New Teen Titans #1 (November, 1980)
"The New Teen Titans"
Writer & Co-Creator - Marv Wolfman
Penciller & Co-Creator - George Perez
Finisher - Romeo Tanghal
Letterer - Ben Oda
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.50
Ya know, I was gonna cover that Lex 2000 book today... but, I think by now we're all kinda spent on the election thang. Let's just have some fun instead, eh?
The only sorta-kinda political comment I'll make is... I hope the election went the way you wanted it to...
Now let's get right down to it!
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We open with Robin holding a golden woman... okay, I'm not gonna pretend I don't know who these "New" Titans are... you know who they are, I know who they are. Let's start over... We open with Robin holding a fallen Starfire while surrounded by Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Beast Boy Changeling, and Raven. Their little collective is surrounded by frog-faced alien creatures.
We then shift to what is labeled as an "epilogue"... but I have a sneaking suspicion Marv meant "prologue"... anyhoo, Starfire is fleeing from those same frog-faced aliens. One refers to her as Koriand'r... however, she corrects him... it's Princess Koriand'r. She loads her bronze bod into an escape pod, and zooms off... but to where?
We now join Dick Grayson, who is sleeping at the Wayne Foundation building. He is having a nightmare featuring the old Teen Titans... alongside some New Teen Titans. He wakes up with a shout, and before he can shake the sleep from his system, he sees a woman in a long cloak standing at the foot of his bed. This of course, is Raven. She has need of him. Him, and... the Teen Titans.
She hands him a phone... which has already been dialed. On the other end... Wally West. Dick tells him what's up, but Wally just ain't feeling a return to the superhero lifestyle. He's currently a full-time college student, and here we learn that Dick has dropped out of school. Dick hangs up, and Raven says she'll "handle Kid Flash", and suggests he find Wonder Girl. He suits up, and walks past a very dapper looking Bruce Wayne (complete with ascot and pipe!) before heading out.
Robin hops on his motorbike and follows Raven's soul-self directly to Donna Troy. She is standing in the wreckage of the building that Wonder Woman found her in all those years ago. This is a plot point we discussed during Who is Donna Troy?. She recounts her origin... which at this point, wasn't nearly as convoluted as it is these days.
Dick arrives... which startles Donna, so much so that she takes a swing at him. Once she realizes that it's the Teen Wonder, she pulls back. As they catch up, they notice a dog... with green skin hanging around. It's Beast Boy Changeling!
They reconnoiter for a bit, and before long a suited-up Kid Flash arrives on the scene with a new resolve. The Raven-effect is in full-force. The foursome decide to bring the band back together and help their new caped friend.
We shift scenes to Newark City College in Newark, New Jersey. We watch as an incredibly athletic young man performs feats of amazing... well, athleticism. He is pleading with his coach to allow him to rejoin the team... after all, he's an Olympic-level athlete. The Coach says it's not in the cards, and our man lowers his hood. Half of his head is comprised of steel... why it's our old friend, Victor Stone... Cyborg! After the Coach shuffles off, Vic gets a visit from Raven.
Shortly, the rest of the Titans arrive, and Raven gives them their mission. Or she's about to, when she notes that their final member has not yet arrived. She sends the Titans to the United Nations Plaza to meet the threat head-on... and whattaya know, it's the frog-faced alien menace!
We get a few pages of a fight, and the Titans handily take down the green guys. Raven's soul-self heads off toward the nearby Secretariat Building in search of their final member... she cannot find her. Of particular interest, Robin calls attention to Raven taking off during a fight... but Wally is quick to stand up for her.
We jump to an apartment in the East Village. Through the skylight, we can see our Princess Koriand'r laying in a bed. A young couple is tending to her wounds while she babbles away in her strange alien language.
The fella who is tending to her turns out to be one Grant Wilson. Yeah, as in Deathstroke's other son... the one without the buttered-popcorn head. By all appearances, his relationship with his girlfriend Carol is quite contentious. She accuses him of cheating on her with several gals... and also calls him out for hanging around some bad apples... who I'd have to assume are bee-themed villains. As they argue, the frogmen invade!
Lucky for all involved, the Titans are hot on their tail. A battle ensues... and in quite close quarters. The frogmen swipe Starfire and flee... leaving a miniature black-hole behind to suck our heroes in. By some crafty teamwork, including Donna's golden lasso... nobody gets yanked into the void.
With a job... kinda done, the Titans prepare to leave. Grant is quick to inform them that they, ya know... destroyed his home. Robin gives him a somewhat dismissive answer and tells him he'll be compensated. This seems to trigger something in our ravaging pal.
We find that Starfire is being held captive on the lead frog-man's space ship. Apparently this young lady has a lofty price on her head, and has fallen through their fingers at least once before. Shortly, Raven deposits the Titans on board... then vanishes in search of a computer. Robin again calls attention to that fact... annnnd, Wally again defends her, this time with a bit more 'tude.
