THE TITANIC TWOSOME
Published in SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON UPDATE 2005 #2 (Jul 2005)
transcribed by Vu
Marv Wolfman and George Perez celebrate 25 years of the New Teen Titans at Comic-Con International!
In 1980, everyone was looking for change. DC Comics was experiencing a slump in sales, and fans were interested in seeing their superheroes embark on more complex adventures. Meanwhile, on the creative side, author Marv Wolfman wanted to move away from writing two-man teamp-up books like World's Finest and The Brave & The Bold, while artist George Perez was interested in leaving Marvel Comics for DC. Wolfman figured that was creating his own comic he'd find his opportunity, so he approached DC editor Len Wein, whom he'd worked with on the Teen Titans in the late 1960s, and pitched his take on The New Teen Titans. Problems solved? Not quite.
"We pitched it to [then President] Jenette Kahn, who wasn't all that thrilled, because she didn't really like the previous version," explains Wolfman. "To which we said, 'We'll do it better'."
Kahn agreed to give them a chance, and Wolfman set about finding an artist to solidify the deal. He came across Perez, who was known for working on team-oriented action books, but Perez had other aspirations. "The only reason I said yes at all was because I was interested in doing the Justice League of America," laughs Perez. "I said if I could do an issue or two of the JLA, I'd do Titans."
Most of DC's new titles were being cancelled after six months so everyone assumed The New Teen Titans would be destroyed by poor sales faster than Brother Blood could ever hope to accomplish. But fans immediately flocked to the multifaceted characters, intricate artwork, and pulse-pounding plotlines that elevated Wolfman and Perez's "Just Little League" because what was currently being published. Soon the title was rivaling the X-Men. books at Marvel - indeed, the companies eventually published an epic crossover starring the two teams - and DC fortunes began turning around.
Today, the Teen Titans have seen a dramatic resurgence, with an animated series on Cartoon Network, a besting-selling comic written by Geoff Johns and toy lines based on the team's various incarnations but none of those beloved characters would be saving the universe at all if it weren't for Wolfman and Perez's success 25 years ago, which is why Comic-Con International is celebrating the Titans' anniversary at this year's convention.
We took a moment with this dynamic duo to discuss their early work and the elements that turned a group of teen heroes into comic book legends.
[ Read more San Diego Comic-Con Interview with Wolfman and Perez ]
