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 .

Murder Mysteries for the Uninitiated

I don’t consider myself a huge murder mystery fan. I haven’t read a single word by Agatha Christie or any other famous mystery writer and that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I am, however, a big fan of a few murder mystery tv shows. I’d recommend these series even to the murder-mystery-adverse tv fan because they delight beyond any of my expectations of the genre.

The first I’ll mention of these series is Midsomer Mysteries. It has nothing to do with the horror flick of a similar sounding name; Midsomer is just a fictional region of England where the show takes place. Midsomer’s villages have a tendency toward campy murders and odd characters. For a show about detectives investigating suspicious deaths, Midsomer Murders manages to be humorous, witty, and a generally warm show. If you enjoy this show, there’s plenty to binge your way through. The seasons may short, but there’s 21 (soon to be 22) of them and episodes tend to be about 90 minutes long. The cast of season 21 is entirely different from season 1, but both seasons, and every other in between, contain great episodes. Midsomer Murders may border on ridiculous at times, but it rarely fails to be entertaining.

Promotional photo for a circus themed episode of Midsomer Mysteries, S20E6: Send in the Clowns. Image found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118401/mediaindex?page=6&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm

Left to right is Lawrence Fox as DS Hathaway and Kevin Whately as DI Lewis on the set of Inspector Lewis. Image found at https://www.thedailybeast.com/inspector-lewis-on-pbss-masterpiece-mystery-tvs-smartest-sleuths.

Next on my tv-murder-mystery-favorites list is Inspector Lewis (or just Lewis if your in the UK). This is technically a sequel series to another tv mystery show called Morse, but don’t worry, you can enjoy it just fine with out that background. I’ve never seen Morse, but I still adore Lewis. This show has a heavier tone than Midsomer Murders, but makes up for that with great writing, deep and interesting characters, and complex plots. They find time between deep conversations and grave discussion of murder for witty remarks, which is my jam. I’m hoping there will eventually be another series as a sequel to Inspector Lewis because I can’t get enough of these characters even though I respect them not dragging the show out for infinite seasons. This show may not be mindless tv for a lazy night, but if you want something to really dig into, Lewis may be for you.

Promotional image from the world’s most wonderful murder mystery series, Murder, She Wrote.

Image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086765/mediaindex?ref_=tt_mv_close

The final murder mystery I’d recommend is my favorite: Murder, She Wrote. This show is the absolute best of all. It is the epitome of the cosy murder mystery genre, as murder mystery author, Jessica Fletcher, solves cases involving suspicious deaths that seem to follow her everywhere. Jessica is a wonderful protagonist, played by the delightful Angela Lansbury for 12 seasons. This show feels like a warm hug or a cup of tea on a cold day. It’s not as dramatic or mentally taxing, but holds a viewers interest with diverse settings, unusual deaths, and amusing characters. Jessica’s hometown of Cabot Cove is probably the murder capitol of the world and her inability to avoid crime scenes is borderline sinister, but this show is the one to watch out of the murder mystery lineup.

Exploring the Stars

Star Trek’s ideals helped form me. The idea of ‘boldly going’ to unknown places in the stars was exactly what inspired 16 year old me to study astronomy. Stories of strange planets, weird space phenomena, and intriguing alien lifeforms were exactly what drew me to studying the vast expanse beyond Earth. Of course, most of astronomy is not like Star Trek at all, but the driving force to explore is still there at the core of both. So, if I had to blame something for my astronomy degree, I’d blame Star Trek.

I was extremely hesitant about Discovery when it was announced. Star Trek was a core pillar of my childhood that I didn’t want tampered with. I was worried what this new series would be like. I’d heard it was set pre-OS, which set alarm bells off in my head because, well, let’s face it, Enterprise was mostly a hot mess. The trailers didn’t convince because they looked so different from what I expected of Star Trek. I wasn’t excited for Discovery and at first I didn’t watch it.

Then, despite my hesitance, I actually watched Discovery. I loved it. The show holds true to the heart of Star Trek. It managed to introduce new material without distorting previous canon, enriching the world of Star Trek. Discovery also has a cast of characters I adore and, after the first two seasons, I was certain I could not love the show more. What I fool I was!

