Teen Titan Annual #1: Controversy? <spoilers>

[drice6900]

So what do you think about Superboy and Wonder Girl hooking up?

 

Personally, I enjoyed the book. It was a nice read that filled in the blanks on many things within the IC saga. Again though, I really hate the multiple artists in one issue thing

 

 

Here is a review from Newsarama.com FYI:

 

Teen Titans Annual #1

From: DC

Writers: Marv Wolfman and Geoff Johns

Artists: Various

Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

 

Ah, the poor, maligned annual—how I’ve missed you. When I first started reading DC comics, it was around the time when they did their big event stories in their annuals every summer; you know, Armageddon 2001 , Eclipso: The Evil Within , Bloodlines . The line-wide annual program has obviously gotten a pretty bad rap, even when the events that bound them together were only nominally connected, and ended up yielding a lot of good comics, like the more recent Pulp Heroes annuals, which only mandated that the hero experienced an adventure that evoked a genre once explored in pulp mags, or the Planet DC annuals, in which the heroes journeyed abroad to meet new characters from different countries.

 

Now in an era when trade paperback collections and original graphic novels are so commonplace, annuals can seem a little pointless. The whole joy of them was getting a huge, heaping, extra helping of your favorite titles on top of your regular diet of 22-page issues, but you hardly need an annual to read more than 30 consecutive pages of Teen Titans comics these days.

 

Still, it’s nice to have DC’s annuals back, even if it’s just two of them this time around (and one of those had a long dead character resurrected via the lamest loophole imaginable). For the most part DC seems to have learned a lesson from Marvel’s recent Ultimate annuals—The key is having the same writers involved with both the monthlies and the annuals, and making the annuals feel like they’re important parts of the monthly stories, not complete asides.

 

But enough musing about the format in general, that’s hardly the most exciting thing about Teen Titans Annual #1 , the, um, climax of which was unfortunately spoiled in last week’s Teen Titans #33 , in which Superboy mentions making love with Wonder Girl in a narration box.

 

The story is courtesy of regular Titans scribe Geoff Johns, scripting a plot by old regular Titans scribe Marv Wolfman (the pair seem to mesh remarkably well together), and it apparently occurs during the middle of Infinite Crisis #5 .

 

After apparently stopping by the set of Challenge of the Superfriends to find something to wear, Lex Luthor confronts Robin and the Teen Titans at their tower, just before they head off to Bludhaven to help with the Chemo clean up. Wonder Girl, whose powers aren’t working right, stays behind with the weakened Superboy, and the young couple eventually fly off to Millville, where Ma and Pa Kent have been working out, dying their hair and indulging in plastic surgery.

 

At one point, Superboy asks Wonder Girl “What if the world ends tonight?” and he takes off his shirt. Then she takes off her shirt. Cut to the next morning. Whether or not the two went from topless kissing to pre-marital, underage sex is left to our imagination, at least within the context of this particular issue. (It’s so subtle that I wouldn’t have guessed they even had sex, since they both wake up in their superhero pants with their belts on, if it weren’t for that line in last week’s ish).

 

Let’s see, Wonder Girl is, what, fifteen, sixteen? And Superboy is two or three, but with the artificially accelerated body, mind and emotions of a sixteen year old? Ewe. Not quite as squirm inducing as Alex Luther peeling off his golden suit to spray antimatter all over Superboy-Prime, but still.

 

The morality/ickiness of that scene aside, Johns and Wolfman use this opportunity to tie up a lot of loose ends, including squaring the Luthor-as-Superboy’s-dad contradiction of previous continuity, and the fact that few of the Teen Titans seem to act anything like they did before Johns started writing them, particularly in the cases of Superboy and Impulse/Kid Flash.

 

The Bludhaven scenes really went a long way toward making Infinite Crisis feel like a DCU-wide event (like those events I mentioned in the first paragraph), as a pretty random assemblage of heroes appear in cameos or at least get name-dropped, from one time power players like Metamorpho and Plastic Man to relative bit players like The Ravers, Skyrocket and, good God, they even threw a panel of “New Blood” Loose Cannon in there!

 

On a story level, this issue seemed to accomplish more in its 38 pages than the last 12 issues of the monthly series combined, but the art side of things was a total mess. Four separate pencillers and five different inkers contributed the art, and while all of them do decent work, the shifts are pretty jarring and there’s little to no continuity of the character designs from page to page, as Luthor’s stubble appears and disappears, and Wonder Girl’s bra-size fluctuates like mad (or do Superboy-Prime’s punches effect things like that, too?).

 

I hope the issue does financially well enough to justify a #2 next year—it had better, as it’s not really an “annual” unless it occurs annually, dig?—but, in the meantime, let’s also hope DC can find one penciller and one inker who are capable of drawing 38 consecutive pages of story by then.

