X-Men and The Teen Titans in: "The Inevitabeast Always Wins!"

 

I loved the X-Men and The New Teen Titans back in the day, but what if that crossover happened a decade or so earlier?  Maybe we could have had Neal Adams on art chores, that would have been something to see.  The Original Titans and First Class X-Men previously met on the blog back in STF #789.

Teen Titans and Doctor Strange

 

One cool thing that I have liked about the Teen Titans is the variety of types of stories that were told with the team.  They could easily go from standard superhero fare to epic off-planet action to street level mysteries.  It would be cool to see them share a mystic adventure with Dr. Strange.

Sub-Mariner, Stingray & Namorita meet The Teen Titans

 

Namorita joined the Teen Titans back in STF #1714, and the team previously crossed paths with her and her cousin, The Sub-Mariner and back in STF #2648.  I figured that the third part in this ongoing saga should involve a third sea-faring guest star, and that was an opportunity to use the always cool Stingray.

Scarlet Witch and The Teen Titans

 

This is another cover in which the primary image required some extension and repair before I could add in any new elements.  Here's a look at the behind the scenes progress:

Avengers and The Teen Titans in "Mad March of the Mega-Men!"

 

I've had the Avengers meet The New Teen Titans on the blog - first in STF #1250, and then again in STF #3179, but for this Anniversary Issue, I thought it would be cool if Earth's Mightiest Heroes had an epic adventure with the original Teen Titans team.  With two such powerful teams, I needed to find adversaries that could give them a run for their money, and that's where the classic Kirby monsters come in!

Here are larger images of the individual stories:

The Teen Titans and Gargoyle

 

Isaac Christians as the Gargoyle is an old soul inhabiting a powerful form, while the original Teen Titans were youths learning to step into the shoes of their more experienced partners.  I could definitely see a mentor/student relationship between them. It would be interesting to read about, anyway.

Judge Dredd and The Teen Titans

 

If these teen heroes thought that their mentors could be tough on them, I can just imagine how they would feel with Dredd calling the shots for the group.  I can imagine a Silver Age story in which the Mega-City One lawman and the super sidekicks with a rebellious streak have to find a way to work together for a common goal.

Teen Titans Vs. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

 

Continued from yesterday's cover, we see the battle The titans have been training for.  Looking at these line ups, it seems like a pretty even match up - I' not sure which way it would go.  What say you?

Back when I collected original art, it was a lot more affordable than it is now.  Still, I could never afford a Jack Kirby piece.  I did pick up this Dan Adkins-inked Kirby image, though.  I examined it closely to see if there were any pencil lines under the ink and I couldn't see any, and plus the price was way too low, so I am confident that Adkins didn't ink over a Kirby original page - but it still looks cool so I was happy to get it:

Teen Titans and Professor X

 

Presenting Part One of a Two-Part Epic!  Make sure you come back tomorrow to see the exciting conclusion! You can probably guess where it's going.

Tom Mandrake inked over Sal Buscema's pencils on this Professor X Image.  He would later move on to full art chores where his signature style really got a chance to flourish.  I was lucky to pick up a sketch by him many years ago: 

Teen Titans and Ben 10 (And More!)

 

Watching Saturday morning cartoons was a treasured time for me as a kid.  In addition to all of the colorful characters I saw, it was also a rare moment of solitude for me during the week.  I was the second youngest of seven children, so I was always in the midst of a crowd at home. On some Saturdays, I would be able to get up before everyone else and have an hour or two just to myself.  Alone time was a precious commodity to me in those days!

Dr. Doom Vs. The Teen Titans

Rumors are again resurfacing that Doctor Doom will be introduced to the MCU in the next Black Panther movie.  I can see there being perhaps some international intrigue between Wakanda and Lateveria, which could be interesting - but what then of the rumors that Atlantis and Prince Namor would be involved in the movie?  Is there a chance we will see a three-way conflict? It would be like an issue of Super-Villain Team-Up come to life!

