Warning: Spoilers for Titans (2023) #18 ahead!
Crow has long been a fan-favorite character across all iterations of the Titansdespite often undergoing significant changes from medium to medium. Now, however, new developments suggest that DC is ready to make some elements of the Teen Titans! (2003) canon of the animated series, bringing more cohesion to Raven's character across multiple platforms.
Tensions rise in Titans (2023) #18 – written by John Layman, with art by Pete Woods – as the Titans are forced out of their tower in Blüdhaven and must go underground. Raven, normally stoic and collected, reacts especially badly to the change, attacking her teammates in anger and later being overcome by fear and violence in a firefight.
Beast Boy explains that "[Raven]The Dark-Winged Queen's personality was split into different pieces for months on end,"a plot detail which echoes the plot of the popular Teen Titans! episode, "Never Again.
DC Looks Set to Introduce Raven's “Emoticlones” from the “Teen Titans” Animated Series into Its Mainstream Canon
Titans (2023) #18 – written by John Layman; Art and colors by Pete Woods; Wes Abbot lyrics
Teen Titans!Season 1, episode 6, "Nevermore", is one of the first characterizations of Raven in the series. When Raven starts behaving strangely, Beast Boy and Cyborg go snooping around Raven's room to try and find out why, but they are sucked into Raven's mind after touching a magical mirror. In Raven's mind, they find different color-coded versions of her, each corresponding to one of Raven's emotions. These "Emoticlones" would prove to be a very popular aspect of Raven animation, making subsequent appearances in the Teen Titans Go! (2004) comical and even the Teen Titans Go! (2013) animated series.
The structure of Titans #18 has a lot in common with “Nevermore”. Both introduce the conflict with an outburst from Raven, with Titans #18 even confirming that she is having trouble balancing the different aspects of her personality. Roy Harper provoking Raven to go all out against the Mammoth and Shimmer duo also feels like a callback to 'Nevermore,' echoing Raven's brutal takedown of the furious Dr. There's even another Teen Titans! Easter egg in Titans #18, with Roy unpacking a box of Titans figures that look eerily similar to those from episode 7, “Switched.”
Beloved 'Teen Titans' Stories Finally Get a Chance to Shine in DC Canon
The narrative of the animated series is terribly forgotten
With all references Teen Titans! episodes of this issue, especially episodes 6 and 7, it seems very clear that the last arc of Titans is looking to its animated counterparts for inspiration. Teen Titans! was beloved in the 2000s for its emphasis on strong characterization alongside action, and now it's clear that all of that work is finally being merged into its main comedic counterparts. This wouldn't be the first time DC has leveraged elements of Teen Titans! for the comics: the previously only animated villain Atlas made his comics debut in Cyborg (2023) #3.
More than just a beloved pop culture landmark, the animated film Teen Titans! represents a rich vein of story and strong characterization for the Titans, but one that has been relatively underutilized in the comics. This new arc Titans looks set to change that, however, with the stage set for Raven's Emoticlones and even the spooky Puppet King to shine. Fans of old and new have plenty to look forward to as the best of animation Titans finally seems ready to enter the mainstream.
Titans #18 is now available from DC Comics.