DC '78 # 16: "The Teen Scene;" A WGBS Special Report with G. Gordon Godfrey

The click-clack of high heels fills the hallway of  the WGBS studios
like a rapid-fire machine gun. Secretaries and post-production and
tech and on-air personalities are clamoring about as tension mounts
and the air is palpable with anticipation.

Cindy Miles: So what's going on tonight? I heard programming got
scrapped for some special live report?

Ron Troupe: Oh, it's special all right.
Lana Lang: Uh-oh.
Lucy Lane: Yeah, 'uh-oh.' Let's just say that there's a new Unholy Trinity.
Ron Troupe: Did something happen with Luthor?
Billy Batson: Close enough; three words; Edge, Godfrey, Flashman.
Cindy Miles: Good God! What the hell are they planning?

(Lia Briggs overhears the conversation from an open office. She
thinks to herself, "I wonder what Godfrey's up to? We knew he
wasn't right when he attempted to infiltrate the Seekers...but his
psychic defenses were such that we couldn't read him. I'd better
keep an eye on this broadcast and suss things out.")

Jimmy Olsen: Hey, somebody get downstairs--'The Network' is
attacking MSCU on the Plaza! We need--uh, hey? Anybody?
Steve Lombard: Quiet--we need to hear this! Can somebody turn it--
Lana Lang: Thanks Ron.

The now-gathered throng listens attentively to the overhead speakers
in the hallway; "--and actor George Reeves talks the new Superman
movie, all on tomorrow's episode of "The Scene!" Join Lia Briggs,
Tana Moon, Tawny Young, Cat Grant, and Vicki Vale! Tomorrow
morning at 10 a.m., here on WGBS!"

"And now, tonight's SHOWCASE is brought to you with special
limited commercial interruption by our sponsor, Big Belly Burger."

(Just then in Studio One)

Josh Coyle: And we're live in 5...4...3...2...
G. Gordon Godfrey: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and

welcome to "Showcase," where we bring you all the latest and
greatest trends and news of the day. Tonight, our news magazine
takes a bit of a departure. So much so, in fact, that we are airing
this special in place of our original programming planned for
tonight. But rest assured, we'll have that report on "Modern Cults:
From Jonestown to Manson to the Kali Yuga, and Beyond" at  a
later date.

Tonight, though, join with me, your host G. Gordon Godfrey, as

we look deep into an overlooked abuse upon our most important
resources; our children.

Opening up the show for us is psychotherapist Dr. Hugo Strange.

Thank you for joining us, Dr. Strange.

Dr. Strange: Of course, Mr. Godfrey--my pleasure.
Godfrey: We have an unprecedented rash of young people being
thrust into the danger of vigilantism, which has been all but ignored
in view of the earth-shattering repercussions of last year's Explosion.
Have we become inured with their endangerment by virtue of our
familiarity with the concept? Is it apathy? Have we become so de-
sensitized to such endangerment? Are we afraid of confronting the
guilty parties due to their status and powers?

Just last year there was a very public reveal that the former ward
of Green Arrow, one 'Speedy' of the Teen Titans, had been hooked
on drugs. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, hard drugs. A teenager in the
care of a 'super hero.' Surely the exposure to such a lifestyle served
to accelerate his downfall.

And now, we've learned that the newest team in New York, an

'offshoot' of the Teen Titans franchise, if you will, has as its leader
a young man called 'Protector,' who is also a dope fiend associate
of 'Speedy.' It seems they're infiltrating every area of our lives!

Also joining us are 'Funky Flashman,' self-styled businessman, former
publicist of certain 'super-heroes,' and Morgan Edge, owner of WGBS
as well as noted community activist leader, and frequent contributor
on our station's editorials. Good evening, gentlemen!

Edge: Thanks for doing such an important program, Godfrey. Yours is
always the voice of reason against a tide of insanity.

Flashman: GREAT topic, folks--GREAT! There's never been a more
stupendously significant strategy for undermining the youth of America
than the one undertaken by these stunningly strange super-folk! As a
selfless soul, I want--

Godfrey: Yes, well--time limits and the like...Let's get to some specifics
of this recent proliferation of powerful youth donning masks and claiming
independence from the law, shall we?

Edge: Well, in Los Angeles, a team of youths attempting to begin a color-ful 'legacy' of second generation heroes, is off to an uproarious start.
The offspring of the vaunted 'Justice Society,' the group "Infinity
Inc." is an actual business! They require profit to save lives. And they're
being funded by the questionable Mr. Sylvester Pembleton. And among
the team members, the wayward son of Hawkman, the "Silver Scarab"....
or whatever nom de guerre he goes by this week.

