To be clear, the moments where Terry seems a little too enamored with Kory were in panels I didn't repost for the review. Even then, it's not clear-cut that there is a problem, but Donna definitely calls him out on enjoying the view just a little too much.

He then kisses her hand immediately after.

I think he is just teasing Donna, at most.

He must have 10 years on her age and was he checking her out in his classes before the divorce?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

New Teen Titans #9 (July 1981)



"Like Puppets on a String!"

Script: George Pérez (plot); Marv Wolfman (plot, script)
Pencils: George Pérez
Inks: Romeo Tanghal
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Letters: Ben Oda

Grade: B-

If the team's rogues gallery wasn't already so lacking, now we're dredging up a forgotten villain from DC's ancient past:



who can't even stay consistent with his M.O., frequently behaving like DC's Toyman instead:



I thought for sure the big appeal at the end of this otherwise generic issue would be the reveal that The Puppeteer's identity was not the obvious choice that everyone leaped to so quickly at the start of the issue...but it was.

Instead, the saving grace is the revelation of just how extensively the H.I.V.E. is manipulating events behind the scenes, utilizing The Puppeteer, the Fearsome Five, and The Terminator in pursuit of the Promethium formula, a totally illogical macguffin that regenerates anything (energy, organic matter, inorganic matter) indefinitely:



I guess Wolfman and Perez chose a throw-away villain because Gizmo (under orders by The H.I.V.E.) offs him at the end, while The Terminator obtains the Promethium formula -- a chilling testament to the full reach of The H.I.V.E.


Beyond that, we get a Titans vs. Titans battle that is somewhat fun,



but also feels forced and overdone at this point. Folks get mind-controlled A LOT in this title, and the Titans just battled it out like this with the JLA five months ago.


Wolfman and Perez sneak in a little more humanizing in this issue, with mixed results. Gar is resisting the pressure to take control of Dayton industries while his adoptive father is away, and I'll admit being surprised to see Gar exhibiting feelings for the missing Steve Dayton:



I guess Mentor hadn't gone full-on antihero yet. I really need to familiarize myself better with the history of the Doom Patrol.


Cyborg brings Raven in to meet the kids he's been working with, which proves touching, even if I'm still confused as to why he brought her there:



He explains he did it to prove to them that even superheroes can't make everything better, but it sure seems like (as a superhero himself) he didn't really need to thrust Raven into this situation in order to get the point across.

"Hey kids, let me bring in New York's most famous super powered healer"

"...to prove to you that you're beyond help."


Wolfman then tries to pry further into Vic's psyche, but it's all stuff we'd inferred already:




Of course, we do see a developing romantic tension between Vic and Sarah. I don't care what Wolfman has her say later on; this is NOT just appreciation and friendship:



I never stand by a guy who claims to have been "friend-zoned," as that is usually a term used by a manipulative person with a victim-complex looking to shame someone for being friendly to them, but man is this some unfair misdirection for poor Vic.


But, generally speaking, this issue doesn't offer all that much beyond showing off The H.I.V.E. a little more.



Minor Details:

- The first page may well have been the best part of the story, straight out of a first class horror mag. It actually felt most reminiscent of the Fleischer/Aparo Spectre stories of the 1970s:




- I know Wolfman and Perez are not the first to do this, but the idea of Batman and/or Robin swinging across the city like Spider-man drives me nuts:



There's no web-shooter under Robin's gloves. He's got to disconnect that cable and fire it again at a new building mid-swing each time. Seems likely to end in a "splat" pretty darn quickly.


- If Wolfman and Perez were indeed toying with the idea of there being something between Kory and Terry Long last issue, there's no sign of it here.



Kory may be into Terry, or she may simply be curious about Earth's customs regarding romance, but Terry definitely doesn't seem interested in her.


- Once again with Raven's soul self nonsense! This time, she leaves her body defenseless for multiple pages while a murderous, telepathically controlled Cyborg is RIGHT NEXT TO HER and just hurled a tree at her,



returns to it without issue, and a second later Cyborg (still there) attacks Wally!


- Can't decide whether this is a completely illogical explanation for bringing Whining Wally back (once again), or if it's supposed to show that Raven and Wally are still looking for excuses to be with one another.



Seriously, Wally (and Wolfman). Sh*t or get off the pot.