Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Oh Yeah, That Forum: The Titans HWW Retro Reviews New Teen Titans (1980)

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s launch of the hugely successful New Teen Titans, one of the definitive super-hero teams of the last three decades. Herewith is a retro review of that first issue and an analysis of the New Teen Titans' appeal.

New Teen Titans (first series) # 1
Nov. 1980
Writer & Co-Creator: Marv Wolfman
Penciller & Co-Creator: George Pérez
Finisher: Romeo Tanghal
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein

Plot Snapshot: Raven assembles the New Teen Titans for a mysterious reason—but first, they have to rescue Starfire from her Gordanian captors.

Okay, a little more detail: The story opens with an “epilogue” in space, in which Princess Koriand’r flees from a shipload of Gordanian slavers, steals a smaller ship, and then “space slides” into hyperspace (or whatever it’s called).

Meanwhile, on earth Dick Grayson awakens from a nightmare in which he and several new “Titans” are battling a yellow protoplasmic something. He receives a Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come-like visitation from Raven, one of the Titans in the dream. She tells him that it was no nightmare but a premonition, and that Dick—as Robin—must assemble a new Teen Titans post haste. Dick calls Wally (Kid Flash) West, who is busy with college and turns him down flat. Raven says not to worry, she’ll take care of Wally.

In short order, Robin finds himself reunited with Wonder Girl, ex-Doom Patrol and Titans West member Beast Boy (who now insists that everyone call him Changeling), and—surprise, surprise—Kid Flash, who exhibits a strange loyalty to Raven. The ad hoc team goes to meet its next member, Victor (Cyborg) Stone, an angry young man whose coach has just kicked him off the team. It seems that Victor’s new cybernetic enhancements—a result of his father’s experiments gone wrong—make him overqualified to play college sports. Coaches can be unreasonable that way.

Vic joins the Titans to be “a freak among freaks,” and Raven sends the team to rescue its final member—Koriand’r—from the Gordanians, who have pursued their prize to the United Nations Plaza. The battle continues in the East Village apartment of a young man named Grant Wilson, who becomes rather ticked off when the Titans and Gordanians demolish his apartment and drive his girlfriend away—so ticked off, in fact, that (I’m not making this up) he sics the evil organization H.I.V.E. on the fledgling team. As Grant and an unseen H.I.V.E. rep spy on the Titans, Raven tells the others that they were assembled to deal with another “menace” that is “growing,” and which “only your powers can overcome!”

Overall Impressions: If one ignores certain gaping plot holes (which I’ll get to later), this is a competently written and magificently drawn comic. Accolades have been heaped on George Pérez, and I’m not going to belabor the wondrous beauty of his art—except to say that the accolades are well deserved. (That does not mean his art is perfect. Pérez specializes in postcard-like picture art, in which characters stand still and pose for the camera; as a result, some of his action scenes appear static. Likewise, his Titans are model-perfect super-heroes with few distinguishing facial characteristics or expressions.)

No, my focus is on Marv Wolfman’s story—the story that launched a thousand super-hero teams in the 1980s, that set the tone for the dawning decade, and which elevated the Titans from a mediocre, almost forgotten team to one of the most successful franchises DC has ever had.

So, was New Teen Titans # 1 really all that?

Yes and no.

As noted, the story is competently written. Wolfman gets us into the action fast and wastes no time assembling the team. He draws upon reader familiarity with Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash, so he doesn’t provide us with unnecessary back story or a wasteful recap. In fact, Wolfman handles exposition in a brilliant, almost off-handed manner. Dick, who has dropped out of college and still lives in the penthouse apartment of his mentor, talks on the phone with his old friend Wally, who is still in college. That’s pretty much all we need to know to get oriented to these young people and their world.

Not every attempt at exposition succeeds. Donna (Wonder Girl) is introduced while wandering around the burned-out wreckage of the building where she was rescued as a toddler by Wonder Woman. Donna is searching for clues to her mysterious past—well and good, but would such ruins remain standing after some 17 or 18 years? That’s an awful long time for the city to leave a safety hazard with broken glass and rubble in front standing.

Three new Titans are introduced: Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire (Koriand’r). Wolfman provides just enough information on each to intrigue readers and make us care about them.

