new generation of superheroes hits the Cartoon Network when Robin (voiced by Menville) leaves Batman behind to lead his own crime-fighting team called Teen Titans. Robin's team includes Starfire (voiced by Walch), an alien with super powers; Cyborg (voiced by Payton), the half-man, half-robot strongman; Raven (voiced by Strong), a mysterious teen with powerful psychic abilities; and Beast Boy (voiced by Cipes), who can transform into any animal.
The Titans live together in a T-shaped tower and fight crime when they're not struggling with all the issues a teenager has to deal with.
In "Final Exam," a team from the evil H.A.E.Y.P. is dispatched to take out the Teen Titans as a test ordered by the sinister Slade (voiced by Perlman). While the Titans can barely bring themselves to stop arguing long enough to even order pizza, they quickly mobilize against the H.A.E.Y.P. team. Unfortunately, the bad guys kick their butts, and Robin turns up missing after the first round. Without their courageous leader, the team fears this just might be the end of the Teen Titans.
In "Sisters," the Titans are hanging out at a carnival, and Robin is introducing Starfire to fireworks and cotton candy. However, when a mysterious alien probe tries to kidnap Starfire, the Titans leap into action to save their friend. Back at the tower, Starfire discovers her sister, Blackfire, has come for a visit. She's thrilled. That is, until she begins to think her sister is taking her place with her friends. As Blackfire takes the gang to a party, Starfire again finds herself under attack, as three alien probes try to capture her. The Titans once again rush to their friend's aid, but it may be too late to save her from the mysterious attackers.
Joining the justice little league of America
The Cartoon Network's latest superhero series is another solid effort with strong storytelling and excellent characterization that will appeal to the younger teen and preteen set. Teen Titans has a distinct and colorful look to it and an obvious anime influence. It's a nice mix that revisits the teen angst and emotional depth of the 1964 Teen Titans and the 1980 The New Teen Titans comic-book series.
The action-packed half-hour animated series was developed under the guidance of Emmy award winner Glen Murakami, and that influence is strongly felt in the look of the characters and the world they live in. Anime has had a profound influence on many of the new animated series. The combination of traditional animation and anime has created some terrific-looking series, and Teen Titans can count itself among that group. However, whether this series is successful will lie in the storytelling and the ability to keep the focus on the teenage issues at the show's core.
With the first two episodes, Teen Titans looks very promising. "Final Exam" is a good, if perhaps too jam-packed, introduction to the characters and their powers, and it quickly establishes the setup. The bickering among the characters, the messy living quarters and the fact that they can be beaten by the bad guys creates interesting dynamics among the characters,
and we get a sense of who they are and why they do what they do. In "Sisters," Starfire's character is explored as she deals with the very real teen issues of feeling uncertain about her place in the world and afraid of being replaced in her circle of friends. The episode stays very focused on Starfire's problem, and that allows for genuine emotion when she has to deal with her dilemma.
Both episodes are well written and directed, with "Sisters" being the better of the two. While this isn't a series that older teenagers or adults will identify with, younger teens and preteens will find plenty of substance in Teen Titans with Robin and his friends.
