The Teen Titans Project, Part XX: Starting from Scratch (1996-1998)
I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who remembers Dan Jurgens’ Teen Titans fondly. Everybody else seems to have forgotten it entirely- including DC. By 1996, the Titans franchise had been driven into the ground and Dan Jurgens was given the task of recreating the Teen Titans for a new generation. He decided to start over from scratch, introducing a brand new team with brand new characters (and one notable exception). Personally, I loved it. Yet, even at the time, it seemed like the new team was fighting an uphill battle against the perception that they weren’t the “real Titans.” That was bad because the Jurgens era was often a fun, rollicking adventure.
Dan Jurgens created four new characters for Teen Titans. It was a bold move and, in my opinion, a welcome one. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to invent new characters that are all equally compelling. I had my favorites. I could identify with Isaiah Crockett, aka Joto- the well-intentioned, bookish nerd. At the same time, I appreciated our differences. Isaiah was African-American and his parents were slightly disappointed that he pursued a superhero career instead of Ivy League academics. I was also interested in Toni Monetti, aka Argent. She was a Jersey girl and a mobster’s daughter before The Sopranos and Jersey Shore made those attributes cliché. On the surface, she was a selfish shopaholic, yet she quickly revealed depths of compassion, selflessness and heroism. Plus, I was still young enough at the time to crush on comic book characters.
I was less enthused with Cody Driscoll, aka Risk, and Prysm. Readers were probably supposed to empathize with Cody’s poor upbringing but his cockiness rubbed me the wrong way. It was also hard to take him seriously as a hero when he wore a turquoise costume. I couldn’t relate to Prysm either. She had been raised in a virtual world that blended Leave It to Beaver with Snow White. In retrospect, I can see how Prysm’s background was played for laughs yet, then and now, I feel like it made her more of a caricature than a character.
Ray Palmer, the longtime hero Atom, rounded out the cast. He had been de-aged in a recent crossover and was a teenager again. He brought experience and Justice League connections to an untested team, but at a cost. Jurgens did a good job of playing off the generational differences between Atom and the others while also showing Atom’s frustration at no longer being an adult. It was a solid cast, blending different powers and personalities- though, admittedly, some characters were more interesting than others.
Dan Jurgens followed familiar stepping-stones for the first arc though with a professional polish that made those issues better than the usual fare. He combined an origin story with a team-gathering tale. Aliens kidnapped Isaiah, Toni and Cody (the Atom was an unexpected stowaway). The three teens discovered that they were the products of a genetic experiment- they were half-alien and they had superpowers. The Atom helped them escape, along with the imprisoned Prysm. Once back on earth, Mr. Jupiter offered to sponsor and mentor the team as he had done for a previous version of Teen Titans (issue #4, Jan. ’97). The mysterious Omen would also serve as an advisor. The new heroes agreed, underwent training and moved into a facility owned by Mr. Jupiter. They also ran into a few other heroes who wanted to be sure they wouldn’t besmirch the Titans name thrust upon them by the press (issue #5, Feb. ’97). It was a typical- though good- excuse to boost sales with guest-stars Nightwing, Robin, Supergirl and Captain Marvel Jr.
As I said, it was a fairly standard opening yet it didn’t feel formulaic. Dan Jurgens kept things fresh with a little light humor. Plus, the art was excellent. Dan Jurgens was the main artist as well as the writer. At the time, Jurgens had a very clean style, similar to Tom Grummett though less cartoony. His characters felt real without being photorealistic. Plus, Jurgens had always been a very clear storyteller with page and panel layouts that helped the story flow quickly and smoothly.
As a bonus, George Perez was on board as the regular inker. Perez had spent the early ‘90s bouncing around indie companies, while developing a reputation for lateness. He took the inking gig as a way of rebuilding his name. It worked. Perez’s inks looked great, while also creating a visual connection with the classic Titans of yore. Perez would hang around for 15 issues before jumping onto an Avengers re-launch.
