People have a lot of good memories of the NEW TEEN TITANS run by Wolfman, and this goodwill is deserved. It didn't blow everybody's mind the way Stainless Steve Englehart did or the way Kurt Busiek later would, but in the days before comics inflation became ridiculously out of control, you could follow a book like this with interest for less than the cost of a couple candy bars a month - even if you spring for the baxter paper version.
It was a thoroughly entertaining "popcorn book," with battles fought with white sound cannons and green elephants, good looking broads, lots of Nightwing with his shirt off to make the fangirls coo, and grotesque looking supervillains who wear glass cases on their heads to show off how big their brain is.
One thing is certain, though:
Nearly everybody considers that after a while, NEW TEEN TITANS jumped the shark. Just WHEN Titans jumped the shark, though, differs from person to person.
For my friends from the UK and elsewhere, "jump the shark" is American slang for the turning point when a long lasting series starts to go downhill. Named after the deed in HAPPY DAYS performed by the Fonz (a deity figure from our ancient mythology).
View Poll Results: When did the New Teen Titans "jump the shark?"
- Voters
- 55. In order to vote on this poll, you must be a registered user and/or logged in
-
The introduction of Jericho
2 3.64% -
When the regular book switched to "baxter paper"
1 1.82% -
When George Perez left
18 32.73% -
Jericho revealed to be a villain
16 29.09% -
Introduction of Lillith's angel boyfriend (and his MYSTERIOUS PAST!)
4 7.27% -
Introduction of Kole
1 1.82% -
Crisis!
8 14.55% -
Wonder Girl becoming leader and Jason Todd joining the team
3 5.45% -
"Trial of the Terminator"
2 3.64%
Results 1 to 15 of 74
-
03-30-2006, 07:03 PM #1Junior Member
- Join Date
- Dec 2005
- Location
- Miami, FL
- Posts
- 499
So...when did the Wolfman NEW TEEN TITANS "jump the shark?"
"Golf is a mental disorder."
- Edgar Rice Burroughs, LOST ON VENUS (1932)
"A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it."
- Peter David
julianperezconquerstheuniverse.blogspot.com
-
03-30-2006, 07:08 PM #2Lenient Tyrant/Moderator
- Join Date
- Jul 2002
- Location
- New York
- Posts
- 6,846
When Perez left the book.
Which is weird, because you wouldn't think that'd be as big of a deal as it turned out being.
There were a handful of good issues without Perez, but by the time Eduardo Barreto became the regular artist, the book was just not that good.
It had a quick upswing when Perez returned, and then another one during Titans Hunt. But post Titans Hunt, nothing but lameness.
-BrianLast edited by Brian Cronin; 03-30-2006 at 08:48 PM.
Comics Should Be Good, which features Comic Book Legends Revealed!... check them out!
Also, be sure to check out my web site, Urban Legends Revealed!, for urban legends about Sports, TV, Movies, Music and more!
And while we're at it, please buy my new book, Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And while you're at that, please buy my first book, Was Superman a Spy? and Other Comic Book Legends Revealed!
-
03-30-2006, 07:31 PM #3comic book gleek
- Join Date
- Jun 2004
- Location
- Saltillo, MS
- Posts
- 1,096
"Trial of the Terminator" more specifically than just when Perez left.
"Your derail-fu is WEAK, grasshopper." -- Sabrinaset
"Some of you had your sense of humor surgically removed when you got an internet connection." -- Rob McNew (paraphrased)
-
03-30-2006, 07:40 PM #4Whiz Kids Vs. Witchcraft!
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Savannah, GA
- Posts
- 9,735
Personally, I consider "Titans Hunt" the point where the series "jumped the shark". The main cast disappeared with one or two exceptions, several "edgier" new characters were introduced, and FOUR characters apparently died by the end of the arc (Danny Chase, Arella, Raven, and Jericho). The storyline seemed to be a sad attempt to channel the subversiveness of "The Judas Contract", but failed imo. Retconning Jericho as the villain just replayed the "Terra" card. Thus, I voted for the "Jericho Revealed As A Villain" option.
-
03-30-2006, 07:55 PM #5Forgive Friedrich's Debt
- Join Date
- Feb 1998
- Location
- Atlanta, GA
- Posts
- 5,146
I agree with Brian. The story arc by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, right after Gentleman George left, was very good. I'm told that the series went downhill rather quickly after that, though I don't know this with certainty, because I've read very few of the issues after vol. 2 #11.
Aaron Kashtan | Formerly Sir Tim Drake
Classic Comics Forum Moderator Emeritus
COTM MC Emeritus
Brittain Fellowship | UF Comics Studies | Examples of my work
---
"Meanwhile, a puppy that fell down a storm drain on Proxima Centauri was rescued by a trained slith, which unfortunately then ate it. And now, sports."
