Alright, Lash, if we're going to write this, fill me on the characters we've got at our disposal. Let's figure out what makes 'em tick.

Yay!

Okay, the way I see it, we can pick up where TT # 53 ended.

As of that issue, the Titans consisted of:

ROBIN
KID FLASH
WONDER GIRL
SPEEDY
MAL DUNCAN (as the GAURDIAN)
BUMBLEBEE
DUELA DENT (as The Harlequin)
LILITH
HAWK
DOVE
BEAST BOY
GNARRK
GOLDEN EAGLE
BAT-GIRL (since retconned to Flamebird, a change I don't mind)

A sizable cast, lots to work with!

Whom do you know the least about?

Jeepers! I left off AQUALAD!

Let's just go through them in order. Even one's I "know", I'm not really all that knowledgeable about what they were like during that period.

What ages are we looking at the characters as being?

This is a Robin who hasn't yet emerged from Batman's shadow, I take it? Yet it's hardly one who is just Bats "junior partner".

Exactly.

I'm going to guesstimate their age ranges at 17-18 here, assuming that they were about 18-19 for Wolfman/Perez..

Basically, at this point, they were still seen as the kid sidekicks, but you have the definite sense that they are starting the process of growing up and "doing their own thing".

So Robin's like, the leader and stuff? Kind of the responsible one? But does he have the same kind of "laughing in the face of danger" jokester attitude of his early years, or has that mellowed?

He was definitely the leader and definitely still the jokester. He also was shown to have had a bit of a "thing" for Duela. Those 2 were boinking, for sure!

Okay, so Robin I think I get, then.

What about Kid Flash? I only know the angsty Wolfman-version, and the more recent having-taken-over-the-Flash-mantle version. What was he like before that?

Jillikers, I need to dig out those issues, but going from memory...

I can recall Kid Flash and Speedy nearly coming to blows over Wonder Girl at one point. I can't remember which of the 2 she was actually dating at this point, but I think it was Speedy.

Kid Flash is pretty much Mr. Dependable in this era.

When was Speedy's drug addiction?

Oh, this is after that. Of course, it could easily be retconned back in as an ongoing problem at the time. It wouldn't cause any continuity snafus if we did.

His drug addiction wasn't actually addressed in these issues, but being in a band called GREAT FROG... well, you just figure there was some drugs lying around with the groupies.

So Wally is like Mr. Dependable Nice Guy, and Roy is like Mr. Coked-up rock star, and Donna's caught in between them?

Wally was midwestern corn feed dependable and always had the hots for Donna;

Speedy and Donna had a thing going;

Flamebird had the hots for Robin:

Don't forget Lilith and Gnaark. They were an item;

Hank Hall (Hawk) was an obnoxious bore who also had the hots for Donna;

Aqualad & Tula were an item at the time;

Speedy's drug addiction was in the past;

Dick's the leader with a sense of humor

Wally's Mr. Middle-America.

Roy's the bad boy.

What about Donna? What drives her?

Donna? Very little development for her during this run. She was first alongside Robin to defend Duela to the others. Ever the den-mother?

I kind-of like the notion that she'd be, at this stage in her life, a little torn between Wally and Roy.

She could be trying to "reform" Roy, or some such silly nonsense like that! Attracted to his slightly bad boy image, while trying to dilute it.

Sounds good and gels with her portrayal during Devin Grayson's run.

So Mal is kind of the typical good guy from the ghetto, then? And are we going to use Karen as his girlfriend who's afraid of him becoming "too white"?

And Duella's just crazy.

What about Lilith? What's her deal?

Hawk and Dove are pretty obvious.

I'm not sure I want to dismiss Duela as "just" crazy. Crazy like a fox, maybe?

Karen actually fit in well with the Titans once she joined.

As for Lilith, at this point, her past was a complete unknown. Go-go dancing psychic hot chick who just happened to hook up with the Titans.

Oh, so Duela only pretends to be crazy to hide her mysterious motivations and intentions, or something like that?

And Lilith is mysterious as well? But what's her personality like?

Lilith's a bit bland here, but she was a hot go-go dancer previously. So let's make her a hot bland go-go dancer.

I'd like to see Karen as "sister with 'tude".

Duela is shown as quite sane once she joins the Titans, though some of them never really do learn to trust her (Speedy, for instance). I'd like to see Duela as a sane girl who uses her unsettling appearance and demeanor in her favor. And TONS of gimmick-gadgets.

Okay, aside from being a caveboy with a thing for bland go-go dancers, what's up with Gnarkk?

And Golden Eagle is our gay orphan surfer dude.

And Flamebird's some ultra-competitive type or something, right?

What about Aqualad?

Yes for Charley, yes for Bette but add in the MAJOR Robin obsession.

Gnarrk was basically a mechanic by this point who wanted out of the Titan-game.

