I haven't seen the DC animated version of Crisis on Infinite Earths yet, and I know a version of Kingdom Come is still on a lot of fans' wishlists; but for me DC is leaving money on the table having never adapted this one: from 1997, Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone, story and art by Adam Warren, inks by Tom Simmons. 

This was a squarebound Elseworlds book, and I wonder how it sold. OK, looking it up, 21,066 copies? And I have at least two? Ranked 131, but it was at a higher price-point than most of the titles around it...wow, outranked by Superboy and the Ravers #9 and Untold Tales Legend of Captain Marvel? Sometimes I just want to take comics, as a collective, by the ear and have a little word with it...Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone is just good, man. It's exceedingly well-crafted and despite not really featuring the classic Teen Titans still says a lot about them.

In a far-flung future, a young witch realizes her satellite home was going to be in danger. To combat that, she ritualistically puts together a mythical team to fight the threat, patterned after the legendary Teen Titans. While she was the magic-y 'Raven' type, she recruits an energy alien living in a human corpse and a girl with a decommissioned military cyborg body as her 'Starfire' and 'Cyborg.' The last team member is her ex-boyfriend, but running a programed personality, of a certain famously brooding superhero, who describes "Dick" to a T: "A good-natured thug, lacking super-powers, but well-armed with a positive attitude." The new team has to face a colossal military death machine running amuck, but the witch is confident since in the super-hero myths "...in the end, the good guys never, ever, ever lose!" Maybe, but there might be more to that...

So, this has been reprinted at least once; and that Comichron sales page kicked over to eBay links to this one: there's several out there on the cheap, and I highly recommend it.

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80-Page Thursdays: DC's Spring Breakout! #1

The day I picked this up was a busy one! I had to replace the battery in my car, which took a bit of doing: walk to the O'Reilly's, walk back with the battery, bike back to the hardware store for a ratchet set...I was lucky enough to get done before it started raining, and the rest of the day kind of looked like how everyone thinks it does here all the time: namely, Seattle gray and rainy. But I had to rush, to make it to a sale the next town over! Anyway, I'm nattering on, since this won't fit in the scanner, and it's also appropriate for here that the cover says "Eight Sensational Stories to Spring you Forward" and we look at it the week we fall back! From 2024, DC's Spring Breakout! #1, with stories by Joey Esposito, Thomas Krajewski, Mike W. Barr, and more; and art by Nico Bascuñán, Scott Kolins, Marco Santucci, and more.

Oddly, only maybe two stories seem really spring break-related: the Teen Titans "Relay for your Life," where Robin tries, and mostly fails, at turning a beach day into team-building exercises; and the Metal Men in "The Day the Robot Danced." Has Scott Kolins done other Metal Men stories? Good fit there. Doc Magnus's latest robot has disappeared, Gold has called in sick but really just wanted a day off, and the Doc might've been distracted when sending Iron and Lead to enter a surf contest. A helpful surfer helps Tin get the hang of it, and he also figures out the new robot's problem: namely, it was built to be too serious, which means Doc Magnus took a perfectly good robot and gave it anxiety.

In "Field Trip" Harley Quinn swings back by Belle Reve prison, to bust King Shark out for some birthday fun: I want to say Harley's currently written as well-intentioned but seemingly with the superpower to make bad decisions. The trip involves an alien monster, space, and Metropolis, because that's how she rolls. "Cold Feet" is a character piece with Batman and Mr. Freeze: Bruce Wayne is a wallflower at his own party, until Mr. Freeze shows up. Stalling, Batman explains, without any direct references to himself, that he didn't like to dance, as he had lost his partner, namely, his mom. But he still ended up at balls or cotillions or whatever, and at one a striking ballerina asks him to dance, which both brings him out of himself a little, but also teaches him how to lead...like, to lead Freeze directly into a trap. But, shades of the Gotham TV show here: the ballerina had been Nora, who had been Freeze's fiance at the time--and was at the party! He met young Bruce! That almost feels like Freeze should be putting two-and-two together in the paddy wagon.