-
03-30-2006, 08:09 PM #6Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2004
- Location
- Madison, MS
- Posts
- 4,065
For me, issue 100. When the Titans became "dark". The Teen Titans should never be "dark".
And that artist, Bill Jaaska? Good lord he sucked.It doesn't matter what the writer, artist, or editor had in mind when they created it, or what they said in an interview;
all that matters is what is on the page.
-
03-30-2006, 08:14 PM #7Lenient Tyrant/Moderator
- Join Date
- Jul 2002
- Location
- New York
- Posts
- 6,846
Egg-zactly. That was an excellent issue.
Originally Posted by Phoney Bone
And, I believe, it was about the same time the Jose Garcia-Lopez story was finishing up, no?
-BrianComics Should Be Good, which features Comic Book Legends Revealed!... check them out!
Also, be sure to check out my web site, Urban Legends Revealed!, for urban legends about Sports, TV, Movies, Music and more!
And while we're at it, please buy my new book, Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And while you're at that, please buy my first book, Was Superman a Spy? and Other Comic Book Legends Revealed!
-
03-30-2006, 08:26 PM #8ACTION! DANGER! ROMANCE!
- Join Date
- Nov 1996
- Location
- Tasmania, Australia
- Posts
- 5,362
Danny, Freakin', Chase.
Last edited by Paul Newell; 03-30-2006 at 08:35 PM.
-
03-30-2006, 08:27 PM #9Elder Member
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Twin Cities
- Posts
- 17,070
I voted that the turning point was when Jericho was revealed to be evil, because that was about the time when the Titan Hunt suddenly dropped in quality, as several really stupid plot twists occurred. But there were some rough times earlier than that when Perez wasn't around. It wasn't a voting option, but I think this was one of the real low points in the series when Wolfman was trying too hard to make this title dark and serious:
When Donna beat up Nightwing, and it wasn't even a classic mind control kind of scene, the spirit of the whole Teen Titans series kind of died. They had a really ugly argument, and it turned physical. Maybe that was realistic, but it wasn't entertaining and it didn't feel like Teen Titans anymore. I kept reading for a few more issues, then left until Perez came back, and then back again for the Titan Hunt."Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963
-
03-30-2006, 08:39 PM #10Mad Scientist
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Posts
- 2,239
Intro of Jerico, but dang, that angel of Lilith's...
-
03-30-2006, 09:17 PM #11Whiz Kids Vs. Witchcraft!
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Location
- Savannah, GA
- Posts
- 9,735
Yeah, Pre-Crisis Azrael was pretty useless as alien super-heroes went, huh? Besides winged flight, I think his greatest power consisted of over-wrought weeping. Chug your beer or shot glass for every Titans/COIE panel in the mid-80's which showed Azrael crying.
-
03-30-2006, 09:42 PM #12Junior Member
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Posts
- 380
Danny Chase. He was Cousin Freaking Oliver. Which is one of the definable Jump the Shark moments.
-
03-30-2006, 11:02 PM #13Forgive Friedrich's Debt
- Join Date
- Feb 1998
- Location
- Atlanta, GA
- Posts
- 5,146
If I did that, then I would be crying too, because of the hangover I'd have the next day. Originally Posted by tangentman
Aaron Kashtan | Formerly Sir Tim Drake
Classic Comics Forum Moderator Emeritus
COTM MC Emeritus
Brittain Fellowship | UF Comics Studies | Examples of my work
---
"Meanwhile, a puppy that fell down a storm drain on Proxima Centauri was rescued by a trained slith, which unfortunately then ate it. And now, sports."
-
03-30-2006, 11:25 PM #14Junior Member
- Join Date
- May 2004
- Posts
- 300
Moving the comic to the Baxter line, and turning the regular series into a comic that published year-old stories from the Baxter series.
Apart from being a horribly unfair move for the majority of readers who picked up the book at newstands, it led to a precipitous and quick drop-off in quality. The Baxter series was far darker than it should've been. The first story, where Raven gets possessed by Trigon, really freaked me out. That's not at all appropriate for a book read by a lot of young kids, but the series had completely lost sight of what it was about.Last edited by Apathy Boy; 03-30-2006 at 11:28 PM.
-
03-31-2006, 02:10 AM #15Negative Man
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Posts
- 576
I know a bit about NTT, but I never really followed the series. I'd like to ask, When was it (out of the above options) that Dick and Kory started to have pointless, irreconcilable issues? I ask this just because I'd say when hot n' sweaty alien-human emo sex no longer seems worthwhile, a series has definately jumped the shark.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks