Saturday, June 20, 2009

Titans News from HeroCon


Titans News from HeroCon, as reported by Newsarama:

Will the Teen Titans roster be settling down soon? a fan asked. Cunningham said that the arc that starts in #72 will “change things slightly in an awful way for our characters...they’re not going to like it.”

“There’s a definite plan that Brian and his team are driving towards, and we’re going to get there, but there’s a bumpy road between here and there,” Sattler said.


Hmmm. "change things slightly in an awful way" and "a bumpy road." Sounds like DC really just wants to drive away any remaining Titans fans....

posted by Mr Saturday Morning @ 11:28 AM  

30 Comments:

  • At 4:12 PM, Blogger MetFanMac said…

    There are no way they are this stupid. Just no way.

    ...Oh, who am I kidding? >:-(

     

  • At 7:03 PM, Anonymous Diane Brendan said…

    Yes, I am afraid they are. They have taken a once proud book and made it into something no one wants.

     

  • At 8:29 PM, Blogger Thomas said…

    It's almost like they're actively punishing us for liking the Titans concept.

     

  • At 12:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    "It's almost like they're actively punishing us for liking the Titans concept."

    ..Or they're punishing us for liking the stuff that came after COIE (or before i.e. Dick as Nightwing)


    Damn you, Dan Didio!!!!

     

  • At 1:23 AM, Blogger Unknown said…

    DiDio moved then to the next team book, "Teen Titans," and received thank yous from the crowd for putting Static in the line-up. "We always talk about diversity. And we have this wonderful group of characters that help diversify the DC Universe in Milestone universe. We finally got to the right point where we were able to work all those books together. I think they've enhanced the overall DC Universe just by coming in. I think [Static] adds a lot to the Teen Titans. He's a great character."

    Continuing on the book, DiDio said fans will start seeing a more stable team starting with issue #75, adding that a "couple of returning characters are going to be coming back in"


    http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21691

     

  • At 2:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'm not the same Anonymous who posted earlier.

    I'm relatively new to the Titans series, and believe the're doing an excellent job with it. I was already a fan of Static, and now that he's on the team, that's all the more reason for me to follow the series. On another note, a lot of the new fans were drawn in by the Teen Titans animated series that ran on Cartoon Network, and came to enjoy the comics.

     

  • At 4:59 PM, Anonymous Mike Lepp said…

    Like was posted earlier, I, too, believe that the book is in kind of a 'holding pattern' and we'll see some sort of relaunch or return to greatness in the next year.

     

  • At 10:28 AM, Anonymous Flash Fact said…

    If bumpy road means that Damian shows up and declares he is the new leader of the Teen Titans as it is his right, then I'm excited. ...That's a longshot though... Probably means that they're gonna fight another team of Titans. Again.

     

  • At 12:27 PM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    Hi. Same guy who posted anonymously three comments ago.

    I would have to agree with Mike Lepp and Flash Fact. It does seem that they are on either the verge of a returning character or two, or a massive, slightly confusing, though quite possible enjoyable Titans on Titans clash.

     

  • At 6:25 PM, Blogger Unknown said…

    Alls I know is that I don't want Superboy on that crappy book.

     

  • At 6:44 PM, Anonymous Mike Lepp said…

    Klone89, I kinda DOUBT that they'll put Conner back on the book. Hell, I doubt they could pry him from Johns for that! I also doubt we'd see Bart back on the team, as well.

    If sales are ANY indication, I think we're looking at a cancellation for both books and a big relaunch, like back in '03 (hopefully)

     

  • At 11:03 PM, Anonymous Diane Brendan said…

    Mike Lepp: I will very angry if they cancel Titans, because I don't want to see another book where the teams are folded back together. If it happens, I will forever curse Judd Winnick for screwing up the best chance the elder Titans have had to stand on their own in years.

