Remembering the Teen Titans

I am halfway through The Titans Companion, a book published in December 2005 by TwoMorrows Publishing. Written by Glen Cadigan, this is a delight for hardcore Teen Titans fans who want to get the inside scoop on the Titans from their initial conception in the 1960s to the present day. Like their previous effort, The Legion Companion, this volume offers articles, interviews, and an amazing array of artwork by Perez, Cardy, Garcia-Lopez, etc. It starts off, not with the Titans, but with a history of each of the teen sidekicks. I knew Robin, Kid Flash, and Speedy very well, but I was always unclear about Aqualad and Wonder Girl's origin. Aqualad is not Aquaman's son-he's an Atlantean who was initially afraid of fish! Wonder Girl was initially a flashback to Wonder Woman's childhood, until Robert Kanigher retconned her adventures into a computer simulation. It was Marv Wolfman who actually devised the origin where Donna Troy was rescued from a burning building by Wonder Woman. The idea for the Teen Titans was first suggested by a letter in Brave and Bold #30. The editor, George Kashdan, agreed and assigned Bob Haney the job of scripting their first adventure in Brave and Bold #54.

As a kid, I was crazy about Robin; I wanted any comic with him on the cover. That extended to the Teen Titans as well. I thought it was a terrific concept to have Kid Flash, Speedy, Robin, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad in one book. The early adventures were really hokey, with villains like the Mad Mod and Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd. The book covers Bob Haney's involvement in the initial series, which is a real treasure, because Haney is an elusive character in comic book history. Haney was understandably bitter when Dick Giordiano became the editor and replaced him with Steve Skates.

Throughout these early years, Nick Cardy's artwork is just astonishing. I think the costume he designed for Wonder Girl is a classic. Even though Perez and Jimenez came up with some good inventions, the Cardy red-stars will always be my favorite. There's a very good interview with Cardy where he talks about Wonder Girl's new costume. Cardy's drawings of Wonder Girl are peppered throughout the book. I don't think any heroine has ever been depicted so cute and sexy.

I remember being shocked by Titans 25, a really shocking change occurred when the kids failed to stop the assassination of a scientist who won the Nobel Peace Prize. Writer Steve Skates and Editor Dick Giodiano talk about this phase in the Companion. It seems incredible that Kid Flash couldn't stop it all by himself, but it happens. On his deathbed, the scientist says to the group: "Your powers and capacities for violence…carry awful responsibilities. You're like…living atom bombs, but you're still only kids." The Justice League threatens to shut the kids club down for good. Luckily for the Titans, it's Lilith's first appearance, dancing in a go-go bar cage and rattling the boys into a sexual frenzy. She introduces the Titans to a mysterious man called Mr. Jupiter who convinces the heroes to give up their costumes and go undercover. Two new heroes, Mal and Lilith joined, and shared a brief kiss-daring, for the 1960s, because he was black and she was white.

The bulk of the interviews involve Marv Wolfman and George Perez in their co-creation of the New Teen Titans. It's one of the most revealing behind-the-scenes interviews on any comic book creation. Wolfman talks about how he took his time designing the team, concentrating not on powers, but on their personalities and relationships. By having a cyborg, a demon empath, an Amazon, an interstellar princess, and members of other DC classic teams, Wolfman would set himself up to tell almost any type of story. Both men are brutally honest. Wolfman regrets what happened to the Omega Men after they got their own series. Perez initially took the Titans job as a favor to Marv and as a way to get the Justice League assignment he desperately craved. When the Titans became a hit, Perez gave up his other assignments in order to improve as an artist and give the fans more. So many classic storylines were planned in advance: Blackfire, Vigilante, Terminator, Terra, and Jericho. Wolfman proved that he was as adept at superhero stories as he was at Tomb of Dracula. The Terra storyline that climaxed in The Judas Contract has to be one of the best superhero stories ever told. Who could forget Tales of the Teen Titans 44 that featured the first appearances of both Nightwing and Jericho? Wolfman and Perez grew the Titans from teenagers to adults. Dick Grayson became not only Nightwing, but one of the most strategic leaders of any superteam.

No subject is spared in Titans Companion. Titans West is covered in an interview with Bob Rozakis. Neal Adams discusses the three issues he worked on. Chris Claremont talks about the X-Men/Titans team-up. Kevin Maguire and Phil Jimenez are interviewed about the spin-off series, Team Titans! The first three issues of Team Titans had some of the best Maguire art that I've ever seen.