Mike W. Barr's "Soul Survivor" maybe doesn't have anything to do with spring break, but didn't Barr create Katana? Yeah, he can do whatever. Superman and Jimmy are catching "Opening Day" for the Metropolis Meteors, and "Shape-Shift in the Park" has an unusual face-off--multiple face-offs!--with Clayface crashing a Shakespeare in the Park thing, and the Martian Manhunter being forced to play opposite him. The Lex Luthor story might be the oddest, as Lex finds himself buried alive, but getting himself out is how he proves to himself that he was better than those who were just "given" powers. But was he President again? Or maybe this was set when he was...? A choice, that also doesn't really sing 'spring break,' but this wasn't bad. I did get another 80-pager, but am mildly disappointed since I had been looking for DC's I Know What You Did Last Crisis, although that one maybe doesn't have the jokes the cover makes you think it might. Read more!

I was more excited to see "Mystery in Space!" on the cover, than anybody else that's on there.

There's an Adam Strange cover that used "Misery in Space!" I'm a sucker for whenever DC uses this or a variant of it. From 1994, New Titans #111, "The Extra Mile!" Written by Marv Wolfman, pencils by Matt Thompson, inks by Rus Sever.

At first glance, I thought this was from the much later Dan Jurgens/Young Atom era of the Titans: nope! It's Arsenal, Changeling, Pantha and Kid Wildebeest on the cover; but none of them are the main focus inside. In South America, Dick Grayson has found Starfire, who has apparently been living with the natives, and doesn't seem to recognize Dick. But no time for love, as her adopted village is attacked from space, by a satellite controlled by the "Teraizer." Or Teraizers, that might have been the group's name: they were extortionists running under cover of being environmentalists. The other Titans were there in a LexCorp shuttle, and after Starfire takes a hit, Russian member Red Star risks flying out to save her.

Back on the ground, Dick shakes it off, and falls back on Batman's training to help rescue villagers. The Teraizer leader increases his demands to earth's governments, and one of his underlings worries that he's overplaying their hand, when the Titans bust in. The Teraizers are of course no match for the Titans, and Starfire refrains from killing them to make an example of them: she asks "green boy" to turn the cameras back on, to tell earth a story...At a glance, Starfire would regain her memory next month, then an issue of Dick working through his Bat-issues, just in time for a big line-up shake-up for Zero Hour. They also seem determined that Arsenal is a marquis name, and I don't see it. Read more!

80-Page Thursdays: Secret Origins Annual #3!

It's been like half a year since our last 80-pager, so yay! Glad to find another one--aw, the Teen Titans! Shoot. Still, a ton of great creators on this one: from 1989, Secret Origins Annual #3, "Pieces of the Puzzle" Written by George Pérez; pencils by Tom Grummett, Grant Miehm, Irv Novick, Michael Bair, Trevor Von Eeden, Dave Cockrum. Kevin Maguire, M. D. Bright, Colleen Doran, and Dick Giordano; inks by George Pérez, Anthony Van Bruggen, Ty Templeton, Michael Bair, Trevor Von Eeden, Larry Mahlstedt, Karl Kesel, Ian Akin, Brian Garvey, Romeo Tanghal, and Dick Giordano.

Dick Grayson is repeatedly tormented in a dreamlike state by a hooded figure in purple--the Time Trapper? No...I was pretty sure it was going to be that punkass Danny Chase, since I would've swore his costumed identity wore purple, but not him either. There are clues, you might be able to guess if you flip through it! Whoever it is, purple-hood makes Dick relive and recap the history of the Teen Titans, which involves the team breaking up and reforming over and over and over. And over. Along with disparaging Dick at every opportunity; purple-hood also seems to show a lot of interest in Donna Troy--seemingly seeing her as the only thing really holding the team together--and the newly retconned pre-Crisis Bat-Girl, now Flamebird. It doesn't get as creepy-weird as I thought it was going to; that's a plus. There also seems like a lot of page time devoted to Titans West, like "hey, remember when these jerks had their own team? Yeah, they broke up five minutes later."

