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NO. 122

OCTOBER 2020

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NEW TEEN TITANS’ 40 GREATEST MOMENTS

New Teen Titans TM & © DC Comics.

40TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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PÉREZ TRIBUTES & ART GALLERY HERO HISTORIES OF STARFIRE, RAVEN & THE PROTECTOR NEW TEEN TITANS IN THE MEDIA & MORE!

Volume 1, Number 122 October 2020 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

PUBLISHER John Morrow DESIGNER Rich Fowlks

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COVER ARTIST George Pérez (unused New Teen Titans cover art, courtesy of Andy Mangels) COVER COLORIST Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek SPECIAL THANKS Spencer Beck Luigi Novi Glen Cadigan Bob Rozakis Brian Cassner Jim Starlin Jon B. Cooke John Trumbull DC Comics John Wells Shelton Drum Cliff Galbraith VERY SPECIAL Chris Giarrusso THANKS Grand Comics George Pérez Database Marv Wolfman Dan Greenfield Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Heritage Comics Auctions James Heath Lantz Ron Lim Paul Levitz Ed Lute Andy Mangels Brian Martin Robert Menzies Mike Negin

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OFF MY CHEST: Guest Editorial by Marv Wolfman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 FLASHBACK: The 40 Greatest Moments of the New Teen Titans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Titans Companion’s Glen Cadigan counts down the biggest NTT events of the past 40 years PRINCE STREET NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Cartoonist Karl Heitmueller, Jr.’s auditions for new Titans, circa 1979 FLASHBACK: Raven: Fighting Her Inner Demons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The terrifying tale of the New Teen Titans’ first supernatural member ART GALLERY: New Teen Titans by George Pérez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 FLASHBACK: Starfire: The NTTs’ Alien Warrior Princess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Koriand’r of Tamaran, a woman of two worlds BACKSTAGE PASS: Teen Titans in the Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Andy Mangels tunes into New Teen Titans toons, TV, and more ONE-HIT WONDERS: Who is the Protector? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 From a Robin stand-in to a bizarre footnote in DC Comics history PRO2PRO: George Pérez Farewell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 East Coast Comic Con’s star-studded tribute retirement panel celebrating the modern master PINUP: New Teen Titans #1 tribute by Chris Giarrusso. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 The G-Man and Mini-Marvels artist’s homage to Pérez’s iconic first issue cover BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Reader reactions

BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $89 Economy US, $135 International, $36 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by George Pérez. The New Teen Titans TM & © DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2020 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows except Prince Street News © 2020 Karl Heitmueller, Jr. ISSN 1932-6904. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

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Titans Together Reprisal of New Teen Titans #1’s cover produced by George Pérez for the bookstore edition of the 2005 Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. Courtesy of Heritage.

TM & © DC Comics.

When editor Michael Eury suggested a “40 Greatest Moments” list as a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The New Teen Titans, tumblers immediately started to turn in my mind. Certain moments stood out more than others, and I knew right away what number one would be.

What makes a moment great? In my opinion, three things: significance (as determined by longterm consequences), stakes (the higher the stakes, the more important the moment), and how the story was told. From my perspective, these are the moments that left the greatest impact, impact

Glen Cadigan

being measured on both an objective scale (births, deaths, members joining, members leaving) and a subjective one (emotional consequences).

Throughout its run, The New Teen Titans was successful not only for its plots but also its characterization, so while character moments may not have changed the world, they changed the character’s world, and that counts.

Which moments rocked the Titans’ universe?

Which ones made readers’ jaws drop? Which ones are remembered the most, and which are the ones you’ll never forget? Let’s find out!

4 • BACK ISSUE • New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue

Generation Gap From No. 39: The JLA and Titans—together!

By Wolfman and Kane, from Action Comics #546 (Aug. 1983). Original art courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

TM & © DC Comics.

40. Dear Mom and Dad (The New Teen Titans vol. 1 #20, June 1982) There was no one thing that made The New Teen Titans a success, but one of the things that did was its focus on characterization.

Marv Wolfman and George Pérez learned early on that readers responded to the characters as if they were real people, so they showed their audience more than what the Titans did when they were wearing tights.

“Dear Mom and Dad” is a letter written by Wally West to his parents about a recent case as Kid Flash. Nobody died, nobody got a new costume, and nobody joined the team. Still, that was kind of the point. In its approach and execution, it was one of the comics that changed what super-hero comics could be.

39. Titans in Action (Action Comics #546, Aug. 1983) As part of Superman’s 45th anniversary in 1983, both Lex Luthor and Brainiac received upgrades in Action Comics #544 (June). In an attempt to kill Superman, the new Brainiac built an alien army that attacked Earth in Action Comics #546. Things looked so bad that Superman decided he needed help, so he asked the Justice League and the New Teen Titans for a hand. Together they repelled the alien horde, and saving the Earth always qualifies as a big deal. Written by Marv Wolfman with art by Gil Kane, the issue is an opportunity to see the New Teen Titans as drawn by a Silver Age legend.

38. In the Year 5708 (World’s Finest Comics #300, Feb. 1984) The Titans guest-star in a story where the stakes are as high as it gets: a cosmic threat to the Earth is causing earthquakes and time warps, and if something isn’t done about it, the planet will be destroyed. Things are so bad that Superman has to call in the JLA, and the Outsiders are enlisted while Batman is falling through time.

As far as the Titans go, Titans Island is subjected to a time warp and the team finds itself in the year 5708, where Earth is under attack by the Citadel. What makes the chapter so special is that while it’s only four pages long, it’s never been reprinted anywhere. It’s by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez (who also inked it), and it takes place right after Dick Grayson quit being Robin, so it’s criminally overlooked.

37. Wedding of Nightwing and Starfire (The New Titans #100, Aug. 1993) Superhero weddings are a comic-book tradition, and after more than a decade of their on-again, off-again relationship, Dick Grayson and Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran appeared ready to tie the knot in a holographic, cardstock-covered 100th anniversary issue.

It didn’t happen, of course—Dark Raven saw to that. And so ended a Titans era, in more ways than one.

36. Changing of the Guard (The New Titans #114 and 0, Sept. and Oct. 1994) Timed to coincide with DC’s Zero Hour event in 1994, the Titans received a complete roster shake-up. Gone was Nightwing as leader, and in his place was Arsenal, who led a lineup that included Impulse, Damage, Supergirl, the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, and Mirage and Terra from Team Titans.

