Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

St. Patrick's Day is held on March 17 every year, because it's the day that Saint Patrick had died. St. Patrick is the primary patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries throughout the world, and is a public holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as in Montserrat.

Traditionally, the day is celebrated with parades, and wearing green. Also, people drink Guinness and attend church ceremonies, if they're the religious sort. Sports teams also wear special jerseys when they play games.

If you want to know more about the history of St. Patrick's Day, a good place is here. Hope you all have a good day today! Enjoy some corned beef, put on some green, and maybe learn a bit about some Irish culture.

Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #3 (July 1984)

The Secret Wars rage on! Last time, we ended with the heroes and villains finding homes for themselves, Magneto rampaged, the X-Men got all shady, the standard. But that's not all. Magneto made off with the Wasp and Ben Grimm mysteriously changed back to his human form. We got action and drama, will this issue be the same? Let's find out as we take a look at Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #3!

The cover is pretty cool. It's basically Spider-Man fighting the X-Men. That's pretty much it, really. It's awesome.

"Tempest Without, Crisis Within!"
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciller: Mike Zeck
Inker: John Beatty
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with a dark and stormy night. Inside his magnet-shaped domicile, Magneto is watching this cliché story beginning. He's enjoying watching the rain and lightning. You know, I enjoy thunderstorms at night, too. But Mags has more pressing business. You see, he has...a guest. He uses his magnetokinetic powers to burst the ball of rubble and free one Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp.

Janet gets herself to her regular size, and she realizes she's in Magneto's lair. She wanders around the place. Seriously, Magneto. Give her a map or something! Anyway, the founding Avenger is able to find the Master of Magnetism, who is just chilling on his chair, enjoying some wine and...bread rolls, I think. I have no idea.

"I would ask if you'd like to Netflix and chill, but it's 1985 and Netflix doesn't exist yet."

However, Wasp ain't the mood for Magneto's attempt at being charming. She is in the mood to blast things, so she blasts his dinner. She tells Mags that she could bring the building down on his head with her Wasp stings. Magneto advises against it, as the weather is really bad outside, and he only wishes to talk. You know Mags, you could've just called the heroes if you wanted to talk, pal.

Magneto apologizes for the suffering he caused the Wasp, and he wants to explain himself. Also, it helps that the Wasp is rather beautiful. Yeah, he's a horndog. At the heroes' citadel, the now-human Ben Grimm (he mysteriously changed back to his human form last issue) is observing the storm. They notice a giant mountaintop coming down on them thanks to a lightning strike. However, Thor is able to take care of it.

We get some minor character moments. She-Hulk teases Hawkeye about his trick arrows not being very impressive while moving a giant particle accelerator around, but the archer's mind is on his new wife: Bobbi "Mockingbird" Morse. They eloped in Hawkeye #4 (December 1983), and Clint Barton wishes he was with her on Earth right now. Jim Rhodes and Monica Rambeau are racing around checking for damage to the complex. Rhodes is in awe of Thor, and is still processing the idea that he's a real actual Norse god.

Iron Man on roller skates. 'Nuff said!

In the complex's central communication center, Captain America, Mr. Fantastic, and the Incredible Hulk are conferring. Hulk reports that the damage Magneto caused in the last issue should be repaired soon. Reed hasn't quite figured out how the monitors work, but he's been able to keep an eye on Galactus. The Eater of Worlds is still keeping his vigil, ignorant to everything around him. Even the raging storm isn't getting his attention. Reed has also been able to monitor the villains in their little headquarters. There's an aura around the building, indicating that they're possibly drawing power from the storm itself. Why? Who knows?

We get anther character moment for Reed as he wishes the monitors could let him see his wife and son. Hulk is annoyed by Reed's lamenting, as he's got a girl back home too, but he's not "whining" about it. At the time, Hulk was dating a woman named Kate Waynesboro. At the time the Beyonder summoned him, she had been kidnapped by Boomerang in Incredible Hulk #294 (April 1984). He would rescue her in the next issue. Captain America believes the villains will launch an all-out attack after the storm ends, so he and Hulk will stand watch. A depressed Reed heads out, observed by Spider-Man.

