I was wrong.
Apparently Judd's only other new project is a Titan's East series based off of a Geoff Johns' story nobody seems to have enjoyed all that much, with a bunch of characters who weren't even part of that Titans East team. And while Judd tries to be mysterious in an interview about the roster or whether or not this team will even be made up of superheroes or villains, apparently nobody told him that the cover of said comic was being released along with his interview.
While the line-up in itself is pretty pitiful, the team roster itself contains one offensive inclusion - Power Boy aka The Boy With The Boob Window.
Why is that offensive? Well, given that the last time we saw Power Boy, he had beaten up Supergirl and tried to force himself on her... if it were any other writer, I'd ask what the hell they are thinking bringing an unstable Apokolipitian near-rapist in on a team - even a potentially shady one - that contains such innocent characters as Lagoon Boy and Dove.
Of course since this is Judd Winick we're talking about, there was likely no thought other than "this guy looks cool... I should put him in a story!"
I'd protest but I don't need to. Given the lackluster reaction to the book on Newsarama, I would only be giving press to a book that is already recieving plenty of negative attention without me ranting. Between Winick's writing and Ian "Jailbait" Churchill's artwork, I imagine there's already many an irate fan planning how best to avoid this title.
Who's the kid with the sword?
ReplyDeleteMy only guess as to why/how Powerboy ended up on the roster is that the creative team at DC decided that Teen Titans was popular enough to warrant a spin-off book.
ReplyDeleteThen they tried to figure out what Teenage Super Heroes they hadn't yet aged or killed off and panicked.
That said I'll probably end up picking up this book just because I really like the prospect of seeing Lagoon Boy and Son of Vulcan again.
Son of Vulcan.
ReplyDeleteA more perplexing question is who is the blonde piece of jailbait.
Problem is... Teen Titans hasn't really been a big seller for a while now. And critically, it's been Johns' weakest book for a while. So I'm not sure if this was an editorial created series.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly Winick and Johns are good friends, so I can just imagine this scene.
Winick: C'mon man! You gotta give me something! You have so many great ideas!
Johns: No, Judd. You'll just go spend your paycheck on Wild Turkey and Japanese schoolgirls again.
Winick: Nah, Geoff. I'm clean! I swear. Just give me one more idea to work with. *sobs* They canceled 'Juniper Lee'! They've taken Outsiders away from me! They're making me put Black Canary in Green Arrow... *sobs* All the Gail Simone fans are going to be watching and waiting for me to screw up... I need something, ANYTHING to prove I'm still an edgy relevant writer.
Johns: Well... I am about to leave Teen Titans. But I think they already have a team lined up to restart it. And I do have a list of all the teen heroes I didn't get a chance to put in the background of Infinite Crisis...
Winick: That's fine! I can do a guest spot... a one-shot to set up the new book like we did back in the day! (looks over list)
Johns: Do you promise to check with the other writers and editors and make sure nobody else has plans for these characters?
Winick: Meh. Like anyone cares about Cyborg. And who else could do something with this Power Boy guy? (grins) I could make the new Hawk and Dove lesbians!
Johns: Uh..... never mind.
I thought the blonde was Supergirl sporting a new look. :P
ReplyDeleteAnd it should be that the kid is called Vulcan. Son of Vulcan was the sidekick of Vulcan and since this kid now has Vulcan's powers, he should be Vulcan.
Loved the miniseries for that. Great stuff and I'm glad to see the character again. Last he was seen, he was in Roulette's games and that was never a good sign.
Oh wait. Cyborg is pointing his Glowing Blue Gun Hand at the viewer. I thought they'd given him some kind of glowy chest thing. The suckage of this artist is subtle...
ReplyDeleteOh, gods.
ReplyDeleteI used to love Teen Titans.
Oh, well. One more thing I won't have to spend money on.
Male writers rarely write "lesbians". They do sometimes write "girl-on-girl", but that is an animal of a very different sort.
ReplyDeleteThere are exceptions, of course, but Winick doesn't seem like one, from my limited knowledge of his work.
No, it isn't. The big about being in Roulette's games being a good sign, I mean. I'll have to take your word for it on it being a good series. My shop never got it.
ReplyDeleteAnd no - Churchill's artwork and his tendency to draw all blonde girls as being alike aside I'm pretty sure that ISN'T Supergirl.