Within a year, the book was cancelled, not due to the change as much as the change failed to prevent it.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

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by

Ed Lute

During the Golden Age, Silver Age, and most of the Bronze Age of Comics, if you asked someone who their favorite dark-clad DC superhero was, the response would overwhelmingly be Batman. This changed for some beginning in 1980. While most responses are always going to be the Caped Crusader, a new contender for favorite dark-clad DC superhero hit the comic scene 40 years ago when the mysterious and enigmatic Raven made her debut along with the rest of the New Teen Titans.

Most typical comic-book superheroes were heroic characters that fought on the side of light and didn’t have mysteries surrounding their origins or their motives.

This wasn’t the case with the shadowy Raven.

Initially, Raven was an enigma to readers. However, as readers learned more about her and the horrors that she had to face, they grew to love this complex character.

But just what did she have to face, and what kept her at a distance from her team members?

BACK ISSUE examines Raven’s creation, how she helped to form the New Teen Titans, why she almost wasn’t on the team, why she is such a morally complex character, and how her presence in the New Teen Titans opened up the series to darker stories.

DC COMICS PRESENTS RAVEN

By the late 1960s, Marvel Comics had taken over the spot as the number-one comic-book company in the world, sales-wise and creativity-wise. DC Comics, home to the original comic-book superhero Superman, needed to do something to help DC regain the top spot. Although it would take many years for the publisher to regain market dominance, there was one comic book that helped to spark their sales and creativity again: The New Teen Titans.

Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez along with some assistance from editor Len Wein (1948– 2017), the series which premiered 40 years ago became more than just a hit comic book, it became an iconic one.

Teen Titans had been a sturdy series for DC Comics during the Silver Age, partially due to Robin’s inclusion and popularity due to the TV-inspired Batmania, By the Bronze Age, however, the series had seen sales decline until it was ultimately cancelled in late 1972. A 1976 Teen Titans revival only lasted seven issues before the book was cancelled again.

So when Wein, Wolfman, and Pérez wanted to reboot it, they were met with resistance from then-DC Comics Publisher Jeanette Kahn. According to then-DC Comics Manager of Business Affairs Paul Levitz, “Jenette was initially reluctant to revive the Titans because the previous incarnation had been commercially and creatively weak, in her opinion. But she became enthusiastic as Marv, George, and Len (as editor) talked her through their ideas.” After hearing the creators’ ideas for the New Teen Titans series, Kahn became excited for the new series and gave it the green light.

When the team premiered in 1980, their first appearance wasn’t in the first issue of The New Teen

Who’s That Girl?

The enigmatic Raven reveals herself in the New Teen Titans preview in DC Comics Presents #26 (Oct. 1980), by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Dick Giordano.

TM & © DC Comics.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Dream Girl Robin is rudely awakened by nightmares—and Raven!—in The New Teen Titans #1 (Nov. 1980).

TM & © DC Comics.

Titans but as a special 16-page preview included in It was during the Titans’ special 16-page preview in the Superman team-up title DC Comics Presents (DCCP) DCCP, where they defeated terrorists who were inside of #26 (Oct. 1980). This was the first time that DC Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Comics had produced a special preview and Laboratories that readers were first introduced added it to a comic, but it wouldn’t be to Raven. In the story, Robin, the Teen Wonder the last. According to Levitz, “I don’t was called in to S.T.A.R. Labs, a construct of Len Wein’s during his days of writing remember how we came up with the preview idea, but it was a good tool.

Superman in the early 1970s, but during Used it a number of times in those the incident he kept having visions of days.” The 16-page preview initiative fighting alongside a new incarnation of proved so successful that it was used his former superhero group, the Teen many more times to various degrees Titans. This incarnation of the team of success throughout the 1980s, not only included Teen Titans mainstays launching such new concepts as All-Star Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and former Doom Squadron and Amethyst, Princess of Patrol member and honorary Titan Gemworld. (After first premiering in Beast Boy (now called the Changeling), the 16-page preview format, New Teen but also new team members Cyborg, paul levitz Starfire, and… Raven.

Titans would get the chance to pass © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons.

Readers were left wondering who along the favor along to other new series when the title featured special previews including these new characters were, especially the enigmatic Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! in New Teen Raven. Was she hero, villain, or something else entirely?

Titans #16, Feb. 1982, and Night Force in issue #21, While fans wouldn’t have to wait long to find out more July 1982.) about Raven with the first issue of the regular series hitting newsstands the next month, as they read further they would be faced with more questions than answers about this shadowy new character.

In New Teen Titans #1 (Nov. 1980), readers learned that Robin’s visions about a new incarnation of the Teen Titans were dreams brought on by Raven to prepare him for her arrival. Raven told Robin that she needed his help as well as the help of the other New Teen Titans.

The rest of this issue dealt with bringing together the superheroic teens. But why did Raven need to unite them? Her reason for needing the heroes wouldn’t be revealed during this issue, but soon thereafter.

Raven brought the New Teen Titans together for her own purposes, but without her needing the teens’ special abilities, the new team might never have been formed. However, even though she was instrumental in the formation of the New Teen Titans, originally Raven wasn’t even supposed to be on the team!

THE TITAN WHO ALMOST WASN’T

Initially, when Marv Wolfman was developing the new series, he hadn’t included Raven or a supernatural-type character on the team. It wasn’t until editor Len Wein suggested (insisted, actually) that he include a supernatural character on the team that Wolfman relented.

In TwoMorrows’ The Titans Companion by Glen Cadigan, Wein discussed why he wanted a paranormal character on the team. “The biggest contribution I probably made out of general back and forth between two creative guys is the existence of the character who became Raven, who was also [the character] who motivated the entire book. Marv didn’t want to do a supernaturally orientated character. I think you need one; you need somebody who fills that need. He very reluctantly came up with Raven, I guess with George, and they came back and later said, ‘You know, you were absolutely right. That’s the thing that made the made the book work.’ I thanked him for that.”

