Titans/Teen Titans Appreciation 2019

[Restingvoice]

I loved that team! Risk, Argent, Prysm & Joto (after renamed HotSpot) leaded by a de-aged Ray Palmer Atom.
It dind't sell very well and after the first arc they added some featuring of the fab 5 or Tim Drake, Supergirl and others.

Unfortunately, later, only Argent was correctly treated and featured into the Grayson Titans roster. She's missing since N52.
The others were used as slaughter meat. Geoff Jones got both of Risk's arms in his crises from Superboy Prime, later he goes rogue. He too is missing since N52.
HotSpot was one of the first victims at the Sanctuary of Tom King.
I lost track of Prysm, too bad.
The book lasted 24 issues, I am a fan of this run and I hope one day some writer may have the desire to give them a second chance.

Okay, now that you mention Argent, I remember which one it was. I read the preview of the first issue. They were in a spaceship about to crash, either that, or they're chased by something. I haven't read anything beyond that.

I remember Argent because she's hot and not so subtly crushing after Nightwing, though I don't know if that one is in this series or the next.

Anyway, the not selling well part is the actual problem, as it seems both DC and the fans have defined any Titans franchise by the existence of either the Fab Five or NTT crew

[failo.legendkiller]

Okay, now that you mention Argent, I remember which one it was. I read the preview of the first issue. They were in a spaceship about to crash, either that, or they're chased by something. I haven't read anything beyond that.

I remember Argent because she's hot and not so subtly crushing after Nightwing, though I don't know if that one is in this series or the next.

Anyway, the not selling well part is the actual problem, as it seems both DC and the fans have defined any Titans franchise by the existence of either the Fab Five or NTT crew

Yeah, that's the problem. Jurgens team was well written and filled with interesting characters but they weren't the old recognizable Teen Titans characters and because of this they failed.
It's really hard to introduce new characters without supporting them with others already established. Only Ray Palmer was not enough.

[byrd156]

Yeah, that's the problem. Jurgens team was well written and filled with interesting characters but they weren't the old recognizable Teen Titans characters and because of this they failed.
It's really hard to introduce new characters without supporting them with others already established. Only Ray Palmer was not enough.

Plus the de-aged Ray Palmer was kinda strange for a Teen Titans book.

[Restingvoice]

Yeah, that's the problem. Jurgens team was well written and filled with interesting characters but they weren't the old recognizable Teen Titans characters and because of this they failed.
It's really hard to introduce new characters without supporting them with others already established. Only Ray Palmer was not enough.

Okay, so I'm going back to my original premise. The Fab Five or NTT crew supervising the newer Titans. Doesn't have to be all nine of them. Just two or three are enough, the rest are new. These mentors are still the main characters but also build fanbase for the new characters.

Besides Johns Teen Titans, and I don't even want to count that because the teens are big names like Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl, have they done this?

[byrd156]

Okay, so I'm going back to my original premise. The Fab Five or NTT crew supervising the newer Titans. Doesn't have to be all nine of them. Just two or three are enough, the rest are new. These mentors are still the main characters but also build fanbase for the new characters.

Besides Johns Teen Titans, and I don't even want to count that because the teens are big names like Robin, Superboy and Wonder Girl, have they done this?

That's what the 90s Devin Grayson series was. It has a purpose, it had new characters, great character dynamics, and fun stories.

[king81992]

It's sad because Terra has so much potential to be more than what she's portrayed as. I would just like to see a writer really take us on a journey with her. Give her the Songbird treatment.

The writers tried to do that with New 52 but the Ravagers series sucked outside of Terra and BB. Sooner or later, some writer will try to retool her eventually.

[Restingvoice]

That's what the 90s Devin Grayson series was. It has a purpose, it had new characters, great character dynamics, and fun stories.

Oh, that one.

The starting roster only has Argent and Damage as the unknown, I'm counting Jesse Quick as bigger names because she's a former sidekick, but it's the closest to what I imagine. Ideally I want equal amount of unknown and popular characters, so there's that familiar banter of friends hanging out and also the conflict that comes with new members and strangers, but yeah, this looks like what I want.

[failo.legendkiller]

Oh, that one.

The starting roster only has Argent and Damage as the unknown, I'm counting Jesse Quick as bigger names because she's a former sidekick, but it's the closest to what I imagine. Ideally I want equal amount of unknown and popular characters, so there's that familiar banter of friends hanging out and also the conflict that comes with new members and strangers, but yeah, this looks like what I want.