The big rumor flying around the Web right now is that it is Amethyst. Which I really, really REALLY hope isn't true since I always thought she would be a great character to bring back in a series aimed at teenage girls - not as one more bit of DC Innocence for Winick to corrupt like he did the Captain Marvel mythos.
Ah well... we'll always have Earth 5.
I know. Churchill is clocking about an 8 on the Liefield scale.
ReplyDeleteFor what it is worth, this isn't the regular Teen Titans book. This is a new Titans East series.
ReplyDeleteThe regular Teen Titans book is getting a new creative team but it isn't Winick and Churchill.
Personally, I think the new Teen Titans book looks promising.
First of all, I agree with you. With the exception of Terry Moore, I can't think of a single male comic writer who can consistently write good, realistic female characters of any sexual preference.
ReplyDeleteSecond, you're right. Winick isn't that type of writer. Gay, Straight, Bi or Robot on Elemental (don't ask), all of Judd's relationships are defined by the sex and little else.
Put it this way: When he was asked for his thoughts about the romantic relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary... well, I'll let the man's words speak for themselves...
They’re not sweet—that’s not what it’s about. It’s not sweet and it’s not romantic. They’re randy. They’re tough. They are a couple, like, “Let’s get boozy and do it in the kitchen!”
Third, I think you may have missed the double joke in making Hawk and Dove lesbians since you're not familiar with Winick's work.
Shall I explain?
Cyborg hates the new Titans so much he joined THIS group? O_O
ReplyDeleteApparently so.
ReplyDeleteNO NOT AMETHYST. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to be the instrument of so much of your suffering.
ReplyDeleteLong time, no see, incidentally.
I do enjoy Lagoon Boy's giant grin. "I'm out of D-list Limbo! Yay me!"
ReplyDeleteHit me.
ReplyDeleteYou are overlooking that Power Boy is a evil New God from Apokolips whose shtick is that he is pretending to be a superhero. I can see why he would want to join Titans East as cover. I'm sure that's what Judd Winick has in mind.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how that will really work, because Supergirl can expose him at any time and there is no reason for her to not do so...
Next issue, it will be replaced by a "I've Got The AIDS!" scream.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you why it will work.
ReplyDeleteBecause Winick ignores continuity as he damn well pleases and any repercussions of Kelly's story will likely be handled by another writer in another book.
...Is he the hack who wrote that crap story where Kyle Rayner's assistant had a crush on him?
ReplyDeleteThat is the hack in question.
ReplyDeleteAlthough in fairness, I thought that story was about the best possible attempt - at the time - to discuss a gay teen male coming to terms with liking men possible in a mainstream comic.
What I didn't like was how, after that Very Special Issue, Kyle's assistant disappeared from the book completely except to occasionally pop up in a panel or two, calling Kyle to say that he couldn't make it to work as he was going to hang out at the GLBT Teen Center and Kyle remarking how great it was that such organizations exist.
Which is a fine sentiment, save that Terry was reduced to token status and was largely invisible until the infamous (and poorly done) gay-bashing issue, which existed primarily only to teach the audience that beating up random people on the street is wrong and to show that as evil as Lex Luthor is, there are some things even he condemms. :P
It got even worse a few years later when it was revealed that, despite years of continuity and evidence to the contary - not only was Kyle's birth father Aaron Rayner in hiding rather than working for a Shadow Government - he was a Mexican Immigrant named Gabriel Vasquez!
Why? So that Winick could claim credit for writing the first mainstream Hispanic hero to headline a main-stream comic book. :P
The lameness! It burns!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember that issue of "Supergirl" that well - but did he actually try to rape her? I remember him ordering her (and I think hitting her). And I'm not trying to say that's any better or excusable, just trying to remember what happened.
ReplyDeleteActually, if the issue with Supergirl is played out, it could be kind of interesting - because it would be a classic "he said -she said" scenario. Even if Supergirl told the truth, would everyone believe her? In any tight-knit team, people by default defend their teammates against outsiders. Witness how sports teams rally around guys accused of crimes (or even if the guy is just a jerk). A superhero team, or at least people on the team might react the same way - "I don't know what happened with Supergirl, but I know he saved my life and I trust him." And of course, Supergirl has been portrayed in a way where it seems that others in the DCU don't fully trust her.
Doesn't mean that the story will actually play out that way, and in all likelihood the whole issue with Supergirl will get ignored. But there are some interesting possibilties, whether their followed up on by Winick or anyone else, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.