Dr. Strange: And again with nepotism; the son of the career criminal
Brainwave, one Brainwave Jr--who is also the uncle of Pembleton--is
on the team, wearing a costume that pays homage to his murdering father,
and taking the name "Brainwave Jr."

Godfrey: Possibly affecting our minds to believe he's a hero, correct?

Flashman: I wouldn't put anything past these con-artists, my good man!Last year Green Lantern, Green Arrow and Black Canary were only
too happy to be seen training the inanely incompetent newcomer 'Air Wave,'
and made it all out to be a bodaciously beneficial boot camp, when in fact
it was an eventfully error-filled escapade!

Godfrey: At least he had powers as a defense--unlike the Justice League's
mascot, Snapper Carr...who's now gone on to herald a new group made up
exclusively of teenagers, this 'Young Justice.'

Just the presumptuousness of their names is galling. Are they deputized
law enforcement officers of any sort? Don't they tend to make their rules
up as they go along? Based on whims and personal agendas.

Edge: Exactly...and how many international incidents have been
attributed to the U.N.-sanctioned idiocy of "Justice League International,'
a ludicrous club-of-many-nations for teenagers? Not surprising for our
leaders to fail us.

What is behind the fascination with allowing--even coercing--teens and young children to dress up and play vigilante? How does this
occur in modern civilized countries where the authorities are meant
to look out for the interests of all their citizens.

Godfrey: Hear, hear! And let's be clear, there are unwarranted risks
on both sides; both the children led into this unsavory life, and the
innocents they presume to be 'helping'....who suffer the consequences
of the untrained.

Dr. Strange: Right...well, as you may know, before my tenure with
Belle Reve Prison, I was from and practicing in Gotham City, of
course renowned for the infamous team of Batman and Robin. There
has never been an effort to find out the identity of the young man in
his employ...believed to now have been multiple young men...nothing
has ever come from a handful of editorials questioning the wisdom or
legality of the practice of employing obvious juveniles.

There have been no efforts by authorities to detain the Batman or
file charges of child endangerment. Where does it stop? Why hasn't
the Batman--obviously a real person and not the myth that the police
absurdly promote--why hasn't he been arrested for child endangerment?
Who has verified that the young man in the green underwear is not there
against his will, nor being abused?

Godfrey: They seem to have a special status--above the law--don't you agree?

Flashman: Oh, absolutely! And certainly they exhibit a proprietary
sense of privilege as a result of such preferential treatment and prosperity.
And the Flashman knows a little something about public perception! As
the premiere PR and promotions powerhouse on both coasts, I--

Edge: What about the reality of the repercussions of mere kids being
in such highly volatile and violent situations? Let's look at the hard
facts of what happens when they can't perform...when they fail these
responsibilities they should have never been saddled with; You'll recall
the death of Dr. Arthur Swenson due to the fact that he had been
placed in the care of mere children! And their penance?

Dr. Strange: They stopped wearing their colorful party outfits for a time.
But now here they are, bright as peacocks, parading around with a night
club, and three different additional teams! Loren Jupiter was a sound
influence, but he's no longer part of the picture. More rebelliousness
and unsupervised hijinks.

Flashman: There's another new congregation of teenagers that's emerged,  without the permission of the Teen Titans, whose name they procured as
their own. (Pssst--'Infringement' is a bad racket, kids!)--"Teen Titans GO!"
is promoting itself as a more proactive group, in direct defiance of even their
'predecessors' low standards of conduct.

Godfrey: You'll remember the youth riots from some years back in New
York City? The Teen Titans were involved in that affair, and the two 
brothers who escalated it are now in this new team, likely examples of a
new wave of radicalism as it has been rumored that the two are Blacks.
The heart of deception; wearing a mask and declaring yourself a hero in
order to hide your agenda.

Alongside them is the sister of another former gang member cum
'super hero,' Mal Duncan. Cindy Duncan publicly revealed her true
identity as the new 'Guradian' in her manifesto she and her 'comrades'
released, and made her family a target for any ne'er-do-wells that might
want revenge.

Edge: They also sport two brothers whose legal status in the States
is under investigation. And now joined by the mystery man, 'Red X,'
whose identity is not at all known.

Dr. Strange: Don't they also have a former powered criminal--'The
Ant?' And suspected arsonist, 'Hotspot?'

Godfrey: Oh, absolutely! And--and--that same suspect had a prior
'heroic' identity! God only knows why he changed identities. What's
he hiding?

Up until now, we were content to allow our children to be children,
being nurtured with homespun shows with family values. But now,
there is an effort...a seduction of our innocent afoot. There are forces
who would have us believe there is no correlation between this sweeping
hysteria of 'relevancy' and exposure to all the ills of the world...and our
children mimicking those evils here at home.