     

  • At 1:34 AM, Anonymous redbird 3.0 said…

    I'm sorry guys, but as far as I'm concerned they might as well just cancel the Teen Titans books. I haven't enjoyed the series since the One Year Later, Titans East Storyline ended.

    The series has no sense of stability. The team is constantly changing every few issues with every new writer. They lost all but one of the primary characters from when the series started and replaced them with a bunch of minor character many of whom while somewhat interesting, just aren't interesting enough for me to have the desire to buy the book.

    If they want this book to survive, they need to consider going back to the basics. Have one group of teen heroes. No changing of the cast ever few months, no substitution and no constant attempts at 'shaking things up' but killing and replacing people after one or two issues (i.e. Supergirl, Raven, Jericho, etc). In the old days, the teams were constant for years. The Wolfman run on the series back in the old days had the same cast with only minor additions or removals every few years or so.

    Have stories that end POSITIVELY for the team. That way when they finally do stories that are dramatic and painful, they actually mean something.

    And of course STOP KILLING PEOPLE in order to 'shake things up'. Read the old Titan stories or anything before Didio. Characters didn't die every issue or storyline. And the audience liked that. They liked knowing their character wasn't going to get slaughtered.

    And maybe its time to bring back some of the big names. Robin (or rather Red Robin), Superboy and Kid Flash. They're the reason we a majority of us started reading the series. They were the characters we liked and who people are more familiar with.

     

  • At 4:32 AM, Blogger Thomas said…

    I sadly have to admit that like redbird 3.0 I have pretty much not enjoyed the book since the end of Titans East--well, save for that story with Eddie and Kid Eternity in Hell, which I thought had a lot of insight into both characters.

    I don't know if I agree with all his recommendations whole-heartedly...but I do think we need some stories that end positively, some stability and--most importantly--we need to have the 'One of The Titans Past Or Present Is EEEEEEEeeeevil' and the 'Someone Turned Our HQ Against Us' tropes put on the shelf for a couple of years. When we have the characters commenting on how often these things happen, it's not clever--it's just reminding the reader how tired these plot elements are.

    I personally think Cassie as leader is a bust, but I never cared for the character in this iteration. But we've got a nice core of characters with her, Eddie, Static, Beetle, Kid and Bombshell...maybe if we bring back Bart or Tim to round things out and concentrate on them exclusively, we might be able to come out of this unscathed...

    But we all know that isn't going to happen, don't we?

     

  • At 4:28 PM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    It's true. To use an example from Marvel: If you've ever been an Avengers fan, then you probably remember the years where they were constantly changing members, killing people off, ect. That, like with the Titans, is what drove many fans away. If they just stick with one team for awhile, people might not feel the need to regret buying an issue. The current line-up (i.e. everyone but Cassie) seems okay, but I'd have to agree with Thomas on that one.

    Some of what redbird 3.0 said makes sense, but I can't whole heartedly agree.

     

  • At 5:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    ''I'm not the same Anonymous who posted earlier.

    I'm relatively new to the Titans series, and believe the're doing an excellent job with it. I was already a fan of Static, and now that he's on the team, that's all the more reason for me to follow the series. On another note, a lot of the new fans were drawn in by the Teen Titans animated series that ran on Cartoon Network, and came to enjoy the comics.''

    KUDOS, Stop all this unnecessary Titans hate. I have read the current issue #72, and thought is was brilliant. Btw. The entire series is aimed at teenagers. (and most comics in general to be honest) and by my books, it is appealing very well to us.

     

  • At 7:36 PM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    Well, I have to agree with the fellow above me, who I'm guessing is a teenager.

     

  • At 9:21 PM, Anonymous Mike Lepp said…

    Well, I'm not saying the book is AWFUL. (I'm still buying it every month) But it's not what it used to be. That sounds lame or stubborn, I know, but, you have to admit, the quality of the book is not up to par.

     

  • At 1:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    One or two people say they love the book...but the sales figures tell a different story.

