Thoughts on Titans East...

Looking 2 Da Stars has some interesting things up here about Judd Winick and a new Titans East oneshot. (Interview available here.) He's also got a very nice clear image of the cover.



I admit, I was kind of disappointed not to see Batgirl or Risk or some of the other members of Deathstroke's team. I thought it'd be interesting to see them rebuilding a heroic team to try to redeem themselves after that whole mess. Still, this might not be the whole team, so there's still hope.

I recognize Cyborg, Power Boy, Lagoon Boy, Hawk and Dove, but can anyone fill me in on the other two? I haven't the faintest idea who they are. Sword-boy (Son of Vulcan?) looks kind of neat.

Three female characters out of seven is a promising sign. I was kind of hoping to see the new Firestorm in a teen team too. I'm hoping the fact that he's not means he'll be popping up in JLA. He ought to show up somewhere.

I admit, I'm leery about Power Boy's addition for many of the same reasons Matt has in the link. Right now, I'll give the benefit of the doubt. Power Boy's done some truly horrible things, but he's also very young and I think that gives him a slightly better chance of rehabilitation/redemption than it would an adult hero. I'm not sure if the character will be redeemed well, but I do think the possibility is there.

I've never been terribly interested in Hawk and Dove, but I admit the new girl-Hawk is an intriguing idea. And I think the character design is cute. I've only seen her in brief encounters so far, but since "Hawk" always seemed like a really masculine-oriented role, I do tend to find a girl version interesting.

Cyborg honestly hasn't seemed like a good fit on the main team since OYL, to me, so I'll be glad to see him working with a team that may suit him better. I'm hoping he'll get to keep a leader/mentor type role.

Ragnell suggests the blond girl's Magenta. Magenta's not a teenager, but then neither is Cyborg (though he could be grandfather-claused in, I suppose). Dove shouldn't be a teen anymore either, I thought (but I'm shaky with those two). This group in general does seem a bit older than the main group anyway. Frances is pretty neat though, so I wouldn't complain. Even if her presence and Power Boy's do lend the group a certain level of instability...

There does seem to be some interesting story potential there. I'm not sure really if there's a hook for me yet, and Judd Winick's writing isn't always to my taste. But I did enjoy early Outsiders, so maybe I'll enjoy this too. It does seem worth a shot though...