The Titans aren’t given much reason for banding together. They simply go along with Raven’s oblique references to a mysterious threat. Wally, the only holdout, changes his mind (for reasons, we shall see, in later issues). In a way, this lack of clear motive works in the Titans’ favor. These heroes are still teenagers, and being a teenager is all about joining something—sports clubs, glee clubs, online chat rooms (nowadays), etc. They don’t have to think through the matter or consider their other obligations as older heroes might—they just dive right in. That isn’t to say that they should dive right in—Dick (the detective, remember?) should at least be questioning things more than he does. Instead, he goes right along with the others in following Raven’s unknown plan. Were nights in Bruce’s penthouse that lonely?

(I have to say that now that I’m teaching freshman comp, I have a somewhat different perspective on the idea of teenagers being super-heroes. I try to imagine my students as super-heroes—they would bring fresh energy, single-minded devotion, and unbridled creativity to the job. Of course, some would also insist on running the show, showing up for battles late or only when they didn’t have something else going on, and complaining because Dick never calls on them during maneuvers. I have yet to see similar depictions in any teenaged super-hero comic.)

Once in battle, the Titans do what super-heroes always do. Each Titan showcases his or her abilities. They make short work of the aliens at the UN Plaza, then they follow Raven to Grant Wilson’s apartment, where Wonder Girl (with some marginal assistance from Robin) saves Wally, Vic, and Gar from being sucked into a vortex (amazing how the Gordanians just happened to have one). Then it’s on to the Gordanians’ ship for the final showdown and rescue of Starfire.

Wolfman and Pérez excelled at this sort of non-stop action. They made it seem fresh, even though we’d read it many times before. I’m tempted to say that the personalities of the Titans contribute to that freshness, but, on re-read, the Titans merely go through the usual personality tropes: Robin questions Raven’s motives, Kid Flash staunchly defends her, Changeling makes suggestive remarks about Wonder Girl, she calls him a chauvinist pig (“chauvinist pig”? In 1980?), Vic loathes himself even while he’s helping to save the day. I suppose what makes this seem fresh is the fact that it isn’t fresh. Wolfman understands all the super-hero tropes, and he expertly feeds them to us, telling us we’ll love it. And we do.

One trope that grates on me upon re-reading the issue, however, is Victor Stone. He is portrayed as yet another Angry Young Black Man. True, Vic’s reasons for being angry are unique—being disfigured and turned into a robotic “freak” by his own father—but he’s an AYBM just the same. To drive home just how unoriginal this portrayal is, Vic first appears while trying to convince his coach to let him back on the team. (It’s unclear what sport is involved, since Vic says he could be the ideal all-around athlete.) Yes, not only is Vic an AYBM, but he was also a sports figure. We learn in later issues that Vic has many other talents—Raven even says his father trained him to use technology in this issue—but it’s a shame that our first impression of him has to be of a two-fold stereotype.

Vic’s inclusion as a member of a major super-hero team in 1980 should not be overlooked. He was in many ways a ground-breaking character. Perhaps it’s too much to expect more originality in a series which (at least in its first issue) demonstrated so little originality in every other aspect, from the other Titans’ personalities to the alien villains to the mysterious reasons for their formation. But during the re-read, I found myself wishing that he and Gar had exchanged personalities. An angry young green man and a happy-go-lucky African American would have been original.

Overall, New Teen Titans #1 did what it was meant to do: It hit the ground running. That’s all one can legitimately expect of a first issue.

Now, about those plotholes.

Given that Raven describes the “growing menace” as so terrible, why doesn’t anyone question why she didn’t approach the JLA? Surely, they would be of more use than a speedster, an amazon, a detective, a shapeshifter, a cyborg, and an alien princess, most of whom have never met each other before? Perhaps this question is answered in later issues (I don’t remember), but here it stands out like a wooden leg on a body builder. Knock it out, and the premise comes tumbling down.

Why, for that matter, does Dick contribute virtually nothing to this story? Though nominally the Titans’ leader, he does little except express doubts that the new team and its tactics are going to work. He does not motivate the Titans or keep them focussed on their mission. He seems to have been included just because it’s the Titans and you gotta have Robin.

And are we to believe that Grant Wilson is so pissed off at the Titans for wrecking his apartment (“You’ll be well compensated,” Robin tells him; it’s a nice thing to say when your mentor is richer than a Middle Eastern oil cartel) and driving away his girlfriend (who was about to leave anyway) that he sics more bad guys on ‘em? True, there is more to Grant Wilson than we get here, as subsequent issues show, but this is a silly and sloppy way of introducing a subplot. It’s the most trite form of comic book writing.

