Teen Titans Flashback

Tales of the Teen Titans #55 is our pick for the week.  What’s that?  I’m over twenty years late on this one?  Yeah, you got me.  I was entertaining a guest from out of town all last week, so I didn’t get a chance to go to the comic shop.  I will catch up and remedy this error this week, however I felt the need to make some kind of consolation.  I’ve been on a Teen Titans kick and started reading the classic Marv Wolfman/George Perez run, back when Teen Titans and X-Men were neck and neck every month for top sales.  Titans fans were still reeling from the “Judas Contract” storyline, which is currently being adapted into a feature animated film, where Terra betrays the team to Deathstroke, the Terminator.  Slade Wilson had gone on trial for kidnapping in the wake of the storyline and actually managed to get off, which prompts Changeling to swear vengeance upon the Terminator.

This issue opens promising a titanic battle between the two, and the story delivers, but in a totally unexpected way.  During the fight, Gar realizes he doesn’t have what it takes to kill the Terminator, so the two go and have a cup of coffee and discuss their feelings about Terra.  Not only do Changeling and Terminator reconcile, but Gar has to come to understand that Terra was a legitimate psychopath, and Terminator actually admits to having ”made love” to her.  While the comics had overtly implied that Terminator and Terra had a sexual relationship, Wolfman goes ahead and spells it out in print so no one can say otherwise.  Titans was one of the boldest books of its time, starting with the storyline that introduced Terra (or earlier if you want to argue it), and continuing into the second “New Teen Titans” direct market series which really led the way in changing the format (and cost) of your average comic.  I think the current series does a decent job of honoring that history, but in many ways the Teen Titans of 1985 are more mature than the Teen Titans of today.  Anyway, if you feel like reliving some memories (and reading some really dated jokes made by Changeling), check out Tales of the Teen Titans #55.  It’s only $1.99 on ebay.