Let's Get Animated

Although this blog is about comic books, I'd like to take some time to comment on some of the animated series that have spawned from comic books.   

Teen Titans animated series

The New Teen Titans was my favorite comic book series back in the 80s.  So when the Teen Titans cartoon was announced, I was so excited for its 2003 debut.  Then I watched the first episode.  These weren't the teens I knew and loved.  This show was geared toward the Teletubbies market.  It was literally one of the worst shows I've ever watched, and I was personally insulted by its lack of substance.  How could they do this to such beloved characters?  I never watched another episode.

Young Justice comic book series

Cut to: 2007.  I start reading comic books again after 15 years of being comic book-free, thanks to Geoff Johns' work on the new Teen Titans series.  I pick up all the back issues.  This also prompts me to check out the Young Justice series from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.  I buy and read a few issues.  I discover it's just as bad as the Teen Titans animated TV show. I stick to the Teen Titans comic and forget about any of their history that I missed. 

Batman: The Brave and the Bold
animated series

Batman: The Brave and the Bold debuted in 2008 on the Cartoon Network.  At first, I was disappointed in the format, hoping for something more along the lines of Batman: The Animated Series or Justice League Unlimited.  Now, though, I've really grown to appreciate the campiness of the series, reminiscent of the 1960s Batman show and 1970s Saturday morning cartoons.  I also love seeing appearances by lesser known DC Comics characters in each episode. 

Avengers animated series

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon debuted this past fall on Disney XD.  It's been okay, but nothing spectacular, story-wise.  I guess that's to be expected since the many new Avengers comic book series that were started or re-started in the fall have been mediocre themselves.  I continue to half-watch it while doing other things around the house, though. 

Young Justice animated series

So when I hear about the new Young Justice animated series on the Cartoon Network, I'm a bit hesitant.  I'm quickly reminded of the Teen Titans animated series and the Young Justice comic book, both of which were too juvenile for even teenagers.  After watching the first episode, though, I know it's going to be one of my favorite shows on TV.  It's mature enough for adults to watch, yet not too complicated for kids to understand.  And while the series doesn't resemble the current Teen Titans comic book, it doesn't resemble the Young Justice comic book either. And that's a good thing.  Young Justice is about the sidekicks of members of the Justice League of America being inducted into the JLA.  To their surprise, though, it's not as full-fledged members.  They're still viewed as just sidekicks.  This prompts them to prove their worth.  

Young Justice animated series

I'm excited about the show's prospects and the promise of additional Teen Titans Young Justice members to come.  Awww...yeah!

Teen Talk

In the 1980s, I was a HUGE New Teen Titans fan.  In fact, it was my picking up an early issue of New Teen Titans in a 7-11 convenience store that totally got me hooked on the gang, as well as on comics in general.  Marv Wolfman's writing/storylines drew me into the world of DC Comics' teenaged superheroes.  George Perez's drawings made me really appreciate comics as an art form.  When Terra was introduced in 1982 as the latest New Teen Titan, I was fascinated by this new character.  She was sweet, innocent, and served as a great potential girlfriend for the otherwise silly and awkward Changeling/Beast Boy.  By the time "The Judas Contract" storyline came around in 1984 and Terra was exposed as a traitor, I was shocked...but thrilled.  Not only was her betrayal startling, but it was also risque that a 15-year-old girl was in a romance with Slade Wilson (Deathstroke the Terminator), probably at least 25 years her senior! [Gasp!]  It was then that I realized that comic books were not just for kids...and I had to have more of this amazing world.  Every Friday, I would get my new batch of comics for the week and read them all over the weekend.  Weeks that included the latest issue of The New Teen Titans were my favorite.

In 2007, I won an auction on eBay featuring the first 30 or so issues of the latest Teen Titans series (which began in 2003).  Wow.  The characters and storylines hearkened back to the day of Marv Wolfman and George Perez' original "new" team.   "Who was this Geoff Johns guy?  He's a great writer for the Teen Titans," I thought.  "He really knows the characters well and gets into their personal lives."  I was also pleasantly surprised by the new Superboy and Wonder Girl.  They really complemented the team and weren't just teenage offshoots of their adult namesakes.  Plus, Geoff added cool nostalgic touches like bringing onboard Wendy and Marvin from the old TV Super Friends days.   

I caught myself up to the series' current issue and still craved more.  I went out and started purchasing other comic book series to see what had happened to my favorite characters over the years.  I also started buying more comic book series sets on eBay.  Once again, twenty-five years after the first time, the Teen Titans led me into the world of comic books.   

While I'm still reading and collecting comics again, I have to admit that, unfortunately, since Geoff Johns left The Teen Titans, no writer has been able to share or equal the love and attention to detail he showed the teens.  Sean McKeever focused so much on Ravager (Deathstroke's daughter) and some new supervillain group called the Terror Titans that I forgot which comic book I was reading.  Where were the Teen Titans?  Why weren't they in their own comic book anymore?  And why did this book become so Ravager-centric?  The team was whittled down to nothing (goodbye Robin, Superboy, Red Devil, and Miss Martian!).  When new team members were finally added, we got Kid Eternity, the new clutzy Blue Beetle, and Static?  Thanks, but no. 

I was excited to hear that a new writer would be taking over the scripting reins with Teen Titans #75.  Also, many characters were being brought back and/or added to the mix.  Someone must have been equally unenthusiastic with the downward spiral the Teen Titans had taken.  To add to the intrigue and my enthusiasm, the new writer was female.  Felicia D. Henderson, a TV series writer, was given The Teen Titans as her first comic book series assignment ever.  I was excited about the possibilities and what she might do with the female characters in the group:  Wonder Girl, the reinstated Miss Martian, new Aquagirl, and Bombshell.  Sadly, I've just read issue #81 and, seven issues later, my question is still unanswered.  Instead of giving us the female perspective or delving into interpersonal relationships, the book has become Static-centric (yes, we get that you really, really want people to like this former Milestone character) and features a Ravager story as the "second feature" in every issue (still written by Sean McKeever).  Yawn to both. 

Writers mustn't forget that these characters are, above all else, TEENAGERS.  They have different emotions, feelings, worries, and interpersonal relationships than the adult superheroes.  Most of all, they like to have fun.  Geoff Johns was very cognizant of these traits when he brought the characters (and the series) back to life in 2003.  I wish someone else would remember that before we're all having to say goodbye again to the Teen Titans.