Teen Titans is an iconic part of DC. I mean, if you’re a Millenial or a Zillenial, you already know how influential the Cartoon Network series has been to an entire generation. I largely credit that show for getting me into comic books, and I'm not alone in that sentiment.
This week’s New Titans #33 kicks off a fresh chapter for the ongoing Titans comic, including a new creative team of Batgirl writer Tate Brombal and Birds of Prey artist Sami Basri. You’ll also see plenty of fresh (but familiar) faces in the book, as some new heroes join the party, including Jon Kent, Yara Flor and Stephanie Brown.
I recently had the opportunity to nerd out about the Teen Titans animated series, talk about what goes into taking over an ongoing book and what we can expect in this incredible new Titans run with GLAAD Award-nominated writer Tate Brombal. Fair warning, though. After you read this interview, you will probably be inclined to run to your local comic shop and grab the new issue!
You’re taking the Titans mantle from writer John Layman starting with this week’s New Titans #33. What can you tell us about the project and how you became involved?
Yes! I am joining the long, hallowed lineage of Titans writers, and it’s such an honor to pick up from where John left these characters and Tom Taylor before him. Everyone who writes this team has such love and care for them. It is genuinely a dream gig. And, you know, I’m not going to lie. There’s always been a little voice in my head whispering “Titans…Titans…Titans…!”, which I’m sure is true for many. I quieted the voice by replying, “Maybe someday,” knowing full-well that it may not be very likely. I imagined it as a far-off dream.
So, when current editorial guardians, Marquis Draper and Brittany Holzherr, sat me down and offered me the book, I was floored. They loved what I was doing in Batgirl and told me they wanted to bring that same energy to the Titans. To be honest, I needed a couple weeks to digest the offer and figure out if I even had a story to tell with these characters. Turns out I did!
Without spoilers, what can readers expect to see in your debut arc?
This arc is one, big reckoning between the old and the new, the past and the future. The Titans have been stuck for a while, and they need to be set free.
The Teen Titans are an iconic part of DC history. I mean the animated series from the early 2000s created an entire generation of DC fans—my generation! What was your first Teen Titans story?
I’m part of that generation! I grew up watching the Teen Titans animated series. That was my first interaction with them, and there’s a reason that TV show is so beloved. It nailed the characters, the soap opera and the long-form superhero narrative so incredibly well. It is definitely an inspiration for me, along with the seminal Wolfman/Pérez and Geoff Johns runs.
For those who plan on picking up New Titans #33, especially those new to comics, what is your recommended reading order?
No reading order necessary! This is a brand-new jumping on point for all readers with any interest in the characters and team. A passing understanding of the Titans and their history will definitely help deepen the reading experience, but everything you need to know is explained on the page!
What sort of preparation goes into taking over an established IP and how do you draw from your experience working on things like the SlaughterVerse and Batgirl, as well as your creator-owned works like Everything Dead & Dying and The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos?
It’s a strange mixture of everything I’ve learned from both worlds. When working on IP, it’s like joining a sandbox of toys that come with fairly set instructions, then picking them up and going, “Okay, but what if we played with them THIS way? And what if I brought in some toys of my own…?”
It’s a balance of respecting the sandbox you’re stepping into but not being afraid of shaking things up a bit. What I wanted to do with Batgirl, for example, was fill out Cassandra Cain’s world by expanding her rogues and supporting cast while reestablishing and cementing the foundation she was built upon. I always honor what came before but also want to be additive to these worlds. What can I and my unique perspective bring to these properties? That perspective and my voice have been chiseled into being through my creator-owned work. Now I’m taking those skills into other people’s worlds.
New Titans #33, in classic Titans fashion, includes funny, character-driven, slice of life moments with fast-paced, high-stakes action. How do you find that perfect balance and signature Titans tone?
Balance is the key word. But when writing characters like these, that humor and fun tone honestly come so naturally. I love writing humor and silliness, which I was able to do a lot of in a book like Christopher Chaos. But I’ve had less of a chance to flex those muscles in, say, Batgirl, as she has other muscles needing flexing!! I love that I can draw upon some of the silliness inherent to this genre while also telling deep, heartfelt stories. I want people having FUN reading this comic, while also challenging them with deeper, thematic stories.
There’s a bit of a time loop/pocket reality sort of element in issue #33 revolving around a coffee machine. What can you tease?
Whatever you do…DON’T DRINK THE COFFEE!!!!!
Good thing I prefer tea! Issue #33 ends with some familiar faces, including some we haven’t seen in a while like Yara Flor and Stephanie Brown. What went into choosing these characters for this story?
Those two were at the top of my list. There are so many incredibly rich characters at DC who have so much untapped potential purely because there are just SO MANY with not enough books to support them all. If I have the opportunity to pull some of those characters into the spotlight for a while, add to their mythologies, and maybe even convince people of their richness…that’s the goal. Stephanie, in particular, is a character I adore, and now DC is allowing me to write BOTH Batgirls. So that’s just great! Hahaha!
When it came to this cast of characters, it was also a balance of DC having clear ideas of who they wanted in the title while I offered up ideas of my own. The cast is also not completely set in stone. In true Titans fashion, we find ourselves with a rotating cast of sorts…
I cannot wait to see all these characters interact! Can we expect to see some new relationship dynamics within the team that we haven't seen much of before?
Definitely. We renamed it “NEW Titans” for a reason. We’re bringing fresh energy into this book and these characters with the goal of pushing and developing them in ways they’ve never had before.
Will we be seeing any characters that are completely new for the Titans?
100%. But I can’t say any more than that… Just make sure you pick up New Titans #34.
I am so ready! One-word question: Romance?
Two-word answer: Heated Rivalry.
Two-word response: No. Way!
Okay, final question. What are three reasons people should read this series that IS NOT related to the plot?
Sami Basri’s art. Tara Markov. Cyborg.
New Titans #33 by Tate Brombal, Sami Basri and Adriano Lucas is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
