Teen Titans #1/2

Overview [without spoilers]:

This story takes place between the events of Teen Titans #6-7.

The story is essentially how Rose came to be the latest Ravager. Geoff Johns has certainly done his homework. Every Titans-fact is right on the money. The detailed history of Rose Wilson, Lili Worth and The Ravager [Wade] is extremely accurate. Geoff Johns even mentions: "Although Rose has been around for over a decade, she’s rarely appeared. Her past connections to Deathstroke, the Titans, and Bart Allen grabbed my attention." Hopefully titanstower.com provides to be a good research tool ; )

EXTRAS: Extra pages include cover design sketches by Mike McKone, a script page sample, a look at pencils to inks, lettering and coloring, a Character Design Page of the Ravager by Mike McKone, and a look at designing the DC Direct Teen Titans Toys.

Synopsis [With Spoilers]:

This story takes place between the events of Teen Titans #6-7.

The story opens 18 years ago, where a wounded Slade meets Sweet Lil Worth for the first time. Flash to 10 years ago: Dick Grayson’s parents die. Flash to 6 years ago: Rose Wilson is schooled at home by her mother, Lili. Flash to 5 years ago: Ravager I is killed. Flash to 3 years ago: Slade is forced to kill Jericho. Flash to 2 years ago: Cadmus attempts to clone Superman. Flash to 18 months ago: Rose deals with the death of her mother. Flash to one week ago: Bart Allen is shot by Slade. [These are all like one panel each.]

Present day, in Chicago, Rose Wilson is having dinner with her foster parents - Margaret and Mark Madison. Rose recently got into another fight at school; apparently, this is a pattern of hers. The Madisons reprimand her, and Rose apologizes; Rose is content to have some semblance of a family for the first time in years. Her peace is shattered by the brutal arrival of Ravager III [Wade DeFarge], the man who killed her mother.

Wade kills the Madisons and sets his sights on Rose, claiming he was offered $100,000 to kill her by an anonymous source; Wade would do it for free, he declares, just to get revenge on his half-brother, Slade. Rose eludes Wade, just as the Teen Titans arrive, also claiming an anonymous source tipped them off to the fact Rose was in trouble. Bart rushes to Rose’s side, but she rebuffs him, still upset over the deaths of the Madisons. Just as the Titans get the drop on Ravager, an arrow containing halothane gas explodes and knocks the team out.

When they awaken, Rose and the Ravager are missing. Superboy wonders if Slade’s whole family is a bunch of psychos, and even wonders why the team has a long list of ’wacko’ members such as Raven, Jericho, Terra and Duela Dent. Is a questionable psychological profile a requirement? Bart defends Rose, saying she is nothing like her brothers or father - and he vows to find her.

Rose awakens in Deathstroke’s lair, as he apologizes for abondoning her. With Wintergreen and his family gone, he reaches out to Rose as the only family he has left. He claims that the two of them can erase the painful memories of the Ravagers, and replace them with better ones. Rose asks for Slade’s sword. She talks about how ’she just wants a family’ as she clasps the sword. She approaches Ravager - who is bound to a chair - with the intent to kill him - slowly. Slade remarks, "Good girl."

Meanwhile, at the Tower, The Titans’ search for Rose has turned up empty. Wonder Girl wonders who put the hit on Rose in the first place. Cyborg believes the answer is obvious - it was Slade himself.

EXTRAS: Extra pages include cover design sketches by Mike McKone, a script page sample, a look at pencils to inks, lettering and coloring, a Character Design Page of the Ravager by Mike McKone, and a look at designing the DC Direct Teen Titans Toys.

Commentary:

Geoff Johns has certainly done his homework. Every Titans-fact is right on the money. The detailed history of Rose Wilson, Lili Worth and The Ravager [Wade] is extremely accurate. Geoff Johns even mentions: "Although Rose has been around for over a decade, she’s rarely appeared. Her past connections to Deathstroke, the Titans, and Bart Allen grabbed my attention." Hopefully titanstower.com provides to be a good research tool ; )

The story is powerful stuff. I’ve been a fan of the Rose Wilson character since she debuted a decade ago [has it been THAT long?] She always had a lot of potential as a character and I was sad to see her stint as a Titan was so short [New Titans #121-126... the shortest membership in Titans history, save members of Titans L.A.] As a character, her interactions with practically every team member could ellicit some sort of drama. Plus, I don’t think the Titans had such a troubled teen as a member; most of them, despite their strange backgrounds, had strong value systems.

I was happy to see Rose show up in JLA/Titans - and later in the Titans series as Lian Harper’s nanny. That was a great idea to utilize the character in such a way. But still, she remained a bit player.

So when Rose showed up as the latest Ravager, I was shocked, amazed, and a little scared. What would make our girl Rose kill without so much as a thought? Mind control? Was the repetition of the phrase "Good Girl" a post-hypnotic suggestion? Possession - perhaps by Jericho?

Well, by the looks of this story, her latest actions seem to be of her own volition. Her search for a family. Now, Rose has always been troubled, but Lili Worth gave her a pretty good moral compass. And she’s always been loyal to the Titans. The first 10 pages were great... I’m still not sure about Rose’s motivations for killing Wade DeFarge. And I’m not sure why she’d be so quick to side with Slade... especially if she learns the circumstances of Wintergreen’s death. With the act of killing Wade, she starts down a dark path. I can only think that she has completely snapped.

I’m reminded of Faith from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.... another troubled girl who felt unloved; One brutal act [an accidental killing of a human man] triggering a rapid downfall and a downward spiral of self-loathing. Actually, Faith’s displaced devotion to The Mayor is a pretty good parallel to Slade/Rose. I just hope Rose finds her way back. She’s too good a character to be killed, or turned into a raving lunatic villain. I guess if Faith turned out OK, there’s hope for Rose. [And hey, who knows... maybe Slade did tamper with the girl’s mind... he mentioned "erasing the bad memories"... odd phrasing, that]

Now, this I think is probably the worst thing Slade has EVER done. He’s killed people for money, but that was a detatched business transaction to him. He even tried to keep Grant away from his mercenary life - it was Grant who pursued that path. He wanted to protect Joey. And even Terra - that girl was corrupt when Slade met her. But here, he has orchestrated events to corrupt his own daughter. He risked her safety and ruined her chance at a normal life, for his selfish need for family. This may be his idea of a family unit... but man, that’s some twisted $*@$!

The only remaining questions I had concerned Rose’s most recent appearances... when did she stop working as Lian’s nanny? And how did she come to live with The Madisons? Even passing references would have helped. Rose supposedly stayed with Lili’s friend when she left the team originally... perhaps that is Margaret Madison? So who’s watching Lian these days anyway?

The ’EXTRAS’ pages are nice as well. More McKone sketches, a script sample and a look at designing the DC Direct Figures. Man, McKone is just getting better and better every time I see his work. He’s REALLY making the Titans his own.