The Web-Slings does his trademark swinging around the high ceilings and tubes on them. He does wonder if this place was customized for him. It does make sense. The Beyonder created this world, we can assume he made the headquarters for the heroes and villains. Anyway, Peter Parker swings by an area where the X-Men are hanging out.

"I don't get what the X-Men's deal is. Everyone likes buffet night!"

The X-Men have kept to themselves throughout this whole thing. They've been feeling they're rather unwelcome here. The Not-So-Merry Mutants are portrayed as rather anti-social towards the other heroes. I think we may assume that their constant feelings of being persecuted have made them a bit paranoid around "normal" people. Rogue points out she fought the Avengers once in Avengers Annual #10 (1981) as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She had only recently joined the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #171 (July 1983). As such, she claims that the Avengers hate her, and they see the X-Men as suspicious because she's with them.

This is weird. The whole thing with Wasp and Monica's hostility towards the X-Men was because of Magneto, not Rogue. In fact, they barely seemed to acknowledge Rogue. Which makes sense, as neither Wasp nor Monica were among the Avengers who fought her in Avengers Annual #10. Captain America was among the Avengers at the time, but he seemed to have no issue with Rogue being among the X-Men. Hawkeye did accuse Cyclops of taking Magneto's side earlier simply because they were mutants, but then again, Hawkeye is known for running his mouth without using his brain.

Anyway, the X-Men decide that they're going to go hang with Magneto. That's when Professor X detects Spider-Man with his telepathy. And that's the Web-Slinger's cue.



"Hello, baaaaaaby!"

Peter Parker used Surprise. It was super effective! He's able to evade Wolverine and web up Colossus. His experience as a superhero (Remember, he's been doing this longer than most of the current X-Men here), really helps. His webs, agility, and Spider-Sense allow him to easily evade the Mighty Mutants, and he alerts Reed Richards...at least tries to. Spidey ends up forgetting what he was about to say thanks to Professor X. So much for your ethics, huh Xavier? Cyclops goes to talk to Reed, but is telepathically summoned back by Professor X. The X-Men find a craft and prepare to head out.

Back at his citadel, Magneto is telling Dr. Doom that he can take his idea of an alliance and shove it, which Doom takes well. In the form of ranting that he'll regret it. Nobody turns down Doom's friendship! Magneto returns to Janet, and admits that he finds her attractive. He leans in for a kiss, but Janet is not having it.

Back in Doombase, Doom reveals why he's been collecting some energy from the raging storm outside. You see, he found a couple of young women who were interested in getting some power, and Doom obliged to help them with that. He throws the switch and...

"Doom's makeover machine works! EAT IT RICHARDS! DOOM WILL DOMINATE THE BEAUTY MARKET!"

It's a success! Say hello to Marvel's newest superhuman femme fatales, Volcana and Titania. They demonstrate their new powers. Volcana melts some metal pieces to slag with her volcanic powers, and Titania uses her strength to grab the melted mess and toss it outside. Pleased with his results, Doom introduces them to the other villains in the ranks. The other villains are understandably confused. Where did they come from? Aren't the heroes and villains the only people on this planet? Trust me on this. It will be explained where these two came from.

Titania thinks Absorbing Man is the strongest one there, and challenges him to a fight. She finally has power, and she wants to throw it around a bit. However, Crusher Creel refuses. If she wants to prove her toughness so badly, she can do it against the heroes. Besides, in his own words, "I got nothin' to prove...to a dame". Titania angrily walks away, while breaking a statue.