After a solid beginning, Teen Titans started to heat up in the second half of their first year. Jurgens and Perez introduced a rival team known as Dark Nemesis and pitted them against the Teen Titans (issues #7-8, April-May 1997). Dark Nemesis seemed to share a connection with the Titans; they were apparently part of the same alien experiment. It was like fighting a funhouse mirror version of themselves except that Dark Nemesis was more ruthless than the altruistic Titans. Dark Nemesis would remain a thorn in the side of the Titans throughout the Jurgens era; they even took over the title for an issue as part of the New Year’s Evil event. They were the best new Titans villains since the first Wildebeest arrived on the scene in the late ‘80s.
The Teen Titans followed up that fight with an adventure in Skartaris, home of the Warlord (issues #9-11, June-Aug. ’97). It was a fun escapade, reminiscent of the many X-Men adventures in the Savage Land. The Titans became embroiled in a battle for control of the magical land while wearing the standard loincloths of the sword ‘n’ sorcery genre. Jurgens used the adventure to reveal different aspects of the Titans. Risk in particular stepped up as a hero. The Skartaris adventure also advanced a couple of romantic subplots as Prysm revealed her crush on Risk while Joto pined for Argent. The Titans were growing as individuals, as a title and as a team.
Upon their return from Skartaris, the Titans found themselves enmeshed in a horror story come to life. Teen Titans Annual #1 was part of the Pulp Heroes theme. Jurgens took inspiration from the Donner Party to create a town of Donner-like descendants who feasted on passing strangers. It was a good concept and an interesting change of pace. Unfortunately, the art wasn’t very good. The young guest artist, John Cassaday, would go on to great things but, for this issue, his faces were stiff and lifeless. It sort of worked for the creepy cannibals but it didn’t convey the fear and terror of the regular cast.
That wasn’t the only Titans annual to come out that summer. Manga-style artist Adam Warren had been hired to draw an annual for the previous year’s theme, Legends of the Dead Earth. However, Warren hadn’t completed the project on time. Plus, the preceding New Titans title had been cancelled. Yet the story was too good to shelve. It was released in the summer of 1997 as part of DC’s growing Elseworlds line. Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone took place in the far future featuring a team of Titans based on Robin, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg. Warren did a great job of reimagining the Titans in new yet familiar roles. He also did a great job of alternating scenes between a big fight and team-gathering vignettes, establishing the character’s origins while sustaining a high-octane action story. Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone is one of my favorite Elseworlds tales.
The Teen Titans’ second year was a little more erratic, betraying that the title was struggling to find a place in the market. It’s difficult to discuss the Jurgens’ era without reflecting on external factors. Teen Titans had been launched during one of the biggest sales slumps in the history of comics (the post-speculator bust of the late ‘90s). There were also concerns about fans accepting a Titans title with all-new characters instead of the familiar heroes of the past. For their second year, Teen Titans embarked on multiple arcs and events that seemed designed to boost sales. Obviously, every comic book wants to sell well but some attempts are more obvious than others.
The first arc, titled “Then & Now” (issues #12-15, Sept. ’97-Jan. ’98), brought the original Titans into play, prominently displaying Nightwing, Flash, Tempest and Arsenal on consecutive covers. Jurgens devised a credible story reason for turning to the old Titans- the new Titans were lost in Skartaris so Mr. Jupiter called on his former students to combat a new threat. The threat turned out to be Mr. Jupiter’s son, Haze, seeking revenge on the father who had neglected him. The old Titans agree to team-up against the powerful and vindictive Haze. The new Titans returned in the middle of the story and Haze used his reality-altering powers to pit the teams against each other. They eventually broke free of Haze’s control and worked together to defeat him. Along the way, they also learned that the mysterious Omen was Mr. Jupiter’s daughter and former Titan, Lilith. However, the victory came at a huge cost. In a rite of passage that’s so common it’s become cliché, one of the new Titans died to defeat Haze.