If you look around, you'll see folks acting as though we're the bad guys here; crying 'Chicken Little' if you will, instead of simply being the
concerned citizens we are. That such ills have been around forever and
only now are being noticed and addressed as our world has become so
much more 'linked in.' Poppycock I say. Convenient justifications and
balderdash.

There wasn't the amount of experimentation and addiction to drugs before this generation started sharing their stories in the press and
glamorizing it! And look at our movies, taking minor incidents and
isolated affairs such as human trafficking and prostitution and building
a huge industry selling these notions to kids as par for the course. Even
in its degradation, such supposedly 'harsh relaities' are appealing to our
vulnerable youth who merely want a life of excitement!

Teenagers feel empowered to take on all matter of Unholy Grails, such
as the report last year of a young girl who sped off alone adventuring
on a motorbike to confront unknown evils! Or the young man, Jason, who
similarly sought to take the law into his own hands on a quest to find
his sister! This is what we have social services agencies for! We have
a net in place to protect these children, and the very 'heroes' they imagine
teach them strength are in fact encouraging these impressionable
youth to place themselves directly at the Devil's Door!

Well, in addition to the immediate and obvious threat of danger
prescribed by these vigilante tactics, there's a long term issue at work
as well. The character and work ethic of this generation of kids is
affected by these antics. It's all inter-related, folks.

Come back in five as we continue to explore the issues affecting
our youth, right after this message from Big Belly Burger....

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DC '78 # 14:Teen Titans: Robin's Casebook (The Journal of Dick Grayson)

November 3, 1979

Normally I'm so tightly wound, but I do like to see the other side
on occasion. Mal's been excellent at booking diversified acts for
Gabriel's Horn, everyone from 'Scare Tactics' to 'The Electrics,
'The Familiars' to a 'Hawk & Dove' band! (Of course, our band,
'Rock, Paper, Scissors' gives it a go onstage once in a while, but
people aren't paying to hear me, Wally, and Roy play!)

But the real experience is when Duela drags me to CBGB's, or Lilith
takes me back to our old coffee shop for some spoken word or women's
rights music, or Karen and Mal bring me to Bradley's for some jazz!
That's what I like best--seeing new things through the eyes of my friends.

Because really, I don't sport taste of my own. My childhood was spent...
in other pursuits. Harsher environs. Bruce was great, but my education
was very one-dimensional. To be expected; you can't teach what you
didn't learn. The Teen Titans has served as the only place I've ever
developed as a real person--my only social outlet. The responsibility of
what I do weighs too heavily on me the rest of the time (and, according to
the others, even when I'm here.) 

Donna's friend from The Village, Bill Walko,
did up this cheesy drawing for our Christmas card this year.
I kind of love it.

Here, though...with my friends...my family...I'm safe to experience,
even experiment, with who and what I want to be. They broaden my
horizons, even if it doesn't seem like it. I suppose people see me as this
'together' guy--which I am--because I have to be. But under that surface
is an insecure kid....with issues like everyone else. Only I don't have the
luxury of tapping into them and exploring them. I have to be buttoned down,
the strong and professional one, or someone could get hurt.

Donna's the team's heart--The Mom. But there has to be The Dad, too.
Warm fuzzies won't save us from a death trap--someone has to deal
with the unpopular necessaries. I kind of hate being so rigid...but how
do you change midstream?

Barbara's good for me in terms of finding release--fun, outgoing, relaxed.
But I feel somehow like I need someone to completely pull me out of my
shell, or it'll never happen. Weird that I'm all about control but I want
someone else to be in control when it comes to something so...intimate.

I wish I could talk to someone about all of this sometimes, but after
Arkham, Hugo Strange, Professor Milo and all the rest we've dealt
with over the years, Bruce says it's too risky. Tells me I can always
turn to him or Alfred. He means well, but he doesn't understand--he
keeps everything inside and thinks it best.

Last year when the Titans and Infinity Inc. teamed with the Justice
League and The Justice Society, it was so cool to see the Earth 2
Robin in action. He's so filled out...confident, a real adult with a
uniform of his own. An individual.

His costume pays homage to his Bruce , but merged with his own
creation....still standing out on its own. It made me think it might be
time for a change. After all, I've been wearing this kid's outfit, the
outfit of a sidekick for over a decade now. I'm nearly out of college,
and I'm still wearing shorts. maybe the only male hero left who does.

Something to consider.

Speaking of change, the Teen Titans has taken on a life of its own!
Who would have thought that our little club for 'side kicks' would
evolve into something so substantial. Not only is our team at the
largest it's ever been, we have a West Coast affiliate team thriving
and now we're beginning another fully sanctioned team for training
new heroes, right here in New York City!

