DC and Marvel have very clear strengths right now when adapting their comics into other media. Marvel has fantastic film adaptations. DC dominates on television and in animation. Now, DC has announced plans to do a live action adaptation of one of my favorite superhero teams. No, not The Movement. That would be too good and, admittedly, a poor business decision on DC's part. The series was cancelled because it didn't sell well. Curse the fickle comic-buying public. But I digress.
No, they're doing a live action adaptation of a series they've had great success with in animation: Teen Titans. Originally conceived in the 1960s, the Teen Titans have had many different line-ups in print. Since the 1980s reboot, certain characters are regulars to the series: Robin, Raven, Starfire, Changeling/Beast Boy (same character, different names), and Cyborg. Other characters swing in and out.
The core concept of the team is always the same. These are younger heroes who haven't quite found their place in the world yet. They're not big enough to hang with Justice League, so they have their own team. It's a lot of fun.
The animated series from 2003 is my favorite version of the team. It's the standard line-up with a lot of guest appearances from alternates and even new characters. Bumbleebee gets a nice story arc (that could have led to a spin-off series with the West Coast team) and even Aqualad and Speedy get some good moments. This version of Teen Titans was serious, driven by character and a lot of appropriate teenage angst. The quality is at the same level as the 90s Batman series.
The series was rebooted last year as Teen Titans, Go! and targeted at a younger demographic. The line-up is the same, only this time everyone is younger and downright Chibi. It took me a little while to warm up to the style, but now I'll sit there and watch for hours when Cartoon Network does a marathon. It's just fun.
The Mary Sue summed up the key parts of the live action series announcement. Dick Grayson is going to be the team leader as Nightwing, not Robin. That's different for the team line-up. Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg are confirmed, as well. Who knows if they'll even have a fifth team member or if they'll just leave that slot open for any number of guest stars?
DC has really hit its stride with live action series. Smallville was a huge hit. Arrow is doing the same thing with a very similar format and equally great results. Gotham, the new Batman origins series on Fox, is widely considered the most promising new series of the fall season. Last week, DC announced plans to produce a Supergirl show and this week, it's Teen Titans getting the go ahead.
No matter how you slice it, it's a good time to be a superhero fan.
