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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: Is 'Tales of the Teen Titans' supposed to be about heroes?
Message-ID: <425@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Dec-84 16:13:40 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.425
Posted: Thu Dec 20 16:13:40 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 02:17:28 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 31


   Since my freshman days in college ('78), I've been reading Marvel Comics
exclusively.  I have, however, recently been rather dissatisfied with some
of Marvel's offerings, and have heard some good things about DC comics from
people on this group.  So I decided to try out a DC title or two, just to see
if they were worth reading.
    I picked up the March and April issues of TOTTT.  I thought that the
Teen Titans were a group of super heroes along the lines of the Avengers, or
the X-men.  I guess I was wrong.  One scene in particular sticks in my mind.
    The green shape changing guy gets a telephone call saying that the blond
mute guy may have some information the government wants.  The green shape 
changing guy then assumes that the blond guy is a traitor; he turns into a
green lion and chases the blond guy around, after ignoring the blond guy's
attempt to explain.  The blond guy escapes.  Later, when his teammates ask
what has happened, he lies to them by omission (i.e., he tells them that
the blond guy knocked him out, but not that he attacked the blond guy first
for no reason.)
    So what's the story?  Is TOTTT about ordinary people with a lot of hang-
ups, vices, irrational fears, who just happen to have superpowers?
    If the green shape changer ALWAYS acts this stupid, lies to his teammates,
etc., why do they keep him around?  
    I mean, I don't think I'd like heroes to be portrayed as PERFECT, but there
must be some middle ground between that and portraying them as complete
jerks.
    Or did the writers just have the shape changer act out of character so that
they could get the blond mute guy on the run for plot reasons?  If that's
the case, I might as well go back to Marvel.
    BTW, what are the best DC titles?

Jeff Sonntag
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