy them. This story also features Dick Grayson, the original Robin, adopting the identity of Nightwing and the introduction of a new member in Jericho, the son of Deathstroke. New Teen Titans also regularly features the Monitor as a background character.
Other notable New Teen Titans stories include "A Day in the Life...", featured a day in the team members’ personal lives. "Who is Donna Troy?" depicts Robin investigating Wonder Girl's true identity (#38), and "We are Gathered Here Today..." tells the story of Wonder Girl's wedding, noteworthy for being the rare superhero wedding in which a fight didn't break out (#50).
Tales of the New Teen Titans, a four-part limited series by Wolfman and Perez, was published in 1982, detailing the back stories of Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Changeling.
New Teen Titans and the Uncanny X-Men
The brainchild of writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, New Teen Titans is widely thought of as DC's answer to the increasingly popular Uncanny X-Men from Marvel Comics: Both series depict young heroes from disparate backgrounds whose internal conflicts are as integral to the series as is their combat against villains. Both books were instrumental in moving mainstream comics in a more character-driven direction.[citation needed] New Teen Titans also uses long story arcs, and the characters are sometimes involved in galactic and interdimensional conflicts. Much as Uncanny X-Men made a star out of artist John Byrne, The New Teen Titans did the same for Pérez. The two teams actually met in the 1982 crossover one-shot entitled "Apokolips...Now".
A second series
New Teen Titans fans experienced some title and numbering confusion when DC moved some of its more popular books from the newsstand to the direct distribution market (comic book specialty stores) in 1984. New Teen Titans became Tales of the Teen Titans for a year (not to be confused with the earlier limited series), while a new concurrently published series named The New Teen Titans launched with a new #1. The former book began reprinting the latter's stories for the newsstand a year later, and ran until issue #91, but the direct market series printed only new stories.
Issue #1 of the direct market New Teen Titans created controversy when Dick Grayson and Starfire were depicted in bed together, although it had been established for some time that they were a monogamous couple. Pérez left the series after New Teen Titans vol. 2, #5, and the series began to flounder (Wolfman reportedly suffered from writer's block[citation needed], and other writers contributed from time to time). José Luis Garcia Lopez followed Pérez as artist, and Eduardo Barreto contributed a lengthy run. Pérez returned with issue #50, the series again being renamed, this time to The New Titans: the characters were no longer teenagers. Issue #50 tells a new origin story for Wonder Girl, her link to Wonder Woman having been severed due to retcons in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Pérez remained through issue #61.
The series introduced a number of characters and puts others through radical changes during the next 7 years. Members during this time include Phantasm[8], Pantha[9], Red Star[10], Impulse[11] (later Kid Flash), Damage[12], Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)[13], Supergirl[14], Rose Wilson[15], Minion[16] and Baby Wildebeest. As a result, the group which appears in the final issue, #130 (February 1996), bears little resemblance to the one that anchored DC's line-up in the early 1980s.
Team Titans
Team Titans is another Titans spin-off. The series ran from 1992 to 1994 in 28 issues and two annuals. One of only several Teams Titans from the future, they function as a terrorist cell fighting against a world dictator, Lord Chaos, the son of Donna Troy and Robert Long. Sent ten years into the past, their mission is to kill Donna Troy and prevent his birth. Killowat, Redwing, Dagon, Prestor Jon and Battalion are all erased from existence during the 1994 Zero Hour storyline, and the series was cancelled. Mirage, Terra, and Deathwing survive; it is established that they are from the current timeline after all. Mirage and Terra join the main Titans team, and Deathwing is enthralled by an evil aspect of Raven and turned against the Titans.
Teen Titans (1996–1998)
A new Teen Titans series written by Dan Jurgens began later that year with a new #1 issue (October 1996). Atom, who had become a teenager following the events of Zero Hour, leads the brand-new team, with Arsenal becoming a mentor about halfway through the 24-issue run, which ended in September 1998.
New members in the Teen Titans vol. 2, (1996) series
- Atom (Ray Palmer) (Teen Titans [2nd series] #1)
- Argent (Teen Titans [2nd series] #1)
- Risk (Teen Titans [2nd series] #1)
- Joto (Teen Titans [2nd series] #1)
- Prysm (Teen Titans [2nd series] #1)
- Captain Marvel, Jr. (CM3) (Teen Titans [2nd series] #17)
- Fringe (Teen Titans [2nd series] #17)
The Titans (1999–2002)
The team is revived in a 3-issue limited series, JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative, featuring nearly every character who had been a Titan and showcasing the return of Cyborg. This limited series leads into The Titans written by Devin Grayson, starting with Titans Secret Files #1 (March 1999).
This incarnation of the team consists of a mix of former original Titans, including Nightwing, Troia, Arsenal, Tempest, and the Flash (Wally West), from the original team; Starfire, Cyborg, and Changeling, from the New Teen Titans; Damage from the New Titans (the 1994 series); and Argent from the Teen Titans (the 1996 series). There was one new member, Jesse Quick. This version of the team lasted until issue #50 (2002).