I’m of a divided mind regarding “Then & Now.” I love the Titans- as you know by now- and I was delighted to see old favorites show up. But I also resented that the new team was pushed to the sidelines of their own title. It seemed to reinforce the idea that they weren’t the real Titans. I enjoyed seeing the updated, adult versions of the original team. Aqualad had finally adopted a new, adult identity as Tempest in a 1996 mini-series. But Arsenal seemed to take a step backwards by wearing a “Red Arrow” costume (Devin Grayson would correct course in a 1998 mini-series in which Roy emphasized his Native American roots with a Navajo-inspired costume). I was also unhappy that Jurgens killed off my favorite new Titan, Joto, at the end of the arc. But even that development had a flip side as it caused the other Titans to mature and I found myself liking Argent, Prysm and Risk more than before. “Then & Now” was a mixed bag and a mixed blessing.
The Titans took the death of Joto hard. After an issue of mourning (#16, Jan. ’98), the team split up, setting up a new event. The four surviving members took part in Double-Shot team-up issues with Robin, Superboy, Supergirl and Impulse (Argent, Risk, Prysm and Atom respectively). The one-shots showcased the individual Titans, revealing how they were growing and maturing in the wake of Joto’s death- with the exception of Atom who participated in an intentionally silly romp with Impulse. The Double-Shots were satisfying stories, though they again betrayed the fact that the Teen Titans needed to do extraordinary things to draw the attention of fans.
After their solo adventures, the Teen Titans realized that they weren’t ready to pack it in as a team. The restored team even held a membership drive in issue #17 (Feb. ’98). I usually enjoy membership drives but this particular issue didn’t work for me. The team only added two new members- Fringe, a monster alien-human hybrid who had been following Prysm since the opening arc, and Captain Marvel Jr. Neither character added much. Fringe had a weird power set- he was a monster who summoned an even bigger astral monster- while Captain Marvel Jr. seemed out of place since he didn’t share a history with the other Titans. The story itself felt cluttered, spotlighting a bunch of characters with no lasting impact.
Following the disruptions of “Then & Now” and the Double-Shot event, Jurgens spend the next few months reestablishing the Titans as a team. They fought Dark Nemesis again as part of the New Year’s Evil event (Dark Nemesis #1, cover date Feb. ’98). They also participated in “The Millennium Giants” event with the Superman titles (Teen Titans #19, Apr. ’98). The crossover gave the team the opportunity to showcase their skills in action though it also added to the haphazard feeling of the title as it bounced from one special event to another. Jurgens alternated these action stories with lighter fare, highlighting the characters in quieter secret identity stories. The team visited an arcade together in issue #18 (Mar. ’98) while issue #20 revolved around a disastrous date between Argent and Captain Marvel Jr. (May ’98). I enjoyed the rhythm of action-rest-action-rest and I appreciated the increasing depth of characterization for the current Titans. I also appreciated the way Jurgens maintained a narrative arc through the many disruptions. Yet I will admit that the Titans felt like a little erratic at this time.
The erratic nature of the Titans was unintentionally reinforced by the art. George Perez departed at the end of “Then & Now” and the title hadn’t found a regular inker since then. Instead, there was a new inker almost every issue. Joe Rubinstein, Phil Jimenez and Norm Rapmund are each good in their own way but their disparate styles left the title feeling inconsistent. When you include the guest-artists on the Double-Shot and Dark Nemesis specials, the feeling that the Titans couldn’t find a consistent look became even more acute.