The Appeal: New Teen Titans # 1 transcended the lackluster merits of its first issue, in part, by capitalizing on its familiar team name and the inclusion of Robin, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl. Changeling provides a vital link between the old characters and the new, between the familiar and the unknown. As such, NTT provides an equal mix of three and a half familiar characters and three and a half new ones. Previously, when new hero teams were created from established groups, creators tended to use all new characters except for one mainstay from the original team (Doom Patrol, X-Men) or to inject one or two new characters into a team with already existing dynamics (Invaders). The first practice often led fans to wonder what became of the other old friends; the second resulted in new characters being “foisted upon” the readers and taking screen time away from the established favorites. NTT gets the mix just right.

And that mix strikes at the heart of the New Teen Titans’ appeal and why they are still popular after all this time—and why subsquent versions have failed to recapture the Titans’ appeal. To illustrate, a personal recollection: I was 16 when this issue hit the stands—the same age as Gar and two or three years younger than Dick, Wally, and Donna. People at that age grow up and see the relationships around them change. They graduate from high school and go off to college, their friends absconding to different schools or trades. It is a scary time—a time of looking back, even as it is a time of looking forward to new friends, new adventures, and new responsibilities.

Perhaps no other series captured the metaphor of that time in a teenager’s life so perfectly. Through the Titans, the reader could hang on to old friends (Dick, Wally, and Donna) while meeting new ones and embrace with confidence the sometimes frightening challenges that lay ahead (challenges that, for the Titans, would include the Fearsome Five, Deathstroke, and Trigon). The Titans’ appeal sprung from the camaraderie, the relationships, generated in childhood and sustained in young adulthood. In this respect, the New Teen Titans were somewhat like the Legion. But whereas the Legion represented a futuristic, fantastic version of teenaged heroes (few members actually left the Legion once they had joined), the Titans appeared to be more grounded in reality. They had endured break-ups, drug addiction, and college woes (Dick had dropped out). They were still searching for their identities (Donna) or coping with dashed sports dreams (Victor). In essence, they connected with what many of their readers were going through at the time.

And with that powerful connection, who needs an original story?

Excellent review! Just one point of clarification, it is revealed later (I think in issue #4) that Raven did indeed go to the JLA first, but they sensed the evil in here and turned her away.

Thanks, Matt.

This book marked the first time for me that I was in on the ground floor of a new group. Yes, the Titans had been around before but this was a new start. It was exciting for me to be part of something from the beginning.

I completely agree with your assessment of Vic.

And as a kid, I never once doubted Grant's motivation, but looking back at it, yeah it does seem contrived.

Wow, HWW, that's one hell of a good review. Perceptive, insightful, and even-handed.

I hope it won't be the last non-Legion comic that you Retro Review in detail.

I didn't read this issue until about a year ago, when I bought the first volume of NTT archives. I came into superhero comics during the early 90s, when the Titans were in decline. I was lucky that at the time, I had a really good comic shop that sold back issues at reasonable prices, so I still got to enjoy the NTT in their long-past prime, but the early NTTs were still out of my price range.

I agree in theory that an angry young green man and a happy go lucky young black man would have been refreshing, but I guess since I was introduced to Victor in the later NTTs, after he had become more fully-rounded, I'll always prefer him a little on the gruff side. Interestingly, Perez says that there's a lot of himself in Victor, as well as of Latin and black guys he grew up with in the Bronx.

Thanks, Fanfic Lass. I'm not making any promises for future reviews, but I'd love to continue to review the early Titans issues for awhile, just to see how they developed and how my impressions of them have changed over time.

I was being partly facetious when I said that Vic and Gar should have exchanged personalities. I have no problem with Vic being a somewhat tough and gruff character. But I wish we'd gotten to see a better rounded personality for him in this issue. Wolfman didn't need to give all the Titans equal treatment, but, considering Victor's importance as an African American hero in an industry underrepresented by them, it would have been nice to see something in Vic that challenged preconceived notions.

Great review, HWW! Like FL said, I'd like to see you do a few more of these Titans ones.

What's interesting is how New Teen Titans #1 used all the various superhero tropes, as you point out, but in and of itself became the blueprint for just about every other superhero team in the 1980's, specifically their #1 issue. Almost like Marv & George took all the best introductory issues of comic's past, cherry-picked the best parts, polished into a blueprint and then thereafter everyone used it. Even in the 90's, all of those superhero teams were a Titans/X-Men mash-up.

