Marv Wolfman turns 75!
It’s Marv Wolfman’s birthday, so we figured it’d be cool to check out what fans originally had to say about his greatest series — The New Teen Titans (with George Perez, natch).
I myself was on the fence about buying the series back in 1980 but once I read the team’s preview appearance in DC Comics Presents #26, I just knew I was going to end up getting Issue #1. I did, and the series quickly became one of my all-time favorites. (I just started a re-read, as it happens.)
Obviously, I was not alone, so check out these letter columns that explore DC Comics Presents #26 and New Teen Titans #1. Readers hit a lot of different points, comparing the new characters to old and tackling issues such as Cyborg’s race and characterization. It’s illuminating to learn what was on fans’ minds more than 40 years ago, so read on.
By the way, you should most definitely click here to check out THE TOP 13 CHARACTERS CREATED BY MARV WOLFMAN, by historian and former colleague Bob Greenberger.
Dig it.
From New Teen Titans #4
From New Teen Titans #5
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MORE
— The TOP 13 Comics Characters Created by MARV WOLFMAN. Click here.
— How Fans Reacted WHEN ROBIN LEFT FOR COLLEGE. Click here.
May 13, 2021
Just the fact that Cyborg wasn’t called “Black Cyborg” was a huge leap forward for comics, at the time. I’m being facetious, but only partially.
NTT really rocked my world, back in the day. My comics obsessions at the time were NTT, X-Men, and Micronauts. Wolfman and Perez really did a great job of distilling the Marvel “team dynamic” and applying it to the DC Universe, and taking it to new and interesting places. Pick up any other DC comic from the same time, and you will see the same old plot-driven stories with minimal character development. The Leigon of Super-Heroes’ Paul Levitz would soon pick up the torch, but it took a couple of years for him to grab the reins. Other series would follow. NTT was revolutionary, and was the catalyst for DC to dominate creatively in the mid 80’s.
May 13, 2021
Very well said!
May 13, 2021
George’s art was improving dramatically just before this — his Red Ronan/Ronin story in Avengers was great.
May 13, 2021
After all these years, the comment by Al Schroeder regarding the Titans fighting “an amoeba from another dimension”, along with seeing the preview “cover” page for the first time in decades (my copy is in deep storage these days) made me think of how that page appears to be a sort-of homage to the cover of Brave and Bold #28, with the heroes fighting Starro for the first time (hits head with hand and says “I could have had a V-8!”).
Would love someone to ask Wolfman or Perez if that was an homage, intentional or not, to the JLA.
May 13, 2021
Happy birthday, Mr. Wolfman!
May 13, 2021
This series made Dick Grayson, in his pixie boot costume, the height of cool. Let that sink in.
May 14, 2021
Happy Birthday, Mr. Wolfman! Thanks for all the great stories and for autographing my copy of NEW TEEN TITANS back in the day!