Teen Titans

"Who is Slade?"

Well, Robin, comic fans know him as Deathstroke the Terminator, but no matter what they call him, the mere fact that Slade is the Titan's arch-nemesis for the animated series is an excellent beginning to the series.

Slade suggests that the three graduates from the H.I.V.E. academy destroy the Teen Titans before he agrees to hire them on full time. The graduating class consists of Jinx, a sorceress with the ability to make things backfire through bad luck spells, Gizmo, a super intelligent midget with a knack for electronic devices, and Mammoth, a gigantic behemoth with super strength.

Initially the H.I.V.E. graduates dispose of Robin and quickly overtake Titans' Tower, modifying its "T" structure by transforming it into a gigantic "H." The episode seems to focus on the need for leadership, as the team is lost without the Boy Wonder.

However, once Robin resurfaces, the team is ready to take back their Tower, no matter what the cost.

In the first animated confrontation with the H.I.V.E., series creators Glen Murakami and Bruce Timm meld together three of the Titans primary adversaries from the critically lauded Marv Wolfman and George Perez arc in the comic series into one plot device.

The H.I.V.E., a secret terrorist organization consisting of criminal scientists in the comics, has now become H.I.V.E. Academy For Extraordinary Young People (or H.A.E.Y.P.), a school that focuses on training young super-villains for hire.

The top three graduates of the current class are the above-mentioned Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth, all of which were originally members of the Fearsome Five, a group that proved to be a thorn in the Titans' side in the comics.

And now we come full circle to Slade, who in the comics formed a vendetta against the Titans after his son, a recruit of the H.I.V.E. organization, died battling the teen heroes. Although his motivations for destroying the Titans are not clear as of yet, the incorporation of key players from the comic story arcs insures that we will be treated to an excellent series to come.

In addition, the Titans have no clue who "Slade" actually is, which sets up a mystery of first discovering who is behind these nefarious attacks on the team.

There is quite a contrast in style here, as opposed to other DC properties turned into animated series. The Titans are focused on their "Teen" moniker, and the members of the group behave accordingly. This is matched with an overtly "anime" feel that emphasizes character reactions through beads of sweat, bulging eyes, and complete disregard of physical proportion.

This isn't an attempt to adapt the visual look of the team from the comics; in fact it appears to be an attempt to redesign the look and feel to match the lighthearted approach to teen themes. The jokes are quick and funny, and the use of animation style helps punctuate the flow of the show.

Purists are bound to detract from the show based on character adjustments, but this seems to be nitpicking the issue. When adapting a property such as this, there is no way to stay 100% true to the original comic story arcs.

Especially when the comics were mired in forcing the teen heroes of the group to grow up into heroes and face a far more dangerous adult world. The approach is opposite here because in this case the heroes are being grounded in their teen hood roots. Sure they fight villains, but they also must face chores and internal bickering amongst the group.

All of this is accomplished with humor. One moment of hilarity comes from a simple scenario of ordering pizza. The group can't decide on toppings, and Beast Boy insists on vegetarian whereas Cyborg demands meat toppings. Beast Boy replies, "Dude, I've BEEN most of those animals!"

Overall, the show looks promising even if some fanboy adjustments may be needed for some to get past the adaptation process and anime style that the series has employed. My only hope is that the insightfulness exhibited in the first episode continues throughout the rest of the series.

Next Week: Storm clouds roll in as our retro-reviews of season one continue. Join me as Thunder and Lightning roll into town to stir up some stormy weather for the Titans. See you then!

Mario Anima