(I have a theory about that! Donna holds the Titans together, because the guys all love her to various degrees, but with the possible exception of Speedy don't seem to seriously hit on her; because if like Dick and Donna got together and then something happened, the Titans would be over, as a concept. All of the guys in Titans West probably went after Flamebird and were probably all shot down, hard; and the team never gelled like Jello that...didn't gel, I guess.)

I don't think Pérez got enough credit as a writer: he did a run of Silver Surfer that I don't recall as great but should maybe revisit. Here he does a great job stitching together 25 years of assorted Titans comics into one story, along with a few updates, and wrapping it up with the then-current status quo for the team. Maybe if I'd read the book in the Wolfman/Pérez heyday, I'd be more fond of it; but so much infighting and breakups, it's like Fleetwood Mac, the comic. Did Fleetwood Mac even break up that much? I feel like they pushed through it. Read more!

Deathstroke always reminds me of that Michael Jordan meme...something about kids?

His own kids and others! Not only is Deathstroke a terrible parent, but no matter how much character development or growth he's given, he still goes back to Elmer Fudd anytime he's faced with more than three Titans. Like today's book! From 2017, Teen Titans: The Lazarus Contract Special #1, "The Lazarus Contract Conclusion" Plot by Christopher Priest, Benjamin Percy and Dan Abnett; script by Christopher Priest, pencils by Paul Pelletier, inks by Andrew Hennessy. 

Twelve Titans between two teams on this one...about half of any actually do anything here...as Deathstroke has stolen Kid Flash's powers (the Wallace West one!) in order to travel back in time and save his son Grant, who was molded by HIVE into Ravager then died fighting the Titans. I'm not a huge Titan fan, despite repeatedly buying cheap comics like this one, but I vaguely recall this from the first couple issues of Wolfman/Perez's New Teen Titans. I'm not sure it went down the exact same way in the New 52, but close enough? In "Take Three," Deathstroke tries physically removing Ravager from that fight, running him to a safe house in Vermont at super-speed: Grant is momentarily annoyed, but is a Deathstroke fanboy...until he unmasks as his dad. Deathstroke punches him out, noting "the kid's got a cement block for a brain," and opts to try again further down the timeline.

Elsewhere, the Titans are in disarray: the elder members were led by Nightwing, while the youngsters were under the firm hand of Damian, but both teams seem like herding cats. There's a bit of discussion on whether or not to call the Justice League, like the party's out of hand and time to call the parents. Also, when the heroes leave, Damian leaves the powerless Wallace behind, like he'd done enough for one day; as well as forgetting Jackson (Aqualad) Hyde! With Jericho, the other Kid Flash brings the Titans back in time, to just before the originals were about to go after Ravager. (And here you'll notice a timeline change: no Cyborg! And Dick's Robin costume has pants, Garth's costume is very Aquaman, Arsenal has a hat, and Lilith was there since Raven would've been a later addition.) Damian has a novel method of protecting the timeline: stopping Kid Flash's heart! The idea is, if 'dead' for a few seconds, that would break Deathstroke's connection, and it does, forcing him to watch Grant die while the timestream resets.

Wallace and Jackson catch a ride to the fight, with Deathstroke's "...friend..." Wintergreen: he seems to say it in a really loaded fashion, but I thought he was like Deathstroke's Alfred. Past Robin saves Past Kid Flash, and they return to their place in time, Wallace's powers return, and a furious Deathstroke--with some lightning bolt highlights on his costume!--threatens the Titans for taking his son away again. Although Jericho tries to talk him out of it--you still have one son, dad...dad?--Deathstroke blazes into the Speed Force and disappears. Wally thinks that's it for him, forever; which does get a solid cheer from the Titans; but Wallace points out a man just died, not cool, guys. Wallace goes into the Speed Force, and Wally knows he won't be able to get out unless he goes after him, and Nightwing has Lilith link the Titans up telepathically like a rope to bring them back. Damian abstains: in his eyes, Deathstroke was a murderer that hung himself. Yes, but...Nightwing argues, the team should stick together...even though one member seems to have made the call to risk them all...