Also, Raven was such a cool, dynamic character early on in the NTT run. Marv does a great job at using her as a reason for tension between Wally & Dick, who are longtime friends. This immediately makes the reader a little wary of her, to come between these two good friends. It also shows from the get-go that the line-up will not be 'older members' and 'newer members'; they will be mixed up in every way possible.

I've read every Wolfman/Perez issue of NTT but never in the correct order and there were years between the first one I read and the last.

But one day I really need to sit down and re-read them all in order to get the full magic of what those guys created with this book.

Because even in the jumbled-up, piece-meal order I did read it in - I could tell it was something pretty damn special.

Vic as an athlete, instead of a scientist, bugged me even then.

When a white character has tech-based powers (Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Victor Von Doom, Invisible Lyle) it's because *he invented them.*

When a female character (Janet Van Dyne, Night Girl, She-Hulk) or a black character (Luke Cage, 'Black Goliath,' Invisible Jacques, War Machine) gets their powers from technology or a chemical serum or whatever, entirely too often, it's something that was either *done to them by a white guy* or because they used some white guy's invention.

Granted, Victor's father was black, so it's not like some random white guy made him a cyborg, but it still takes the power out of his own hands and makes him kind of an unwitting participant in his own rise to super-hero-dom. He didn't *choose* to get super-powers, he didn't *choose* to become a super-hero, and he not only didn't develop his own abilities, he wasn't even conscious, having been made a cyborg by his father against his own wishes.

In a vacuum, Cyborg's origin doesn't bug me at all, but in a genre *filled* with female and black characters who are using powers and inventions handed down to them by white guys, yet another under-represented hero being an unwilling participant in his own rebirth as superhero just bugs me.

All that aside, Cyborg remains one of my favorite black characters. He doesn't have some fairy tale origin from an all-black paradise, like T'Challa or Tyroc, he's not 'faux black' like the white haired, blue-eyed, caucasian-facial-structured Ororo, he's not a stereotype like Brother Voodoo or a blaxploitation cliche like Luke Cage used to be (he's come a long way!) and he's not a mid-season replacement for a white character like Steel or Black Goliath, doomed to be backbenched (or killed) when the white dude comes back.

There's a fine line when introducing an under-represented character of thinking too much about it (and losing the character in attempting to serve the 'representation') and not thinking about it at all (leading to 'unfortunate implications' in some cases). Victor might not be some ideal representation, but he's a good character, and has grown to become the tech-savvy sort of individual he was not when introduced.

I remember getting Teen Titans 1 and being very excited to see a mix of new and old characters. Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash never really excited me (I didn't really 'get' Robin until he started calling himself Nightwing), but I was intrigued by Changeling (who I didn't know well) and Raven, Starfire and Cyborg.

Given the nature of the business, the fact that all three of these new Wolfman/Perez characters are still in print after all these years, and haven't gone the way of other 'new creations' (like the new Doom Patrol, with Celsius, Tempest and Negative Woman, or some of the new characters introuced in the first Outsiders line-up, like Geo-Force, Halo and Katana, who struggle to remain relevant, or even in-print) is a testament to their skills.

All good points, Set.

You're right that characters can become lost when they're seen first and foremost as representations of a group. But Vic still comes off as one dimensional even in the second issue, which I just read. The one bit of originality he displays is when he helps Wonder Girl with a pulled muscle--but even that help comes from Vic's knowledge as an athlete.

I find it interesting that you never "got" Robin. I grew up on the Batman TV show and the Teen Titans cartoon (which featured Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Speedy). Robin was as essential to the Titans as Mick Jagger is to the Stones. More, he's the quintessential teen sidekick. I think he embodies the Teen Titans more than any other single character.

Of course, that's mostly a symbolic role. It doesn't always give him something meaningful to do in a given story.

my take on TAYBM (the angry young black man). It's been a while since I;ve read these stories, but I always got the impression that he was angry because of his then situation. He was a great athlete, but the one thing that he loved was taken away from him...by the hands of his own father. Yeah, TAYYBM thing has been done to death, but his story was I think believable whether he had been black or white.

It took years, even in comic time...for him to come to terms with what happened to him.

Besides, getting Vic also gave us his Grandparents...scene stealers every time they appeared.

I think it was that very nature that made it hard for me to accept him. He *was* the sidekick to Batman. The quippy peanut gallery to the ultimate terribly serious 'straight man.'

And then he was a Titan, and he was in the very serious 'Batman' role, and Garfield was playing the insouciant 'Robin' role, and my world was all askew.

