There seems to be a never-ending desire for superheroes and their stories these days. Origin stories are all the rage. DC Comics gave their readers a glimpse into the origins of popular characters like Batman’s sidekick Robin in the Teen Titans comic book series, which has been running intermittently since the mid 1960s. In 2003 an animated series based on the comics premiered on the Cartoon Network, and featured Robin as the leader of a crime-fighting crew that included Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven. The five superheroes-in-training live in Titans Tower, which actually looks like a gigantic letter “T,” in Jump City. The successful show ran for five seasons. In 2013 the Titans returned, this time in a reboot with a comedic twist, Teen Titans Go!
Created in a more streamlined animated style, Teen Titans Go! follows the misadventures of an even younger version of the Titans as they try to solve crimes and stay out of trouble. Interestingly, the same voice actors for the major characters have all returned for Teen Titans Go!
Robin (Scott Menville) may have been a natural leader in the first incarnation, but here he has the touch of a megalomaniac. His frequent bids for power and control of the group consistently get him into hot water with his other team members. He has a major crush on Starfire (Hynden Walch), who seems to tolerate him at best.
Starfire is an alien princess from outer space, who is always upbeat and kind – until someone crosses her, and then she lets out a shower of green lightning bolts.
Raven (Tara Strong) is a mysterious demon girl who has turned away from evil to fight crime, much against the wishes of her dad Trigon. Teen Titans Go! has a lot of fun with the usually dour Raven by spoofing another tween cartoon favorite, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The deadpan Raven gets a whole lot perkier when she reveals she is a huge fan of a saccharine-sweet show called Pretty Pegasus. The in-joke is that Tara Strong does the voice of Twilight Sparkle on My Little Pony.
Half-human, half-robot Cyborg (Khary Payton) is the most relaxed of the gang. He and best buddy Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) both seem amused at Robin’s constant and annoying need to control everything.
Vegetarian Beast Boy can turn into any animal at will. His playful nature makes him the easiest to get along with of the Titans. He also has a crush on the distant Raven.
Kids and adults (and tweens especially) will enjoy the fun, fast-paced episodes, but there are some definite stand-outs. “Mr Butt” has the gang dealing with Starfire’s not-so-nice sister Blackfire. When Robin and the gang are imprisoned by the evil Brain in “Brian,” Birdarang and their other sidekicks try to effect a rescue. “Love Monsters” is a fun twist on Pandora’s Box – Raven explicitly tells the gang not to open a box, but Starfire can’t resist, and when she opens it sees two of the cutest, most innocent little creatures … or are they? “Boys vs Girls” find the gang competeing against each other to find out who is the best at what they do. When the rest of the team loses their memory in “Baby Hands,” Robin thinks he can finally mold the team exactly the way he wants them to be. In “Sandwich Thief” Robin goes to great lengths to discover who stole his most perfectly-made sandwich, with sinister consequences. Batman and Raven’s dad Trigon make an appearance in “Thanksgiving,” where Robin tries desperately to impress his mentor.
The two-disc set of Appetite for Disruption, Season 2, Part 1 has a running time of approximately 286 minutes. The bright, sharp colors look great on a large-scale high definition television screen. The widescreen picture has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The complete list of episodes is as follows:
Disc 1: “Mr. Butt,” “Man Person,” “Pirates,” “I See You,” “Brian,” “Nature,” “Salty Codgers,” “Knowledge,” “Love Monsters,” “Baby Hands,” “Caramel Apples,” “Halloween,” and “Sandwich Thief.”
Disc 2: “Money Grandma,” “Friendship,” “Vegetables,” “The Mask,” “Slumber Party,” “Serious Business,” “Thanksgiving,” “Boys vs. Girls,” “Body Adventure,” “Road Trip,” “The Best Robin,” “Mouth Hole,” and “Hot Garbage.”
You may find yourself chanting the opening ditty after watching multiple episodes of Teen Titans Go! in this DVD set, but not to fear, the Titans are sure be back for Part 2 of their second season in the near future, and have already been given the go-ahead by Cartoon Network for a third season of comic adventures. Teen Titans Go!