Another battle ensues, and the Titans make really quick work of the alien menace. During the fight, Vic and Raven are attending to the busted on-board computer system. Robin rescues Starfire as Gar is summoned by Raven to help.
Gar arrives at Vic's side. He is needed to attach a wire deep within the computer console. He shifts into the shape of a mouse, and does his best rodent electrician impression. Soon as that's done, the Titans take their leave.
Just in time for... the ship to explode! Whoa, that's pretty hardcore. Gotta wonder how many frog-faced aliens perished in the blast... at the very least, one called Weezak. Now, what would Batman say, Dick?
We wrap up with the Titans deciding to make their teaming arrangement permanent. Raven informs them that there is much work for them to do. Off on the periphery is our pal Grant Wilson... and a member of the H.I.V.E. discussing the very destruction of our New Teen Titans.
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Now this is a loaded issue, innit? A great one, as well!
It seems that many Titans fans I've chatted with over the years feel that this volume took about a year (or two) before finding its feet. I'm not sure I'm totally on board with that assessment. I'll concede that there were a few weak ones in the pre-Terra issues, but overall I really dug it. This initial offering from Marv and George does a great job of setting the table for an amazing run.
It's been a long time since I've read this issue, but it feels like slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes. Here we have several disparate individuals melding into a fine oiled machine of a team within mere pages. It may seem unnatural... and the best part of this is... it's sorta supposed to be. We've got the ultimate wild card in Raven... an empath, who can ya know... kind of effect the way folks act. Just look at her effect on Wally West... this actually becomes a really cool story point later on.
Sticking with the Raven-effect for just a bit... it's pretty telling that she was somehow able to pull this team together to begin with when by all appearances none of them appeared to be terribly interested from the get-go. Like I said... a lot of this is actually addressed... and it's pretty great.
We also get the first appearance of Grant Wilson... the Ravager! I'd completely forgotten he was in here... I would've sworn he first appeared in the next issue... which, *grumble grumble* is the only issue of New Teen Titans that I am still missing. He doesn't seem nearly as menacing as I remember either... just some punk dude with a chip on his shoulder. It's amazing to consider what a seminal moment in not only Titans history, but DC Comics history this all winds up becoming... and all by chance!
If I were to pick any nits... and ya know I gotta... it's gonna be my classic DC complaint... the bad guys. Some frog-faced aliens don't really rock my socks... not that I'm all that hot on Trigon either, but I'd much rather them face a big threat right out of the gate.
Overall... if you're a Titans fan, you've probably already read this. If you somehow haven't, yeah... definitely do so. It's been collected a bunch of times, and should not be too terribly difficult to come by. Hell, you could probably stumble into a decent "reader" copy for under $10.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Superman (vol.2) #164 (January, 2001)
"Tales from the Bizarro World"
Writer - Jeph Loeb
Pencillers - Ed McGuinness & Carlo Barberi
Inkers - Cam Smith & Juan Vlasco
Letterer - Richard Starkings
Colorists - Tonya & Richard Horie
Assistant Editor - Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
It's Election Day in Metropolis, what could possibly go wrong? I think it's also Election Day somewhere in the real world as well... and it doesn't seem like anything can go right! That's about as political as this post will get, hopefully. I'm really not much of a political animal anymore. At one point in my life, perhaps... but I just kinda got "over it".
If you ask me, DC did a great job in 2000 by ignoring the actual election and just throwing ol' Lex in office. Again... if you ask me, this is the way politics should be handled in comics. I don't read comics to get bombarded with political opinions or talking points... gimme a fictional Commander in Chief any day over a current sitting President either acting as a super-villain or fist-bumping with Spider-Man.
Annnnnnnnnnnyhoo, let's check in with the Super-gang as they prepare for a potential life under Lex.
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We open up with Jimmy Olsen hanging precariously from a helicopter with hopes of snapping some pics of a Navy submarine that is running on LexCorp's (now) proprietary B13 viral tech. Jimmy being Jimmy... he leans just a bit too far outside the chopper... and falls out. Lucky for him, Superman Bizarro #1 is there to catch him before he falls too far.
All during the flight, Jimmy thinks it's Superman that's pulled his fat skin and bones out of the fire drink. He flies him past the Daily Planet building and winds up dropping him into... an open grave. That's not too morbid, right? The tombstone reveals the grave to be the secret entrance for Jimmy Olsen... Gravedigger Lad! Beats the hell out of Turtle Boy!