In BACK ISSUE #33, Wolfman confirmed Wein’s account and discussed the inspirations for Raven: “Long before I presented the Titans concept to DC, I had worked out all the characters in detail and the approach I had wanted to take and Len [Wein] pretty much agreed with it. [However], he felt DC needed a Doctor Strange character—a sorcerer who cast bolts, etc.—and wanted me to do one in the Titans. I refused because I didn’t want that kind of magical character in the book as I was going for a very different feel. Also, I already had Starfire, 18 • BACK ISSUE • New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue

Changing Features (top) The troubled Titan’s altered appearance, as seen in Tales of the New Teen Titans #2.

Art by Pérez and Pablo Marcos. (bottom) Todd Klein’s Raven logo used on that cover and elsewhere. Both, courtesy of Heritage.

TM & © DC Comics.

THE NEW, NEW TEEN TITANS

The New Teen Titans was one of DC Comics’ bestselling titles during the early 1980s, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that DC would want to capitalize on the series’ success by adding another New Teen Titans title for readers to purchase.

DC Comics’ former Answer Man Bob Rozakis tells BACK ISSUE, “A decision was made to have a direct-sales-only TT book and one that would have newsstand distribution. The intention was to follow the hardcover/softcover model of the book-publishing business. The stories from the direct book would be published in the newsstand version a year later.”

The hardcover/softcover model is one in which a more expensive hardcover book is published and then nine months to a year later (or sometimes more), a less expensive paperback book is published.

According to Paul Levitz, “The so-called hardcover/ softcover might have been my idea—or might have been someone else on the team. The concept was to allow us to shift to a direct-market-only title without abandoning the newsstand sales, which were still a significant contributor.”

“But they had to fill the first year [of the ‘softcover’ TT] with something,” adds Bob Rozakis, “so there was new material in both.”

In 1984, the original New Teen Titans became Tales of the Teen Titans (not to be confused with the earlier Tales of the New Teen Titans miniseries), maintaining the original series’ numbering, and a new volume of The New Teen Titans was created, starting afresh with issue #1. The new title was printed on higher-quality “Baxter” paper for distribution to the direct-only market, meaning newsstand readers wouldn’t be able to find it at their local traditional outlets. After the first year of original stories in each of the books, the two series would dovetail when Tales of the Teen Titans began reprinting the Baxter New Teen Titans issues so that readers without access to a comic shop would be able to read these adventures. Eventually, Tales of the Teen Titans ended and only the second volume of New Teen Titans remained.

With the introduction of the new Baxter series, Wolfman and Pérez had a go-big-or-go-home mentality with the first story arc. It began with a Raven-centric storyline that saw the return of Trigon. Wolfman tells BACK ISSUE, “As soon as we knew we were doing this second series, we knew the story had to be big and powerful. Since Raven was a catalyst for the entire Titans saga, it made sense to do this story to launch the new series.”

In New Teen Titans vol. 2 #1 (Aug. 1984), Cyborg discovered that Raven’s features had been changing until she resorted to wearing her hood all the time.

The change to Raven’s features fits into the storyline perfectly. However, the change to Raven’s features hadn’t been intentional. George Pérez, in The Titans Companion, described how the changes to Raven manifested: “That was one of those ‘I meant to do that’ New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 23

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New Teen Titans and related characters TM & Š DC Comics.

(opposite page) New Teen Titans 30th Anniversary Print from DC Comics, with art by George Pérez and colors by Tom Smith, utilizing the cover recreation art seen on page 4 of this issue. Courtesy of Andy Mangels. (top left) Colorist Adrienne Roy’s color separations guide for the New Teen Titans preview’s cover, which appeared in DC Comics Presents #26.

Signed by Roy and artists George Pérez and Dick Giordano. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). (top right) 1981 DC Comics Poster. For a larger version, see TwoMorrows’/Glen Cadigan’s Titans Companion. Courtesy of Andy Mangels. (bottom) 1981 Pérez TT illo produced for New Issue Club Express #117 (Oct. 1982).

Courtesy of Andy Mangels.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 27

(opposite page) This issue’s cover art, an unpublished NTT cover from 1981 later used by comic shop Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC, for a flier (inset).

Courtesy of Andy Mangels. (top) Original color cover art from 1982, produced for the fanzine Comics Feature #19. Courtesy of Heritage. (bottom left) A jam illo’ed by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Romeo Tanghal. From 1982. Courtesy of Andy Mangels. (bottom right) Floating head group shot from 1982. Courtesy of Andy Mangels.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 29

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If Adam Strange is a man of two worlds, Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran, better known as Kory Anders and Starfire, is a woman of two worlds.

Since her first appearance in the New Teen Titans preview in DC Comics Presents #26 (cover-dated Oct. 1980, going on sale July 10th of that year), she has made Earth her home, with the Titans being her family at her side during every life-changing event she has endured throughout her time in the DC Universe. As part of BACK ISSUE’s 40th anniversary celebration of the New Teen Titans, we’ll look at the life and times of Starfire and how she came to be the embodiment of feminine power.

A STARFIRE IS BORN

by

James Heath Lantz

July 1980 saw debut of the Airplane! and Prom Night (both films featured Leslie Nielsen), James Brown’s live album Hot on the One, and a new group of superheroes in the DC Universe. The New Teen Titans made their first appearance in a preview insert published in DC Comics Presents #26. The team consisted of original Teen Titans Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Robin, with former Doom Patrol sidekick Beast Boy—renamed Changeling—plus Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire being new additions to the squad of youthful adventurers.

Starfire’s creation is the result of two men, writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez. “I came up with a rough idea for the characters (except Jericho) before George drew them,” Wolfman tells BACK ISSUE. “But, of course, once he did, things changed. I knew the basics of all of them, but we fleshed out a lot together.”

According to TwoMorrows Publishing’s Modern Masters vol. 2: George Pérez, Pérez thought that Wolfman’s description of Starfire talked about a type of Red Sonja from space. Famed MAD and Creepy artist Joe Orlando saw sketches and suggested longer hair for the Tamaranean princess, with Pérez adding a contrail like the one seen in Mighty Mouse images.

Starfire is actually Princess Koriand’r of the warrior Tamaranean race. There has been much debate on how to pronounce her name.