    I am against a cancellation and relaunch, but only for one reason; said relaunch would be under Didio. Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse.

     

  • At 2:56 AM, Anonymous redbird 3.0 said…

    Yeah, I won't knock those who like the book still. After all, everyone has different tastes, but I have to agree with the last Anonymous guy as well as the sales post that Bill posted before this one... the numbers don't lie. This run of Teen Titans has the worst sales in years.

    And I'm sorry but I have to disagree about the series being aimed primarily at teenagers. Because if that's the case, then no wonder the series is dying.

    Despite it being called 'Teen Titans', the book is read in large part by adults. The adults are the ones who have been reading about these characters and this particular team since their conceptions.

    And unfortunately those same adults have been forced to read the same 'betrayal' storylines again and again and again. I mean, how many have we seen a Titan turn evil and betray the team? How many times has the characters themselves gone "Oh god, did someone turn evil again?"

    And yes, the cartoon did help bring new people into the comics. But since they've removed all the characters who were in the cartoon from the comic series (there is no Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven or Cyborg), a large number of the kids who watched the TV series have given up the comic as well, because despite the new cast having potential they still aren't the characters the cartoon fans watched on TV.

    And I still not sure I like how Didio thinks about his target audience. I remember going to comic con last summers and during a panel asking Didio: "When are the Titans going to stop being so emo and angsty all the time. Shouldn't they have the occasional good day?" to which he replied "Have you ever met a teenager?"

    I remember looking around and seeing so many teenagers offended by the comment. Heck, I'm in my 20's and I'm offended.

     

  • At 4:19 AM, Blogger MetFanMac said…

    I remember reading that question and response posted on this blog, Redbird... I found it not only offensive but incredibly idiotic!

     

  • At 4:34 PM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    Yeah, as long as teens have Myspace, MTV, and an iPod they're a pretty positive bunch. I agree with the need for much less betrayel. If they just keep turning on each other, with this constant line-up change, their eventually going to kill off every DC character.

    (Wouldn't that suck?)

     

  • At 6:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Yo no creo que nunca jamas maten a Superman o Batman (quiero decir para siempre).
    Soy fan de los Titanes desde mediados de los años 80 y estoy muy disgustado con el trato tan malo que dan los jefes de DC a los personajes.
    Una cuestión: ¿Os habéis fijado que en cada gran saga DC solamente matan a alguno de los Titanes? El primer ejemplo que me viene a la cabeza es Superboy, pero metería en el saco a Pantha, Wildebeest, Bushido, Terra II...

     

  • At 6:17 PM, Anonymous Jack said…

    I believe that they need to stop all of this cassie nonsense. I didn't think that she was that strong a character to start with, and now that she is the leader... I think somebody mentioned it before, but we need a robin back (red robin preferably, Damian is only good in small doses)

    I can see where Dido is getting his ideas from though. The titans have always been about the drama more than anything else, and so far the only way he think that he can create drama is by killing people off.

    But with this issue coming up with the coffin on the cover... I think that it can only be one of two possibilities. 1. Wendy dies or 2. Eddie dies, because he didnt have his powers to protect him.

    There was also somebody who mentioned that people who did the transition from the cartoon to the comics, that there were no original remaining titans (such as Raven, Beastboy, Cyborg ect.)

    Why do you think they made Titans? From those sale stats, they are not going too well either. But I must admit, I am not enjoying it much. I think both the art and writing is both hideous. Hopefully that will change soon. Also, what the hell were they thinking about with Jericho! He was my favorite character! (the old version of cause, the 21st Century one didn't do much for me.)

    I think, that in order to make the Teen Titans great again, they need to get a youthful artist, like Karl Kersh (Don't know if I got his name right, but he did Teen Titans Year One.) create a solid team, such as Static, Blue Beetle, (drop Aquagirl), Superboy, Ms Martin, (kill Bombshell off in this conspiracy thing of hers,{please!}) Kid Eternity, and a part time Red Robin. That would make things great.