Volcana also has an encounter with another male villain, but hers is much less tense. She's struck a convo with the Molecule Man. It's actually rather pleasant. The two watch the storm and talk about Doom. Molecule Man remarks that Doom has incredible charisma and he can't help but believe in him. Back at the heroes' base, Thor is going to the area where the prisoners are restrained. He finds the Enchantress's chamber and opens it up. Amora wonder if Thor is there to gloat...and hopes her face has no scars.

Thankfully for her fragile self-esteem, Amora's face is unmarred. Thor wants to talk, Asgardian to Asgardian. This conversation is not meant for mortal ears. This will be elaborated on in Thor #383 (September 1987). Sometime later, the Hulk is having some troubles. He can't seem to focus, and he feels disoriented. It's like he can't seem to think straight. Uh oh...

Cap wakes up and notices the storm has broken. Time to leap into action! Doom's craft flies into the heroes' citadel with RAMMING SPEED. The villains run in, but Doom keeps Molecule Man at his side. Titania smashes her way into the Fantastic Four members' quarters. Johnny tries to fight her off with flame blasts, despite his arm and ribs being broken. However, it's just a distraction so Johnny, Ben, and Reed are able to flee. She-Hulk is ambushed by Volcana, and Captain Marvel is taken down by Doctor Octopus. The Hulk and Captain America try to engage Doom and Molecule Man, but Owen Reese is able to conjure up some rocks to send them retreating.

The villains appear to have won the day. The heroes are in retreat. The villains suffered no casualties, but they didn't manage to get any losses on the heroes' side, either. The story ends with Doom announcing that he pans to level the heroes' home to the ground. No stone in this building shall touch another stone.

This issue is...rather decent. We get some more character moments, which I did enjoy. It was neat seeing James Rhodes being in absolute awe of Thor is a neat moment. It makes sense, as we can presume Rhodes hasn't been quite exposed to all the superheroic insanity Tony Stark dealt with at that point. My favorite one is surprisingly between Volcana and Molecule Man. It continues on the thread of Molecule Man trying to be a better man, and also shows how charismatic Doom is. Speaking of Volcana, she and Titania are introduced in this issue. We also get some idea of their personalities: Volcana is more quiet, and Titania is a wannabe bully, drunk on her own newfound power.

My one big complaint about this issue is well, the portrayal of the X-Men. I get the idea they're supposed to be this persecuted minority, but they do come off as a bit paranoid here. As I said earlier, I am guessing that the X-Men are so used to being hated on, that it's made them a bit defensive and untrusting. It's weird. The whole Magneto/Wasp thing also strikes me as rather bizarre. I don't know why, but it feels...off to me. And that's about all I have to say about this issue, really.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! Next time, we resume the tribute to George Perez as we ask one question: Who Killed Mindi Meyer?

Aladdin Full Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in February, I gave my thoughts on the teaser for the live-action remake of Aladdin. I will admit, since then, I have a good chuckle out of some of the jokes regarding Will Smith as the Genie, mainly the CGI for him. However, a new trailer has come out, so let's take a look!

Well, this is starting off with a bang!

And there's our hero, devil-may-care thief extraordinaire himself.

I think we can credit Aladdin for inventing parkour.

I have to admit, I love the look of the film. It's very bright and colorful.

Ooh, imagine if those men ended up landing on something hard. It would not have ended well for them.

Love at first sight.

Yeah, Jafar wants to get you killed, Al. I have heard some people complain that he comes off as too "friendly" here, but...I think that's the point. Jafar is a schemer, a manipulator. He can act like the nicest guy in the world if he needs to. It's all about getting into people's heads. I think it works.

WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?!

Hey, "Friend Like Me!" They're keeping the songs!

Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy Will Smith as the genie. He's probably having a ton of fun doing this.

Genie actually makes sense. If you word  wish wrong, it could blow up in your face.

Heh heh heh, you're not in charge here, Al.

Genie's got a point, Aladdin. It ain't the exterior that matters.

Hmm, looks like it'll basically follow the animated original, but I do hope they expand on some things to help differentiate it from the animated version. I'll give this film a shot. It's not going to hurt the original animated version. It's still out there, and it still is enjoyable. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!