The West Coast branch of the team - Titans L.A. - appears once, in the pages of Titans Secret Files #2.
Between the end of Teen Titans and the beginning The Titans, the next generation of young heroes - Superboy, Robin, Impulse, Wonder Girl, Secret and Arrowette - formed their own team in Young Justice, a series similar to the original Teen Titans.
Both series were concluded with the three-issue limited series Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day, which lead into new Teen Titans and Outsiders series.
Titans L.A. members
Teen Titans (2003–present)
|
Writer Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans series began in 2003, again featuring a mix of previous and new members, most of whom had been part of Young Justice.
The series’ original lineup mirrors and also inverts the lineup of Marv Wolfman's New Teen Titans series: veteran members Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy return, joined by younger heroes Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash. Raven re-joins the team in issue #12, and the new Speedy joins the team in Green Arrow #46, first appearing in the Titans book in issue #21. During the “Insiders” crossover with The Outsiders (issues #24–25), Superboy comes under Lex Luthor's control and attacks the team, afterwards taking a leave of absence that ends during Infinite Crisis.
The new series saw the team’s relocation from the east to the west coast, its headquarters located in San Francisco instead of the traditional New York City location. The new Titans Tower also has a memorial hall with statues of the fallen Titans.
One Year Later: The new Teen Titans
Template:Spoiler In the "One Year Later" jump after Infinite Crisis, Robin has returned to the Teen Titans after a year of travel with Batman and Nightwing. Feeling abandoned by Robin following the death of Superboy, Wonder Girl has quit the team and has been working alone, fighting the Brotherhood of Evil. Starfire is missing in action, never having returned from her journey into space. Raven and Beast Boy have split up: Raven's whereabouts are unknown, though she is rumored to be in Russia; and Beast Boy has left the Titans to join the new Doom Patrol. Joining him in the Doom Patrol are former Titans Bumblebee and Herald (renamed Vox). Speedy is said to be currently on an island with Connor Hawke. Kid Flash, who had aged into adulthood and lost his powers, is "kind of retired", according to Robin; however, he has now become the DCU's new Flash. Cyborg has been damaged and inactive since his return from space, but 16-year-old genius fraternal twins Wendy and Marvin, have repaired him and given him new capabilities. New members Kid Devil and Rose Wilson (as Ravager IV), the latter of who was accepted at the request of Nightwing.
During the lost year, at least 24[17] new members joined the team, all of them short-term. Without proper leadership or the feeling of family the Titans normally provides, none of the new members could get along and work together. In issue #38, the Titans found a scrapbook left behind by Raven that included photos of the OYL members. Original members were:
- Argent
- Beast Boy
- Captain Marvel, Jr.
- Flamebird
- Joker’s Daughter
- Hot Spot
- Mirage
- Ravager
- Red Star
- Speedy
Brand new members were:
- Aquagirl
- Bombshell
- Hawk and Dove
- Kid Devil
- Little Barda
- Mas y Menos
- Miss Martian
- Molecule
- Offspring
- Osiris
- Power Boy
- Riddler's Daughter
- Talon
- Young Frankenstein
- Zatara
A memorial to Superboy has been erected outside Titans Tower. Unknown to the other Titans, Robin secretly has been attempting to re-clone Superboy, with nearly 100 failed attempts. This was until Wonder Girl found the lab, where she and Robin shared an awkward kiss.
Template:Spoiler-solicitation There are also two active teams of Titans. The main Teen Titans team is still located on the west coast and Titans East is on the east coast. Geoff Johns referred to Titans East as juvenile delinquents who will be causing trouble, and described one character as who he believes will be the first white trash superhero.[18] Template:Endspoiler
Trade paperbacks
Silver Age Teen Titans
Graphic novels by DC collecting the most well-known adventures of this era:
| Title | Material collected |
|---|---|
| Showcase Presents Teen Titans Volume one | The Brave and the Bold #54 & #60, Showcase #59, and Teen Titans vol. 1 #1–18 |
| The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #54 & #60, Showcase #59 and Teen Titans vol 1. #1–5 |
New Teen Titans
Graphic novels by DC collecting the most well-known adventures of this era:
| Title | Material collected |
|---|---|
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Volume one | DC Comics Presents #26 The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #1–8 |
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Volume two | The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #9–16 Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #18. |
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Volume three | The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #17–20 Tales Of The New Teen Titans #1–4 . |
| The Judas Contract | The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #39–40 Tales of the Teen Titans #41–44 Annual #3 |
| The Terror of Trigon | The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #1–5 |
| Who is Donna Troy? | The New Teen Titans vol. 1, #38 Tales of the Teen Titans #50 The New Titans #50–55 Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003. |
Teen Titans (2003-Present)
Note: Issues 27 and 28, pencilled by artist Rob Liefeld, were not collected in any of the trade paperbacks. DC Comics has not stated a reason for this.
