Yeah, I saw that interview excerpt when it was previously posted upthread. As someone noted upthread, it doesn't make sense. What black leader would make that obviously incorrect statement to try to dissuade Wolfman. But I don't think he had no true intention of making them a couple. Why would he put the seeds of a relationship in the comics, and risk a backlash, with no intent to follow up on it? But sometimes people have difficulty admitting that they have regrets and missed an opportunity. That's my theory. It's just speculation, but that seems like what makes the most sense to me.

That's what I mean: if some unnamed "black leader" made the case as Wolfman claimed, Wolfman--being IN the comic book industry--would instantly take the alleged leader's claim as false. He would know better, particularly at that time in American comic book history, so there can only be a couple ways this played out: Wolfman was responding to DC publisher and/or advertiser concerns (which Wolfman himself never claimed), or what I think is the true reason: that Wolfman never intended Vic and Simms to be romantically involved, so some are reading too much into a couple of panels--especially when we know the characters will never be a couple.

I believe Wolfman--when questioned about why the relationship never happened--dreamed up the "black leader" excuse, thinking the political implications of that title alone would be the doubt-proof hook--making the interviewer buy the story, and not press Wolfman on what was obviously his decision (or lack of desire) in never having Vic romantically involved with a white woman.

All of this is a series where romance was an early, building, central plot for almost every original member of The New Teen Titans....except one.

I was just readong some lettercols, and when a reader called them out on this, they admit that they goofed.  Tamaran is indeed supposed to be tropical.

Really? Well, that--and Wolfman's less than convincing explanation is a collection of hard evidence as one will likely ever get for this subject. Vic and Simms were never going to be a couple, no matter what a couple of panels show (which is not much for the "potential romance" supporters).

New Teen Titans #10 (August 1981)



"Promethium Unbound!"

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

Grade: B

If the final message from last issue was that no one messes with the H.I.V.E., this one has a lot of fun messing that up, reversing the implication last issue that Deathstroke was a mere agent of the organization. Now, he suddenly knows The H.I.V.E. manipulated him and his son (we're told this as if it was already established, but it wasn't):



and thus the stage is set for an impressive power-play between Deathstroke and The H.I.V.E., each taking an opportunity to outdo the amazing planning and efforts of the other:





And so, when the Titans finally take the cue to intervene, we can't help feel that they're in waaaaay over their heads:




It's an interesting balancing act Wolfman and Perez are executing, proving that the Titans are every bit as capable as the JLA (and hardly the Junior Justice League that Bob Rozakis portrayed them as in the '70s), and yet horribly outgunned with nearly every enemy they're facing: Trigon, The H.I.V.E., and now Deathstroke.

In fact, when Gar decides to go after him solo as the culmination of his inner journey towards adulthood and confronting his fears, it doesn't go the way of your typical comic book:



Yeah, we know he's not. But it was still a helluva message to send.


Gotta love Slade's characterization, too. Wolfman is really in the zone with his dialogue. You can tell he really really knows this guy, perhaps on a level that he doesn't even know the actual stars of this book yet:




But here's my real problem -- for Slade, this was just business. And now that The H.I.V.E. has crossed him, does he really need to honor his contract with them anymore? Does he still have a reason for being The Titans' antagonist?


Beyond all that, we get in some really good action this issue. I'm not usually wowed by obligatory action sequences in comics, but Perez really put his all into this street fight between Slade and Starfire:



You can really see Perez's art maturing across these issues. Not only is he still giving us some really dynamic panel compositions:



but he's doing a better job of owning the smaller panels and details too, not just the big eye candy. His faces, in particular, have come a long way.


We've also got some great character studies (as usual), especially with Gar this time. I love how he goes right from his discussion with Vic about his serious fears about growing up and facing responsibility to a light-hearted moment like this one that truly shows how deliberate the mask he wears is:




Oh, and Bunson Honeydew and Beaker make an odd cameo in this issue:





But, all joking aside, how many employees does Slade have, lurking about his two story penthouse? Doesn't this attract just a little bit of attention from the other inhabitants of his building? Doesn't it make it really really easy for his numerous enemies to find and hurt him? Seems to me there's a reason Batman only had one Alfred and not an entire division of Wayne Tech hanging out in the Batcave.


Important Details:

First mention of Blackfire, and boy does it feel forced and out of nowhere:



"By the way, I have another sibling I've never mentioned before who is my arch-nemesis. How did I never bring that one up before?"



Minor Details:

- It's weird to introduce a real-world politician into the story and then execute him a few pages later:




- Wolfman and Perez finally give us a crash-course on the history of the Doom Patrol, perhaps finally getting that a lot of us don't know what Gar has been talking about:




- It had been previously suggested that the Titans are already minor celebrities, but Starfire apparently disagrees:



Oh, I don't think that's what your "appearance" is doing to them at all...


- Look, I get the high-priced mercenary selling his goods to the highest bidder bit, but doesn't Slade HAVE to care when he's selling a weapon that could wipe out the nation he is residing in?




- Aaaand we're already reversing course on the Cyborg/Sarah situation:



That is NOT what we were seeing last issue:




Lots of great action, art, and bad guys one-upping each other in this issue. My only problem is I'm not finding myself rooting for the Titans all that much, here. Their enemies are way cooler.

Having villains positioning this early on was the kind of strong world-building in a group book not seen since the early days of The Amazing Spider-Man, where the individual villains who would become the Sinister Six all believed they were "the one". Building them up only helps in making the Titans seem formidable in that they--a group of mere teenagers--are on the H.I.V.E.'S radar.






But again, for this team of teens/young adults to believe they have the tactical and power "goods" to take on Slade (and anyone else) shows that they are coming into their own. Now, one might argue that in-continuity, they should have come into their own during the years of the original title (with the all of the maturing and cases they dealt with), but if one can sort of convince themselves that the 1966-73 Titans were still sort of green, then one can use that to support the idea of the NTT now coming into their own, hence their lack of true reservations about what they were getting into.




Inker Romeo Tanghal was always serviceable in his job, but I've always thought his work was too "thin" for Perez's pencils. For my money, Perez at his best was years earlier with inkers such as Klaus Janson, who brought a rich heft to his lines, as seen in this splash page from Logan's Run #2 (February, 1977):



Years later, Mike DeCarlo and the often underrated inking of Dick Giordano & Jerry Ordway would also blend perfectly with Perez, bringing out his best, in particular, Giordano & Ordway on Crisis on Infinite Earths:





Its not that Tanghal's inks were unbearable, but Perez--like some great comic artists--always required a very artistic touch that could be strong, but not overwhelm his pencils. In my view, Tanghal was not that kind of inker.




I suppose. But its necessary, as Wolfman and Perez could not assume that their readers were DC long-timers who remembered My Greatest Adventure / The Doom Patrol, or ever came across reprints in the 70s.




No course to reverse. It was never going to happen.

shaxper
A humble request going forward: I LOVE the enthusiasm and participation in this discussion, but I'd really appreciate it we could keep the talk at least marginally related to my reviews...maybe even just quote me when taking something I've said into a tangential discussion. My review of issue #9 got positively buried in all the back and forth about race and Cyborg's love life. I'm not sure many of you even saw it. I spend a lot of time and put a lot of thought into these, so it would mean a lot to me that they not fall to the back burner. Thanks.



Sorry for my part in it. I felt that the subjects we went on about were very connected to where the series went and maybe where it didn't and why. But also, the events in #9 were secondary to the characterization that Wolfman was building with the new Titan members. I didn't remember the events of the issue after all these years, but I did remember that they were potentially leading up to a romantic situation between Vic and Sarah. But, as you wish.