Aqualad might have been named Aquawuss at this point. He spent half the series hospitalized.

Hmm... I think we're a little short on girls. Care of I bring in Supergirl as part of the cast? Or is she too powerful?

She might be a bit above villains like Kung Fu Fighter and the YMCA.

Donna, Bette, Duela, Lilith and Karen aren't doing it for you?

And we certainly don't have to use all those guys... in particular, Hawk, Dove and Gnarrk have reasons to leave right away (Hawk is in the Navy, irrc, while Gnarrk has his auto shop).

Current balance is 10-5. Those three leaving would make it 7-5. Add in Aquagirl and you've got a very reasonable 7-6.

Oh, I *really* like the idea of bringing in Aquagirl. Tula was the 1 former Titan castmember left out of TT 50-52.

I foresee a breakup between Lilith and Gnarrk, that's good with me.

I have an idea for how we could roll with GTT # 1, it'll be a setup issue but have a little action too, and establish just who is and isn't a Titan now.

I already have the Golden Eagle scene and Harlequin/Flamebird/Robin scene mapped out in my mind...

Okay, PM me with plot details.

Just did! I'm getting an idea for Speedy and Mal, too... (they are in GREAT FROG together).

What instruments do they play?

Mal's on HORNS of course!

I'm not remembering Speedy's instrument... WILL dig out those issues tomorrow!

iirc, GREAT FROG was some kind of jazz band. We'll be changing that, won't we, to some big-ass obnoxious KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND-type combo...?

Oh, and Mal's a bit of a square, which can sometimes drive Karen nuts.

Let's make GREAT FROG kind of funk/fusion band. That preserves the jazz heritage, but makes them groovier.

I like!

Can't wait to see what you guys do with this. Some info for your gristmill.

Donna was the den mother because of her need to find a family for herself. She had nothing of the sort. Her past was a complete blank and so she made the Titans her family.

She saw Dick as her brother and since Wally was Dick's best friend, he was sort of forbidden territory. Garth had always had Tula so Roy was really the only one she COULD hook up with from this group. Besides, Roy's bad boy attitude was a front for his insecurities and she wanted to help "fix" that.

IMO, Hawk and Dove never really belonged in the Titans, they were more occasional allies than members.

If you want to add someone really funky, bring back the Creeper and make him a member. He had various contacts with the TT during this period. To balance it out bring in Batgirl as well, I always felt she should have been there anyway and then you can start up the Babs/Dick romance right away with jealous interference from both Bette & Duela!

Duela & Creeper would make an awesome couple!

And who does Charley get? I vote for Wally (just why did you think he was always so close to "Dick"? )

Really looking forward to reading this! Roy played drums by the way. And Mal the trumpet. And am I mad to think that Dick has been shown playing the guitar before too?

Thanks for the input, Vee & Blacula! I'm looking forward to this, I hope Eryk is too! Gonna be lots of fun and zaniness, but some serious stuff, too...

Eryk, I'm digging out TT 44-53 right NOW!

GOT 'em.. Gabriel's Horn is located in Long Island...

Yep, there's Roy on drums... makes sense; drummers are hot...

Whoa! There's Roy putting the mack on Duela, right in front of Donna! Guess he was a little coked up...

Dave Elyea has horrid fashion design sense (he's responsible for that awful Hornblower outfit)...

"Hold it buster! If you want a woman's bag, try mine! Oh-- pardon my glove!"

"Yeah! I met the JUSTICE LEAGUE once-- and HAWKMAN gave me this set of wings!" (I knew I didn't hallucinate that)

Gnarrk's a bit of a hithead, attacking both Beast Boy and Hawk over Lilith... and she is NOT pleased...

Aqualad is all "I'm Useless and Stuff"...

Yep, Karen's got a smart mouth on her...

The team disbands at the end of # 53... Duela & Robin depart together on his motorcycle...

My memory of Mal's outfits during this period is a little hazy. I remember his orange jumpsuit of course (my personal fave) and his Guardian get-up and George Perez's re-design of his outfit as the Herald (why does no one call him by that name anymore?).

But I don't remember his Hornblower threads. ... UNLESS that was the fan-designed outfit that he wore for about 3 panels in that issue where I think some roller-skating baddies invaded their disco or something. That was a monstrosity that will forever be burned in my eyes! Possibly the worst costume ever worn by any hero anywhere!

Is that the one by Dave Elyea that you were talking about MLLASH? If not, you have got to find it and see it guys! The hideousness of that costume is a goldmine of acerbic story potential!

That's the one I'm talking 'bout! I thought Mal filled out the Gaurdian suit nicely...

So I picked up #45 and #47 today. DEFinitely groovy.

BITCHEN!!!

How'd you like Wrecker, Mouthpeice, The Greek, Big Al, Zasu & the Professor?