The Falcon and The Teen Titans

I am very curious about how Sam Wilson will wield the Shield that Captain America gave to him.  Cap used it very effectively, but he had the super-soldier serum to allow him to do that.  Sam is in great shape, but has normal human strength.  We all saw what happened when Happy Hogan tried a Captain America like move in Spider-Man: Far From Home!  Sam is of course is more skilled than Happy, but still has no special powers to assist him - not to mention his wings getting in the way when wielding the shield.  Hopefully this will be addressed in the upcoming Disney+ show.

The Teen Titans Vs. Sub-Mariner

It looks like Marvel Studios will have the biggest presentation at next week's Comicon.  We will finally hear some of what they have planned for Phase Four of their cinematic universe.  Dare I hope that Namor is in the mix somewhere?  Titans will also be having a presentation for their second season on DC's streaming service, hopefully there will be some footage of new members joining the team (or the series at least).

Regular followers of this blog may remember that Namorita joined the Teen Titans in STF #1714...

Ghost Rider and The Teen Titans in: "The Ghoul Inside Grayson!"

One thing that Marvel did well that set them apart from DC was the way they had heroic characters that looked like monsters.  Ghost Rider, The Thing, The Hulk, and others gave readers heroes to root for that looked as cool as some villains and it was a move that definitely worked.  DC eventually added in characters like The Demon and Swamp Thing, but for a long time their line-up was a pretty attractive bunch - even the Martian Manhunter looked like a handsome green bald guy for most of the Silver Age.

Ghost Rider first joined the Teen Titans back in STF #828, and his feud with Robin intensified in  STF #1689...

Only five issues to go until the STF 2000th Issue 100-Page Spectacular!

Captain America and The Teen Titans

It's interesting to note that Speedy made it to animation years before Green Arrow did.  The battling bowman made his one and only appearance on The Super Friends in a 1973 episode.  His sidekick beat him to the punch though, appearing as one of the Teen Titans in 3 back up features for the Superman/Aquaman Hour, which ran from 1967 to 1968 .

The Teen Titans Vs. The Wrecking Crew

The Marvel movies have had a lot of hero vs. hero and hero team vs. Bad Guy with an army action lately and I think it is time for an honest to goodness villain team to show up.  Let's see The Sinister Six finally unite or The Wrecking Crew or Masters of Evil making life a pain for The Avengers.

Namorita Joins The Teen Titans

It's cool to see dc with a Titans title featuring the classic members of the team again. I was worried that there would be no place for them, with their mentors still in operation and a whole new crop of Teen Titans to take their place.  Fortunately DC Rebirth recognized the value and fan base that comes with these characters and have given them a chance to shine again.

The Teen Titans Vs. Valkyrie and Thor

I was glad to hear that Valkyrie will be making her cinematic debut in Thor: Ragnarok.  Tessa Thompson has been cast as the character and it will be interesting to see what she does with the part.  I enjoyed her performance in Creed, but this is a very different type of role.  Hopefully she can do Valkyrie's fiery personality justice - I'd love to see Aragorn the flying horse make an appearance as well.

The Teen Titans Vs. Godzilla

TNT has decided not to move forward with their Titans series, and I think that might not be a bad thing.  The more I heard about the show, the more it seemed to veer away from the classic Tenn Titans concept.  Now there are rumors that the previously announced Cyborg film will be morphing into a full fledged Teen Titans project.  I am hoping those are true because the whole team is worthy of the big screen treatment.

The Teen Titans & Triton / The Atom Vs. Ultron

I used to love anthology comics and it's too bad that they seem to be largely a thing of the past.  I loved seeing a variety of different characters, with multiple stories in a single issue.  I was a fan of Marvel Comics Presents and Solo Avengers.  On the DC side, I loved it when World's Finest became a dollar comic with all of the rotating back-up features and of course, Super-Team Family had a huge effect on me.