In the Speed Force, Raven freaks out, because Wally freaks out: he had been afraid of Deathstroke, and that fear was now feeding through all of them. Jackson helps Damian put it together, and the little grouch grudgingly comforts Raven, to bring everyone back. Deathstroke had seen god knows what in the Speed Force, and while he seemed to be losing that knowledge, he still felt everyone there should die...including him. He unmasks and walks away...to his own book. In San Francisco, Damian confronts Wallace: both felt they had been right, but Damian fires him from the team, in Teen Titans #9. (How many #9's has Teen Titans had? And just as "Teen Titans," and not "New" or anything else?) And in Titans #12, Wally may owe Damian a kick in the ass, since his timeline had changed and he now had a pacemaker for his damaged heart, and had had it for years. And going on as Flash could kill him, which seems like a callback to his status around Crisis on Infinite Earths. 

Last Deathstroke post I mentioned we might look at something, and this wasn't it! But maybe eventually we'll get to another, with him and Damian for good measure. I've read a couple of his Teen Titans book, and my god, it's like the worst aspects of 90's Batman running the show: bossy, short, emotionally distant, manipulative. I think the idea is to show him learning and changing, but it's slow-going. Real slow. If you've ever been frustrated with Impulse's impulse control or Superboy's hormones; both of them seemed to grow out of it way faster than Damian is from his worst aspects.

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I don't recall this being beloved when it came out, either.

But I don't get Deathstroke's ongoing popularity either, especially when he's in books like this: from 2010, Titans: Villains for Hire Special #1, "The Best Laid Plans" Written by Eric Wallace, art by Fabrizio Fiorentino; Mike Mayhew; Sergio Arino; Walden Wong.

This is shorter and slightly less blatent in trying to tug on the heartstrings, but otherwise it reads just like Countdown to Infinite Crisis: despite a valiant struggle, a hero gets got, just to show the bad guys are hardcore. In flashbacks we see Deathstroke gathering his little team, largely by telling them whatever they needed to hear: for example, he promises Cheshire to solve her problems and help her restore her tarnished rep. Together, they gang up on the Ryan Choi Atom; hired by his foe Dwarfstar. Ryan puts up a good fight, before Deathstroke kills him, then delivers his corpse in a matchbox. (Who has matchboxes anymore?)

In their headquarters, complete with meeting table (and curiously, an extra empty seat) Deathstroke tells them they were Titans now, but the name choice wasn't business, it was personal. 

Weirdly, for a 2010 comic that was bagged and boarded, this was in not especially great shape when I bought it. I can only assume an Atom fan threw it on the ground more than once. I do believe Dwarfstar would get his in Secret Six #28, but Deathstroke remains bulletproof, which just stumps me. Sorry to end the week on a sour note, but we may be looking at another Deathstroke book later.

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"The End" Week: Team Titans #24!

This was purchased specifically for "The End" week, but also seems to be a great example of this year's unintended theme: it's a Zero Hour crossover, basically an invitation for new readers to check out the title, which is now cancelled, sorry. From 1994, Team Titans #24, "All Good Things..." Written by Jeffrey Jensen and Phil Jimenez, pencils by Nigel Tully, inks by Andrew Pepoy, Rus Sever, and Dan Davis. Cover by the series' previous regular artist, Terry Dodson, who I had hoped to see here. And some stones using that title, just a few months after the Next Generation finale did!

Going into this one, about the only thing I knew about Team Titans was its first issue had five variants, with a different back-up story and cover for each, but the same lead story. That crossed a line from 'gimmick' to 'scam.' Anyway, the Team's deal was they were from a possible future, ruled by Lord Chaos, and had travelled back in time to try and stop him from getting power. (Chaos was Donna Troy and Terry Long's son, so of course he was an abomination...) Or were they? A shadowy figure does a lot of monologuing and evil laughing; it's Hank Hall again, Monarch! This issue would continue in Zero Hour, where the Team Titans' possible future was erased or never formed, so the last twenty-some issues are kind of moot, then.

