Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Oh Yeah, That Forum: The Titans TEEN TITANS (spoilers possible)

Lots of threads about different TITANS members, but none about the book itself?

I was thrilled by the spread concluding #22... can't wait to see some of these folks in action! I hope there's room for updates... what has Red Star been up to, for instance?

What do you think about Dr. Light's usage?

I guess the current issue is a bit overshadowed by the BIG news about a certain former Titan's return (which I'm *really* looking forward to...), as well as cover solicits revealing some interesting developments concerning a current Titan and former YJer.

But I think this is a storyline to which much of the book has been building. Much like the ROGUES WAR over in FLASH.

I just realized... the most recent issues of JSA, FLASH and TEEN TITANS... all written by Geoff Johns... all featuring story-ending a splash page/pages featuring lineups of really great characters.

For that, I can *almost* forgive what happened in COUNTDOWN.

Me, too, ML. It was one of the things that makes the Titans different than other groups. For the most part, the idea is "once a Titan, always a Titan" (though this rule mostly only applies to those who worked with Dick - Roy's team didn't hold up so well on that front). Note that these former Titans *still* think of themselves as Titans, and Wally has always sided with them when it came down to making choices.

As for Doctor Light, I think I like the idea of him being ruthless. But that's only as good as a writer's willingness to show him do some truly terrible things (before being caught).

Well, Todd, you can be quite certain I was thrilled with this issue.

Any comic featuring The Hornblower, Bumblebee and Duela Dent (lookin' WAY hot!!) is jake in my book, ESPECIALLY if said comic features them as it should-- AS CARD-CARRYING MEMBERS of the Titans! Bless you, Geoff Johns!

ps/ Todd, if you aren't reading HAWKMAN you're totally missing out on Titans-related grooviness there.

Well, I was mildly disappointed in #23. We didn't really learn anything about any of the long-unseen characters... though there were a couple of decent fight scenes-- and a nice narration scene regarding Nightwing.

I imagine a newer Titans reader might've been completely lost-- as there was never any explanation of who some of the characters were or of the nature of their superpowers.

I thought the end of the fight was somewhat anticlimactic-- though I enjoyed seeing the character who 'took point' doing so.

Still, I wanted to know just a bit about the *lives* of characters like Duela Dent, Red Star, Bumblebee, Flamebird, Tempest etc. etc. etc.

Kudos for using them, but boo to the extent of their usage.

There really needs to be a SECRET FILES updating these characters.

And, considering the time-travel story, wouldn't Superboy and co. *want* to keep Duela (and others) in the fold?

Tempest, especially, needs some 'onscreen time' somewhere or another.

Is Starfire now considered an OUTSIDER rather than a TITAN? That surprised me a bit.

So, Doc Light's now headed over to the Gail Simone VILLAINS (Unlimited? Inc.? I forget--) book. Hmmm. I was never really clear on exactly what those bursts of light were doing to the Titans that incapacitated them so... you'd think they would have passed around some protective eyewear of some kind.

Johns waffled a bit about the extent of Duela's role with the TITANS in #23-- or at least had one character speak for Titans readers who might have doubts about her.

Hornblower had a pretty good scene...

I *am* reading HAWKMAN, Lash-- and I still don't know what to make of GOLDEN EAGLE. He seems too good to be true. How nice it'd be if that meant there were only minor cracks in his persona. However, I'm expecting the revelation that he's a major creep up to no good to come down the pike anytime now.

I kind of like the weird collection of villains that are appearing. Though I want a little background. Has HUMMINGBIRD appeared before? I've never heard of her. FADEAWAY MAN and LIONMANE are good villains... I hope they aren't forgotten when this storyline concludes.

Have you read this week's issue? Now *that* one had a major jawdropper of a last page! I won't spoil it if you hadn't-- but wowzer! Didn't see that one comin'...

Didn't one character say that Duela was a member "for like two seconds" (paraphrased)? I'm not sure that's different from the pre-Crisis version.

I was very excited about that ending. All those former Titans. Cool! Titans is one of my fave titles right behind JSA. Geoff Johns is a master.

Few nit pick probs I have. As much as I love the former Titans I like the new ones as well. I hope we don't stray much into classic Titans history. Much like the X-Universe stay with the classics and the new classics don't bring back Maggot.

In other words Johns better have a good story for bringing back what I always considered a lame character (even as a kid) Duela Dent. (No offense to DD fans sorry)

Trust me I love my old Titans. Grew up with them. But after Cyborg, Changeling, Raven, Starefire and Nightwing...eh. Give me the new blood.

Nit pick over. TITANS ROCK! Loved last issue. Dr. Light is gonna get whupped.

I liked it, though I wanted to see more of the old gang.

Duela was one of the first to attack!! Heh heh! She should have zapped him with her lipstick gun or assauted him with her sleeping powder puff!

And here's some info for STUPORboy-- even a "two seconds" membership is STILL a membership, Clone-El!

Yeah, Geoff could have made the B-Bee, Mal and Duela more effective, but at least he IS using them, and they fared no worse than anyone else other than Cyborg. Cyborg's line about the others "softening Dr. Light up" for him was classy and kind.

Duela Dent on a TEEN TITANS cover.... been a LOOOOOONG while since I've seen that...

Lash, my point about saying that she was a member for "two seconds" is to say that she WAS a member. Previously, Duela was just a loony who thought she was a member. Now it's actually true.

