DCnU revisons to Teen Titans history

[Earth 2 Chris]

http://www.titanstower.com/the-end-of-an-era-teen-titans-history-obliterated/

The above article is a good indicator of the slap-dash nature of the "New 52" revamp, and how much of their history DC has just thrown out with the bathwater. Titans was DC's biggest selling title for much of the 80s, and then again a big hit for DC under Geoff Johns less than 10 years ago. Imagine Marvel just throwing away X-Men's continuity completely, and you would have something very similar (although the X-Men's popularity has never faltered since the 2nd team debuted).

I'm not saying that DC didn't need a shot in the arm, but the seemingly aimless direction of this new universe, and indecisiveness of what happened and what didn't just seems like poor planning and management, to say nothing for some of the rather tasteless directions they've taken many of their characters.

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I felt this article pointed out my general feelings about the whole affair without going overboard into screaming and yelling, which I'd really just love to do.

Chris

[thunderbolt]

nowadays DC stands for Don't Care for me.

[The Toyroom]

Thankfully the entire Wolfman/Perez run exists in my collection so no matter what DC tries to do I know that they did exist and continue to exist in the continuity of my mind.

I'm cutting back on more titles from DC, eventually I'll be down to just Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman (Possibly All-Star Western too...). Their "Wave 2" stuff hasn't done anything for me, the whole new Earth 2 thing is uninteresting to me.

[WannabeMego]

These DC Brats that have taken over the nest need to be spanked...I'm just sayin'...

[Earth 2 Chris]

Thankfully the entire Wolfman/Perez run exists in my collection so no matter what DC tries to do I know that they did exist and continue to exist in the continuity of my mind.

Very true. And who honestly thinks this continuity will stick? I give it until DiDio is shown the door...or maybe even before that.

I think the smart approach would to really distill the series back to the point where they really worked, and go from there. The classic iterations of the characters, as if they were going to be adapted to a movie or TV series. This is definitely NOT the tact Didio ultimately took, despite bringing back the Bronze Age Legion, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, etc., to varying degrees of success.

Honestly the above approach REALLY makes sense once all of this is flushed away. And I have no doubt it eventually will be.

Chris

[kingdom warrior]

Thankfully the entire Wolfman/Perez run exists in my collection so no matter what DC tries to do I know that they did exist and continue to exist in the continuity of my mind.

YUP!!! It matters not to me what they do now.....the Great stuff will stand it's test of time and it's where future great writers and artist will draw inspiration from......modern stories only last as long as the current Editor is employed there...once they're gonna the slate gets wiped clean...........

[ctc]

>The above article is a good indicator of the slap-dash nature of the "New 52" revamp

You want slapdash? Check out the second article:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2005/06/16/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-3/

It's not new. The classic iterations everyone loves were complete revamps of the old characters as well. You were just too young to care. If the new stuff bothers you, just let go. I know it's tough, but move on. It'll save you SO much heartache, especially since the old stuff is so readily available.

Don C.

[Earth 2 Chris]

You want slapdash? Check out the second article:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources...ds-revealed-3/

Yes, every Titan fan knows that. It was a slapdash mistake. But those of that magnitude were few and far between in those days, and eventually Marv Wolfman explained who Wonder Girl (and, years later, Donna Troy) was.

It's not new. The classic iterations everyone loves were complete revamps of the old characters as well. You were just too young to care. If the new stuff bothers you, just let go. I know it's tough, but move on. It'll save you SO much heartache, especially since the old stuff is so readily available.

I know "my" stuff was a revamp of something before, BUT they rarely threw away what had went before, and totally redirected series like this "New 52" revamp has. I feel that the new "hip" DC was embarrassed by it's history, and wiped it completely clean. It's a far cry from the company that used to celebrate every anniversary issue.

I have let it go. I don't purchase any of their books. But I am strongly invested in their characters. And the years I spent my money filling their pockets gives me the right to gripe, and I intend to do so on occasion.

Chris

[ctc]

>It was a slapdash mistake. But those of that magnitude were few and far between in those days,

I dunno; check through the comic urban legends page and you see all sorts of crossed wires, misinterpretations, J. Schwartz insisting on more gorillas....

>and eventually Marv Wolfman explained who Wonder Girl (and, years later, Donna Troy) was.

It seems that happened a lot too.... retroactively explaining stuff.... but in many ways that was part of the fun. It added to the surprise, threw you a curve every so often. I think the biggest probelm with that sort of thing nowadays is the fans. So many of 'em won't cut the comic guys any slack. Think of the Wondergirl thing if it happened nowadays; how great the cry of how out of touch the author and editors are, the accusations of apathy.... It was a HUGE mistake that the fans let go for the sake of a good read, and in doing so it created one of DC's popular characters.

>BUT they rarely threw away what had went before, and totally redirected series like this "New 52" revamp has. I feel that the new "hip" DC was embarrassed by it's history, and wiped it completely clean. It's a far cry from the company that used to celebrate every anniversary issue.

Well.... I diagree here. I came into the superhero thing late.... late 20's.... and I read almsot 50 years of continuity over the course of two. Done like that it becomes real easy to see the ebb and flow of the superhero. It was obvious Silver Age DC was them throwing away most of what went before in an attempt to reinvent their stuff for the then current audience. It's hard for folks to see it now, since we've always been aware of the different versions.

