TV Teen Titans

[Redmenace]

Thanks

[Hermit]

Austin Powers goes evil and becomes a psychodelic school teacher.

 

I can see it. YAY Baby...

 

(Last episode seemed a lot like Arcade of Marvel actually...)

[Redmenace]

I'm just begging for a flame here but I rather liked that episode. Does anyone know what the in-comic Mad Mod was like? This version had almost a Arcade-murderworld as drawn by Steranko(=Op art kind of style), I assume that that is a reinterpretation.

[keithcurtis]

OK, that was weird.

 

That was the first episode I have seen. The show definitely has a chibi anime feel. But I am willing to give it further viewing. Wether one likes the animation or not, it is not shoddily done. There is a style to it. I haven't made up my mind whether it deserves my time or not yet.

 

Keith "making room on Hermit's fence" Curtis

[Brandi]

Originally posted by Redmenace

I'm just begging for a flame here but I rather liked that episode. Does anyone know what the in-comic Mad Mod was like?

 

from Titans Tower:

 

"The Mad Mod was a fashion designer who lived on Carnaby Street in London, where Mod clothes were the rage. Mod used his fashion label as a front to conceal contraband items in the clothes he made."

 

Actually not nearly as interesting. I liked the riffs on Yellow Submarine and quite possibly Thief and the Cobbler as well, and the Puffy Aniyumi chase song (K2G) made me smile.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Originally posted by Brandi

from Titans Tower:

 

"The Mad Mod was a fashion designer who lived on Carnaby Street in London, where Mod clothes were the rage. Mod used his fashion label as a front to conceal contraband items in the clothes he made."

 

Actually not nearly as interesting. I liked the riffs on Yellow Submarine and quite possibly Thief and the Cobbler as well, and the Puffy Aniyumi chase song (K2G) made me smile.

 

Don't forget the referneces to The Prisoner (Mad Mod rides a penny-farthing bicycle in one scene) and A Clockwork Orange (the chair that forces Starfire's eyes open so she can see things she doesn't want to, casting Malcom MacDowlell as Mad Mod) and a few other things. the ending is also a nod to the Batman: TAS episode "What is Reality?". mad Mod may have been mad, but he was sensible enough to fight the Titans from what he thought was a safe distance....

[Tech]

I've been recording Teen Titans. Mod Mad made me stop recording half-way through the extraordinary awful episode. I hated it.

 

On a different note, where can I specifically pick up back issues of the Teen Titans comics? I'll order from anywhere in the U.S. (please don't say your 'local comic shop'.)

[Armitage]

Originally posted by Tech

On a different note, where can I specifically pick up back issues of the Teen Titans comics? I'll order from anywhere in the U.S. (please don't say your 'local comic shop'.)

 

Mile High Comics usually works pretty well for me.

http://www.milehighcomics.com

[Pattern Ghost]

Originally posted by Tech

(please don't say your 'local comic shop'.)

 

Actually, that could be a aalid option. A lot of local comic shops are more than happy to ship, and run pretty good deals on bundles of back issues. (For the less expensive backissues, like complete runs of Alpha Flight.) In fact, when I got out of the Army, my local comic shop shipped me the death of Supes black bag (I ripped open the bag anyway though) issue and other holds I had.

[GestaltBennie]

Well, I saw the Raven mirror episode and it was not too bad. Maybe it'll pick up from here..

 

Scott Bennie

[Michael Hopcroft]

Storywise, it HAS been improving. The "Red X" episode was very good and "Apprentice" so far has been pure dynamite. Slade the terminator is becoming one of the most cilling villains I've encountered in American animation, mainly due to his ice-cold rationality. His total LACK of insanity is, in its own way, as frightening asd the Joker's utter madness.

[Agent X]

I was really unimpressed with the series and then the Mad Mod episode happened. I'm surprised so many are expressing distaste for that episode. It's the one that gave me a reason to continue watching. I loved the idea of a villainous Michael Caine.

[Brandi]

I will say this much about the wild anime takes-- they really oughta tone them down for the less silly eps. They *really* seemed out of place in the Apprentice ep (as compared to, say, the Mad Mod or Aqualad one).

 

[And damn if that K2G song from the Mad Mod chase doesn't work like a happy drug on me. Scary!]

[Armitage]

Originally posted by Brandi

I will say this much about the wild anime takes-- they really oughta tone them down for the less silly eps. They *really* seemed out of place in the Apprentice ep (as compared to, say, the Mad Mod or Aqualad one).

 

http://sluggy.com/daily.php?date=031004

[J4y]

I don't think they do too much overexageration, the problem I'm having with the show though is that it's 100% combat. If I want a combat cartoon, I can go and download a dozen real anime that are 10x better, I can watch whenever I want and don't have commercials. Better, I can download a show that ISN'T 100% combat. I've seen the first 8 or 9 episodes of TT and I've learned that... Starfire has a sister, Raven has a demon for a father and... thats it. Who the heck are Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg? Big zeros. Lame.

[The Monster]

I enjoy watching TT with my son (age 11) - it's a light-hearted show, about what I'd expect for a not-bad Saturday-morning cartoon. What really pleased me, though, is my son's comments after playing in the opening adventure in my Champions campaign - it's the first time he's joined my regular group for RPGing, and did just fine. The group, all beginner superheroes, got out-maneuvered and out-numbered by the master villain, and some of the players got annoyed at not being able to pull off a complete win. My son's comment was "Cool! It was just like the Teen Titans against Slade! They just got trashed!" He's looking forward to going after the guy again.

 

I figure if it adds to someone's gaming experience, it can't be all bad...