Marv Wolfman informs BACK ISSUE that the name sounds pretty straightforward. It’s “Kory-ander,” like the herb coriander. One could probably go as far as to say that Tamaraneans pack a wallop in battle like the aforementioned herb used in Indian cuisine, and Princess Koriand’r exemplifies that in spades in all the Titans’ tussles with the villains that cross paths with them.

WE ARE FAMILY

X’Hal! It’s a Warrior Princess!

Starfire’s story was told in Tales of the New Teen Titans #4 (Sept. 1982), by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Ernie Colón.

TM & © DC Comics.

As with Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, DC’s New Teen Titans blossoms into a family, with all members sharing some common ground.

“My entire goal was to make the Titans a family book and not a group book,” reveals Wolfman. “Everything we did was to reinforce that.

Backstory, ideas, similarities, differences, etc. were created to make the Titans a family. Starfire has many of the same family/father problems the others have, which gives them all a common origin.”

Those “family/father problems” are clear among the various characters that become Wolfman and Pérez’s New Teen Titans.

Cyborg hates his father for making him a human/robot hybrid.

Raven’s father, the demon Trigon, assaulted her mother, resulting in Raven’s conception. Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Robin attempt to do everything possible to get out of the shadows of their superhero parental figures, and Changeling has parental baggage from his Doom Patrol heritage. Starfire’s paternal issues stem from her father King Myand’r—pronounced “Meander” (as some heads of state and writers are often accused of doing). Myand’r’s father and brothers were killed in the Tamaraneans’ war with the Citadel Empire. To prevent further destruction, his mother surrendered herself and her services to the invaders. This seems to be a family tradition as Myand’r forced Koriand’r into slavery to keep the peace.

Now, Myand’r had Koriand’r and her older sister Komand’r (pronounced “Commander”; more on her shortly) secretly trained as soldiers by the Warlords of Okaara. Myand’r had hoped that his daughters would do what he could not—rebel against the Citadel.

At this point, it should be noted that Tamaraneans are peace loving.

However, they are emotional, easy to anger, and fierce in combat.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 35

Family Feud Starfire vs. Blackfire, on the George Pérez/Dick Giordano cover to NTT #23 (Sept. 1982).

Original art signed

by Wolfman and Pérez; courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

TM & © DC Comics.

Koriand’r was separated from her parents at a very young age. Did she hold her father’s decisions against him?

Perhaps. Yet she loved her parents greatly. This is one instance that shows Koriand’r’s great strength.

She doesn’t give into bitterness when it comes to her father’s choices for her in her youth.

There have been numerous sibling rivalries throughout history and fiction. From the Bible’s Cain and Abel to X-Men’s Cable and Stryfe, from Henry VIII’s Mary and Ann Boelyn to Shirley Jackson’s Merricat and Constance, brothers’ and sisters’ friendships and rivalries have been a part of fact and fiction for eons. Perhaps no other sisterly struggle in Bronze Age comics can compare to that of Komand’r and Koriand’r in New Teen Titans.

Komand’r, also known as Blackfire, was the first child of King Myand’r and Queen Luand’r and the first princess in nearly 100 years. She would have been showered with accolades and affection for this had it not been for two twists of fate. Komand’r, due to an illness, was unable to harness solar energy in order to take flight unlike most of her race. By Tamaranean standards, Komand’r’s being flightless was considered a disability. To make matters

worse, the Citadel Empire attacked and destroyed the city of Kysarr, killing thousands in her name on the day she came into the world. Komand’r became reviled by her people, and they refused to allow the princess her birthright of being next in line for her world’s throne.

Princess Koriand’r was given that privilege, and all the other privileges involved with royalty. Komand’r grew to resent her fellow Tamaraneans and hate her sister.

After openly attacking Koriand’r during training, Komand’r was expelled from the Warlords of Okaara and defected to the Citadel Empire as her hatred of Koriand’r and Tamaran grew. She betrayed her home planet, revealing Tamaranean military secrets. The Citadel had conquered Tamaran. Conditions of the world’s surrender included Princess Koriand’r being forced into slavery, never to return to her homeworld.

Komand’r became her sister’s master. Koriand’r had been subjected to various forms of torture and abuse for years. This obviously would strain any relationship.

Yet, when we see Komand’r and Koriand’r encounter each other in New Teen Titans #23 (Sept. 1982), Starfire clearly states her wish to kill her sister for her treachery and every horror in which she endured at the hands of Komand’r and all of her aggressors allied with her sibling.

Koriand’r hadn’t always felt anger and vengeance toward Komand’r. Even after Komand’r tried to kill Koriand’r for murdering one of her abusers, the Tamaranean princess who would be Starfire frees her older sibling from the Psions, a species of sadistic scientists that captured both sisters for their cruel ultraviolet energy-absorption experiments. Does this show that Koriand’r is a better person for saving someone who hates her to the point of wanting her dead? Perhaps. However, Koriand’r’s actions were against her better judgment, for Komand’r attacked her afterwards. Starfire followed her heart. As is the case with many heroes in the DC Universe and fiction in general, this could be considered Starfire’s greatest strength… and her greatest weakness. It’s both helped her and hindered her throughout her life.

Marv Wolfman describes the Tamaranean princess to BACK ISSUE as follows: “Kory is all about emotion, good and bad. But she always thinks with her heart and not always with her mind.”

Komand’r and Koriand’r aren’t the only children of King Myand’r and Queen Luand’r. We don’t learn much about Starfire’s family in early issues of New Teen Titans. She does mention missing her parents and brother and sister in #2, but when she discusses her past a little in the next issue, Koriand’r only mentions her male sibling. This could be due to her shame in letting Komand’r go free and the dishonor Starfire felt about Blackfire’s treason.

Ryand’r, later known as Darkfire, is the youngest son in the Tamaranean royal family. He eventually becomes a member of the Omega Men and has even shown up in recent issues of the current Supergirl series. Darkfire, like Blackfire, is reunited with Starfire in the story arc published in New Teen Titans #23–25 and New Teen Titans Annual #1. Komand’r made Koriand’r believe that Ryand’r murdered their parents. This was not true, for the princess who would become a Titan is reunited with her parents, albeit briefly, in the aforementioned Annual #1.

Starfire must leave Tamaran with her fellow Titans in order to honor the treaty with the Citadel Empire.

