I Hate the Teen Titans, I Love the Teen Titans

Even when I was a wee young 'un, I never liked the Teen Titans. I guess I thought the idea was neat, but we all know sidekicks weren't the entryway to adventure they were supposed to be. I don't know anyone who pretended to be Robin on purpose. No matter how young you were, you identified with the main character, not his goofy kid buddy. Most kids I know found sidekicks to be annoying. Hell, people voted to kill one once.

I never got into the Wolfman/Perez thing either. It was like a combination of Claremont-esque writing (which I don't like) and over-detailed Neal Adams progeny art (which I don't like). Didn't see why I should bother. In time, I grew to somewhat resent the characters and the concept. While the JLA or the JSA went out and took care of business, the Titans talked about their feelings. While the Doom Patrol was a bunch of freaks, the Titans were good looking whiners. While the Outsiders were . . .uhhh . . .never mind.

As time went on and Wolfman ran out of things to say about the Titans, the book seemed to lose all focus. Then Dan Jurgens committed the cardinal sin of starting fresh and that was quickly abandoned (it didn't help that the work wasn't his best). But to this day, I can't stand the Teen Titans. I hate the group therapy stuff that seems to permeate its stories. I hate the pseudo-maturity being hung on stories about Batman's sidekick and his goofy friends. I can't stand the bubbly, cheesecake character Starfire, or Cyborg in his robot lingerie and garters or ANY of that stuff. The characters are either vapid or stereotypes (usually gleaned from Marvel works). I mean, any comic whose "quintessential story" involves statutory rape by a man in one of comics' worst costumes OF ALL TIME isn't for me.

But let me tell you something. I love the Teen Titans cartoon. I watch it whenever I remember to be up early enough and my fiancee will let me. It's charming, fast-paced, and full of fun and adventure. The comic adaptation by Mr. J. Torres as well tickles me pink. And both are TOTALLY beloved by my third grade class and their peers. Kids talk about which character is their favorite, and it shows loads about them. Robin is capable but not boring. Raven is dark and shy but not creepy. Starfire is cute and emotional but not fan service. Beast Boy is silly and fun but not grating (unless he's supposed to be). And Cyborg is smart and enthusiastic, not the glum boringster from the DCU.

It's for kids, the way superhero comics are supposed to be. So don't go in expected graphic sexual violations or high body counts. But don't expect to turn your brain off, either. This is legitimate entertainment, clever but fun.