There may have been a few, regular Teen Titans in this issue, though; like Bumblebee, Malcolm, and Aqualad. The Terra here I think was from the alternate future, but she has turned up here and there since. Along with the usual Team Titans, there were a ton of others like the Human Mystery, Hellebore, Murder Master, and Green. Good luck finding anything on them anywhere! A lot of them seemed like the usual 90's pick-a-noun-that-hadn't-been-used-before heroes--there's a Battalion in here somewhere--but Human Mystery almost feels like a Golden Age oddball trying for a revival.

Anyway, there's a Studio 54 cameo, and a particularly hapless hero gets eaten by a pterodactyl off of the Space Needle, neither of which are as fun as you'd hope.

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Aw, they think they killed Deathstroke; that's adorable.

I know I'm an old, I'm not sure I recognize half these Teen Titans today. From 2020, Teen Titans Annual #2, "I Was Robin" Written by Robbie Thompson, pencils by Eduardo Pansica, inks by Júlio Ferreira.

Damian Wayne appears to have turned this incarnation of the Titans into his own murder squad, and they're confronted by Batman after they had killed Deathstroke and Brother Blood. Well, Brother Blood, maybe; as Deathstroke takes a potshot at them all with a bazooka, that appears to demolish an entire city block but not kill anybody. 

While the Titans are a little relieved not to have murdered Deathstroke, Damian takes after him to finish the job. Batman attempts to bench the kids, but they get to Damian and Deathstroke first, trying to fix their mistakes, like following Damian. Damian, however, is not having it: He knows putting Deathstroke away would accomplish nothing, he would absolutely kill again, and honestly...yeah, probably. Red Arrow Emiko throws herself in front of a killing blow to save DS: she comes away with a shoulder wound, but of course Deathstroke escapes, which the Titans see as a target painted on their backs.

Batman arrives, to try and get Damian to stop, and catches a double-page spread of a punch: this was shortly after the death of Alfred at the hands of Bane, and it's safe to say Damian is taking it pretty hard. Damian fights hard, while calling Batman out for "the same result. Over. And over." But Batman refuses to fight back.

Damian tears the R off his chest: "You will never truly see me as long as I am in your shadow." No longer Robin, he was now free--but seemingly no longer a part of the Titans, either. 

I'm deeply behind on current DC continuity; I think Alfred's still dead and Bruce Wayne's lost his money? But I suspect Damian is back as Robin again, if for no other reason than he knows the importance of good branding. Of course the Titans could be completely different as well; I'd almost bet on it.

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I should've scheduled this issue for Festivus; get those grievances out.

I had to look up the issue where the Titans previously beat today's foe, and wasn't expecting such a good cover for a villain like this. From 2000, the Titans #16, "Survival, 2 of 2: Limbo" Written by Devin Grayson, pencils by Mark Buckingham, inks by Marlo Alquiza and Richard Bonk.

In a rematch with the demonic Gargoyle, the Titans are trapped in idyllized verisons of their childhoods. Or somewhat idyllized: it's interesting to see Dick Grayson's circus life may not have been as perfect as it seemed, and that he may have been becoming restless with it. Wally's visits with Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry were pretty good, but he catches a punch from his dad immediately afterwards for "dreaming." And Roy has started to poke holes in his fantasy: while he knew his father had died in a forest fire, he really didn't have enough recollections to be stuck in, since he didn't remember a mom at all. He's the first Titan to arrive at the center, Haley's Circus, and Dick; with the others soon following suit. Donna arrives last, but because she had wanted to catch a glimpse of Dick's real dad--"so much more like you than Bru--"

After a scuffle with Gargoyle, Dick is able to knock him out with a Batarang, which is of course a trick: Dick realized he was making the team's rifts stronger, to feed on the negativity. (You know, I've never liked that kind of trope: if the thing eats the negativity, what would be left? If it can live on your pain and not hurt you otherwise, why not let it?) The Titans are forced to own up to each other about their respective gripes, like Dick being uncomfortable with an "other" Flash...off the top of my head, I'm not sure what that refers to; I'm guessing the Flash from hereabouts. Roy and Garth bury the hatchet, not really mad at each other; while Donna's situation is more complicated: she had been brought back to life (or continuity...) via Wally's memories, so she wondered if she was "real," or just an idealized version of Donna Troy. She had been trying to prove there was a side to her they didn't know; Wally says she doesn't have to, they accept that.

