Teen Titans Special: "The Lazarus Contract, Finale"

[laughing_tree]

My pitch for this (I’ve been pushing for it for nearly a year) was to revisit “The Judas Contract,” Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s defining story arc of the New Teen Titans. We were going to J.J. Abrams the thing in order to build a firewall around the original story–so it can never be retconned or ignored–while re-telling it with the post-Rebirth continuity.

But the old continuity was just a mess. Cyborg was never a Titan. Starfire, Raven– it was terribly difficult to sort all of that out. My preference was to not bother; just show blocks of the original story with the original cast without explaining why Cyborg is now a founding member of the Justice League and never a Titan.

As I see it, both DC and Marvel (but especially DC) wastes way too much time on process stories. I’m tired of reading process stories– stories that explain why this character is now wearing a red hat instead of a yellow one. Who cares. Entertain me.

Comics fans aren’t idiots and, sadly, they aren’t kids anymore. Rather than go through the whole Rebirth thing, and what seems to be endless process stories being written ever since, I’d simply have had Batman turn to camera, breaking the fourth wall, and be honest with the DC comics fan: “We fucked up.” Now, on with our show.

Comics should be Good Stories Well Told. That’s it. Personally, am not entertained by all of these comics that invest multi-issue story arcs explaining the red hat/yellow hat thing. I don’t care. I’m 56 years old, I understand things have changed.

Somewhere along the way we’ve stopped entertaining and gotten morosely engaged with this continuity stuff. Continuity exists to serve the stories, not the other way around.

Ultimately, because of the varying events both past and upcoming, it proved impossible to do the JJ thing, so editor Antone came up with the next best thing. “Lazarus…” walks right up to the Judas Contract and knocks on the door, but we don’t fully go there because, honestly, we couldn’t.

-- Christopher J. Priest

The main story, scripted by Priest, penciled by Paul Pelletier:











The Titans and Teen Titans follow Deathstroke back in time and run into the past Titans:



























"Aftermath," scripted by Ben Percy, penciled by Khoi Pham:



"Damage Report," scripted by Dan Abnett, penciled by Brett Booth:

Comments

[beyondthefringe]

Damn, that was harsh, even for Damien.
Poor Wally (I). He always gets crapped on. I hope this can be fixed.
Poor Wally (II). He was just trying to do the right thing.

I think I like this new Aqualad as shown here.

Makes Jason look good

[blue_bolt]

I used to think that my Robin list would forever go:

Dick
Tim
Stephanie
Jason

But now it goes:
Dick
Tim
Stephanie
Jason
Damien.

Congrats you insane 10 year old. Wait, is he 11 yet?

Re: Makes Jason look good

[miss_abnormal]

He's been 13 since Rebirth started.

Re: Makes Jason look good

[katefan]

Damn, beat me by four minutes. :D

Re: Makes Jason look good

[miss_abnormal]

Haha, and I immediately went to sleep after I posted that. It was one of those last minute things as my brain was going to slumberland.

Re: Makes Jason look good

[katefan]

Damien is 13 now, they played up his age in the part of the Rebirth special that teased the new Teen Titans comic.