The extraordinary efforts to draw additional attention to the Teen Titans only managed to delay the inevitable. The Titans embarked on their final arc in the summer of 1998, named “Titans Hunt” in a nod to a classic story from the past (issues #21-24, June-Sept. ’98). Unlike Marv Wolfman’s final arc in which he discarded his current line-up to focus on returning characters, Dan Jurgens cut out the extras and focused on his core cast. Even Captain Marvel Jr. spent most of the final arc on the sidelines. Instead, Risk, Prysm, Fringe and Argent stepped to the fore in a final fight against the aliens that had manipulated them since birth. Dark Nemesis, who had been products of the experiment, returned for the final epic as well. Jurgens upped the stakes with a few guest-stars in Superman and Changeling but the focus remained on the new Titans. He also kept things lively with major turning points such as the death of Prysm and the resurrection of Joto.
For me, “Titans Hunt” demonstrated that this version of the Titans were at their best when Jurgens focused on his own characters. The attention-grabbing events were unnecessary- and even counterproductive- in terms of the title’s quality. However, my opinion is apparently a minority position. Jurgens’ characters- Joto, Risk and Argent- would make few appearances in the future as most fans were ready to return to the classic characters of the Silver and Bronze Ages.
Replies
Chris,
Yes it was and was meant to be a simplistic overview,
My point was that they all appeared a bit stereotypical or rather that we had 'seen their type before' and I was thinking more of character than powers.
For instance 'naive, stranger in our world powerhouse = Prysm = Starefire.
Brash and confident =Risk=Hawkeye
Quiet and contemplative while brave and moral = Joto = Cyborg (colour being incidental)
And with Argent I meant she was beautiful =Wonder girl and from a mob-family background = Huntress.
...was what I was trying to get at. Common traits thrown in the pot but little to make the new guys 'different'
I liked the team and what Jugens was trying. I also loved his updating of the old Titans.
Ideally he would have revitalised the old guard in one title and given the new guys their own team name and title with room to grow on their own.
JEFF: I read this version of the Titans and I liked it, but I never quite finished it for whatever reason.
CHRIS: It's only 24 issues- 30 if you include the Annual, Double-Shots and Dark Nemesis special. You should be able to read that in a week.
It did take me about a week to read, it just took me eight years to get to it! I bumped this up to the top partially to gather my summaries in one place, but mostly to provide anyone who read them with a more well thought out overview. I agree with everything you said!
TEEN TITANS (1996): After I finished reading The New Teen Titans Omnibus v1-3 recently I was faced with the decision of moving in one of four directions. This is the one I chose. This version of the Teen Titans follows the events of Zero Hour, when (among other things) Ray Palmber was reduced in age to 17 years old. Intellectually he knows he was once an adult, but most of his adult knowledge and memories have been lost. The other Teen Titans will be Audrey Spears (Prysm), Cody Driscoll (Risk), Toni Monetti (Argent) and Isaiah Crocket (Joto). The teenagers have no apparent connection and hail from various parts of the United States (and the solar system, Audrey being held by some Psions in a virtual reality within Jupiter's moon Titan, which resembles a 1950s era TV sitcom mixed with fantasy elements such as castles and dragons. By the end of the first issue, they have met and all have exhibited powers, but none of them knows what's going on at this point. This series is by Dan Jurgens (story and pencil art) and George Perez (finished art). I remember really enjoying it as it was coming out, but this will be my first time re-reading it in 27 years.
#1-5: I'm currently five issues in to my latest "project." I had forgotten how much I like this series, or perhaps I'm enjoying it even more now than I did then. The first three issues establish the origin of the new team. Despite supporting characters Mr. Jupiter and the (former) Mad Mod (not to mention the "youthened" Atom), what saves this new direction from being a "Tangent" is issues #4-5, in which Dick Grayson discovers there is a new team calling themselves the "Teen Titans." Soon Nightwing, Robin, Supergirl and Captain Marvel, Jr. have all been folded into the plot. There is also a mysterious hooded character who refers to himself/herself as Omen. He or she is obviously someone known to Nightwing, but I don't remember who it is.
#6-11: #6: New HQ; #7-8: Dark Nemesis; #9-11: Skartaris. I'm really surprised that this series is not better-remembered than it is.