     

  • At 6:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    that comment from Dido... I dont know where you grew up, but yeah, most teenagers these days are over emotional. If you think about it, it is only Cassie that is the only emotionally challenged. The rest are quite happy, Ravenger is, but who can blame her. Bombshell comes close, but we all know that she is a right bitch to start with. Otherwise, it is a quite a happy team, all things considered.

     

  • At 11:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    No, not all teenagers are emotional train wrecks. And having moved around the country and attending 3 different high schools as well as college, I think I have can state that Didio's opinion is rather rude and horribly stereotypical. He basically said all teenagers are emotionally damaged and emo, hence why the Titans are.

    While I won't deny there are those kinds of teens out there (because they're usually the loudest ones), that does not apply to all teenagers. Not all of them are messed up emotionally. Many can actually be well-adjusted. And even the emotionally messed up ones, have good days occasionally.

    That's why so many people like Young Justice. Yeah, there would be drama and pain, but there was also adventures where they were happy and victorious. I remember dozens of stories where they were happy, and feeling good about themselves.

    Yeah, it was more humor driven than Titans, but it was a nice change of pace from 'AUGH WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

    Why do you think they made Titans? From those sale stats, they are not going too well either. But

    It's not they made the Titans. It's that they were the character the cartoon fans followed and enjoyed watch on the show. And often when favorite characters leave a book, the fans of that character drop the book as well.

    When you remove one or two characters from a book over a gradual amount of time (such as Wally West retiring and being replaced by Terra) and doing it to where it is actually important to the plot, the series usually survives.

    But when you do constant and massive overhauls of the team simply because you the writer wants to use different characters, usually the book dies shortly after.

    It's the same thing that happened after Nightwing and Starfire's failed wedding storyline. They completely changed the team following the plot and got rid of Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg and the rest, and instead replaced with a bunch of relatively unknown characters. After they did that, the series ended shortly after.

     

  • At 10:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'm not really interested in the Teen Titans anymore. Been a fan for years, but for the past few months (since about 2 issues before Tim left) I've just felt disinterested.

    I think it has to do with lack of good stories and Cassie as leader. I'm not a fan of her current role. In Young Justice she was pretty good. Unsure of herself, a little awkward. I liked her in that role. Now she's so bland and irritating. So I avoid the stories where I know she's going to end up...

     

  • At 6:37 PM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    In regards to my previous comment on teens...

    I suppose I over generalized. It's a case to case scenario.

    Other matters...

    They need a solid team. Cassie shouldn't be leader. A new artist couldn't hurt, but the current writer sure as hell could, eh...mess things up. Oh, and as far as current trends go, you can't tell the real emo kids from the posers anymore.

     

  • At 7:11 PM, Anonymous Jack said…

    I agree with Ravenloft completely. Cassie is just getting annoying, (just a little geekasm here, but did anyone notice how she didn't have those trade mark metal wrist bands for the entire 72 issue, but when things are being thrown at her, they magically appear!) DC needs another Watchmen, (the ones they are suggesting are not exactly breakthroughs - good, but not REVOLUTIONARY good).

    I think the Titans need to settle for a bit. Best way to do that, would be to bring (Red) Robin back,they need to MAKE ARCS count! In other words, they should only have stories which last one issue only, and have the odd one two or three. Leave the conspiracies to Ravenger.

    I noticed however that they have been playing on the animation scheme for a while. They noticed that Robin was gone (the last of the characters of the animated series), so they got another character, with an animated past (none other than Static).

    But if they are to get another artist, please get one which will reflect the titans, one which is inbetween the realms of realism and cartoony - once again - Teen Titans year one did it brilliantly!!! (The one so far would be better suited for Green Lanturn or even Vigilante)

     

  • At 11:08 AM, Anonymous Ravenloft said…

    Well, Jack seems to have an inciteful idea, so my mask is off to you Jack.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home