[The Monster]

I enjoy watching TT with my son (age 11) - it's a light-hearted show, about what I'd expect for a not-bad Saturday-morning cartoon. What really pleased me, though, is my son's comments after playing in the opening adventure in my Champions campaign - it's the first time he's joined my regular group for RPGing, and did just fine. The group, all beginner superheroes, got out-maneuvered and out-numbered by the master villain, and some of the players got annoyed at not being able to pull off a complete win. My son's comment was "Cool! It was just like the Teen Titans against Slade! They just got trashed!" He's looking forward to going after the guy again.

 

I figure if it adds to someone's gaming experience, it can't be all bad...

[Michael Hopcroft]

Apprentice, parts 1 & 2

 

Anyone see the season-ending two-parter "Apprentice"? I can see some supervillain putting a hero in a similar situation and the superhero reacting possivbly in much the same way Robin did.

 

Slade is rapidly becoming one of my favorite TV supervillains ever, because his ice-cold rationality is so darn scary for that audience level.

 

How would you write up a device like that mimics the nanoprobes in that episode.

 

Finally, there is a lot of speculation on the teen titans mailing lists I've on (which specialize in the animation rather than the comic, that is) on Salde's true identity and his connection to Robin. When Slade realized his hold over Robin was gone, probably forever, his reaction was very unusual. He gave the Titans the advantage and got himself beaten up rather than kill Robin along with the Titans, which he could easily have done (what Robin had done bordered on the suicidal given what he knew). slade is not particularly honorable or moral as supervillains go. He is, however, calculating (often within a split-second) and highly rational. Most villains who would put the heroes in a situation like that would have simply let Robin die with his friends. Yet Slade didn't. Why?

[Sketchpad]

Simple ... he's actually Batman

[The Monster]

I thought so too - else, why the Batman references - the big fight on top of Wayne Enterprises, and wasn't Beastboy a bat for a second in one scene?

I'm not sure why he'd do it, except maybe as a training for Robin.

[Fedifensor]

From a Champions point of view, the Teen Titans are an incredibly balanced superteam:

 

Robin - Martial Artist (+ gadgets)

Starfire - Energy Projector (and light Brick)

Cyborg - Brick (+ Energy Protector + Gadgeteer)

Beast Boy - Shapeshifting Growth-based Brick

Raven - Mentalist (specializing in Telekinesis)

 

Two Bricks, one Energy Projector, one Martial Artist, and one Mentalist. I could only pray to get such a balanced group in my campaign...

[Brandi]

Actually, Slade/Deathstroke seems to be a villain from the original comics and would have nothing to do with Batman unless the TV show writers decide to really put a twist in things.

 

Anyone else like the EC comics reference?

[BlackSword]

Originally posted by The Monster

I thought so too - else, why the Batman references - the big fight on top of Wayne Enterprises, and wasn't Beastboy a bat for a second in one scene?

I'm not sure why he'd do it, except maybe as a training for Robin.

I thought about this too. Also with Robin's quote "I already have a father" and the short Batman riff and bats flying above them both. This episode had a lot of references to Batman. However Slade did several things that don't seem to fit with Batman. I think him letting Robin live and running off after the fight was more of a comic book plot then "the bad guy should just let them meet a gruesome fate." It also may be Slade's ego, Slade wants to win on his terms, not Robin's terms.

 

One of my favorite scenes in the episode was when Raven jump kicked Beast Boy across the room. Cyborg's reaction was great. Raven should have some points in Martial Arts too, though not nearly what Robin has.

[Storn]

Apprentice I & II were great fun, IMO.

 

to the person who says Titans is all combat and doesn't do combat as well as 9 or 10 animes... well, poppycock. (in my humble opinion)

 

This animation team is finding a different visual language, much like Samurai Jack, that is certainly influenced by anime, but not anchored by it.

I thought the martial arts between Slade and Robin were full of anger, crispness, drama... the moves were appropriately comic booky, it moved the plot forward... all the things that a good fight scene does whether it is 007 vicious street fighting techniques vs. 005 in Goldeneye (a top notch HtH fight scene IMO)... or Jet Li vs. Donnie Yen (multiple times) in Hero (an incredibly elegant fight scene(s), my favorite martial arts movie evar!).

 

As for Robin-Batman continuity... there is precious little. Something that does bug me. I love the "I already have a father" and the Wayne Enterprises rooftop arena. But the answers first suppose who IS Robin... Tim or Dick. The creators have stated that they won't tell us (cop out, IMO). I would prefer Tim, because the Titans feels so new, so recombination of elements from the Wolfman/Perez Titans that I grew up with. But if it is Dick, and I would say that the last two eps were more Dick than Tim, then a falling out between Bruce and Dick has to happen at some point. Adolescense seems the perfect place to do it. Dick goes off on his own, and hooks up with the Titans. Problem solved.

 

Still... Slade comes back, Robin gets in trouble, Batman shows up at the last minute contacted by the unlikeliest of sources, Beast Boy, "one punch!" and Slade is out.... that would be a perfectly fun wrap up to season two (not one, too soon).

[Pattern Ghost]

I seriously doubt if Bats could one-punch Slade, at least the comic book version.

 

Slade needs his sword! Well, lacking Jericho, I'm not sure who he'd use it on in this show, though...

 

I don't think he's Bats. The writers would have to come up with a very compelling reason for his behavior in that case. I think he let Robin live simply b/c he didn't want to have the terms of his victory dictated to him. These two episodes, and the ones leading up to them have been completely about Slade trying to exert control over Robin.

 

These last two episodes are definately the best to date, and if the show keeps the quality at this level, it's definately going to be a must watch for me next season.