Once he changed to the Nightwing costume, it was like lead turning into gold, and I saw him as someone who was *not* 'Batman's sidekick' any longer, but a serious young hero who was leading his own team (and had been for years, by that point).

I think that Wolfman/Perez even foreshadowed this, with the annual where Adrian Chase's family is blowed up and Robin shows up at the mobster's door and punches him or whatever.

The mafia guy mocks his short-pants, IIRC, and it felt like a light went on for me. '*This* is why I can't take him seriously. He's still dressing like Robin, Batman's quirky kid flunky, and *he's not that person anymore.*'

Once he was Nightwing, he rapidly became one of my favorite characters. He'd been the leader of the Titans for years, but now it felt real to me. He'd been boinking Starfire for who knows how long, but now he felt like a man, and not a boy.

Yeah, I'm that shallow, that a change of name and costume could change my perception of a character that much...

I don't think you're shallow, Set. I think that's a very astute analysis of Robin and his transformation into Nightwing.

I never had problems accepting Robin as the jokey sidekick of Batman and the serious leader of the Titans. Those were two different roles requiring two different sides of his personality. We all "code shift," if you will, between behaviors that are expected of us when we are among family, friends, co-workers, and strangers.

Also, the Robin of New Teen Titans is older and has mostly outgrown his teen sidekick role, as you point out. But he hadn't outgrown the identity, at least not yet. Growth is a process that takes several years.

It's interesting that when Dick finally did cut the apron strings, he adopted a completely different identity (albeit one borrowed from Bruce's friend, Superman), whereas Wally took over the Flash's identity, effectively becoming his mentor. Yet in NTT # 1, at least, it's Wally who professes to have moved on. If not for the meddling of Raven, he might well have.

New Teen Titans (first series) # 2
Dec. 1980
“Today . . . the Terminator!”
Writer & Co-Creator: Marv Wolfman
Layouts & Co-Creator: George Pérez
Finisher: Romeo Tanghal
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein

Plot Summary: Seven members of H.I.V.E. attempt to hire Deathstroke the Terminator to kill the Titans, but when he rejects their terms, they bio-scan him in order to create their own assassin.

Meanwhile, Wonder Girl and Starfire set Grant Wilson’s ex-girlfriend, Carol Sladky, up in a new apartment. Grant begs her to take him back, and when he turns surly, he gets a taste of Starfire’s starbolts; he leaves, again vowing revenge on the Titans.

The Titans then rendezvous at a pier, where they attack a group of costumed men who appear to be looting a pharmaceuticals warehouse (I say “appear to be” because Wolfman never makes it clear what the alleged felons are doing). When the men turn out to be robots, an overzealous Starfire destroys them and whatever clues they might provide. Robin wrestles her to the ground, and Starfire responds in kind—with an aggressive kiss that helps her learn English through physical contact.

While most of the Titans relax at Gar (Changeling) Logan’s pool, Cyborg experiences a nasty confrontation with his father and an even nastier confrontation with the Ravager, a new foe. The Ravager is really Grant Wilson, suped up thanks to H.I.V.E. and their Deathstroke scans, which give Grant 100 percent brain power. Vic nevertheless gains the upper hand until he is ambushed by Deathstroke, who takes a surprising interest in his “protégé.”

Cyborg hightails it to alert the other Titans, and both the Ravager and Deathstroke soon show up to find the heroes waiting for them. The two assassins keep the Titans busy until the Ravager’s own powers kill him. In an act of compassion, Raven allows Grant to see his fondest wish—an illusion of the Titans dead. An overwrought Deathstroke is allowed to leave with Grant’s body, even though he vows to carry out the latter’s contract on the Titans.

At Grant’s grave, the uncostumed Deathstroke admits to his butler, Wintergreen, that Grant was his son; elsewhere, the H.I.V.E. members gloat that they got what they wanted all along: Deathstroke going after the Titans.

Impressions: This yarn is classic Wolfman. It features plot turns and mysterious motives that keep the reader in suspense. Gracefully, Wolfman weaves it all together in a satisfying (though hardly plausible) outcome.

Of course, Wolfman glosses over or ignores details that get in the way of his story. For example, just what were those costumed robots doing at the pharmaceuticals warehouse? How did the Titans learn of their clandestine (and, we assume, illegal) activities? Why does Grant still blame the Titans for Carol leaving him when Carol herself says that it was Grant’s own behavior (hanging out with thugs, telling her about his father and brother—“you’re going to end up just like them,” she says) that drove her away—in other words, a situation that predated the Titans’ involvement? Why does H.I.V.E. want to honor Grant’s contract on the Titans even after Grant has died? (Deathstroke says that he sees why the organization wants the Titans out of the way—but I don’t. The Titans have been together for barely a week, according to Wolfman’s narration, hardly long enough to pose a threat to H.I.V.E.’s plans, whatever they are.)