Should she remain, the planet will be plunged into all-out war with the Citadel. As much as this breaks Koriand’r’s heart, she leaves her birth family behind with her new family the Teen Titans there to help her throughout her emotional distress.

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TV Titans (and a Movie Titan, too!)

Various screen incarnations of Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s seminal seven members of the New Teen Titans.

TM & © DC Comics.

Although the 40th Anniversary of the New Teen Titans is the theme of this issue—and yours truly has written his share in those four decades about both Marv Wolfman and George Pérez—BACK ISSUE history would be remiss if at least one article didn’t cover the early days of the groovy teen sidekicks. But while you may know everything about Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani’s creation, first seen in The Brave and the Bold #54 (June–July 1964), it’s doubtful you know all about how often the juvenile Justice Leaguers came looking for fame in Hollywood.

Join us now for “A Titanic Trip to Tinseltown!”

FILMATION GETS GROOVY (1967)

“They just couldn’t wait to get started in their own mag!” shouted the cover to Teen Titans #1 (Jan.–Feb. 1966), and this first incarnation of the Teen Titans featured Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl, with Speedy joining soon thereafter. Later that same year—on September 10, 1966—fledgling animation company Filmation Associates debuted its first animated series, The New Adventures of Superman, on CBS. The series featured Superman and Superboy shorts, with three segments per half-hour. The series was a hit, and Filmation and National Periodical Publications (the name of DC Comics at the time) were soon negotiating to bring other characters to television. First up was Green Lantern, then Aquaman, and eventually Batman, whenever the live-action show for the Caped Crusader wrapped up its ABC run. Other DC characters were developed, including Green Arrow, the Flash, Hawkman, the Doom Patrol, B’wana Beast, the Atom, the Blackhawks, Metamorpho, Plastic Man, Challengers of the Unknown, the Metal Men, and Wonder Woman. Never mentioned in the mix were the

Andy Mangels

Teen Titans, but Filmation was indeed working on them for television before they had even had a first birthday!

Debuting on September 9, 1967 was The Superman/ Aquaman Hour of Adventure, a 60-minute program which included new Superman and Superboy segments, plus two adventures featuring Aquaman and his sidekick Aqualad, and 18 “guest heroes” shorts. Those guests, with three seven-minute episodes apiece, were Flash (with Kid Flash), Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom, the Justice League of America, and the Teen Titans (Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Speedy). Because Batman and Robin couldn’t be used until the live-action show ended, they did not appear in either the Justice League or Teen Titans shorts.

Aqualad was voiced by Jerry Dexter, a Los Angeles radio personality, while Pat Harrington, Jr. (later better known as Schneider on One Day at a Time) was Speedy.

Red Ryder radio actor Tommy Cook was Kid Flash, and Hanna-Barbera voice actress Julie Bennett was Wonder Girl. With scripts by longtime DC editor/writer George Kashdan, the stories were faithful to the comics of the day, with headquarters Titans Lair making an appearance, and silly nicknames—Wonder Doll, Wonder Chick, Twinkletoes, Speedy-o, and Gill-Head—aplenty.

Fans have often *ahem* “wondered” why Wonder Girl was seen on television before Wonder Woman.

As noted above, Wonder Woman was planned, but for reasons unknown, was dropped. The designs created for her would later be used when she guest-starred in an episode of Filmation’s The Brady Kids on December 2, 1972. Still, with the Filmation Justice League all-male, it seems clear that the Teen Titans couldn’t be, thus Wonder Girl was added.

42 • BACK ISSUE • New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure was a ratings hit, but the next season, the addition of The Adventures of Batman to the hour meant that Aquaman and his friendly guest heroes were shuttled off to Sunday rerun airings. The series remained in worldwide syndication for years, and the Titans cartoons were released on DVD on August 12, 2008 in the set DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures.

HANNA-BARBERA SWINGS ONCE, TWICE (1974 and 1978)

Not much is known about the first potential attempt at a Titans series. A 2011 online auction featured six pencil designs by animation and comic artist Mike Royer, featuring Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Lilith, and Aqualad (looking like caveboy Gnarrk introduced in 1971).

The auction listed them as “original drawing for proposed series” for Hanna-Barbera Productions, circa 1974.

As Hanna-Barbera had debuted Super Friends in 1973 on ABC, they had a relationship with DC Comics, so it makes sense that they may have looked into producing Teen Titans as a companion series. Royer had been an artist for various licensed Hanna-Barbera comics with Gold Key Publishing, and was Jack Kirby’s inker at DC Comics, so he would have been familiar to all parties.

Unfortunately, BACK ISSUE was unable to get answers from Royer himself, and no other name was attached to this project, so it will remain a mystery.

In BACK ISSUE #5, the late animation artist Darrel McNeil wrote about an attempt by Hanna-Barbera to do Teen Titans for NBC as part of a rotating group of titles on 1978’s The Godzilla Power Hour. Supposedly seven episodes—with Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad—were even given production numbers before the axe fell on this potential iteration.

Seen and Unseen Titans (top) Interstitial and screen capture images from Filmation’s 1967 Teen Titans cartoon. (bottom) Circa 1974, Mike Royer character drawings for a proposed-but-unrealized TTs toon from Hanna-Barbera, with cave-teen Gnarrk doubling as Aqualad (go figure).

TM & © DC Comics.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

On November 7, 2016, Warner Bros. Animation announced that the fan petitions, viewing numbers on Netflix, sales of the Blu-rays, and continued interest had worked—production on a new season, titled Young Justice: Outsiders, began. In a press release, Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, said, “The affection that fans have had for Young Justice, and their rallying cry for more episodes, has always resonated with us. We are excited to bring the show back for this loyal fanbase and to provide an opportunity for new viewers to discover this excellent series.” This time around, the team consisted of Wonder Girl, Robin (Tim Drake), Blue Beetle, Impulse, Beast Boy, Arsenal, Static, and new characters Spoiler, Arrowette, and Thirteen. The season was split into two 13-episode chunks, airing in January 2019 and July–August 2019 on the new DC Universe-branded streaming service.

Warner Bros. announced on May 31, 2007 that work had begun on a Teen Titans live-action film, to be produced by Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Forster through their Weed Road banner, and written by comics and Hollywood scribe Mark Verheiden. The film was to be set at a pivotal point in the characters’ lives, and show the transition of Dick Grayson from Robin to Nightwing. Verheiden turned in a draft prior to the 2007 Writer’s Strike, but the project foundered by mid-2008 when factions at Warner wouldn’t allow the use of Grayson or Alfred after all.