"These monkeys have CLAWS!"

JILLIKERS! I forgot about Duela getting ESP powers!

"You wouldn't murder your own daughter, Duela, would you-- DADDY?"

Review to come in the main Legion/Titans forum!

Random G70sTT character notes:

Whenever a bad guy/gal has the upper hand on Duela, she tries to psyche them out by attempting to convince them that they are her Daddy or Mommy.

Actually, Duella reads much differently than I expected her to based on the sample I got from TT #45. I was imagining her much more like Harley Quinn, but instead she really reads like a female version of the Joker of that period. Pretty cool!

rough outline of series

# 1

re-establishes cast; serves as introduction to all

# 2

versus Mad Mod; serves as impetus for him to go straight and begin fashion design career

# 3

obligatory Justice League appearance

# 4

the YMCA

# 5

girls night out "Dance, Titans, DIE!" pt 1

# 6

boys night out "Dance, Titans, Die!" pt 2

# 7

"Dance, Titans, Die!" conclusion

# 8

Flamebird vs. Harlequin over Robin, guest-starring Batgirl

Still interested, Eryk?

Of course! At this point, I'd be willing to co-write cereal box text with you, just get the ML'ESTER partnership back up and running!

AWESOME!

I also this week re-read MEL&tLSH:TS in its so-far entirety and realized I was supposed to write the next page... consider it done.

(that was a great re-read, BTW... gotta re-read all 20 issues of MEL:TS next....)

IDEA: One of the Titans girls finds herself in the middle of the plot of a 70s teen slasher movie!

Tula sounds like a good candidate for that!

Eryk, as soon as PMs are back on, I'm going to refer to that old TT one and launch the series!

MLL'Ester is back!

(Also, you'll note that my MEL&tLSH page is done!)

Okay, EDE, so G70sTT:TS is officially launched, with the ideas I already had percolating for a long while, that I sent you a PM about ages ago!

Lemme know what you think so far, and when you are ready to jump in. It'll rawk!

My creative juices have been backed up for long, I even brought back Trash Lass and Doomed Gay Romance!

Trash Lass is actually pretty good...

I'm not so sure about the Mad Mod or JLA issues now, but I still like the other stuff... whadda YOU think?

Plus, I've totally forgotten what the YMCA was supposed to be, and I know the villains of "Dance, Titans, DIE!" were all based on 70s dance crazes, but I don't remember WHERE the post was... I'll look for it today, It's gotta be buried either on the LSH, TT or Gym'lls forum...


Lessee, so far in issue # 1 we have established:

ROBIN, FLAMEBIRD, HARLEQUIN, GOLDEN EAGLE, SPEEDY and MAL... (with the implication that Donna and Karen are there too).

YMCA/Dance Titans DIE! thread FOUND!!!


BEST TITANS ORIGIN

Heh... all I had to do was search the LSH and Titans forums for any usage of the word "hustle"...

Proposed YMCA theory:

The YMCA, or Young Metahuman Criminal Anarchists, find natural foes in the Teen Titans, who they perceive as "the Man". Composed of any number of superpowered teens (some of whom aren't ALL bad and could eventually end up as allies of the Groovy 70s Teen Titans), the YMCA stand by the notion that they can do what they want when they want...

proposed possible YMCA members:

Pong (think Bouncing Boy by way of Speedball)

Tomboy (think Tatum O'Neal in "Bad News Bears")

Smartypants (nerdy super-brain) and the robot girlfriend/bodygaurd he invented called Chickbot

Hmm... Gnarkk's auto-shop fills me with all kinds of groovy ideas!

Do they hopefully involve Ding Dong Daddy?

Of course!

Yay!

Just read GTT:TS, we got 7 pages in. I enjoyed writing Duela's scenes a lot!

I like your intro of the GREAT FROG bandmembers; wonder if you have any other plans for some of them?

Of course, 6 of those pages were yours!

I don't think I had any specific plans for any of the Great Frog members. Other than the growing tension between their anti-drug stance and Speedy's drug use, that is.

Do share!

because someone may be wanting to get this story going again.

Mr. Someone, you can read the few pages of GROOVY TEEN TITANS # 1 already written when you click here!

Someone did... Two new pages are up!

Please characterize Dove as more than a wimp. Give him the powers/abilities shown in JLU. His co-creators said Dove suffered because of Ditko's conservative political views.

And I know he belonged to Charlton at the time, but having The Question or Blue Beetle team up Ditko's other creations would be awesome.

Hi Red Arrow! We have initially decided that Hawk, Dove and Gnarrk will not be present when the team comes together, but I am sure they will show up at some point. Stay tuned!

Oh, I will. I really like this era in comics because of all the relevence stories.

Trust me amid all the fun, there will be serious stuff too...

I totally want to windows-paint Roy singing 'Birds in the Street'...

hell yes!