Never mind such paltry details; the story serves as an excuse to see the Titans in action, to get to know them better, and to introduce the villain who will become their main antagonist over the years: Deathstroke the Terminator. It accomplishes these goals admirably.

Characterization is what fans seem to remember most about New Teen Titans, and here Wolfman lays the groundwork for the team we know and love. Arguably the most important scenes in this issue do not feature Deathstroke, the Ravager, or H.I.V.E.; rather, they take place at the pool: The Titans simply hang out, uncostumed, and get to know one another. In one sequence of panels, Gar changes into a dolphin and dives into the pool; meanwhile, Kid Flash arrives, races past Donna, Dick, and Koriand’r, changes into his swimsuit, dives, and hits the water before Gar, making the latter look as if he were suspended in mid air. To me, this scene encapsulates what the Titans were all about: fun. Not silly, over-the-top fun, but the simple enjoyment that one imagines in having super-powers and being among friends. The Titans invited us into their world—who wouldn’t want to hang with them around a pool?

The issue’s most memorable scene, however, comes earlier, when Starfire learns English by planting a wet one on Robin. The scene, humoruous and surprising, sets up the eventual Dick/Kory relationship. It’s about time that Dick had a new girlfriend to help him get over Barbara.

We learn a lot about the new Titans. Starfire enjoys violence and kissing; her failure to understand compassion means that Robin will have to keep his eye on her (not that that’s the only reason). Wally suspects that Raven did something to him to make him rejoin the Titans. Victor refuses to seek his father’s help, then approaches him anyway, only to bitterly storm out on him. Hints are given about the newcomers’ pasts even as relationships start to develop between them and the established Titans. Wolfman seemlessly integrates these character moments with the action.

The well-choreographed battles keeps the story moving. This is no small feat, as Wolfman and Pérez were still getting us acquainted with multiple protagonists who were doing numerous things in rapid succession. Consider, for example, a typical sequence: Page seven. Gar, as a monkey, leaps out of the way of a careening truck. Donna leaps in front of the truck and smashes it, causing the driver to fly through the windshield; the driver, a robot, breaks apart. Gar reacts. Koriand’r begins blasting other robots. Dick rushes toward her. Kory lets off another blast. None of this sequence is confusing; rather, it showcases a wonderful story-telling economy, even though there are nine panels. They show us what we need to know in a clear and concise manner.

I would have preferred the Titans to win a decisive victory against the Ravager in this, their second outing. Instead, it is Grant’s own powers that destroy him (a typical comic book trope). However, the ending feels satisfying because of Raven’s act of compassion in letting Grant believe that he had won and killed the Titans—thereby finding a perverted sort of peace with himself. Raven’s compassion echoes the humanistic philosophy found on Star Trek, among others: treating a defeated enemy with dignity and respect is valued over being “right” or winning. A lie is also a good thing when it’s used to ease another’s suffering. As trite as this may seem now, it was rare in 1980 to see a super-hero embrace moral complexity.

So, the pieces are falling into place. Although “Today . . . the Terminator!” is not unique as a story, Wolfman and Pérez made the most of the super-hero conventions they had spent their careers mastering. They latched onto a winning combination of action and characterization that made the New Teen Titans the team everybody wanted to read and to join.

The “He’s a Great Detective But He Can’t Count” Dept.: Robin to Ravager on p. 20: “You’re outnumbered . . . seven to one!” Look again, Dick. Raven hasn’t shown up yet. That should be SIX to one. (Note that Deathstroke can’t count, either.)

The “Who’s Really in Charge?” Dept.: Note the reactions of Gar, Vic, and Dick on p. 23, when Raven says, “Soon we will be needed elsewhere. I cannot have you fight some meaningless battle now!” Bossy, ain’t she?

Another fine review, HWW. I think the book was as much about Wolfman's & Perez's conscientious craftsmanship as it was about the winning characterizations and I'm glad you spent a lot of time analyzing the craft. Puts the slopwork of most modern superhero comics to shame.

And, in keeping with what I mentioned upthread, with Vic, Kory and Raven being far more enduring creations than is normally the case for three brand new characters introduced together, we have Deathstroke.