Goldsman later was the producer for a proposed TNT live-action television pilot for The Titans in September 2014, written by Marc Haimes and Goldsman. Set to feature Nightwing, Batgirl, Starfire, Raven, Hawk and Dove, and others, the project was cancelled in January 2016. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at the 2016 Television Critics Association press tour, TNT CCO Kevin Reilly said of the decision to drop it that “Akiva is a talented guy, the script just wasn’t there. There is an unbelievable glut of superhero things in the market right now and if you have a really good one, clearly people are up for it. But I just don’t think that there’s a need for one that, for me, at least on paper didn’t seem to be screaming to get made.”

Two years later, as announced on June 28, 2018, the DC Universe internet streaming channel became the newest home for the live-action adventure series Titans.

According to Warner’s press release, “Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire, and loveable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes.”

Fans were surprised by the trailers and footage shown early on, and word hit swiftly when the first episode of the new Titans was shown at New York Comic Con 2018 on October 3rd, ahead of its online premiere on October 12 debut. Starring Brenton Thwaites as Dick/ Robin, Teagan Croft as Rachel/Raven, Anna Diop as Kory/Starfire, Ryan Potter as Gar/Beast Boy, Minka Kelly as Dawn/Dove, and Alan Ritchson as Hank/Hawk, the new Titans was full of dark cinematography, angry grimaces, loads of flying blood, and a meme-worthy clip of Robin saying “F*** Batman!” unironically. Not only was this not your father’s Titans, it was not like any Titans you would have imagined.

Produced by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Greg Walker, Sarah Schechter, and John Fawcett, Titans seemed to want to do everything it could to get

down in the dirt and shadows. If there was a violent way to handle a situation, these characters found it, and if there were moments to brood, the new Titans reveled in doing so. Due to language, violence, and nudity, the series would have been rated “R” if it had been a film. Fans were unsure what to make of the series; some loved it for its adult approach, in stark contrast to Teen Titans Go!, while others found it nihilistic and overly gloomy. Everyone could agree on three things: first, in the first 11 episodes (ending December 21, 2018), there was a lot of swearing; second, that Conor Leslie brought light and joy to her brief turn as Donna/Wonder Girl; and third, that the hint of Superboy and appearance of Krypto as the season ended were something to look forward to.

Titans’ second season (September 6–November 29, 2019) hewed a bit more closely to comic lore, though the stories dragged and meandered without purpose much of the time. The key team was finally brought to a form of Titans Tower in San Francisco, and in a season-long fight against Deathstroke (Esai Morales), multiple changes occurred: Dick abandoned Robin and became Nightwing; new character Jericho (deaf actor Chella Man) was killed and revived; Rose Wilson/Ravager (Chelsea Zhang) simpered a lot; Jason Todd/Robin (Curran Walters) was clearly not having a good life as super-jerk Batman’s sidekick (Iain Glen was never in the Bat-costume, but was always a jerk); Conner Kent/Superboy (Joshua Orpin) walked around naked a lot; and both Aqualad (Drew Van Acker) and Wonder Girl were senselessly killed.

Junior JLA (top) Promo for Young Justice Season One, this sort-ofTitans series touted its characters’ connections to their superpowered mentors. (bottom)

By Season Two, the cast was expanding.

TM & © DC Comics.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

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Many superheroes have had almost every aspect of their lives examined, down to the tiniest detail.

Countless books and articles have been written about Superman, Batman, Captain America, and the Hulk, to name just a few.

Ah, but how about one of the lesser lights? You know, someone like… oh, I don’t know, let’s say, the Protector.

Yes, I see the puzzled looks on some faces. The Protector made only three documented appearances in the pre-Crisis DC Universe, and those were in special public-awareness comics!

In 1983, DC Comics published three comic books in association with the President’s Drug Awareness Campaign. They starred the company’s hottest property at the time, The New Teen Titans. Featured along with the TTs was the aforementioned lesser light, the Protector— in place of Robin! The reason? Well, the first Titans drug-awareness comic was published in association with cookie manufacturer Keebler, the problem being, at the time Robin and Batman were licensed to rival Nabisco.

Brian Martin

Oops! That’s the way the cookie crumbles! So, a new costume was added onto what was basically Robin, and the Protector was born.

Of course, we don’t want to slight the guy. Although he was the ultimate superhero stand-in (too bad he didn’t make the cut for BI #117), there is a lot of information in those three drug-awareness comics that indicates that the Protector had more experience as a crimefighter than was documented there. That trio of tales also offers some significant insights into the man’s psyche, enough for us to build this little profile of the Bronze Age Protector.

HAVEN’T I SEEN YOU SOMEWHERE?

The first indication we have that we are dealing with a character that has been around the block a time or two is that in a couple of instances in those issues, various miscreants that the heroes track down recognize the Protector and call him by name. You have to have been around a while and made an impression for your average

Clean and Sober Back covers to 1983’s first and third The New Teen Titans Drug Awareness Comics, with the Protector facing front. Art by George Pérez and Dick Giordano.

New Teen Titans and Protector TM & © DC Comics.

Keebler® elf © the Ferrara Group.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 51

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J o h n Tr u m b u l l

transcribed by Rose Rummel-Eury a n d J o h n Tr u m b u l l

Our Esteemed Panel (left to right) Spencer Beck, Shannon Lower, George Pérez, Ron Lim, Jim Starlin (in back), and Josef Rubinstein. Photo by John Trumbull.

The first time I saw George Pérez, it was love at first sight.

Like most of you reading this, I first met George as a reader. For me, it was in Justice League of America #195 (Oct. 1981), the very first issue of my JLA subscription.

It was the first part of the JLA’s annual meet-up with the Justice Society of America, and in the space of 25 pages, Gerry Conway, George Pérez, and John Beatty introduced me to the JSA, the Secret Society of Super-Villains, Earth-Two, and the very concept of parallel worlds. 27 superheroes, 10 supervillains, and two Earths. To say that it blew my nine-year-old mind was an understatement.