The pandering isn't new either. I'm reminded of how late 60's DC had the depowered, superspy versions of Wonder Woman and the Titans.... the 70's had a lot of Omen/Exorcist-inspired comics, and in the 80's EVERYBODY hung out with ninjas. You don't notice at the time 'cos you're right in the middle of the zeitgeist; but if you're reading it all 30 years after tha fact it's a little different. It's why I can't get worked up over stuff like "52." I've seen it before. A few times. And I know if I keep up with any of these books I'll see it again. I HAVE to see it again, 'cos if DC wants to keep selling Superman they can't have him working for the Planet forever. "Daddy, Clark Kent works for a newspaper. What's a newspaper?"

>I have let it go. I don't purchase any of their books.

Maybe, but you're still reading articles like the one you linked to. You KNOW it's not gonna make you happy, and you probably know from the title what it's going to be about. But you still read it. I know too many people who do that.... it makes 'em focus on the negative. Even if you read an article about how awesome some old comic was, half the posts are gonn a be "yeah; not like those NEW books!" People can't be content to move on.... it's like they gotta go looking for things to stew about. And it's a shame, 'cos it's counterproductive, and you miss a lot of good stuff.

>I am strongly invested in their characters. And the years I spent my money filling their pockets gives me the right to gripe, and I intend to do so on occasion.

One of the things I hate about the internet is how much doesn't come across.... I'm not trying to be judgemental with posts like this, and I DO agree with most of what you're saying; but I think it's sad how much stress stuff like this causes the older fans. I saw it years ago when I worked at the comic shop: people who aren't enjoying what should be fun. Folks who persist when they should move on. Sure you get attached to a decent character, but things change. They always have; hence the reboots every superhero has suffered thorugh over the decades. It's the nature of the beast when you deal with a perpetual character. But folks get too caught up in the negative.

The only part I disagree with.... and it's something I hear from a LOT of older fans.... is the idea that they somehow owe you for being a fan all these years. That part puzzles me 'cos I'd have hoped you were buying their stuff 'cos you enjoyed it.... not because of some moral imperative. And if you did enjoy it, then you got your money's worth. They don't owe you, you don't owe them. Which is why there's nothing wrong with a clean break if you're unhappy.

Don C.

[thunderbolt]

DC should really stop trying to grow up and be hip. Just embrace all the goofy history of these characters and be done with it.

[Earth 2 Chris]

DC should really stop trying to grow up and be hip. Just embrace all the goofy history of these characters and be done with it.

I agree. I think that's one reason I really liked the early 80s at DC. Writers like Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas fully embraced DC lore, while moving things forward with characterization, subplots, etc. But (for the most part) the comics were still kid-friendly. No maiming, face-peeling, etc.

One of the things I hate about the internet is how much doesn't come across.... I'm not trying to be judgemental with posts like this, and I DO agree with most of what you're saying; but I think it's sad how much stress stuff like this causes the older fans. I saw it years ago when I worked at the comic shop: people who aren't enjoying what should be fun. Folks who persist when they should move on. Sure you get attached to a decent character, but things change. They always have; hence the reboots every superhero has suffered thorugh over the decades. It's the nature of the beast when you deal with a perpetual character. But folks get too caught up in the negative.

The only part I disagree with.... and it's something I hear from a LOT of older fans.... is the idea that they somehow owe you for being a fan all these years. That part puzzles me 'cos I'd have hoped you were buying their stuff 'cos you enjoyed it.... not because of some moral imperative. And if you did enjoy it, then you got your money's worth. They don't owe you, you don't owe them. Which is why there's nothing wrong with a clean break if you're unhappy.

Why should I move on? I enjoy Super Hero stories. In comics, movies, TV series, etc. I don't care for a lot of other comic genres. I realize that makes me seem immature to some folks. I could care less. Obviously, a great number of adult people enjoy these type of stories, based on current box office receipts. The fact that the Mego Museum has a comic section is, I would think, almost entirely due to super hero comics. That is the connection. Almost all of us here were fans of WGSH, and to some extent, the characters outside of the toys, in comics and or other media.

And I did enjoy what I bought. I wish I could now. I wish my son could leaf through more than a handful of modern comics without fear of him being exposed to some truly disturbing imagery and rather sadistic ideas. This on top of totally disregarding their history (which DC has never completely done, even after Crisis on Infinite Earths) has made their comics unreadable to me. I'm not alone. And as their new fans grow tired of the mismanaged mess of a line they have, guess who DC will try to win back then?

Chris

Chris

[The Toyroom]

Chris you are definitely not alone in your thinking...I feel the same way...

[WannabeMego]

Chris you are definitely not alone in your thinking...I feel the same way...

Ditto...I just got tired of waiting for them to wake up so I've moved on to the past.

[megalomaniac001]

I hope things get sorted out someday. I have not read new comics from either DC or Marvel in a couple of years. I got out because Green Lantern was having way to many crossovers and Spiderman sold his marrage to the devil! I have instead been having fun reading all of the silver age stuff I can get a hold of.

[boynightwing]

I think you guys are way to hard on DC. There has been an abundance of good stuff to come out of them since the 52 started. Teen Titans is NOT one of those good things though. They failed across the board with this series. Story and Art.

They had a chance to use some iconic characters and really make us interested in the team again. Something I haven't had in years beyond the animated series. And they blew it. Robin, Superboy, Wondergirl, Kid Flash are fine, but when they started adding some new...strange characters that I'm positive will be forgettable, they lost me completely. I stuck it out for about 5 issues. I hated Robin's costume so much I couldn't look at anymore. I read the Superboy series for about 7 issues until I stopped caring about that too.

The one thing I miss most about the old DCU is Tim Drake.