The characterization and continuity parts are the sorts of things I was thinking of. Claremont gets more into the serialized format. Wolfman/Perez have a fair share of self-contained stories. Now, certainly a self-contained issue of a comic book series can be sophisticated. However, sometimes it reminds me of the remark about how on The Brady Bunch any problem could be solved within 30 minutes.

He also worked on the Superman titles after the 1982's mini-revamp (Lex Luthor's new armor, Braniac new robotic body). Hardly anyone remembers it and I think those stories never been reprinted. The only thing worth noting is his idea of making Vandale Savage an evil CEO, which was an inspiration for the post-Crisis Lex Luthor character.

By the way  shaxper, I am catching up to date on the reading. I just finished NTT # 11-12. I consider those two issues to be the worst of the entire Wolfman/Perez run. Too many characters coming out of left field and the artwork was hard to follow because of all the frenzied action. Maybe it's the printing quality. Also, I consider Romeo Tanghel to be the weak point of this great run. It killed me to see Dick Giordano ink some later issues and see what could have been. 

Wolfman gave Supes GREAT characterization during his year on Adventures of Superman, but (as with the Titans) the individual stories themselves were lousy. FWIW Wolfman created Professor Hamilton in that run.

I think brutalis makes a fair point. Both Byrne and Perez were heavy contributors to the runs they worked on. While I disagree that X-Men first got good when Byrne joined and descended right after he left, I do agree the the Titans pretty much fell off a cliff once Perez left.

I think Wolfman is amazing at characterization, and as that is the most important quality in a book for me, I appreciate Wolfman tremendously. But I can think of precious few Wolfman plots that have enticed and excited me. Granted, I never read either of the runs you've referenced.

New Teen Titans #16 (February 1982)



Nope, I'm not planning on discussing Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew, but you are certainly welcome to do so. Didn't Scott Shaw used to post at the old CBR Classic Comics Section?


"Starfire Unleashed!"
Script: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: George Pérez
Inks: Romeo Tanghal
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Letters: John Costanza

Grade: B


Even though I've read this complete run on three separate occasions, I have almost no memory of most issues up until around #30. And yet, I remember this one CLEARLY. It wasn't the plot that drew me in so much as the fact that the sensational cover that felt like so many sensationally misleading covers I'd seen DC tease us with over the decades wasn't a lie. Starfire really does lose it this time around, and it isn't an imposter, nor mind control, nor a delusion nor dream.



And it sure is glorious.




It's also a very minor portion of the issue, and while that was what resonated for me as an adolescent, the stuff I find far more rewarding in this issue now is the subtle character development Perez and Wolfman are doing for Donna.



It sure looked like the original plan for how to finally characterize Donna was through her victimhood in the wake of NTT #11 and #12, but Marv and George seem to have since reconsidered.

In fact, when Dick (once again) asks Donna if she is okay in this story, Hyperion isn't even on her radar anymore:



So, instead of defining her by what a man has done to her, or by what another man (Terry) does for her, we get a new take on Donna that is instead defined by her relationships with the females in her life. She depicts Starfire as extroverted, Raven as introverted, and her as the balancing force halfway between them. We are shown at various points throughout this issue that she does regular lunches and dinners with Raven and Kory (separately), and that she has special relationships with them both.



Perhaps most meaningfully, when Kory goes berserk in the final act of the issue, Donna feels her special relationship with the women on the team makes this her responsibility alone:



For the first time, Donna feels like a person, with real relationships with her friends and colleagues, and not just an Amazonian powerhouse who gets annoyed by Gar's chauvinistic humor.


And we get a little more characterization for Dick, as well. Marv and George are certainly less concerned with developing him at this point, but this little exchange, playing up Dick's detective training and his desire to protect his friends, feels prototypical of the famous "Who is Donna Troy?" story from New Teen Titans #39 (still two years away):



Dick didn't really have a personality either until two issues back, when he started showing concern for everyone's feelings and offering his ear. This takes it to the next level. He is protective of his friends, far beyond the HQ and the battlefield. I like it. In fact, he and Donna are starting to feel like the mom and dad of the group, perhaps a necessary step in the process of making this team feel like a family.


As for the plot itself, I wasn't totally invested in something so predictable, but I really respected Marv and George's desire to write a precautionary story about impulsive "love," a conflict that is perfectly suited to the naive and passionate Starfire.



But one pet peeve I have in storytelling is when the writers refer to an event that has never been presented before as if we had been there to see it happen:



And, btw, did we just see Robin hooking up with Kory and insensitively asking her to keep it as friends-with-benefits? How long have they been "seeing each other like this"?? That really doesn't jibe with the protective father figure I just described above!


Anyway, what I enjoyed most about the plot itself was that, even though we knew this wasn't real love, Marv and George showed tremendous respect for Kory's feelings at the end. Fake love is hard, and the feelings are just as real:



I sure remember the anguish of my first crush.



Certainly no perfect story, but Marv and George are delivering characterization that impresses me, Kory unhinged was unforgettable, and the conclusion was tasteful and poignant.



Minor Details:

- So there are only seven members of the H.I.V.E.? #7 is the new guy trying to impress them.



I'd always imagined it was a much larger organization, more akin to A.I.M. than seven robed weirdos residing in a complex that is entirely too large for them. And I just now realized they copied the Legion of Doom HQ:



Wow. This is one corny organization.


- I LOVE how personally the Titans are taking injustice. It's not just a job to them.



This is one thing the X-Men do not have going for them in comparison. Claremont always managed to make the threats come to them. There wasn't time to choose what injustices to seek out or how to feel about them.


- Robin's got a new rocket sled or something.



I guess Perez was beginning to realize how ridiculous of a concept it was to have him swinging across the city on silk cables.


- I may prefer Byrne's art on the X-Men, but that doesn't mean I don't love these Perez moments:




- I'm still not sure I get the final panel here.



Is Dr. Darrow supposed to be Hive memember #7?


- I'm glad they finally bothered to explain how Kory passes for human.



I guessed as much, but it's sometimes hard to see how benday dots translate to real-world hues.


- Serious respect for the subtle interracial message here. We keep hearing about the model Angela Dove, and the choice of words suggests purity and (yes) whiteness. To have it revealed that she is a beautiful BLACK women with a real black name too is powerful.



and to then have her abductor subtly refer to having her trafficked -- wow, things just got real.


- So now Vic DOES have feelings for Sarah.



We keep waffling on this subject. Of course, we already know how it ultimately plays out.


- Can we talk about the whole "Raven goes to school" bit? First off, she is going to school to reconnect with her humanity and learn how to fit in. So she dresses in a Hindu sari?



Or is that standard casual wear for practitioners of Azar?


And let's talk about this college she goes to. At first, I thought Manhattan College was made-up, but no, it's a real place, and I'd be pretty upset if I were the president of their school when Marv and George decided to depict it like Fast Times at Ridgemont High:







Really though, this was a strong issue. In typical Marv and George fashion, I loved everything but the plot.