This is a review of The New Teen Titans: Volume One. I will not lie to you, dear reader. Marv Wolfman (writer) and George Perez’s (artist) run of the New Teen Titans is one of my favorite comic runs of all time. Keep in mind I’m not saying it’s one of the best, just one of my favorites. Yes, some of the content is problematic. Read: Raven manipulating Kid Flash’s emotions. But the synergy between artist and writer works very well. Along with Chris Claremont – writer of the X-Men – Mr. Wolfman is one of the most influential mainstream comic writers of the early 1980’s.
The New Teen Titans consists of seven members: Robin #1, aka Dick Grayson; Wonder Girl, aka Donna Troy, aka Wonder Woman Lite; Kid Flash, aka Wally West, aka Midwestern Americanus. These were the three members of the original team, whose adventures in the 1970’s may be readable to other people. They are joined by Starfire, aka Koriand’r, aka escapee from a Gor novel; Raven, aka Rachel Roth; Changeling, aka Gar Logan, aka Doom Patrol castoff; and Cyborg, aka Vic Stone.
The New Teen Titans are formed by Raven, an empath, because she’s terrified of her father, who is the Devil. The demon Trigon is the lord of an alternate universe who is so over-the-top evil it’s almost comical. His daughter Raven is emotionally manipulative and emotionally withdrawn at the same time, most likely because of trauma. One of the things that escaped my notice when I was twelve years old is that Raven is also a pacifist who eschews physical violence.
The villains of this volume are Deathstroke the Terminator, a villain who’s still around today. Also the Fearsome Five, who aren’t. But the star villain of this volume is Raven’s old man, Trigon, who puts the capital E in Evil. The Titans also have the obligatory brawl with another superhero team, in this case the Justice League of America, for plot reasons I didn’t quite understand at the time (mostly because it made no sense). Years later, I finally get it. Hint: $$$.
Highly recommended.
Abandoned Places 