Avengers: Endgame Trailer #2, My Thoughts

Back in December of last year, I gave my thoughts on the first trailer to the MCU's upcoming 22nd film: Avengers: Endgame. Infinity War had left our heroes at their darkest hour. Thanos had triumphed in his goal of wiping out half the universe because he thought it would magically create some kind of "balance" in the universe. Lots of heroes got crumbled to dust in the process.

But the problem was...Thanos's little plan left some heroes surviving. Heroes that not only were left to try and prevent more chaos in the wake of Thanos's rapture, but also burning for payback. After all, as Tony Stark said, "If we cannot protect this world, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it." It's time  for the Endgame, folks. Let's take a look at the newly released second trailer!

Man, what happened here?! Thanos, what did you do?!

Ah, it's a flashback to the first Iron Man movie. The film that started it all. The film that got the MCU rolling.

I like that the flashbacks are in black and white. Gives them a...dreamier quality for a lack of better terms. And I have to admit, it does make me smile thinking back on those films. Look how far we've come.

Somebody get Tony an American cheeseburger!

Captain America: The First Avenger is one of my favorite MCU movies. I think I've seen that one more times than any other.

Who is that speaking there?

I have heard people theorize the girl Hawkeye is practicing archery with is Kate Bishop. I think it's actually his daughter. Age of Ultron did establish Clint had a daughter, and I'm guessing that's her. Doing her daddy proud. It was said that he was under house arrest during Infinity War, but...oh, God. She must have gotten dusted by Thanos. Right in front of Clint's eyes.

You got the other Avengers, Clint.

The flashbacks are awesome. They really make it feel like we're getting an idea of how we got here and how far things have come.

I can't help but feel the bits of red are symbolic of something.

Yeah, quite some time has passed. Look at Natasha's hair compared to Infinity War.

I am curious as to how Scott escaped after the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Maybe he discovered that his family was dusted here, and he's trying to find other people.

Having Hawkeye and Widow find comfort in each other makes sense. I kind of get the vibe they were old friends.

Oh man, Rocket Raccoon and War Machine teaming up is going to be epic! I can see Rocket trying to take Rhodes' armor-mounted guns. After Thanos has his purple butt handed to him, of course.

Nice detail with the sound of Black Widow's gunshots matching the music.

The Avengers got some nice new spacesuits.

Hey, does this mean Nebula is an Avenger now? Welcome aboard!

I hope we get to see Thor and Captain Marvel do some epic tag team moves.

I am so excited for this movie. I've been following the MCU since Iron Man first rocketed to the screen over ten years ago, and it's been epic seeing it unfold over all that time. Infinity War left me eager to see Thanos get his just desserts, and I think it will be a sight to behold. I love that the trailer doesn't really reveal anything and uses flashbacks. They know perfectly well that less can be more if done well, and this trailer has made the film quite tantalizing.

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Batman vs. TMNT trailer, My Thoughts

In 2015-2016, DC Comics and IDW Publishing collaborated and released a six-issue miniseries called Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's exactly what it says on the tin: The Dark Knight meeting the Heroes in the Half-Shell. The mini-series was written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Freddie Williams II, and had variant covers drawn by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman. In 2017-2018, a sequel miniseries was released, and it's been announced that a third miniseries in the works.

The idea of the TMNT meeting DC heroes was nothing strange. The mutant ninjas appeared as playable characters in Injustice 2,  Also, the crossover got a spinoff in the form of Batman/TMNT Adventures, which had the Batman of the DC Animated Universe meeting the Ninja Turtles of the 2012 animated series.

Well, Batman and the Turtles will be meeting again in another medium: animation! Yup, Nickelodeon and WB Animation are coming together to have the Dark Knight and Heroes in the Half-Shell team up again. At this point, Bruce Wayne should have Alfred make a regular place at the Batcave for the Turtles to hang out in. Let's take a look at this trailer!