#12-16: Next up is the four-part (five if you count the epilogue) "Then & Now" in issues #12-16. Until now, the series has not had strong ties to the original, but part one (#12) features the current versions of Robin (Nigtwing), Kid Flash (Flash), Aqualad (Tempest) and Speedy) Arsenal. Each part is narrated by a different original Teen Titan. Part one, which features a flashback sequence penciled by Gil Kane and inked by Dick Giordano, is narrated by Nightwing. Part Two folds the new team into the mix and is narrated by Flash. In the third part, narrated by Tempest, the two teams team up. Arsenal narrates the final chapter, which reveals the identity of Omen and in which a member of the new team dies. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the team breaks up. Although there are still eight issue until the series comes to an end, George Perez steps down as co-creator. Issue #13 was a crossover with Genesis, and follwing #16 were a series of "Doubleshot" one-shots (featuring an original Teen Titan teamed with a new member), followed in turn by Dark Nemesis being featured as part of DC' "Villains Week." I didn't buy any of those, and it is probably at this time I started to pull back from reading the main series, although I continued to buy it.
#17-20:
#17: I must have stopped reading Teen Titans with #16 because I have definitely never read #17 before. Following the death of [REDACTED], Mr. Jupiter pulls funding and disbands the team. Tony Moretti's (Argent's) father has an account set up in her name for tax evasion purposes, and she takes over funding the team. The cover blurb is "The New Order!" but more than Avengers #16 ("The Old Order Changeth!"), this issue reminds me of Defenders #62 ("A Defender for a Day!"). Perhaps skipping those "Doubleshot" one-shots was a mistake, because this issue flows directly from them. (The "Dark Nemesis" one-shot folows.) The team ends up adding Arsenal, Captain Marvel, Jr. and Fringe to its ranks.
#18: As the new team gets to know each other, tensions arise. It is Ray Palmer's birthday, which is a touchy subject for him. He his in his mid-thirties but was regressed physically and mentally to a 17-year-old boy during the "Zero Hour" crisis. the Titans throw a party for him but he bails. Arsenal follows. The two have a good rapport because Roy remembers looking up to the Atom during his "Speedy" days. The thing is, both of them see themselves in the role of leader; Arsenal is physically older, but the Atom has JLA experience. Also, because she is financing the team, Argent sees herself in a leading role as well. Those issues are not resolved, but Arsenal ends up taking the Atom to the JLA satellite for a second birthday party among his old friends.
#19: This issue is is part of "The Millennium Giants!" crossover with eight other series. This may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but today, a quarter century removed from the other chapters... well, let's just say the days of each chapter being a complete story with a beginning, a middle and an end all its own are a thing of the past. Plus, this issue includes the "Reddy Kilowatt" version of Superman, and no one, myself included, liked that. (If I'm wrong and you did like him/them, please respond in the comments below.)
#20: This issue is a "slice of life" story with three main plots. First, Captain Marvel, Jr. takes Argent on a date to a restaurant he cannot afford. She ends up waiting tables and he washing dishes. Second, Risk takes Prysm to meet his mother but she doesn't show. They end up fighting an unnamed group of female teenagers who call themselves Sweet Sixteen, Pom Pom Girl, Prom Queen and Bookworm. (Raise your hand if you remember them.) Sweet Sixteen auditioned for Titans membership in #17 but was rejected. At the end of the issue we learn that Risk's mother has been kidnapped. Lastly, Arsenal, the Atom and Fringe have a workout session. Fringe loses control and Roy's daughter Lian is threatened.
#21-24: The last four issues of the series are based on the themes "Tragedy," Death," "Fear" and "The End" and bring the series full circle. The current team comes face to face with Dark Nemesis again, Superman, Deathstroke and Changling all get involved, and [the Teen Titan who died] is restored to life. The Atom is also restored to his proper age, and the team disbands. I think, of this line-up, only Argent carries over into the next iterration, but I think I'm going to take a break from the Teen Titans for a while.
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