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We then cut to Lois and Clark's apartment... and an unwelcome shift in art. Normally I really dig Carlo Barberi's style... really liked his work on Impulse, but... c'mon, we just had Ed McGuinness. Anyhoo, Lois and Clark are visited upon by Batman... who is concerned about the pending Presidential Election. Brainiac's B13 virus wiped away all records concerning Lex Luthor's criminal activity... and to the layman, he's nothing more than a successful businessman and a model citizen. Batman suggests digging up some dirt on the man, but Superman ain't feeling it. He doesn't believe that it is their place to get involved with the democratic process. He still believes that the American people will do what's right in the end. 'fraid I got some bad news, pal.
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We rejoin Jimmy who is hanging out with a couple of his pals. They're about to take in a movie, and as they walk they discuss the election and whether or not it's important to vote. Before they can go inside, a gravely voice calls to Jimmy from an alley... why it's Bizarro again. This time, he's got a golden shovel that he tosses to his sidekick/pal Gravedigger Lad. He then scoops the boy up and prepares to take him to the JLA Headquarters on the Moon.
Speaking of the JLA HQ... Superman is there watching several video screens, all predicting a decent outcome for Lex Luthor in the election. Martian Manhunter briefly pops his head in, and cracks Superman up with a comment about Luthor's really having the best interests of the people in mind.
Back with Jimbo, he doesn't quite get into orbit as Supergirl arrives on the scene and saves his bacon. For some sick reason, Supergirl decides to swap spit with Superman's pal... ay yai yai. Thankfully Bizarro is there to stop the madness!
A battle rages on over the next several pages. Supergirl and Bizarro exchange blows... and Jimmy smacks the ground with his golden shovel... which does bugger all.
Suddenly Superman arrives on the scene... and man, he is not the man to mess with today. He sternly tells Bizarro to stand down. It's clear that this is a very different Superman... not one who will be reasoned with... Jimmy even comments that he feared Superman might actually kill Bizarro if he sticks around.
Without throwing a single punch, he causes Bizarro to leave... and run right into a big fella promising that the Great Darkness is on it's way.
We wrap up as the polls are closing. Our regular cast is hanging about at the Daily Planet... looking at the two potential front pages for the following morning.
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This was a pretty decent issue. Not great or anything... but I suppose I enjoyed my time with it. It's probably been... hmm, 15 years since I last read this, and I'd totally forgotten the Bizarro bits to this issue. I really expected it to be completely Lex-lection centric... and I gotta say, I'm disappointed that it wasn't. Not really sure what Bizarro added to all of this... though, perhaps they were just filling pages in order to get to the Superman: Lex 2000 Special where we find out the news. Maybe they just wanted Jimmy to notice that Superman might've killed Bizarro had he not left. I dunno...
I appreciate seeing Superman being really on edge here... while at the same time, maintaining his faith in the American people making the "right choice". There's something deeper here as well... Superman knows that it isn't his place to sway the hearts and minds of the voters... he's not running for (nor is he eligible to hold) office. It would be imprudent for him to stump for any political candidate. That's another thing I really dig about this era. While he knows what Lex is all about... knows how dangerous he can be... he still allows the democratic process to commence.
Looking back at this... it's interesting how tightly plotted this whole storyline was. I mean, we start in No Man's Land... and go through Our World's At War... and ultimately conclude during the opening arc of Superman/Batman. I know the "Berganza" era sometimes gets a bad wrap, but this was good stuff... if you ask me. This (and Ed McGuinness' art) was what ultimately brought me back into the Super-books.
I'm guessing by now most folks know what the outcome of the DCU's 2000 Election was... and hell, time travelers will know the outcome of the 2016 United States Election by now. Lex wins... I dig it... not sure if I'm going to cover the Lex 2000 special at this point. We'll see...
For more electoral fun, check out one'a my best bloggy buddies and fellow Super Blogger Mike Carlyle's piece today where he covers Prez #1. Mike's site is always a good time, do give him a peek!
Morning Edit: Great (or addled) minds think alike. Another one'a my best bloggy pals Walt Kneeland covered this same issue of Superman this morning. Give it a gander!
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Letters Page:
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Superman #345 (March, 1980)
"When Time Ran Backward!"
Writer - Gerry Conway
Penciller - Curt Swan
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer - Ben Oda
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.40
I've come to the conclusion that if you were to pick up a random DC Comic dating between 1975 and 1985, you've got about a 95% chance that it was written by Gerry Conway. That's not a bad thing at all... I mean, I knew he was prolific... just didn't know he was quite this prolific!
Based on today's subject matter, I was considering writing this entire piece backwards. Luckily for me and anyone reading, I quickly dismissed that thought as... well, stupid.
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We open with Superman stopping a flaming satellite from reentering the atmosphere. It is the NEWS-I Satellite... the first orbiter set to actually control the weather. Superman catches it and intends to return it to S.T.A.R. Labs so they can diagnose just what went wrong with their ridiculous device.
