Teen Titans: Earth One

Teen Titans: Earth One
Publication information
Publisher	Earth One (DC Comics)
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	Nov 19 2014
Main character(s)	Teen Titans
Creative team
Writer(s)	Jeff Lemire
Penciller(s)	Terry Dodson
Inker(s)	Rachel Dodson and Cam Smith

Teen Titans: Earth One is a graphic novel published by DC Comics that was released on November 19, 2014.^[1] A part of the Earth One line, the book was written by Jeff Lemire, penciled by Terry Dodson and inked by Rachel Dodson and Cam Smith.

Plot

Volume 1

Sixteen years before the start of the series, a spaceship crashes into Earth. A group of people decide to investigate and they find three aliens a mother, a father, and a child. The father is dead upon crashing and the mother is on the verge of dying. The group takes the baby away.

In New Mexico, a young girl named Raven wakes up from the visions of the spaceship crash. Even though Raven is skeptical that what she was experiencing were visions, her grandfather believes in them telling her that it is time for her to go out to the world.

In Monument, Oregon, four children are about to make their way to their first day of high school. Tara Markov, a troubled child with an alcoholic mother, Garfield "Gar" Logan, a boy who's worrying about the fact that he had jumped two grades, Victor "Vic" Stone, a boy who wishes he had a normal life but has to deal with his mother, Elinore Stone, wanting him to do more in life, and Joseph "Joey" Wilson, an extremely gifted boy who finds that high school is boring with his only excitement is the fact that Elinore is one of his teachers (which, in his opinion, will provide him a challenge).

Throughout the rest of the day, the children discover that they have newfound abilities. Vic discovers a liquid metal trying to cover his body, Tara discovers she has geokinesis, and Gar's skin turns green and becomes catlike in appearance after coming in contact with his pet cat. The moment their new capabilities fully flourished, they all say the same thing, "Am Starfire. Need help". The four children all go to the beach and find out the others' predicament.

Back in New Mexico, Raven's grandfather bring her granddaughter to a place that would help her for her future. Along the way, Raven begins to tell her grandfather that she has been dreaming about the four children. She also tells him that she has been dreaming of a female being. They stop at cave where Raven's grandfather tells her that he has been drawing things that he has seen in his vision and the Raven will be the one who saves them all.

The children's parents come together. Elinore tells them that she has contacted their employer and tells the parents to contain the situation. Tara's mom, Rita, telling Elinore that she wasn't expecting to put her life on the line for what they are doing. Steven, Gar's father, threatens to call the police, prompting Elinore to kill him. Slade, Joey's father, attempts to back out, but Elinore threatens him by planning on telling Joey of Slade's past. Elinore leaves telling the parents that "she" has been triggering the children's abilities and plans on stopping it.

At the beach, the children have revealed that they've been seeing visions and have been searching for familiar spots. They come to accept that their parents are involved somehow. Joey tells the rest that he hasn't received any powers and to trust Elinore, unintentionally starting an argument with Vic. Slade appears in uniform as Deathstroke engaging the children in a fight. During the struggle, Slade tells them they aren't related to their parents at all. Somewhere else, the other parents are revealed to be part of STAR Labs and is seen keeping captive of the alien baby, now all grown up. The parents desperately try to keep her heavily sedated. The alien contacts Raven prompting her to transport her astral self to the fight, striking Deathstroke in the right eye and ends the battle before returning home.

Elinore's higher-ups threaten to terminate the alien if she couldn't control her in an hour. Even though she tells them that "Starfire" is too important to terminate, she is told that "Blackfire" project is still ongoing.

The children locate the STAR Labs facility underneath a nearby lighthouse. The children begin to hear Starfire's voice. They find a room with the name "Titans Project" on its door. They all find incubators specifically made for them and a sea creature-like boy surrounded by turtles in a tank. The team encounter Elinore surrounded by men similarly dressed like Deathstroke. Elinore tries to reason with the children with the men subduing anyone who tries to use their abilities. She tells them that their abilities came from elements from Starfire and the ship that brought her to Earth. After Gar sees his dad's body's condition, he lashes out at Elinore and fighting ensues with Joey, calling himself Jericho, siding with Elinore and uses his body jumping capabilities. Deathstroke attempts to intervene and the struggle ends with Jericho's throat accidentally slit by his father. As a means of saving his life, Jericho jumps into his father's body.

The children find Starfire and rescue her from her cell. Out of rage, Starfire attacks Elinore, killing the latter. Starfire leaves, telling them that they're not who she's looking for. Distraught, Vic, Gar, and Tara worry about their futures. Rita suggests they head to Utah, where another facility and the head of the entire project, a man named Caulder is located. Rita also suggest that they should bring the sea-creature boy, named Tempest. The children leave STAR Labs and disappear.

