Titans...Together?

The New Teen Titans was my favorite comic book in the '80s. I loved everything about it -- the stories by Marv Wolfman, the art by George Perez, the relatable characters, the character development, the relationships between the characters, the villains, and on and on. So when DC Comics decided to band the original team back together in 2008 into a new Titans comic, I was all for it. Many said that it was just DC trying to capitalize on nostalgia without providing any substance to the comic or giving it much marketing. And they were right.

The first year of issues rehashed several storylines that I felt I had read and re-read several times before like "Raven's Demonic Father Trigon Tries to Take Over the World" and "Jericho Gone Bad. Again. For, like, the 12th time. No, really. Those Titans are such SUCKERS." Sigh...I felt duped. And taken advantage of. And I felt that the Titans had been wronged. How could DC Comics treat their bread-and-butter from the '80s so horribly?

After these two failed storylines, Nightwing leaves the team as he becomes the new Batman. It's then that I felt that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's not going to get any better, is it? Surprisingly, I was wrong. In an odd sort of way. With Nightwing out of the picture; Beast Boy (and possibly Raven, too) going to the Teen Titans; and Donna Troy, Cyborg, and Starfire moving to Justice League of America; the Titans comic is now focusing on the breakdown of the team. They're providing single issue stories, with each issue focusing on one character of the disassembling team. These are some of the best Titans stories I've read in years. Their disbanding is the best thing that ever happened to them. It's too bad DC couldn't have put this much energy and creativity into the comic when they weren't sending it into the crapper. I guess it's just as well. We all have to grow up sometime. Those who were your friends when you were young won't always be your friend as an adult. People grow apart. It's about time the Titans did, too.