Right! So Superboy can take his smartass comment and ram it!

(Superboy's "two seconds" comment was intended as a put-down to Duela, though it does serve the purpose of letting her fans know she has indeed been unretconned back into Teen Titans continuity as a member, so I guess I'll let ol' Clone-El by this time).

Interesting DUELA DENT Fun-Fact:

At one point, Duela Dent (then known as HARLEQUIN) was semi-popular enough to be considered for and granted her own 8-PAGE BACKUP series back in the day when all DC titles were expanding in page count!

Now, I may have the time-frame wrong in my memory, but it seems it could have been the DC "Implosion" that ended it before it began. If memory serves, her backup was going to run in the aborted VIXEN series that was advertised but never saw the light of day. What's for sure is for SOME reason the stories never saw print, but scripts for those tales have floated around the 'net before.

Duela never had her backup tales and wasn't used again in the batbooks. Then Marv Wolfman came along and made TEEN TITANS an undeniable hit.

Unfortuantely for Duela Dent, he HATED her character, and TEEN TITANS was a huge enough hit that DC pretty much gave Wolfman power supreme over Titans history.

So it came to pass that Duela (along with unfrozen caveman mechanic Gnarrk) was removed from Teen Titans continuity!

Hooray Geoff Johns for restoring Duela!

I liked the latest issue a lot. I think this is the first time besides #1-25 of New Teen Titans by Perez and Wolfman that I've actually been a big fan of Cyborg.

And they've certainly made Dr. Light as unlikeable as possible. By merely helping him, Deathstroke is that much more of a bastard.

Oh, and I'm really digging Mia as Speedy!

Looks like the long-simmering Superboy DNA subplot is coming to a head in #24. Who's yer Daddy?!

Ugh! Buy why the name Speedy? Couldn't they have come up with something more...contemporary?

What was the rationale for this codename choice, anyway? I don't follow Green Arrow.

Like "Robin" for Batman, Speedy is THE name of the Green Arrow's sidekick.

Background: Speedy was the original sidekick for Green Arrow. Roy Harper (now Arsenal of the Outsiders) was an orphan raised by a native american shaman. When he first came in contact with GA, he wowed Ollie with the speed of his arrow work. Hence the codename Speedy.

I'll add that the name "Speedy" goes back to the Golden Age incarnations of the characters, so it is truly from a different time.

#24's here...

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... and it seemed to go by in a kid-flash. I think I read this in 3 minutes. I'm assuming Superboy's under some sort of mind-control/clone programming or something. I also assume it won't last, since he's on the cover of other comics in a couple of months (hair and all). Then again, maybe this story'll take place *after* the future ones. You never know in comics...

I think it'd be interesting if the character could somehow be split- one with the Kon-el/Connor personality and one with the villainous Luther Jr. persona. (Red and blue?)

Though I think Luther Jr. and Brainiac 8 (!!!???) as a team is kind of cool, it doesn't seem like something that'll persist past INSIDERS. Maybe Indigo will now permanently be Brainiac 8, maybe not. It was a surprising 'reveal' and was pretty effective, though it should've taken place in OUTSIDERS, shouldn't it? I'd be pretty teed off if I was an OUTSIDERS reader who didn't also follow TEEN TITANS.

Is there a biological component to Indigo? Is she a part of *the* bloodline? I wonder if a Talokian mated with Brainiacs 5, 6 or 7...

Speaking of 'our' own Brainiac, I'm kind of annoyed by all these Brainy's past 5... it makes his moral choices (at least those of most Brainy 5's-- the jury is still out on the Vrilified Brainy of the 'eat it, grandpa' Legion) seem... negligible. It's sad that the line returns to 'evil' after him. More than sad-- it seems to me as if DC writers want to negate ol' Brainiac 5. 'Future' Brainiacs all have snazzier powers(though ultimately more boring), and all seem fixated on returning to the 21st century and wreaking as much havoc as possible.

Since INSIDERS is apparently going to link up with the return of Donna Troy, it'll be a crossover to keep an eye on...

Now we just need Gnarrk back, and not the one who was around for a few minutes before dying - but who Lilith managed to fall in love with anyway.

Well, Brainy isn't really part of the "true" Brainiac line at all anymore, no? Post-L.E.G.I.O.N, the Dox lineage--which only connects to Brainiac via the founder's personal relationship with him--has been eclipsed in the mainstream DCU by the succession of updates/copies of the original Brainiac program such as Brainiacs 2.5, 8 and 13.

They really should change the naming convention to make it clear that those two lineages have nothing to do with each other. I wouldn't mind Querl dropping the Brainiac title entirely--Vril Dox 2 didn't use it, after all, and it's unclear why Coluans in the current continuity would consider it anything other than an insult.

So is this "speed of his arrow work" applying to Mia too? - Or is she just trying to honour Roy or the whole sidekick tradition?

My guess is that it's honoring the tradition

I'd agree with "tradition".

Besides, DC wants to keep the whole trademark thingie in place...

And on the naming of Speedy, it's a darn good thing Ollie didn't say how quick Roy was with an arrow, or his code name would have been

"Quickie"

Not a good name for a teen sidekick...

I agree 100%!

re: # 24... pretty scary seeing Superboy go on that rampage.

I don't follow the Super-titles, but I assume Luthor's taken a ful-blown return to pre-crisis super-villainy. Or is he still putting on the facade?

Nice art & colors, too.