All rights to CBS. Image found at https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/about/

A Season of Exploration

Season 3 of Discovery was brilliant from the start. The Star Trek world redesigned for a far future century was breathtaking. The technology of a new time built upon previous Star Trek staples in a logical manner and the design of new interfaces and gadgets was coherent and pleasing. I love the sets of this new age of Star Trek, with their mix of clean, futuristic white locations and dark, almost diesel-punk scenes. I particularly enjoyed marketplace of episode one, with it’s combination of high-tech and seedy-ness, the saloon like set on episode two, and the federation headquarters from the later episodes. The design of Book’s ship, both on the outside and interior, was great as well, particularly since some much of Star Trek takes place on massive ships, built to be home to numerous crew members. To see such a small ship was an interesting change.

“The world of Star Trek Discovery in the latest season felt new and familiar all at once and I can’t wait to explore it further next season.”

Micheal’s introduction to this new universe was exciting, sometimes funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. The mystery of where was Discovery in the first episode left me on the edge of my seat and the fate of the federation seemed more unclear than ever. The show portrayed the fall of an empire, destroyed by the Burn, which I find to be compelling. The world of Star Trek Discovery in the latest season felt new and familiar all at once and I can’t wait to explore it further next season.

True Character

What truly made season 3 a masterpiece, though, was the characters. Micheal, always a great protagonist, is even better, changed by her time in the future. She makes mistakes and wrong turns, but through it all I felt like she’d come into her own. Michael seems to fit better here, far in the future, than she did back in her native time. Tilly had so many amazing moments and isn’t stunning to compare who she is now to who she was back in season 1. Character development is a wonderful thing. Tilly proved herself to be a good leader and I we’ll get to see more of that in the future. Saru sort of backslid over the season and I was confused about why he was suddenly less talented at leading the crew, but in the end of the season I understood their direction a bit more. The bridge still had stars, though, as the crew got more time in the limelight and each excelled in turn, particularly in the last couple episodes. Detmer did some great flying, Owosekun was talented as always, and the crew’s teamwork kicks some serious ass in the final episodes of the season. Season 3’s new characters took the cake, though.

Book’s got depths we’ve only begun to see. I always like a character on who’s willing to bend a few laws to do what’s right and Book is a particularly good example of that archetype. I’d love to know more of what happen in the time between Michael’s and Discovery’s arrivals in the future, because Michael clearly knows more about Book and the workings of the new century than the audience ever got to see. Their references to past shared adventures makes me hope for future media to flesh out those tidbits. With Book, of course, comes Grudge. Or maybe I should say the opposite since Grudge is a queen. Grudge scenes never failed to make me smile.

This season’s opposing leaders had some great scenes together. I look forward to seeing what Admiral Vance is doing next season.

Image belongs to CBS. Image found at TrekMovie.com.

The two new leaders introduced were both fascinating new characters. Osyraa ticked all the boxes for a good villain: Ruthless, moral grayness, clever, and powerful. Even with her meeting her demise, I’d bet fragments of the Chain will carrying on her legacy in the coming season. Osyraa has left a mark on the Federation’s future. On the side of the Federation, we have Admiral Vance, who I think showed his best qualities when facing Osyraa. He’s a cautious leader and, while I was initially suspicious of the Federation of the new era, I think he genuinely means well. (Watch him be revealed as a secret conspirator in some evil plot now that I’ve said that.) I hope we get to see more of the Federation’s leadership, including Admiral Vance, between what diplomatic missions Discovery has to rebuild the Federation in season 4.

“I don’t think I could be more the target audience of Adira’s story if I tried.”

Of all of the awesome characters introduced in season 3, Adira Tal was the life-changer for me. I don’t think I could be more the target audience of Adira’s story if I tried. A too smart, 16 year old kid, who doesn’t feel like a ‘she’, in over their head and trying to be an adult about it? I fit that description not long ago, when I was starting college as a high school drop out, two years early. I was determined to study some stars and prove anyone who underestimated me wrong. Adira’s story spoke to me. You ever watch a scene and feel that prickle on your skin like eyes are watching you because you see so much of yourself on screen? It’s uncomfortable and cathartic and consoling all at once. I felt that a lot watching Discovery Season 3. All of the scenes with Adira, Gray, Paul, and Hugh, hit me hard. There’s nothing I could write to explain how I adore these characters, but I’m sure I’ll have a whole post about it in the future.

I could say a whole lot more (there’s a bunch I love about this season I haven’t even mentioned), but the short version is I love Star Trek Discovery. Expect this blog to have many entries on this show. If you haven’t watched it, you should. Discovery holds a special place in my heart not just because it is Star Trek, but because it dares explore the Star Trek universe and tell new stories. Season 3 takes this even exploration further than previous seasons and that’s what makes it shine.