[followtheleader]

I don't see any problem with the naked dance. It's a part of reality. 15 & 16 year olds engage in pre-marital sex. In fact, not showing it is more unrealistic. Additionally, comics have long since moved out of the realm of "children books". If you take out innuedos of a sexual context, then violence and drug stories shouldn't be printed either. Lastly, it sounds like it was discrete and it fits the storyline. The two have been throwing each other testosterone/estrogen like nobody's business. Not a surprise that a potential death would provoke something that was already yearned for.

 

Pat

[Elijya]

I was down with it. I thought it fit their characters and their history, and was not over the line in terms of appropriateness

[Darrell F]

I thought it was a great issue. Now all we need is a Superbaby.

[otherworldcomics]

Well, I can see some parents being mad about it but it was a reasonable storyline and done in a tasteful way. And really, anything or nothing could have happened. Left most everything to your imagination. Which is a good thing. You don't have to hit the reader over the head to get the message across. Let the reader decide what did or didn't happen.

[ericc123]

Its not really a it might have happened or it might not because in the monthly title Superboy is thinking to himself how their relationship will change now that they've "made love"

[plitch]

Rogue & Iceman just got busy in Ultimate X-Men...

[drice6900]

Rogue & Iceman just got busy in Ultimate X-Men...

 

No, that was Colossus and Northstar...

[otherworldcomics]

Its not really a it might have happened or it might not because in the monthly title Superboy is thinking to himself how their relationship will change now that they've "made love"

 

Ah, haven't been reading that. Hmmm, still, not a real problem if the kids don't collect both titles.

[RTBrandy]

psssst....jean and scott did 'it' too.....

 

 

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

[Darrell F]

psssst....jean and scott did 'it' too.....

 

 

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

That seems way too low. I have a 13 year old sister so it better be too low.

[otherworldcomics]

psssst....jean and scott did 'it' too.....

 

 

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

That seems way too low. I have a 13 year old sister so it better be too low.

 

Man, where were those fast girls when I was 13?! . Well, it doesn't surprise me really. Have a female friend that states she started around 12. I've worked in admitting at a hospital and I know I had at least two 12 year-olds and three 13 year-olds coming in to give birth. Mostly, though, the younger ones were getting impregnated by older guys 16-19. Youth and stupidity are a dangerous combination. One 12 year was seduced by a dude that was 20! Mother was pissed to high heaven. I hoped she found him and went Lorraine Bobbit on him.

[Darrell F]

psssst....jean and scott did 'it' too.....

 

 

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

That seems way too low. I have a 13 year old sister so it better be too low.

 

Man, where were those fast girls when I was 13?! . Well, it doesn't surprise me really. Have a female friend that states she started around 12. I've worked in admitting at a hospital and I know I had at least two 12 year-olds and three 13 year-olds coming in to give birth. Mostly, though, the younger ones were getting impregnated by older guys 16-19. Youth and stupidity are a dangerous combination. One 12 year was seduced by a dude that was 20! Mother was pissed to high heaven. I hoped she found him and went Lorraine Bobbit on him.

 

Alright well I didn't need to know that. I am worried enough about having to kill anyone that dates my little sister. I am the nice brother too. My younger brother (20) would be the one to really go after one of her boyfriends. He seems to enjoy fighting.

[otherworldcomics]

psssst....jean and scott did 'it' too.....

 

 

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

That seems way too low. I have a 13 year old sister so it better be too low.

 

Man, where were those fast girls when I was 13?! . Well, it doesn't surprise me really. Have a female friend that states she started around 12. I've worked in admitting at a hospital and I know I had at least two 12 year-olds and three 13 year-olds coming in to give birth. Mostly, though, the younger ones were getting impregnated by older guys 16-19. Youth and stupidity are a dangerous combination. One 12 year was seduced by a dude that was 20! Mother was pissed to high heaven. I hoped she found him and went Lorraine Bobbit on him.

 

Alright well I didn't need to know that. I am worried enough about having to kill anyone that dates my little sister. I am the nice brother too. My younger brother (20) would be the one to really go after one of her boyfriends. He seems to enjoy fighting.

 

Sorry dude, but unfortunately its all true. Worked in Admitting for six years and most of it was in the Labor and Delivery unit. Every day was an adventure. I've seen every "After School Special" play out in real life up there. Man, I have stories and stories...

[Illiterati-migration]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

[RDK]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

 

 

This is also just about the only hobby where "kissing your grandmother" counts as something.

[OldGuy]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

 

Don't be haitin' on the AARP. I'm sure there are plenty of perfectly normal people in the organization. Associating them with comic book collectors is uncalled for.

[otherworldcomics]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

 

Don't be haitin' on the AARP. I'm sure there are plenty of perfectly normal people in the organization. Associating them with comic book collectors is uncalled for.

 

[RTBrandy]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

 

 

 

now THAT's some funny [embarrassing lack of self control] !!

[Ares]

you guys realize the average age a kid loses their virginity is around 13 yo now, right?

 

Need I point out that you're talking to a bunch of comic book collectors and that the average age of "deflowering" for such an individual is about three weeks before he receives his AARP membership?

You got deflowered?