Teen Titans and the Artist Who Brought Me Back to Them

Teen Titans is undoubtedly my favorite DC cartoon and it has some pretty tough competition. Image found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/

I love DC comic books and cartoons with all of my heart. One of the first episodes of tv I can remember waiting excitedly to premiere was the season finale of season 2 of the Justice League cartoon back in 2004. These characters were one of my first obsessions and their stories are part of my core. Of all the DC cartoons, Teen Titans probably was the most formative for me.

The young heroes of the Teen Titans are some of the most relatable heroes in DC canon. They are realistic young characters, making mistakes and growing from them. They are messy and unfinished, but good, determined, and caring. I’d bet everyone can find something of themselves in the Teen Titans line up and that’s what makes the cartoon so compelling.

The stories, of course, are vital to the shows success, as well. I can remember the visceral reaction I had the first time I watched Terra betrayed the team. I remember fear rising in my throat as Trigon rose in “The End”. I remember the burning curiosity I had about who was beneath Red X’s mask. Teen Titans may have been comedic and goofy, but the show provoked strong emotional reactions with well written storylines.

My favorite characters on Teen Titans were definitely Raven and Beast Boy and, like so many fans of Teen Titans, I shipped Beast Boy and Raven hard. They were my first ship and will always be close to my heart. My focus on them had faded into the background as there was little new content that resonated with the vibe of that old precious show (Teen Titans Go! never captured my interest the way the original did).

Then Gabriel Picolo’s art got retweeted into my timeline. My shipper heart took to the old pairing with a new fever. IGN’s recent article I think really describes well why seeing these character get their due means so much to fans like me, but I want to take a bit of time to talk about the guy behind the art involved a bit more. Why? Because Gabriel Picolo is awesome.

I adore every scrap of Teen Titans art Picolo creates. I followed him as soon as I saw those first few pics and absorbed each new one with glee. I can not describe how glad I was to hear he was going to make graphic novels with DC about my favorite characters. The first two graphic novels have not disappointed, and I can’t wait for the release of “Beast Boy Loves Raven”. Gabriel Picolo of all people deserves the honor of helming this ship as it sets sail.

I would normally include some of the art I’m talking about here, but really you should check it out for yourself on DeviantArt, Twitter, and/or Instagram.

Picolo’s Teen Titans related art is amazing. It brings such depth to the characters and the world that surrounds them with hidden details and beautiful, communicative design. I was surprised to discover, though, that I love his other art, too. His originals, like the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor frames and other constellation designs, are breathtaking. What I’ve seen of Icarus and the Sun is lovely (I missed out on the book, unfortunately); I am always for referencing Greek Mythology, as my own writing shows. His other ‘fanart’ fall into many of my other fandoms. Seeing his rendition of Digimon Adventure’s heroes warmed my heart just as the show itself did when I was small. I have a mug emblazoned with his Treasure Planet art because I loved it so much.

In other words, I’m a huge Gabriel Picolo fan. Sometimes people talk about what actors and directors and artists they’d love to meet. I’ve never really had that sort of list for myself, expect for Gabriel Picolo. I’ve followed him on twitter for years now and it seems I’m always discovering that there’s another fandom/interest we have in common. I hope to see so much more his work, mostly because I have no doubt the Gabriel Picolo is making exactly the content I need in my life .