And as an added bonus, it also contained a double-page pinup of the complete memberships of the JLA and the JSA. To this day, it’s one of my favorite pieces of comicbook art. So right away, I knew that George Pérez was the guy who drew everybody and made them look better than anyone else.

I followed Pérez from book to book after that. From the JLA to The New Teen Titans, to Crisis on Infinite Earths, to Wonder Woman, and on and on. He never disappointed.

George announced his retirement from comics on January 19th, 2019, as his health issues caused by a combination of diabetes, heart ailments, and vision problems forced him to step away from the daily grind of writing and drawing comics. He went to a total of seven cons over the course of 2019, many of them making up for appearances he missed after his 2017 heart attack.

On Saturday, May 18th, 2019, Cliff Galbraith’s East Coast Comic Convention hosted a special Farewell Dinner for George, where 46 lucky fans got a chance to spend an evening with the maestro to let him know how much he’s meant to us over the years. At Michael Eury’s request, I was lucky enough to report on the evening for BACK ISSUE. My thanks to Cliff Galbraith and everyone at the East Coast Comic Con for making this happen. What follows is an edited transcript of the event, along with brief bonus interviews with George’s agent Spencer Beck, as well as George’s collaborators Ron Lim, Jim Starlin, and Josef Rubinstein.

– John Trumbull

56 • BACK ISSUE • New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue

PANEL INTRODUCTIONS AND PÉREZ TRIBUTES

SPENCER BECK: [I’ve been George Pérez’s agent] for almost three decades now. To say it’s been an honor and a privilege is an understatement. Tonight is about the man you’ve all come to see, George Pérez. We have a few extra guests here. First at the end is George’s lovely wife, Carol. [applause] He says she’s given him the greatest life that anyone can imagine, and George always likes to acknowledge that to everybody, so I thought I’d do it in advance for him.

This is Shannon Lower. George likes to refer to her as his spiritual daughter. She is my spiritual sister. We will hear from Shannon momentarily. Coming up next, Josef. This is Joe Rubinstein, who some of you may know; he likes to talk a lot and you’ll be hearing from him in a moment. [applause] Coming up next is Mr. Ron Lim, who I think you all know from drawing The Infinity Gauntlet, among other things. [applause] After him, we’ve got a man who I think all of you’ve seen a movie that he created one of the characters in—Thanos, I think?

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jim Starlin. [applause] And now, I’d like to ask everyone to stand up for a moment and give a round of applause for the man you came to see, Mr. George Pérez. [applause] Tonight, you’ll be hearing all sorts of things about a man that we’ve all come to love. I have the honor of calling this man my friend and I refer to him as my spiritual father. This man has done more for me emotionally than I can say. It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with this man. When I’ve had times of distress, I get phone calls, or I give him a call, and somehow, he has a way of talking me down from a bridge. And I cannot tell you how much I love you, my friend and my father. [applause] And now I will pass the microphone to Shannon Lower, and she can say a word or two.

SHANNON LOWER: There’s a saying that there’s a family that you’re born into, and then there’s a family that you choose. And if you’re super, super-lucky, like me, you are fortunate enough to choose a father like George Pérez. I’ve known him since I was 18 years old and he— oh, here we go! [begins to cry a little] Oh, my goodness. He has been part of some of the largest decisions of my life. Most of my major life decisions as an adult have been because of this man. He’s been the most supportive person in my life, in my entire adult life. You all know about the unlimited generosity that George Pérez has—you’ve all seen it. He’s the type of man that engenders absolute devotion and absolute love and you want to protect him; you want to just be in his life.

And that’s what I try to do. I try to do all of that. I try to be in his life, and I try to protect him, as many of you who came through my line today know! Thank you, George. I love you so much. [applause] BECK: The next person we have here to say something is Mr. Joe Rubinstein, a man who is known for many things, one of which is having had the honor of working with George Pérez and making some stuff that I think we all remember quite well, including Infinity Gauntlet.

And so, without further ado… [applause] JOSEF RUBINSTEIN: I inked George on one of his first professional jobs as one of my first professional jobs. I’ve known George for about 40 years. And I blame him because ultimately, I applied for the job as his Mini-Me. You know, I wanted to say sh*tty things about George, and unfortunately, he’s really nice. [to George] You won’t remember this, and it’s a little snippet from your life, but one day we were both in an airport coming back from a convention, and bunch of ladies on your plane had lost their luggage, and you were nice enough to just help them. You didn’t even know any of them. And I thought, “He’s a very nice person!” He doesn’t hide it well, either. So, I’m sure all of you who’ve had any interactions with George during the convention know he’s a nice guy. I’m glad he turned out to be a legendary artist and I can say nice things to him and probably make my job a little better. [applause] BECK: The next gentleman you may have heard of also, Mr. Ron Lim, who had the honor of following George on The Infinity Gauntlet, among other things.

GEORGE PÉREZ: I followed him. He started all of this with Thanos and everything else…

BECK: Oh, okay, so to get it correct: Ron, George, Ron. I believe Ron’s career speaks for itself. The man has worked on pretty much every character that Marvel has and a few at DC, too. Without further ado, Ron Lim. RON LIM: I don’t like to make speeches. But, George, you’re the best, man! Following George on the Infinity stuff was very scary, because I’d

They Oughtta Make a Movie Outta This At the time of this tribute panel, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame was still the talk of the town. These two Jim Starlin classics (featuring Joe Rubinstein inks) were among the film’s source materials.

TM & © Marvel.

only been in the business for a few years, so following George was…

I grew up idolizing his artwork, so I was like, “Man, what am I supposed to do?” I drew the [Silver] Surfer before the Infinity stuff came out, so I was very, very nervous, but it worked out okay. [laughter] He’s a great guy. Probably the happiest guy I’ve ever met, and yeah, he’s a great friend. [applause] BECK: What can I say about our next guest here? I think you probably know his work now. Is there anybody here who hasn’t seen Avengers: Endgame yet? Anybody? [audience laughter as George raises his hand] I’m going to ruin it for you—the butler did it. Without further ado, Mr. Jim Starlin. [applause] JIM STARLIN: Well, I think George and I would probably both agree that me sitting up here talking about you at your retirement dinner is really kind of a bizarre thing, because you and I have never, except on this one job, worked together. In fact, most of the time, when I was at DC, he was at Marvel, and when he was at DC, I was at Marvel. So, we did close to 40 years of passing each other in the night, didn’t we? In fact, just recently in Hawaii was the first time you and I actually were on a panel together.

