Customer Reviews

The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marv Wolfman and George Perez's 5 year run on the New Teen Titans is one of the jewels in DC's crown. Although the run ended over 20 years ago DC still uses it for inspiration for the current run of the Titans and for their successful Teen Titans cartoon series.

And Wolfman and Perez's finest hour was their year-long Terra storyline.

This book presents the first half of the story. A mysterious 15 year old girl named Terra joins the team. It's clear she had problems and needs help but the team accepts her into their ranks and into their hearts. I won't spoil the ending but it's safe to say there's a twist that sets up the second half of the story, the Judas Contract.

There are some dated elements of course. Wolfman is fond of pop culture references and throws them in all the time. These books were published in the days of 4 color printing so characters are a bit too fond of lime green suits and maroon coats. And the soap opera is so thick one character says they should sell their stories to General Hospital.

But the art by Perez is timeless and these stories are an essential part of the evolution of comics from children's stories to serious literature.

It's worth checking out.

I was never a big fan of the Terra character when she made her debut in these early New Teen Titans stories in the eighties, but the eventual Judas Contract arc that followed later on was a classic that couldn't have been done without the early machinations of the Terminator and the involvement of his young protege, which become clear once you've read this collection. There are some solid stories in here, and the drama alone is enough to make any fan of the Titans buy this trade, even if Terra was never a favorite. I enjoyed reading this because of the other Titans (Changeling and Cyborg were always well-written), the explosive action scenes and terrific art by George Perez, not to mention the funny dialogue writer Marv Wolfman inserts every now and then. During the course of these stories the Titans battle some rather low grade villains (Trident and Scrapelli, Thunder & Lightning) but also encounter The Brotherhood of Evil (old Doom Patrol enemies) and the aforementioned Terminator, and this is where things really get interesting. The Terminator is a classic ruthless and conniving adversary, while Terra displays her true nature and full extent of her power but not enough personality. Initially she starts off as an unconvincing rebel who turns to the Titans for help much too quickly. Nevertheless, I gave this trade 4 stars because Terra's team members are done so well, and they remained interesting until the end of the series years after these comics chronicling the betrayal of one of their own (which would have carried even more emotional impact had she been a member of the team longer). Buy this comic for the excellent interplay between established characters (Nightwing and Starfire come to mind) as well as the awesome super-battles found in almost every issue (A green hippo dropping from the sky, flattening a super-baddie? Cool) not to mention the very first appearances of The Vigilante and the assassin Cheshire in comics.

Interest in Terra of the Teen Titans comic book series has escalated since the character premiered in the animated version. In this trade paperback, the infamous Tara Markov makes her debut and eventually joins the heroic young group, but is ultimately revealed to be a "Judas" sent by their enemy, Deathstroke the Terminator,and that storyline is concluded in the follow-up tpb but printed first, "The Judas Contract."

Just a few stories short of ALL the original Terra stories (I believe one omission was a two-parter with the Outsiders series, which featured her brother, GeoForce), this collection starts perhaps the TT's most famous saga.

After re-reading this stories twenty some years later, it becomes evident that all the clues to Terra's upcoming betrayal are all there, and perhaps she isn't as multifaceted as some readers believe. Granted, there are a few panels which may indicate she is re-thinking her upcoming betrayal, but it might be that the fan base, expecting her to redeem herself at the last moment, has let their expectations color their judgement. What makes the story particularly tragic is that youngest Titan, Changeling (or Beast Boy) begins to fall for her-- hard, and that is what gives the tale it's emotional gravitas.

In the Teen Titans Companion, Mr. Wolfman reveals that he came up with the Terra plotline by looking at the X-Men's Kitty Pryde, and introducing a young female character that would appear sweet and innocent, but in reality was anything but.

In retrospect and comparing the comic book version to the recent animated one, it would seem that the original doesn't seem as fully realized as the one Glen Murakami developed for the cartoon version. It is the Terra storyline from the Teen Titans, along with the "Dark Phoenix" one from the X-Men, which brought real heartbreak into the comic book world, and after twenty years, many fans still debate Terra's fate.

I can't say I've ever been a big fan of the Trigon parts of the story, but "Terra Incognito" is a great start to a powerful story.

And it's great to see the young Changeling wise-crack again.

JThree
[...]

I read the stories when they came out originally and was not real impressed or at least not enough to buy this book. however this is a good story and may read differently when read all at once. personally iwould rather read a brother blood trade paper back.

Here it is- One of the hottest titles in the 80's! I like everything about this: writing, visuals, and characters.

Highlights here for me...
*Issues 28 & 29- Introducing Terra. A feisty 15-year old with an attitude, and the ability to use the earth as a weapon. Is she a friend or something else? Changeling is determined to help her with her problems. A few pages from issue 26 introduce us to her and kick this paperback off.
*Issue 34- Trouble is spelled Terminator! The mercenary Deathstroke takes on the Titans, as Terra's place as a full-fledged member is solidified. I love everything about this issue, and the great cover art is one of the few images I actually remember from this series in the 80's.

George Perez to me is a little bit of an acquired taste. In the 80's I couldn't really understand his phenomenal popularity, but over time I came to appreciate the amount of meaningful detail he puts into every page. Now his Teen Titans & various Avengers stints are really visually appealing to me. This Terra storyline in particular is a standout, partly because I think she's interesting, but more significantly because I love the appearances by Deathstroke the Terminator. It took me awhile to figure out that the creation of Marvel's Deadpool, a.k.a. Wade Wilson, was obviously influenced by DC's Deathstroke, a.k.a. Slade Wilson. Chalk that up to my lack of familiarity with some of the details of DC's characters. In any case, Deathstroke is only featured in one issue here, with more appearances in the follow-up paperback.

Even if people aren't really interested in this particular story arc, I think it's still worth checking out for the hyper-detailed art. I love the 80's style, bright & clear colors here, as they really help in highlighting the microscopic line-work Perez is most often famous for. I kind of wish his figures were a bit bigger & splashier at times, but his amazing attention to detail is satisfying compensation to me.

this is the point when the titans add terra - the spy for their greatest foe - deathstroke. the artwork is great - but the story is flat. predictable. if you want to relive memories - fine - buy it. otherwise go onto wikipedia and read about the storyline. you will thank me.