Welcome back to the Titans, Wally West! (Artwork courtesy of DC Comics)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Garth, Roy Harper and Lilith are the Titans.
This particular group of individuals was originally the top protégés of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow respectively. Also, they are the founders of the legendary superhero group: The Teen Titans.
As the characters grew up and left the team, the group established their very own strike force, the Titans, and became the honorary older siblings that DC Comics fans wished they had. Thanks to the massive company line storyline, DC Rebirth, their title was resurrected with new creators: writer Dan Abnett and artist Brett Booth at the helm.
“We worked on Aquaman together, and it was fantastic to learn that we would be pulling our resources together again to work on a book that is filled with our favorite characters.” Said Dan Abnett.
Booth was also ecstatic to learn that he and Abnett were given the keys to the Titans universe.
“When I met with Dan DiDio to find out who was writing it, he told me that: “Dan (Abnett) was writing it.” Awesome, sold!” said Brett Booth. “Everything fell right into place, and I could not wait to get started.”
(Artwork courtesy of DC Comics)
For the Titans’ first adventure, Abnett and Booth reunited the team with one of DC Comics’ most popular characters and Teen Titans founder, Wally West, one of DC Comics’ fastest men alive. The third Flash returned in the pages of the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot to much fan acclaim.
“The success of the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot showed how many people wanted to see him back and what a powerful impact his return has had.” Abnett said.
As fans jumped for joy for Wally’s return, many readers wanted to know if he will be given a new code name. Luckily, Abnett was able to soothe fans’ concerns and exclusively revealed to Jake’s Take that the Scarlet Speedster will keep his title.
“He is the Flash! The DC Universe is accustomed to multiple Flashes and Green Lanterns running around, and Wally has every right to use that name.” said Abnett. “We are not going to change his name by default just because there is another Flash in the DCU.”
In the pages of the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot, fans learned that a mysterious force wiped away ten years of the precious memories of our beloved heroes and it was not until Wally escaped his Speed Force prison and reunited with his mentor, Barry Allen, that Wally returned to existence. The Titans: Rebirth one-shot shows how Wally reignites his teammates’ memories.
“By having a speed force spark revive their memories, the team remembered not only Wally but also several crucial snapshots from their past.” Abnett added.
Booth stated that this particular Rebirth one-shot was probably the most emotional and unique issues because it will bring longtime fans back to the first time that they discovered the characters.
“The memories are just little snapshots that are very emotional that range from funny to serious.” Booth said. “Dan picked these critical memories that I think not only transmits with characters like Lilith or Donna, but the readers also get information on Wally and his character, and we reveal what events triggers the Titans’ emotions.”
When it came to designing the heroes, Booth had one question running through his mind.
“I asked myself: “What would these characters look like if the Justice League were gone?” and the Titans were forced to step into the shoes of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow.” Booth said. “I pulled some of the old designs, so I could get a feel of what the characters used to look like and create a hybrid that incorporated both the classic and new designs.”
(Artwork courtesy of DC Comics)
However, Booth exclusively revealed to Jake’s Take that Wally was the hardest character to design for and turned to one of DC’s most luminary artists for assistance: DC Comics Co-publisher Jim Lee.
“Jim (Lee) made some minor changes, and after I had received Jim’s notes, I went back and made some minor changes myself and eventually that design made its way to the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot.” Booth stated.
Thanks to their new designs and Wally’s return, the Titans might be DC Rebirth’s premiere superhero team to watch during the DC Rebirth storyline.
“They are no longer these ingénue sidekicks, the Titans are a fully-fledged team in their right and are the go-to alternative team to assist you if the Justice League of America is busy.” Abnett said.
In addition to confronting the imminent threat Wally warned Barry Allen in the pages of the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot, a distinguished group of villains is expected to menace the newly reformed team: The Fearsome Five.
“The Fearsome Five are classic Titan villains and in my humble opinion, an excellent foil to the team.” Abnett added. “They are the mirror versions of the Titans.”
While the team is dealing with the Fearsome Five, Abnett stated that there might be a slew of old and new foes that the team has to face as they track down the person or thing that nearly wiped Wally out of existence.
“It would be a shame not to revisit classic Titans foes, but it would also be a shame if we ignored the possibility of adding on to the Titans legacy by not bringing in cool new characters.” Abnett said.
While Wally reunited with his mentor and friends, fans might have to wait a little bit longer for a reunion between the recently returned Flash and several of his closest allies: Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. Together with Flash, Donna Troy and Nightwing, these seven formed the most famous incarnation of the Teen Titans, whose adventures were immortalized by the iconic creative team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez.
“While there is a distinct possibility of a reunion, our title’s primary focus will be how our core team works together.” Said Abnett. “But, I cannot believe that we will not cross paths with his Wolfman-Perez teammates sometime during this adventure.”
With the future of the DC Universe at stake, Titans should be a book that comic book readers should have in their pull list.
“Brett and I want to invite readers old and new to bond with the Titans,” Abnett added. “They are such a great group of iconic characters who have such an extraordinary friendship, and we hope that people read every issue.”
The Titans: Rebirth one-shot drops next week on June 15. Meanwhile, the first issue of new Titans volume is scheduled to be released on July 27.