| Title | Material collected | Story |
|---|---|---|
| A Kid's Game | Teen Titans vol. 3, #1–7 Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003. |
Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy put the new team together, as a way to help the ex-Young Justice members. Raven and Deathstroke reappear. Impulse becomes Kid Flash. |
| Family Lost | Teen Titans vol. 3, #8–12 Teen Titans #1/2. |
The Titans confront the new Brother Blood, Deathstroke and Ravager IV (the ex-Titan Rose Wilson), to free Raven. Cyborg files Jericho away as a computer file. |
| Beast Boys and Girls | Beast Boy #1–4 (1999 limited series) Teen Titans vol. 3, #13–15 |
All children in San Francisco get infected by Sakutia, the same illness that turned Gar into Beast Boy, while he loses his powers. |
| The Future is Now | Teen Titans vol. 3, #16–23 Teen Titans/Legion Special #1 |
The Titans go to the 31st century to help Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. In the returning voyage, the team get stuck 10 years in the future and meet the older versions of themselves. Once back to the present, they face off (with the help of former Titans) against the now dangerous Dr. Light. |
| The Insiders | Teen Titans (3rd series( #24–26 Outsiders #24–25, 28 |
Superboy gets brainwashed by Lex Luthor, and Indigo from The Outsiders reveals herself as Braniac 8. Indigo gets killed by her lover, Shift. Superboy leaves the team after overcoming Luthor's programming. Nightwing leaves the Outsiders and declares that he's quitting life as a team player. Captain Marvel Jr. joins the Outsiders. |
| The Death and Return of Donna Troy | Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1–3 Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2005 The Return of Donna Troy #1–4 |
The Titans and Young Justice teams are both disbanded after the accidental activation of a rogue Superman android results in the deaths of Troia and Lilith/Omen. However, Donna is later revealed to be alive and living among the Titans of Myth as the new Goddess of the Moon. The Titans and the Outsiders travel into space to find her. The Donna Troy miniseries serves as a direct lead in to Infinite Crisis. |
| Life and Death | Teen Titans vol. 3, #29–33 Teen Titans Annual #1 Robin #146–147. |
The Titans deal with Brother Blood, who now leads the undead "New Titans West". Later, amidst the chaos of Infinite Crisis, Superboy dukes it out with Superboy Prime and a duel between the resurrected former Boy Wonder turned Red Hood Jason Todd and the current Robin Tim Drake. |
In other media
The team's first animated appearance was in Teen Titans segments of the 1967 Filmation series The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, featuring Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad.
From 2003 until 2006, a Teen Titans animated series aired, with stories that emulate the Wolfman/Perez era and an art style influenced by anime. Briefly airing on Kids' WB, Teen Titans premiered and currently airs on Cartoon Network.
The main characters are Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. Many other Titans comic book characters appear, including Aqualad, Speedy, Deathstroke (named Slade), Wildebeest, and Terra. Other characters have been specifically created for the show, including Más y Menos, Mumbo, Mother Mae-Eye, and Cinderblock.
Although popular, the decision to use anime-influenced animation rather than the Bruce Timm style used in Justice League Unlimited and other DCAU shows, disappointed some fans. Other fans were more accepting, noting that many episodes are based on beloved storylines like The Judas Contract and The Terror of Trigon. While the series' storylines are sometimes serious, they are often humorous, accentuated by anime-influenced visual effects.
Despite high ratings, the series was cancelled after five seasons, with the final episode airing January 16th, 2006. A direct-to-DVD movie, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, premiered on Cartoon Network September 15th, 2006 at 7pm. Two video games were made based on the show.
At Comic-Con 2006, a Judas Contract animated movie was announced. Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, creators of The New Teen Titans will be working on the direct-to-DVD movie. It is known now that the movie's animation will be done in the DCAU style instead of the Teen Titans series one.
Awards
The various series and characters have received a good deal of recognition over the years. The story "Then & Now" from Teen Titans (1996 series) issues 12–15, was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1998.
See also
References
- ^ Teen Titans vol. 1, #4) (revealed to be a founding member in Teen Titans vol. 2, #53
- ^ The Teen Titans #25
- ^ The Teen Titans #26
- ^ The Teen Titans #21
- ^ The Teen Titans #30
- ^ The Teen Titans #32
- ^ Teen Titans #48
- ^ The New Titans #73
- ^ TNT #74
- ^ TNT #77
- ^ TNT #0
- ^ TNT #0
- ^ TNT #116
- ^ TNT #121
- ^ TNT #122
- ^ TNT #123
- ^ Newsarama.Com: Teen Titans: One Year - Different
- ^ Newsarama.Com: Wwla - Dcu: One Year Greater Panel