SUNDAY CLASSICS: The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Recap
Back in the eighties, THE NEW TEEN TITANS became DC’s most popular title and a huge sales success. The series reached its greatest heights with the Judas Contract storyline--a multipart epic that played on comics readers’ expectations and offered shocking revelations and surprising twists at every turn. From the retirement of Robin and Kid Flash, to the birth of Nightwing and the introduction of Jericho, to the ultimate betrayal of a Titan, “The Judas Contract” kept readers positively riveted during its initial run, and still has fans talking today.
Review
Part 2 opens at the end of the action. The Terminator attacks Dick Grayson in his apartment, smashing through the window and looking for a fight. Dick manages to escape and quickly heads off to find the rest of the Titans. As he searches for them, he finds that each of them have one by one fallen into various traps, and it appears he is the last one left. As he moves from scene to scene, piecing things together, he’s followed by a mysterious woman and an even more mysterious man.
Part 3 picks up with an incredulous Dick Grayson faced with the prospect that one of his friends is a traitor, that she’s helped one of their worst enemies capture the team and that his only ally right now is the ex-wife of the Terminator himself. This issue shows us in flashback and through the eyes of Adeline Wilson how she met Slade Wilson. We learn that Adeline was, in fact, the one that trained the Terminator-to-be, who later became her lover and then husband. We find out how he became a mercenary and how he became super-powered through an experimental program. We find out that Joseph is also her son, in addition to Grant whose death started the Judas Contract.
In Part 4, the captured Titans come face to face with their betrayer. And here they see her for the first time. The angry, mocking, bitter child that she really is come through, baring her hatred for everything about them. Nightwing and Jericho make their way into the base, but are eventually surprised and then captured by Terra. Things get complicated when the Terminator recognizes his son, and so does Terra. Terminator demands a deal for his son’s life, now forfeit since he has teamed with the Titans. Looking into his son’s eyes……Jericho takes control of his father. Freeing the Titans, he begs his son to release him. Jericho eventually leaves his father, but the damage is done.
This story is the culmination of a story that began 40 issues prior with the Ravager’s death and has been building in earnest for about 20 issues since Terra first appeared. It also contains several milestones — The first appearance of Jericho, the Terminator’s origins, the death of Terra, to name some major ones. The most enduring of these is probably Dick Grayson’s new career as Nightwing, the persona he’s been known by since this time. This story leaves a lasting impression on this team though, and they are driven to seek out and destroy H.I.V.E. for the pain they have caused. It takes a long time for them to recover, and arguably they never do until Crisis on Infinite Earths changes everything a year or two later. We learned a lot about the Terminator too, his motivation and where he is heading as he goes further and further down a dark path.
This is considered one of the best story arcs of the series and of the 80s in general. And I pretty much agree with that assessment. Wolfman and Pérez were a powerhouse team, crafting stories that wound through years with purpose. Terra as a villain was pretty two-dimensional in many ways. She’s a “bad girl” so she smokes, drinks, wears makeup at 15. She sleeps with an older man, making him a predator and her more of a “bad girl”. Getting past the “eww” factor of a man with grown children sleeping with a 15-year-old for any reason, this two-dimensionality doesn’t fall flat or seem trite, because it works in the context of Terra being the purest kind of villain.
The story does a great job balancing action and exposition. The first issue is mostly Terra learning about the Titans and their private lives, but there are several training and sparring fights that keep things lively. We see Dick Grayson’s detective and survival skills in full form in the second issue and we’re reminded that he’s one of the world’s greatest detectives as he pieces together how the Terminator brought them down. The third part is backstory, but full of action and adventure as befitting a mercenary’s life. The fourth and final part is practically non-stop action, but with a powerful emotional punch bringing everything to a satisfying if somewhat shattering conclusion.
This was the Titans’ high time, the writing, the art, the plot, the inking, the colors, every single thing about this book was at the top of its game. Wolfman and Pérez created fully three-dimensional character with their distinct personalities and looks. I’ve always been struck in particular by Pérez’s attention to detail, how he individualized faces, body types, clothing styles, everything. Even in street clothes or uncolored pictures, it was possible to identify each character. The art and the dialogue worked seamlessly together, giving a real sense of flow and reality to these characters. In terms of storytelling, it really doesn’t get much better than this in the world of comics. If you’ve never read this story, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
Final Thoughts
Grab your beverage of choice and settle in for another Sunday Classic with Comic Watch. This weekend: The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract!
SUNDAY CLASSICS: The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10