But Roy is the one to complete the puzzle, figuring that Gargoyle's Limbo was about stagnation, always doing the same things: Roy had needed his friends not to just love him unconditionally, but to give him a much-needed kick in the ass and be a better person. The Titans are freed, but may call the weekend early and go home. Read more!

80-Page Thursdays: the Doomed and the Damned #1!

Like I think I said on our last 80-pager, I keep getting these on the cheap at EntertainMart. You just have to hold out a bit! From 2020, the Doomed and the Damned #1, featuring stories by Saladin Ahmed, Marv Wolfman, Alyssa Wong, and more; and art by Travis Moore, Baldemar Rivas, Max Fiumara, and more.

"Doomed and the Damned" is a nice riff on "Brave and the Bold," but this issue isn't as grimdark as that title might make you think. The cover pitches it as "Ten twisted team-ups straight from your nightmares!" but hey! Batman doesn't team-up with anybody in his story! Unless you count the nth metal shank Batman says he made with Dr. Fate; somewhere, Hawkman is feeling real left out. Madame Xanadu and Man-Bat join forces to deal with a ghost and a White Martian; Superman and Swamp Thing face a Batman villain (and I may have unintentionally dropped a clue!) and Green Lantern and the Demon grudgingly team-up against an alien demon. (There's some juridictional scuffling there.)

Raven appears in two stories this issue; first with Wonder Woman against Redjac a surly relation; then as the point in a love quadrangle between herself, Beast Boy, Klarion the Witch Boy, and Teekl. (While, as usual, it barely fits in the scanner; you might notice Beast Boy is unusually handsome in his story!) R'as al Ghul and Talia sacrifice Solomon Grundy to recharge a Lazurus Pit; but he may have a longer memory than you would think; and Batgirl--fine, Orphan--teams up with mildly obscure villain Orca to jack up some human traffickers. And there's an unlikely pairing of Frankenstein and Aquaman, in a story involving Mars--J'onn get a day off or something?

Of course, the most fun story is Garth Ennis and PJ Holden on "Darkseid vs. Baytor," in which a quiet drink turns into a chain of disasters for Darkseid. It's the best of the lot, and I'm not just saying that for fear of being cancelled... Read more!

I've been doing this a while, and I feel like I know a bit about comics, right? But two things outside of my wheelhouse: proper care of loose fancy cover books, since this one has curled up like a Frito; and Titans continuity. From 2018, Titans #27, "One Life" Written by Dan Abnett, pencils by Brent Peeples, inks by Matt Santorelli. Shiny cover by Clayton Henry, for some reason. Sure, somebody might be dead, but c'mon.

The issue opens with a woman--I think that's Donna Troy, but you're gonna have to give me a hint, comic--visiting Roy Harper's grave; but that was "days ago." I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how dead Roy was; I feel like he faked his death on occasion, but I'm probably thinking of Arrow. Today, Beast Boy discovers everyone's pretty depressed at the Hall of Justice (really! I expected the big T-tower) because news just broke that Nightwing had been shot. (Circa Batman #55, if that does anything for you; it gets a full page here that makes it seem like he should be extra-dead.) Raven is worried that with the damage, Dick may never be the same; Donna tells the group he'll be fine, guys like them come back all the time. True, but there's a sense she's trying to put on a brave face, and later we see her knocking back shots while the injured and emotionless Raven envies her pain.

Beast Boy had more bad news for what was left of the team: Tyler Baines was dying. He had been exposed to Source energy and had been in a coma for some time, and was circling the drain. Desperate, Steel (Natasha Irons) comes up with a possibility: exposing Tyler to more Source energy, in the hopes of stabilizing him. Miss Martian doesn't think they can experiment on a live subject, but Raven and Donna argue they can only try to help. The treatment fails, and Tyler passes; leaving the team at their lowest and wondering how they could go on, as an underwater swimmer is presumably making his way to them. The next issue blurb teases the return of Tempest; but I wasn't familiar with his look, if this was him...