He wears *orange and blue* and claims to be the world's deadliest assassin, despite having practically never succeeded in killing anyone, and he's probably the most enduring DC villain to be introduced in decades.

While Joker and Lex continue to get new layers and wrinkles added, here's Slade, a brand new invention (at the time), that has managed to endure along side these 'classics,' instead of being relegated to the 'starter villain' basement bin that holds characters like Baron Bedlam.

This creative team had a real gift for memorable characters.

Indeed, they had a real gift for adding a human touch to secondary or even tertiary characters, like Wintergreen, Addie Wilson, Gar's butler and even even that old lady who showed up in Who Is Donna Troy and wished her happiness at her wedding.

What do you think made Deathstroke so memorable, Set? I have my theories, but I'd like to read yours.

New Teen Titans (first series) # 3
Jan. 1981
“The Fearsome Five!”
Writer & Co-Creator: Marv Wolfman
Layouts & Co-Creator: George Pérez
Finisher: Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Editor: Len Wein

Plot Summary: The Titans relax at Donna’s rooftop apartment in New York City, where Koriand’r points out her home star, Vega. She relates her tragic tale of being sold into slavery by her own father, the king of Tamaran, to make peace with his world’s ruthless enemies, the Citadel.

Raven appears and tells the Titans they are needed. When Robin tells her that he is tired of Raven bossing them around without explanation, he receives a swift punch from his old friend, Kid Flash. Nevertheless, the Titans hear Raven out, and she leads them to the lair of old JLA foe Dr. Light, who has just recruited four new villains (Psimon, Gizmo, Shimmer, and Mammoth) to form a super-villain group called the Fearsome Five. The villains defeat the Titans after Shimmer transmutes the walls and floor of the lair to ether. Instead of killing the heroes, however, Dr. Light experiences a strange compulsion to leave, and he and the other villains abscond.

Cyborg (who was not present at the battle) again tells his father off at the former’s own apartment; as his father leaves, Vic notices a letter containing an invation to the opening of something called Titans Tower. The next day, he and the other Titans convene at a T-shaped headquarters on an island off Manhattan—a gift from an unknown benefactor.

Raven again appears and tells the Titans they are needed; this time, Robin refuses to budge without answers, so Raven tells them of Trigon, the otherwordly demon the Titans were formed to battle. Raven says that, although she is not prophetic, she received a premonition that the JLA would battle—and be killed by—a servant of Trigon’s called Goronn. She says that the Fearsome Five are somehow involved in Trigon’s plan, and that the Titans’ goal is clear: they must fight and defeat not the F5 but the JLA.

Meanwhile, Psimon reveals to the other villains that he is the true power behind the Fearsome Five and that his own power comes from Trigon himself. Psimon stages another battle between the Fearsome Five and the Titans (although Raven and Kid Flash initially decline to participate). The battle goes badly for the Titans, and all—even Kid Flash—are defeated. Watching from afar, Raven leaves to petition the JLA, even though they “scorned” her once before.

Review: It’s hard to create fresh villains, and, even in 1980, the standard formula was growing stale. This time, as usual, we’ve got a familiar foe, a matter transmuter, a slow-witted brute (why can’t there be a brute with a PhD for a change?), an inventor, and someone with mental powers. Worse, Wolfman’s attempts to make the F5 seem formidable fail. When the Titans lose to them—twice—our heroes appear to be wusses.

In order to give the villains a winning edge, Wolfman conveniently leaves one of his most powerful Titans (Cyborg the first time, Kid Flash the second) out of each battle; the mysterious Raven is present at both but does nothing, so that leaves five Titans against five villains; even so, one would expect experienced fighters such as Robin and Wonder Girl to possess an edge over villains who have just been recruited by Dr. Light—some of whom are only in it for the money instead of to kill Titans.

Wolfman dances around this contrived plot by revealing Psimon to be the real power behind the F5 and Trigon to be the real power behind Psimon. This is an old comic book trope: If you can’t think of a real reason for villains to do what they do or to win, just blame it on an otherworldly demon who wants to control/destroy the world. To hedge your bets even further, give one of your villains incredible (and ill-defined) mental powers, so he can manipulate others’ thoughts, communicate with the heroes, and even control his own teammates’ movements in battle. And keep the action moving so that readers don’t have time to question why, if Psimon is so powerful, does he need the rest of the F5?

