article by Alex Segura Jr.
coutesy of http://www.newsarama.com
posted May, 2003
As noted earlier, from the ashes of DC's Graduation Day Titans/Young
Justice, two new teams will spring to life. One will be the Judd Winick/Tom
Raney Outsiders series, the other will sound a little more familiar
to fans: Teen Titans.
The new series will team up writer Geoff Johns and penciller Mike McKone
with a lineup that provides a mix of old and new. Wolfman/Pérez Titan
members Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy will be joining forces with a
few members of what used to be Young Justice: Superboy, Robin, Wonder
Girl and Impulse.
Though sparse on details and protective of the new series, Newsarama
managed to wrangle some information out of Johns. Let's hear what he
says.
Like those in Outsiders, the characters Johns will be handling in Teen
Titans will be changed significantly by the events of Graduation Day,
Johns says. "Speaking for the characters I'll be working with in
Teen Titans, they'll be at a different place I suppose than where they
are now," Johns said. "That's obvious. The real trick is where
they're going. This is the next step for many of these heroes, a step
some are more eagerly willing to take than others. And a step some of
them are ready for, and some aren't. It's a new look at the purpose
of the Teen Titans and these handful of teenage heroes in general. Our
goal is really make Teen Titans that one book you race out for Wednesday.
That's at the top of your reading pile, or the bottom if you're saving
the best book for last. It's a comic that will celebrate young super-heroes,
but also show the dangers involved with that. It's a fun book, with
an edge that should surprise a lot of people. We're going for a somewhat
realistic down-to-earth approach to the group.
"The basic concept - where do teenage heroes go to on the weekends
to unwind, train and have fun? Titans Tower in San Francisco."
Always a fan of the series and characters, being offered the chance
to handle the writing chores on the book kicked Johns into hyperdrive,
he says. "I've been a fan of the characters for quite some time,"
Johns said. "When I was approached last year about taking on the
Teen Titans my brain kicked into overdrive. I already had a few fairly
major ideas I had always wanted to do with some of the characters, and
the rest fell into place pretty quickly. The line-up, the direction,
the goals for the book. The scenarios to put them in. I don't shy away
from super-heroes and I immediately felt ready to tackle the Titans
head-on."
Johns was kind enough to give a little background on who the Titans
are, for those who've been living under a rock for the past thirty years.
"The Teen Titans are a group of teenaged super-heroes trying to
make their mark in the world," Johns said. "Whether they're
there for reputation, friendship, redemption, they're kids with a chance
to really make a difference. The Titans are all about growing up together.
Being in a place and within a group that won't over-analyze every move
they make, won't make them totally self-conscious of the mentor's shadow
they're leaping out of -- or so they hope.
"The Teen Titans isn't the JLA. They hang out together out of
costume. They help each other through difficult personal times. They
get on each other's nerves. They argue. The laugh. They get in trouble.
And most of all, they kick super-villain ass."
When handed the title, it was up to Johns to decide the roster, he
says. Having it match the upcoming cartoon's lineup was a pleasant coincidence,
Johns says. "It was a blank slate when I got involved," Johns
said. "I gravitated towards my favorite group of characters - Cyborg,
Starfire, Beast Boy - while adding the new teenage heroes -- Robin,
Superboy, Impulse and Wonder Girl. There will be others showing up,
but for the beginning I wanted a line-up that mirrored my favorite Titans
line-up in a way. As I've said before, I was well aware of who was going
to be on the Cartoon Network Show but in my mind, that was only a bonus.
The more exposure for these characters and the Teen Titans in general,
the better."
A question that might pop up for fans is why in the world "adult"
heroes like Starfire and Cyborg would take it upon themselves to train
the next generation of Titans. The answers will come, grasshopper, says
Johns. "That's all pretty well explained in the first issue, and
the first arc will revolve around your second question," Johns
said. "Will there be any bumps in the road between the old and
new? There will be entire sections of the road missing. This is not
an easy transition for these guys. Cyborg and Starfire aren't used to
giving orders or being remodels. Starfire is there to help, but even
if she thinks she's a role model - she's not. She's a warrior with a
violent streak underneath. And though Cyborg has created the Titans
Tower as a place teenage super-heroes can come and be themselves on
the weekends - he's missing the point a bit. He's a little stern and
cold, but that could be because of what's been bothering him on his
off-hours."
