New Teen Titans: Games - You Lose Some

[perletwo]

As per discussion in icon_uk's earlier post, I've taken a shot at scanning two pages I particularly loved from the New Teen Titans: Games graphic novel.

Some context: CIA spook Faraday has alerted the Titans that they've been picked as chess pieces in the machinations of a shadowy figure called the Gamesmaster, and he's targeted the Titans' civilian-ID nearest and dearest. So they scatter to warn and/or secure their closest relations: Donna to her adopted parents (see NTT: Who Is Donna Troy?, posted here once but now I can't find it), Vic to his grandparents, Raven to her mom who's settled in Arizona, Dick to the Batcave, Jericho to Adeline and Slade and Jessica/Megan/Jocelyn/Kayla/Betsy/Morgan/Trinity/etc.etc.etc., as icon_uk notes in the comments.

But! It turns out the target is not a relative, but a friend. Remember Sarah, the petite blonde physical therapist working with kids with prostheses who befriended Vic in the original NTT run? She's taking a charter bus of those kids to the Ren Faire Joey was playing around at in icon's post. There's a bomb on the bus, and it's a race against time - one where they're literally hobbled, because many of her kids have leg/foot prosthetics and can't move quickly enough, or nimbly enough on the grassy roadside, to get out of the blast zone. The Titans are trying to come to the rescue, but -







All flying Titans available are desperately scouting the roads for the bus, but there's just no time left.

Raven hangs back and weeps guiltily in the aftermath. Vic goes postal on Faraday and Dick has to have Joey possess him until he can get himself back under control. And Raven - oh, Raven - decides she has to have a face-to-face with Vic -







Seriously, these two break my heart. Because I remember how suspicious and hostile Vic was to Raven in the beginning, and how hard she worked to earn his trust, and what they've come to mean to each other. I really miss these kinds of friendships.

Comments

[crabby_lioness]

*weeps*

Goddamn people, don't let me read writing this good. Otherwise I'll come to expect it, and we all know that never ends well....

[shadowpsykie]

runs over to Amazon... must buy.... now...

[junipepper]

Totally worth it!

[perletwo]

Srsly. There's not a lot of comics I'd be willing to invest in the hardback, but this is definitely one of them.

[heckfire]

Dammit, I REMEMBER her...man...well, she went out a hero, at least. Not as much a fridging as I feared from Icon_UK's post, at least.

...dammit, Hastings better have a copy when I get paid in 2 weeks.

Funny side note: I have a copy of the Titans Sourcebook from the old Mayfair Games tabletop RPG, and they specifically note special rules for how to make a game feel more like a Titans comic book. He may have had problems in the later issues ("Titans Hunt" anyone?), but when Marv Wolfman was on his game, he was one of the BEST.

[book_of_daniel]

I never thought I'd ever get to read Raven like this again. It's fantastic.

[thehefner]

Speaking as someone who never could get into TT in any format, not even the Wolfman/Perez iteration, I thought that Games was fantastic. A must-read graphic novel, and some of the best work of Wolfman's I've ever read.

[perletwo]

She gets wonderful stuff in the third act, too. Gamesmaster sends counter-pieces to fight each Titan, specially geared to exploit their weaknesses. Raven's is a manifestation of all the evil the Azar cult purged from themselves, called the Darkness; it's taken Trigon-Raven form and has been hiding in Arkham, of all places. She 'ports it to empty Azarath where it can't hurt anyone and defeats it - and then redeems it before it dies.

It's just beautiful. Instant classic scene for any Raven fan.

[icon_uk]

Great choices, but might I suggest, since it's a new publication, that you put the spoiler-filled bits under a cut so no-one looking forward to it, reads the surprises by accident.

[adze]

Why couldn't they just call someone else for the save?

[icon_uk]

Go for it!

[icon_uk]

Oh the Titans Sourcebook is fabulous (I adore the chapter headed "Why must I be a Teen Titan in Love?" outlining the romantic pitfalls.

[icon_uk]

Given the situation as presented, there aren't that many people with the right powerset to help in the time they had.

If Wally, the only real speedster going (this being before Bart being intorduced, Max being active or Jesse for that matter) isn't contactable, and Raven incommunicado, the only one I can think of at that time would be Superman, and he's probably busy too.

[icon_uk]

I'm not quite sure about that, Raven's redemption of her is lovely, but the setup of ANOTHER Trigon spawn who survived without anyone noticing (including Raven and Trigon) except Faraday, and in Arkham, seemed a little TOO complicated a backstory for such a short appearance.

[icon_uk]

I'd also mention the simple beauty of the Raven scene at the funeral, where she's standing off by herself her cloak wrapped round her protectively, partly perhaps due to guilt, partly perhaps because being near so many deeply grieving people would be hell on an empath.

[jlbarnett]

that kind of plot is why I'm worried about things like Blue Beetle. You write one enemy for a character to long and it becomes the only thing that character is about.

I can think of ONE Raven story that wasn't about her relationship with Trigon or her half-demon-ness in someway. It's either on anyone can think of or they want to be the definative version of that story

[jlbarnett]

Wonder Woman has the speed of Hermes and Donna has a pretty similar powerset.

[icon_uk]

Donna had no connection to Diana at this point, the "mirror soul fragment" thing came later, and she in far distant states checking up on her adoptive family, who had also been targetted, so would have been one of the further away ones.

[star_of_airdrie]

It's very good!

[shadowpsykie]

Star! It's been so long!

[shadowpsykie]

Shipping today

[star_of_airdrie]

thinking the same thing, College Man!

[shadowpsykie]

Omg, ive been so busy! Been wanting to blog, but if it hasn't been one thing it's another!

[lieut_kettch]

But... If you need me to... I can relieve your pain.

This sounds like the beginning of a porn fantasy Gar made up.

[joasakura]

the one thing that's been keeping me from getting Games is the fact that Danny Chase is in the ads for it i've seen.

I hated the entire concept of Danny Chase, and he was one of the things I loathed about the NTT era.

Is he a major player in this?

[shadowpsykie]

partly perhaps because being near so many deeply grieving people would be hell on an empath.

trust me, it is.

[shadowpsykie]

part of me wants to smack you for ruining a tender moment.... the other part of me wants Gar there so he CAN say (because it is sooo what he would say...t hough maybe not at that particular moment :)

[shadowpsykie]

hmmm not to sound... well honestly don't know how this would sound, but... the woman with night wing in the wheel chair? is that Barbara? I only ask because, well redhead with glasses ina wheelchair trying to contact various heroes.... sounds like her gig

[junipepper]

Oh yes, it definitely is.

[junipepper]

He's .... there, for sure, but I don't think he gets as much play as the other Titans. He seemed somewhat less irritating in this book (although I could just be mellowing in my old age). He actually fits naturally in the plot, which is all connected with the CBI.

I'd say, get it. It really is worth having to face Danny Chase one last time.

-juni

[junipepper]

If it's the scene I think you mean, that's Danny Chase (who was always a bit androgynous, I thought). He's just sitting in a chair.

[superfangirl1]

Dico dick,swoons. Oh how I miss you. <3