The issue is not without its graces. The opening page of Kory sitting on Donna’s ledge and pointing at her home star is beautiful to behold; again, it shows the Titans sitting around and relaxing as friends, a central aspect of their appeal. (The beauty of the artwork, by the way, is due to finisher Frank Chiaramonte, whose clean lines embellish and magnify the elegance of Pérez’s pencils. Later in the story, Pérez and Chiaramonte dazzle us further with an imaginative view of Tamaran—featuring an odd assortment of alien animals—making me wish that Chiarmonte had been the book’s regular inker instead of Romeo Tanghal, whose inking remained competent but heavy.) Starfire’s story is intriguing and sad. She remains unapologetic over her bloodlust in battle and finds the Titans’ values (“ . . . you earthlings are suspicious of your friends and show compassion for those who hate you.”) to be “wrong.” Starfire emerges as the most compelling and multi-faceted Titan yet.

Unfortunately, the other Titans come off as one-dimensional. Robin is suspicious of Raven. Kid Flash violently defends her. Cyborg is bitter. Changeling cracks jokes. Raven acts mysterious. No new development here.

The worst is Wonder Girl, who doesn’t exhibit much personality beyond what the plot calls for her to do. In this issue, we learn that she works for a living (doing what, we aren’t told) and that she receives a stipend from her mother (Queen Hippolyta) that enables her to afford a swanky NYC apartment with a rooftop view. But that’s all we learn about her. Donna remains a cypher—as she always had been until Wolfman created a back story for her much later in the New Teen Titans run.

The issue’s other strengths are in its action scenes, which, as noted above, keep the story moving. It’s too bad, however, that there isn’t much of a story to move. While it was inevitable that the Titans would get around to a multi-part story, it’s a shame that this one doesn’t warrant “to be continued.”

The “We need more suspense!!” dept.: As Changeling wanders the new Titans Tower alone, he hears something. A door opens, and he shouts, “You?!? You!?!?” We turn the page and—it’s only the other Titans. The scene would be a letdown if it weren’t so silly.

The “short people get no respect” dept.: Wonder Girl: “Besides, we don’t need Cyborg to put down Dr. Light. Heck, even the Atom stopped him once.”

The “at least Wolfman credits his readers with some intelligence” dept.: When Kory says that the Titans show compassion for those who hate them, she’s clearly referring to Grant Wilson of last issue, yet there’s no footnote mentioning that battle. Footnotes, a common and often instrusive DC editorial practice, reminded readers of what went on in previous issues. I like it that Wolfman (or Wein, perhaps) trusts his readers to draw the inference themselves.

I agree, the Fearsome Five were not Wolfman's most inspired creations.

Good observation about Romeo Tanghal's shortcomings as an inker. Personally, my favorite inker over Perez was Pablo Marcos (who inked Perez on many issues of Avengers and on the Superman/OMAC issue of DC Comics Presents.)

I liked Gizmo, Shimmer and Mammmoth, but Psimon didn't really seem to fit the rest.

I do agree that it would be fun to see a really smart strong person, or, a really strong person who *isn't* bulky and muscular, because his strength comes from super-powers, not working out. Some little slip of a girl, or weedy guy, or frail-looking old man, who has freakish strength and uses thousand-dollar words. The *last* person you'd think of as a tank.

It's interesting that, twenty years later, writers like Millar are still playing with the creepy incestuous vibe that Shimmer and Mammoth gave off, only applying it to characters like the Ultimate Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

It's hard to go back and read stories starring Arthur Light and not think of him in his new incarnation of Dr. Rape.

He was Image before there was Image, I think, tapping into a market that didn't exist yet.

He had that same sort of feel to him, being just badass, generally, and able to, without flashy super-powers, hold off a team of experienced superpowered individuals. He had a sort of 'evil Captain America' vibe to him, and very much reminded me of what the Taskmaster character could have been if written more memorably.

Really, he kinda was the Taskmaster, with only his personality and personal emotional investment in dealing with the Titans (because of his son, Grant), and the secondary mythology that began developing around him (Wintergreen, Adeline, the Hive, Joseph) etc. turning him into something other than a one-off villain.

Some stars hurtle off into the void. Some accrete all sorts of material that spins around them, and end up with their own solar systems.

Taskmaster hurtled off into the void. Deathstroke became the center of his own system.

Yeah, I've always wondered why every Kryptonian we see seems to be bulked up muscle-wise. If anything, it seems like they would be less muscular than average, since the amount it would take to really give them a workout would be tremendous.