Speaking of the youngsters, Johns gave Newsarama a quick rundown of
what readers can look forward to in regards to the teen heroes:
Robin: "Tim is not the character you expect," Johns said.
"He is not always the guy everyone goes to and everyone opens up
to or the guy who steps out of the shadows to save the day. He's vital
to the group in a completely different sense, and one I don't want to
give away too much. The simple fact is - Tim has a normal civilian life
compared to any of the others. Superboy and Impulse have 'false' childhoods
- Superboy being a clone and Impulse by-passing his childhood by aging
quickly - while Wonder Girl's identity is public. Tim's more connected
to the real world, and brings it to his fellow Titans. He's also constantly
surprising his fellow Titans, and not always in the best of ways."
Wonder Girl: "Cassie's public identity will be a problem,"
Johns said. "Her relationship with adults another. She's going
to be under a lot of pressure over the next year for a variety of reasons,
but Cassie is very good at dealing with pressure. Sometimes too good.
This will get her noticed."
Superboy: "He'll be maturing a bit as all the Titans will,"
Johns said. "Superboy will become a poster-child for what the Teen
Titans are all about. I can't say much more than that."
Impulse: "Again, I can't say much," Johns said. "Impulse
will be running alongside his fellow Titans as the ever-caring and fun-loving
speedster."
Based on the preview pages released to fans last week, it's evident
there will be some tension between the Titans, both young and old. While
hesitant to get into details, Johns says things won't be rosy over at
Titans Tower. "I can't touch on that tension," Johns said.
"But yes, they don't just fly over to the Titans Tower. It won't
be that easy. There are all kinds of issues this group is going to have
to deal with in the months to come. Although this is a generally an
optimistic group, they'll be forced to grab on and hold on to that for
dear life."
The Titans as a property have had their ups and downs in relation to
critical acclaim and sales. The most obvious peak being the Wolfman/Pérez
issues. While definitely a fan of that incarnation, Johns says the new
book will not try to repeat what has gone before. "I was a big
fan, that said we're obviously looking at that for initial inspiration,
but this will be a different book," Johns said. "A different
type of team book for the Titans. Marv and George did an incredible
thing - they took a book everyone discounted and made it a huge success.
You have to respect that. And looking back, introducing all of those
characters and situations, it really is an amazing achievement. It's
one of the best runs of a super-hero team book in the history of teams.
And, in my opinion, the new generation of teenage characters in the
DCU are far and away the best teenage super-heroes around."
Johns also says readers can expect to see a few familiar faces during
the early part of his run. "Superman, Batman and some of the older
heroes will stop by," Johns said. "Raven will be appearing
sometime, and there are plans for other Titans but nothing I want to
talk about right now."
Working with McKone has not only impressed Johns, but made him work
harder himself. "Seeing Mike's pages makes me work harder,"
Johns said. "The detail and energy and passion he has put into
this book is nothing short of spectacular. He's already halfway through
issue #3, I'm working on issue #4, and I couldn't be happier with how
this book is turning out. I hope we continue to work together as well
as we have so far because after this book launches everyone will be
after him - but Titans has him! We're having a ball. And his Cyborg...damn,
his Cyborg is so incredibly cool."
Johns' goal with the book is simple: Get people's attention. "Several
members of the team have never been involved with the Teen Titans,"
Johns said. "They're being introduced to a group that, really,
they aren't sure how it's going to work. My goal is to create a book
that holds up as well as the Wolfman/Pérez Titans hold up today.
"We're going to get people to sit up and take notice of the Teen
Titans. It's not going to be a book laced with pop-culture references
that will date it in three months, it's not going to be a book that
just puts these heroes together and falsely creates friction or adventure.
We're working hard on completely re-defining these characters and the
whole concept of the Teen Titans and, quite frankly, the DC team book
in general."
As for the first arc, remember who played a major role in the first
adventure of the Wolfman/Pérez team? "The first arc is called 'A
Kid's Game,'" Johns said. "With Deathstroke. That's all I'll
say."
The book isn't just one of many series featuring the Titans, Johns
says. This is history in the making. "It isn't just an essential
part of the Titans' story, it's Titans history," Johns said. "Everyone
involved is working incredibly hard, and with a huge amount of passion.
I believe all of our passion will come through on the page. The Teen
Titans deserve it."