Upon landing, Superman gets a crazy case of the chills. There's a purple haze around everything... and suddenly, just as the cover promised... time appears to go in reverse! We watch as Superman returns the satellite into orbit, and flies backwards to his news anchor position at WGBS.
Time continues moving backward as Clark relives his day in reverse. It isn't until he gets outside his building... before a work day he finished long before, if you follow. He realizes that time isn't behaving normally, and wills himself to think forward again. He believes that whatever is going on with the time stream has less of an effect on him due to his propensity to travel through time, both now and when he was a child due to his affiliation with the Legion of Super Heroes.
Upon realization... and mental refocusing, the Metropolitan landscape appears to change. Suddenly Clark finds himself standing on barren land... which immediately causes him to realize that the "chronal layers" have been peeled away from Earth. Must be some of that Super-Intellect at play here... because I'm all sortsa confuzzled.
Now, this is where I get even more mixed up. Somehow, Superman is able to return to Metropolis... however, now we're in the early 1960's. He tries to consider just who his foe will be, and comes up with Chronos... before quickly dismissing the thought. This, is far out of that sap's league. Luckily for Superman he finds himself right in front of a spacecraft armed with several vacuum-looking bits that are "stealing time". Oy.
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What's a man of steel to do in such a situation? If you said crash through the wall of the spacecraft, give yourself a pat on the back. Inside we meet a bearded alien and his big green pincer-bot... that we're not supposed to realize is a robot at this point. The beardo ensures Superman that they have come in peace (famous last words) and that they are whatever the time equivalent to astronauts are... chrononauts? Anyhoo, they were struck out of space-time by some cthulhu-beast and had to siphon time away from Earth for their very survival. Superman's all "Get your own time!" before thinking that he may be able to help his new pals.
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The beardo has his (shhh) robot, Koman-Ta show Superman the damage that had been done to their craft. While investigating the wreckage, Superman notes the presence of on board gun-turrets. This makes him question the "peaceful" nature of these strange visitors. At this point, Superman has decided he's had just about enough of the chrononaut's B.S., and just chucks the time vacuums into space. Attaboy!
Koman-Ta doesn't take too kindly to this affront, and pounces on Superman. This is yet another one of those Superman images I dig because it kind of looks like he's dancing with a bad guy. Anyhoo, the bot blasts him with a burst of glowing energy... and our main man gets kayoed.
Some time (?) later, Superman wakes up laying on the streets of Metropolis. He finds that things are rather peculiar, ever since he tossed the time-vacuums into space... rather than time returning to normal, it just stopped flat. Speaking of flat... well, Superman is now a being in 2D space. Koman-Ta's blast was of chronal energy... which somehow trapped Superman in a cross-section of Earth's time line... ooookay.
He decides to track down the baddies... which, I gotta say... is probably a good start. He breaks the time-barrier and travels to the when and where the craft is currently hanging out. He (literally) slips inside. Beardo commands Koman-Ta to blast Superman again... which is a much harder task with his newly flattened form. Superman then... punches Koman-Ta's head clean off its body. Hey, guess what guys and gals... it was a robot... the. whole. time.
The bearded buddy decides now is as good a time as any to spill the beans about his real purpose. His people along with a rival-time race have been at war for ages. His ship was damaged in a battle, not by a shoggoth beast. Superman takes pity on the poor fool, and offers something of a compromise. First however, the Bad Beard's gotta set Earth time right.
Superman uses the time-accelerator to set things right, and then throws our alien buddy "sideways" through time so that he can warn his people about what's to come. We end just as we started... with Superman holding the NEWS-I Satellite atop the S.T.A.R. Labs building.
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The cover of this issue promises a "mind-shattering story", and I'll be damned if they didn't deliver. What a whack out little story this was.
While I was prepared for some time shenanigans from the cover copy, I really wasn't expecting Superman to be taken out of 3D space. I'm gonna have to research to see if the concept of the 2D Superman was ever revisited. Sounds like something right up Grant Morrison's alley.
If I were handed this comic book during my youth, I'd have used it a the reason why I avoided DC and stuck with Marvel. I know I've mentioned this before, but I just could never get into the bad guys that the DC heroes fought. I mean, why would I get invested in random aliens #1000 and 1001, when I could read about the X-Men battling Magneto or Apocalypse?
In my more mature (heh!) state, I can see the appeal of these one-off disposable stories. They can be as fantastical as they needed to be, and ramifications did not necessarily need to be followed up on. In my bloggy-reviewer state, I can absolutely appreciate these one-off tales... they are so much easier to just pop in on and write about than their interwoven brethren.
You may have noticed by now that I'm not really talking about the book... there's a reason for that... there's really not a whole lot to say. I had a great time reading it, and though parts of it made my head hurt, thought it was a heck of a fun little story. The writing and art were both what we've come to expect from late pre-Crisis Superman. Not exceptional, but good comfortable comics.
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