158 The Silver Age Teen Titans Omnibus

This book is pure, unadulterated joy.  Plain and simple.  The original Teen Titans stories.  Nick Cardy artwork.  Everything good in the world all wrapped up in a beautiful package.

The book collects about 900 pages of Teen Titans comics.  The Brave & The Bold appearances, the Showcase books, the first 24 issues, a Brave & Bold Batman team up and the whole run of the first Hawk & Dove book.

It so much fun revisiting these cheesy as hell stories.  The first half (or more) are just so god awful, they're good.  The book was clearly a victim of it's era, but it was also written to appeal to 8 year olds, who I'm sure looked down on these scripts as being too juvenile.  LOL.  About half way through the book, the stories start taking a more serious vibe, written less for 8 year old and more for a general comics audience.  These are the stories I loved the best.  The Bronze Age Omnibus will have more of this type of story in it, which I'm so looking forward to revisiting.  

Teen Titans has been my favorite series ever since the first issue I bought.  It was #44, the revival issue.  I was living in Bethel, CT at the time and that is my strongest memory of the entire time I lived there.  Discovering this book.  I was probably 8 or 9 at the time (wait, I just googled it.  I was 10.)  It left a lasting impression in my head, 41 years later.

The Silver Age Teen Titans Omnibus

Writer: Bob Haney, Steve Skeates, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman

Artist: Nick Cardy, Gil Kane, Irv Novick, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Bruno Premiani, Bill Molno, Lee Elias, Bill Draut, Sal Trapani, Jack Abel, John Celardo, Wally Wood

DC Comics

031 Teen Titans Vol 4: When Titans Fall

When the New 52 hit, I vowed I wasn't going to read Teen Titans.  I picked up the first issue and it was awful, but when the first trade came out, I bought it.  And it was awful.  But I've been a lifelong Teen Titans fan and I couldn't help myself.  Scott Lobdell was hired to reinvent the Teen Titans for the New 52.  Most of the characters had to be reworked because the history and origins they had no longer fit in with the new DC Universe.  To me, it felt like Scott put as little effort as possible in coming up with the backstories for these new versions.  

Anyway, he eventually left the book and Tony Bedard came on.  I like Tony's stuff.  He's a solid storyteller, but even he couldn't do anything worthwhile with what he had to work with.  This volume, the last in the current run, isn't the worst volume.  It was okay, but nothing to write home about.  These versions of the characters are still awful and I wish they would disappear forever.

For the most part, I've been pretty satisfied with the Rebirth versions of characters I've been reading.  The Teen Titans Rebirth issue is included in this trade.  And surprise, surprise, it's awful.  DC has finally given up on the Teen Titans.  

Teen Titans Vol 4: When Titans Fall

Writer: Tony Bedard, Scott Lobdell

Artist: Ian Churchill, Miguel Mendonca, Cory Smith, Norm Rapmund, Diana Egea

DC Comics