Four days after the incident, Raven appears worried about not having dreams of the group. She enters a cave and finds Starfire asking for her help.

Main characters

Teen Titans

• Victor "Vic" Stone: A boy who was given elements from Starfire's ship. His body is slowly being covered with liquid metal. After being brought to the STAR Labs branch in Utah, the metal connected to Starfire's ship creating a mecha-suit which he names Rover. He's in a relationship with Tara. STAR Labs gave him the codename Cyborg.
• Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan: A freshman who jumped two grades. He has a loving relationship with his two gay dads. After his powers manifest, he becomes a green humanoid hybrid of whatever animal he's come in contact with. STAR Labs gives him the codename Changeling.
• Tara Markov: A troubled, short-tempered girl with the ability to control the earth around her. She's in a relationship with Vic. STAR Labs gives her the codename Terra.
• Koriand'r: The alien refugee whose family escapes from an invading force found by STAR labs as an infant who's elements were injected into the others as an infant. The children's powers manifested because she went through puberty. She has trouble speaking and speaks in a very childlike manner. She reveals to Raven that she is still being hunted down by the invaders. STAR Labs gives her the codename Starfire.
• Raven: Raven herself doesn't physically appear before the others. She lives in an Indian reservation with her grandfather in New Mexico, who helps her discover her powers. She has experienced dreams involving the Titans which pushes her to help them. After officially meeting the group, she lets them live with her and her grandfather in New Mexico.
• Tempest: Among those who were experimented on by STAR Labs. He was brought along by the others when they ran away. He doesn't speak and only has basic understandings of situations. He was given the ability of hydrokinesis. STAR Labs gives him the codename Aqualad
• Wally West: A former member of Niles Caulder's Titans. Growing up inside a STAR Labs facility, he only knows of the outside world from Caulder who he considers his father. Because of this, he views the outside world as dirty and is in need of a new start. He is given the ability of super speed. After finding out Niles lied to him, he joins the team. STAR Labs gives him the codename Impulse.
• Kole Weathers : A former member of Niles Caulder's TItans. Growing up inside a STAR Labs facility, she only knows of the outside world from Caulder who she considers her father. However, meeting with the children seems to have changed her mind and helps them escape. She has the ability of creating crystals into independent masses.
• Cassie Sandsmark: A former member of Niles Caulder's TItans. Growing up inside a STAR Labs facility, she only knows of the outside world from Caulder who she considers her father. She is the youngest among the members. She has the ability of superhuman strength and invulnerability. STAR Labs gives her the codename Wonder Girl.

STAR Labs

STAR labs is an organization that found Starfire as an infant years ago. Using elements found at the crash site, they injected 10 children giving them abilities.

• Dr. Elinore Stone: Victor's foster mother. She is among the people who worked on the projects Titans, Starfire, and Blackfire. She only cares for the results of the mission and nothing more, going as far as willing to kill any member of STAR Labs to do so.
• Slade Wilson: Joey's father, and STAR Labs enforcer. His strength comes from a battle armor he wears. He uses the codename Deathstroke. He sides with the children after seeing the lengths both Elinore and Caulder will do for the project to be successful.
• Joseph "Joey" Wilson: Another member of Project Titans with the ability to jump from body to body. He is incredibly gifted and finds highschool boring with his father remarking he's acting similarly to elitists. It is revealed that Dr. Stone manipulated him with hypnosis. During a struggle with his father, his throat is accidentally sliced and is forced to jump into Slade's body. Having jumped between bodies, he is currently stuck inside Blackfire. STAR Labs gives him the codename Jericho.
• Rita Markov: Tara's foster mother. She takes on the appearance of a drunken woman. Her husband tried to back off the project, only to be killed years ago.
• Steven: Gar's foster father. Even though originally only dedicated to the project, he's developed a liking to Gar, actually considering him to be his son.
• Niles Caulder: The head of projects Titan, Starfire, and Blackfire. He can barely move and uses an exoskeleton if he needs to get up. He intends to bring down the US government using the TItans.
• Blackfire: A failed clone of Starfire created by Caulder. She is incredibly violent and is very childlike. Jericho has currently possessed her and is uses her body to escape with Caulder.

Reception

IGN gave the title a positive review, stating that "the book offers a clever, cohesive overhaul of the franchise and is the first Titans comic in a while to try new and interesting things."^[2] It has made into #5 on The New York Times' Hardcover Graphic Books Best Seller List.^[3]

References

1. Bull, Clark (March 27, 2014). "COMIC BOOK RESOURCES announces TEEN TITANS: EARTH ONE!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
2. http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/20/graphic-novel-review-teen-titans-earth-one
3. "Hardcover Graphic Books". The New York Times. December 14, 2014.

External links