PÉREZ: …At the same time, you’re right.

STARLIN: But I was always aware of you. We’d met; we’d talked. I always knew what a professional he was. Looked at your work, admired it; but we were ships passing in the night. But I must say I am honored to be here on your retirement party night. I think your career and your life should both be celebrated. I think everyone should get up and stand up and give this man a big round of applause. [applause] BECK: One thing I wanted to interject when everyone is saying what a nice person George is: I want to tell you the first time that I think I upset George when I was representing him. This just popped into my head, and it’s funny. George and I were talking about Alex Ross. [Alex had] just painted over George’s work on the Crisis hardcover, the wraparound cover that George did. … We were talking about it, and George at that time couldn’t believe that Alex was so talented and so young.

And when it came out, I said, “George, you know, when I was growing up, I remember riding my bicycle to go get your work.” I don’t think that statement ingratiated myself to him very much. [laughter] George’s response to me was, “Am I to understand that my agent was riding a bicycle when I was doing some of my work?” and I was like, “…Yeah.” I just remembered how much I loved you more for that moment when you were laughing, and thankfully, you were laughing with me and not at me.

New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue • BACK ISSUE • 57

PÉREZ TRIBUTE Q&A

When Titans Clash Pérez penciled page from the unfinished original Justice League/Avengers DC/Marvel crossover of the 1980s.

Courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com).

TM & © DC Comics and Marvel.

DAN GREENFIELD: … My name is Dan Greenfield from the website 13th Dimension [13thdimension.com].

I wanted to welcome back our panel here for your Q&A. One thing I wanted to note, if you didn’t get to George’s panel last night, which was remarkably detailed, he talked about no less than 13 different projects that he’s done over his career and we will be highlighting those at the website also—just a quick plug there. So if you weren’t there, you’ll get to see what he had to say, that’ll be coming out over the next few weeks and months. But tonight is really your opportunity to ask your questions. Spencer and I will be walking through the crowd—it’s like old Phil Donahue or Oprah… everybody will get the chance to ask their questions.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: You get a car! You get a car!

GREENFIELD: Look under a chair—George Pérez is going to come to your house! He’ll do your dishes. [audience laughter] So raise your hands with questions, and I guess we’ll start right here.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 1: Mr. Pérez, you’ve drawn so many characters over the course of your career, worked for multiple companies, worked with multiple creators—how was the buffet tonight? [audience laughter] PÉREZ: How was the buffet tonight? I can’t choose among my children. [audience laughter] The usual answer I give for “Which character do I like drawing the most?”: I can’t choose among my children. The food was very good! Better than I expected, and I got it for free!

How did you guys like it? Because you had to pay for it!

That’s the question! [audience laughter] AUDIENCE MEMBER 2: It’s much better than last year’s.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 3: It is last year’s. [audience laughter] JOHN TRUMBULL: Thank you. George, I have sort of a technical question. I recently saw one of your pages from [the unpublished] JLA/Avengers, and what really struck me was how tightly it was penciled, even though you were inking it yourself. Why do you pencil so tightly if you’re inking yourself on a job?

PÉREZ: Well, if I make a mistake with the ink, I have to use White-Out and all these other things. It’s easier to erase pencils, so I wanted to give myself the best groundwork to be able to ink, because I don’t want to make a mistake that I’m going to have a hard time correcting.

The more lines I put on the paper—which is also why when I work with other inkers, even when I do layouts, they’re usually tighter than a lot of people’s full pencils— I want them to know what I’d like to have inked.

RUBINSTEIN: Oh, my aching back! [audience laughter] PÉREZ: I know! And that, yes.

BECK: I actually have a follow-up question, George, that I’ve never asked you, related to JLA/Avengers. Who won between Cap vs. Batman?

PÉREZ: You mean the pages I didn’t draw? It depended on which company was paying me. [audience laughter] AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: George…

PÉREZ: There are other people here!

RUBINSTEIN: We’re superfluous. [audience laughter] AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: Actually, I’m going to ask this of all four, how’s that? We are all thrilled to be in y’all’s presence. You’re heroes to us, very much so. Who was someone you’ve had a chance to meet in your career, that maybe you emulated, but someone who truly was one of your heroes in the industry?

YOUthere ENJOYED THISinPREVIEW, PÉREZ: For me, I IF think were two particular, CLICK ORDERThey’re THIS growing up, Jack Kirby andTHE CurtLINK Swan.TO [applause] PRINT OR They DIGITAL exactly what I ISSUE wantedINthem to be. wereFORMAT! gentlemanly, they were appreciative, and I watched them dealing with fans and they were incredibly fan-friendly.

That’s the image I want of people who are entertaining that they seem to be at least enjoying themselves.

STARLIN: For me, it was Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.

Toulouse Lautrec said, “Beware of meeting your idols, because they mostly have feet of clay.” And neither one of them had feet anything other than diamonds, as far as I’m concerned. There’s been a lot of stories about Steve Ditko, but I met him when I was 16 years old. I called him up out of the blue when I was in New York City. He let me come up, and he spent an afternoon just talking with me about drawing. He pulled out all these notebooks that he had filled with just the way drapery works.

Meeting Kirby, after I started working, it was a treat BACKCalifornia, ISSUE #122 to go out to his place in Rodeo, and listening Celebrates the 40th ANNIVERSARY of MARV WOLFMAN and to him talk about drawing, sitting therefeaturing by hisa guest drawing GEORGE PÉREZ’s New Teen Titans, editorial board, looking out the window and saying, “Oh,Plus: yeah,

by WOLFMAN and a PÉREZ tribute and art gallery!

The Titans’ go 40 GREATEST MOMENTS, thelaughter] Titans in the every so often, New theTeen UFOs by.” [audience media, hero histories of RAVEN, STARFIRE, and the PROTEC“And then theyTOR, stopped, and I just sort of watched and more! With a NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PÉREZ TITANS COVER from 1981! them,” and I’m thinking, “Holy sh*t!” [audience laughter] Those are my two guys.(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

62 • BACK ISSUE • New Teen Titans 40th Anniversar y issue

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