I don't know that this issue did a good job explaining who Tyler Baines was or why his death guts the heroes; but his death was going to stick and Roy and Dick were of course going to be back. I don't envy Titans/Teen Titans creative teams, since it seems to be deeper in the same fix the X-Men are in: does anyone have any idea what that fanbase wants? Teen Titans Go-style silliness? Grimdark meat-and-potatoes superhero work? Shipping, shipping, shipping? It doesn't help when Roy and Dick both get taken out in other comics; that has to throw a wrench in long-term plotting.
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You ever see an older band, maybe booked at your local fair or casino, that maybe has like one member of their old roster? Usually they try to get replacement members that might pass a first glance; this one has some familiar names that you might not recognize! From 2016, Teen Titans #16, "The Sum of Its Parts" Written by Will Pfeifer, pencils by Miguel Medonca, inks by Dexter Vines. I have the regular cover, but there is a coloring book variant, and good luck with that! I couldn't tell you how to color even half these costumes, but it's entirely possible you could give somebody a better color scheme by accident or guesswork.

I was thinking there was only one, traditional Titan in this issue: Beast Boy, or Changeling, whatever they're calling Gar now. But there was Raven, too, in a new costume. They also have Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and (Red) Robin; but they're Cassie, Bart, and Tim; all of whom have been Titans before but their predecessors are probably remembered more as such. Rounding out the team are the new Power Girl, Bunker, Chimera, and I think the heroic version of Doomsday? Well, the latter two may be on the way out: the Durlan Chimera's people come to take her back, by force, and she agrees rather than to continue wrecking Tim's little Titans plans. Doomsday had to get back to his internship at S.T.A.R. Labs, and Bart ditches as well, although he's considerate enough to leave a note. A massive note written in Sharpie on the floor at super-speed: I wonder if Tim had to have that erased to cover their tracks? Still, it looks like most of the remaining roster stuck it out to the last issue of this series, #24.

Is there even a current Teen Titans book right now? (Well, given current events, not right now, but you know what I mean.) Or is it all Young Justice? I did get a recent issue of that guest-starring the Warlord, but that was enough Bendis to last me a while...
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Forty-eight "When Titans Clash" entries in the GCD; I can't say this is the best one.

Long Island is on the verge of being floated out to sea, in the hopes of being conquered and made a sovereign nation; but the Teen Titans still have time for a slapping match. From 1977, Teen Titans #52, "When Titans Clash!" Written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Don Heck, inks by Bob Smith.

Facing the villains Captain Calamity and Mr. Esper, we have not one but two teams of Titans: a deep roster, but this predates popular members like Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. Robin's team featured standards like Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Speedy, and Aqualad; along with newcomers Bumblebee, the Mal Duncan Guardian, and Harlequin, the "Joker's Daughter." (I don't know much about her, except that she almost definitely wasn't.) The second team's biggest name was probably Beast Boy, or Hawk and Dove; but also included Golden Eagle (not Hawkman), Lilith, Gnarkk (a defrosted caveman type?) and Bat-Girl. That's Bat-Girl with a hyphen, Bette (or Betty) Kane; who would be overshadowed by the Barbara Gordon Batgirl, yet DC still tries to shoehorn her into continuity here and there.

Esper had been stealing power from Lilith for his crimes, like moving Long Island. Wonder Girl stops the teams from fighting, and later knocks out Lilith, severing Esper's link to her. As Aqualad uses whales to move Long Island back where it belongs (even though he only showed up this issue planning on quitting) Robin, Harlequin, and Bat-Girl beat Captain Calamity, and discover he and Mr. Esper were one in the same. In the denouement, Robin explains Esper was probably "a product of Lilith's mental energy," but he doesn't seem to be especially interested in the case after putting him in jail.

Losing a bet, Robin springs for dinner and a picture of the combined Titans, although he may have just wanted one of himself, Bat-Girl, and Wonder Girl...


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