The New Teen Titans #12
Published and © by DC, October 1981
Title: “Clash of the Titans”
Synopsis: It’s Greek Titans vs. Teen Titans – and Gods and Amazons – with the fate of humanity at stake!
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: George Pérez
Embellisher: Romeo Tanghal
Review: Marv Wolfman and George Pérez go big – epically big – to mark one year together on one of the Bronze Age’s most surprising hit series. Titans battle Titans with Amazons and Gods thrown into the mix. Yet the creative team anchors the action with smaller character moments. The story is one part philosophy, two parts action, and Wolfman smartly uses the parent-child animosity prevalent in Greek mythology to amplify the Teen Titans’ own foundational themes. The story gets strong support from Pérez, an artist equally adept at action and intimate moments. Despite an abrupt conclusion, this one’s excellent.
Grade: A-
Cool factor: You can see the seeds for George Pérez’s future Wonder Woman run here.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “From parent to child, the mantle is always passed on.”– Athena, dropping knowledge
A word from the writer/co-creator: “The best part about this story was that it got George Pérez excited about the ancient Greek myths. I may have helped light that mythological candle under him, but where he took it when he started writing and drawing his incredible run on Wonder Woman was all his.” – Marv Wolfman, from the “Foreword” for “The New Teen Titans Archives: Volume 2,” 2004
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Sequential Reaction (Vol. 1) on March 22, 2016.