Yes, I agree, it's the right formula.
Anyway Argent and Damage wasn't new characters, Toni had before a run in Teen Titans and Grant had a solo book after having a central role in 90's crisis Zero Hour.

[skyvolt2000]

Yeah, that's the problem. Jurgens team was well written and filled with interesting characters but they weren't the old recognizable Teen Titans characters and because of this they failed.
It's really hard to introduce new characters without supporting them with others already established. Only Ray Palmer was not enough.

To be fair it lasted two years.

It also lost George Perez and killed off Hotspot-who later came back.

It did add Freddy from Shazam for awhile.

Also the few teens you had were already heading to Young Justice. So you teen pool was pretty much EMPTY. Outside of Damage, Ray, Anima & Spoiler. Maybe Red Devil (if he was around).

[Restingvoice]

Two years not bad for a bunch of notsowellknowns

So I was browsing on Titans when I found this particular choice of Trade cover. This looks pretty representative on how DC views Deathstroke, Nightwing and Titans

Cover._SX1280_QL80_TTD_ (3).jpg

[byrd156]

Two years not bad for a bunch of notsowellknowns

So I was browsing on Titans when I found this particular choice of Trade cover. This looks pretty representative on how DC views Deathstroke, Nightwing and Titans

Cover._SX1280_QL80_TTD_ (3).jpg

That is a very lame cover. It looks like they just blew up a single panel and called it a day.

Why not have Deathstroke looming over the team or a little bit of effort put into it?

[Mel Dyer]

That's what the 90s Devin Grayson series was. It has a purpose, it had new characters, great character dynamics, and fun stories.

The lighter, character-driven stories were a little too light for the NTT fans, since Wolfman was never the feel-good storyteller on Titans, that Grayson was. Never...and that left her coming up, a little short on action, intensity, suspense. The idea that the Titans aren't like other teams, because its a 'family' - that was Devin's thing, and not Wolfman's.

Dan has restored the Titans to being what Wolfman built them into, ..a hot, hard-hitting, little strike force, aiming low and dark, while the JLA drops in from the Heavens. Being less powerful, than their mentors, the Titans use their individual skills and powers in a complex, coordinated fighting style, like Marvel's X-Men - that was also a signature feature of the team.

Raven should have been Sargon the Sorcerer's granddaughter. There. I said it.

[byrd156]

The lighter, character-driven stories were a little too light for the NTT fans, since Wolfman was never the feel-good storyteller on Titans, that Grayson was. Never...and that left her coming up, a little short on action, intensity, suspense. The idea that the Titans aren't like other teams, because its a 'family' - that was Devin's thing, and not Wolfman's.

Dan has restored the Titans to being what Wolfman built them into, ..a hot, hard-hitting, little strike force, aiming low and dark, while the JLA drops in from the Heavens. Being less powerful, than their mentors, the Titans use their individual skills and powers in a complex, coordinated fighting style, like Marvel's X-Men - that was also a signature feature of the team.

Raven should have been Sargon the Sorcerer's granddaughter. There. I said it.

Uh I don't think we read the same books or you got something completely different out of the NTT than I did.

[failo.legendkiller]

The lighter, character-driven stories were a little too light for the NTT fans, since Wolfman was never the feel-good storyteller on Titans, that Grayson was. Never...and that left her coming up, a little short on action, intensity, suspense. The idea that the Titans aren't like other teams, because its a 'family' - that was Devin's thing, and not Wolfman's.

Dan has restored the Titans to being what Wolfman built them into, ..a hot, hard-hitting, little strike force, aiming low and dark, while the JLA drops in from the Heavens. Being less powerful, than their mentors, the Titans use their individual skills and powers in a complex, coordinated fighting style, like Marvel's X-Men - that was also a signature feature of the team.

Raven should have been Sargon the Sorcerer's granddaughter. There. I said it.

Grayson run could also be lighter than classic Wolfman/Perez but the 'family' thing is there since the start.
I have to disagree on Abnett restoring the characters, in my opinion he barely understood them.

[Jekyll]

I do not stop by this thread often, because I'm not a huge Teen Titans fan. HOWEVER, I saw discussion of the 90's Teen Titans by Dan Jurgens and I just wanted to add my love for that series!
Admittedly, the only reason I picked it up was because it features one of my favorite DC characters in Ray Palmer and what an amazing character arc he has during this series! The other characters I grew to like as well and the series overall is just plain fun! I doubt we would see anything this gutsy by DC in today's market and under the current leadership. It's sad that Ray is often cast aside in the larger DCU as he is an amazing character, Jurgens shows when you have a competent writer that the Atom works and is a vital hero in the DCU.