But with all good comes bad, like Cindy Duncan and the others
starting up a renegade Titans group; Teen Titans G.O.--an acronym
for Government Overthrow, of all things. I'm all for independence, but
these kids are asking for trouble. Not to mention, I don't want the good
work the Titans have done in recent years to be undone by bad publicity.
We barely survived the Swenson debacle.

These kids aren't ready; untrained, angry, rebellious. A bad combination.
They need our help, and they're sure not ready to do what they're doing.
Or is this just me acting as the world's policeman like Don Hall accused
me of? Maybe this is exactly how Bruce felt when we formed the Titans?


G. Gordon, spokesperson for 'The Revisionists.'
"Taking back America," indeed!

Nonetheless, sometimes I hear people like these Revisionists-- people
like Godfrey who want to change everything, control it--and I wonder.
I know they're bat-shit crazy (ha!) but beyond being dangerous loons who
want to sanitize everything and everyone to their specifications, part of
their message about unprepared teen heroes is on the money. There
needs to be some kind of regulation. Yet I know that's a slippery slope.

Of course, I want the kids trained for safety, and these agenda-touting
Revisionist bigots are worried about ex-cons like The Ant, immigrants
like Mas y Menos, black kids like Joshua, Jericho and Cindy (not to
mention her being a woman, I'm sure,) and Hot Spot who's an absolute
unknown quantity...except that he's a former H.I.V.E. Academy trainee!

(I wonder if they're just trying to stir things up--maybe they want the
attention? They could all have a place in the Titans...but I guess we--
I-- didn't offer it soon enough.)

I'm worried about stuff like the fact that the last time we saw The Ant,
he had been brainwashed by The H.I.V.E., and Cindy and Jericho are
mad because they feel neglected by the Titans. Not exactly instilling
my confidence in their effort.

Enough of the doom and gloom--on to more positive stuff. We put
out a feeler to Supergirl for membership, but she's laid down roots
with the Doom Patrol in Chicago. I appreciate loyalty, and we have
enough raw power on the team. Besides, she knows she's always
welcome.

All right...all that's out of the way...I guess I'm 'well' now!
On to the actual Case File.

Teen Titans Case Files # 69J

Mr. Jupiter and King Faraday got us on the horn to help with cleanup
after the Crisis. One of our tasks was to investigate the Time Warp in
Panama. Teen Titans East and West got yanked into a time displaced
doozy, and only the team-up for the ages could save them! (Man--I see
what Bruce means! All those years of puns have gotten to even me!)

So we saw 'cavemen' and other throwbacks from all ages...coexisting
in one place. Strangely enough, there were some dinosaurs and other
creatures there which shouldn't have been, but I guess that's no worse
than a mixing of Paleolithic Era beings and cavemen (homo sapiens)
and Neanderthals, as well as mixes of African, Spanish, and--see? The
rest of the gang was just like "Cool! Cavemen!" while I was stuck on
the endless record groove of "Time anomalies...yeesh!"

It was pretty radical, though; we met all these different kids....some
of whom had a sort of sign language, others who could grunt and emote
enough to discern meaning, and others who used sand drawings and
wall paintings to communicate. (And then we just kind of had Lilith
do her 'attunement' thing to help figure out the rest, with some help
from our resident caveboy.) But basically beating the snot out of
King Kull was a pretty obvious objective for everyone.

Still, meeting (hopefully these translated sufficiently) Anthro, Korak,
Bomba, Kong, Ur, and Mightor was a blast, and having them team-up
with Gnarrk was great for him. We all try, but he's so lonely here.

We took Kull's gem, left the Warp Zone, got decontaminated again,
and filed our report with CBI. Then we headed back for pizza at the
club before going our separate ways.

Sometimes this life I live is such a blast....I wish things could stay this
way forever. But the realist in me knows that's too much to hope for.
Just have to make do with enjoying the hell out of things while they're
so good.

Time for a quick workout before hitting the books and then heading
out on patrol. So, incenerator time for my short-lived journal entry
tonight. Sorry, my friend. Thanks for listening.

DC '78 # 2: Titans East

There wasn't a damned thing wrong with Bob Rozakis'

Teen Titans dynamic, so I kept this team the same, with

only two notable additions!

Wonder Girl

Speedy

Harlequin II, the original, older, totally
cool Deula Dent...daughter of...well, the
original Harlequin, as it turns out, sillies!

Kid Flash

Bumblebee

Robin

Batgirl II (Barbara Gordon)

Mal as Hornblower

The depthly duo back together again.

***