I do like the designs of the Foot Clan from a realism perspective, but I do kind of wish they paid homage to the 1987 or 2003 versions a little.

Heh heh, glow in the dark headbands.

Yeah, Batman tends to get very insecure when other heroes show up in Gotham. Troy Baker seems to be going for a Kevin Conroy vibe with the voice there.

Penguin was not expecting a cool, but crude giant turtle.

I'll give the Bat credit. He may be insecure, but he can make an entrance.

Shredder looks neat. And I can't help but chuckle at Fly!Baxter Stockman's design. In the good way.

Ninja vanish!

Oh hi, Ra's Al Ghul! Looks like we got your standard villainous alliance here. I hope we get to have Bebop and Rocksteady interact with Talia and Nyssa Raatko. That would be hilarious!

Oh yes, give the Joker mutagen. What could possibly go wrong?!

See, Donatello agrees with me!

In case you're wondering, that Robin appears to be Damian Wayne. He's Bruce's biological son. It's fitting that he's the Robin they use here as his mother is Talia Al Ghul...which makes his grandfather Ra's Al Ghul. Yeah. And you thought your family was screwed up.

Let's give mutagen to ALL the Batman villains! Great idea! I think there's a missed opportunity here by not including the Ratcatcher. You have his mutated mode pay homage to the Rat King. I'm guessing Harley will mutate into a hyena woman, Mr. Freeze will become a polar bear man, Scarecrow will become the Scarebeast (He was mutated into a monster for a while in the comics), and Poison Ivy's mutated form will pay homage to Swamp Thing.

Batman thought too fast, alright.

They're here to help, Bats. Stop being so insecure. This is why the Green Lanterns make fun of you all the time.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Well, I've got to admit, I am pretty excited for this! The idea of the Dark Knight teaming up with the Ninja Turtles is a pretty darn cool one. I grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so you bet I'll be giving this a look! Man, I've really got to pick up those comic miniseries...

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Beat Cop Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

New York in the 1980s was known for being...a rough place to live. Crime was high, and the police were stretched to their limits. One of those members of New York's Finest was a beat cop named Jack Kelly. He was an ordinary policeman, not really famous, never did anything really special. Just his job. Until the day he became a patsy for murder.

In this new game for the Nintendo Switch, you have to aid our beat cop friend in clearing his name and bringing down the actual criminals. This is the launch trailer for Beat Cop.

I love the donut joke in the logo there. Mmm, donuts...

You know you're in the 80s when you turn on your TV and aerobics are playing. Abs of Steel in 8 minutes, guaranteed!

Ah, this must be our Officer Kelly. Irish surname, red hair. Yup, the Irish Cop archetype here.

Oh good, the hot dog guy managed to catch that hot dog...without moving. That is smooth.

Officer Kelly leaps into action! And it looks like the burglar got away. Kelly is in for some rough times...

I love the music in this trailer. It's got that cool 80s groove to it.

Is the video glitching at the end?

I would have liked to have seen some gameplay. I did see some screenshots on the eShop of this game, and from what I remember of them, they gave me the impression that it would be somewhat like Carmen Sandiego, except with less wacky criminals and more adult. It got my interest as I loved playing that game on the computer growing up. I just wish this trailer showed more. I would have liked to have seen some gameplay. The idea of the game is appealing, though.

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Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (February 1985)

The tribute to George Perez continues! The legendary artist has worked with many a team in his time, but probably the one that he's arguably the most famous for is The New Teen Titans. It's an incarnation of the team of young heroes that has survived the test of time, having been adapted to animation and live-action TV.

This incarnation of the Titans has visited my blog before, in my review of The New Teen Titans #1 (August 1984), which was the first issue of their book published under DC's "hardcover/softcover" initiative. That book's title would eventually be changed to Tales of the Teen Titans with issue number 41 (April 1984). There was a miniseries of the same title that preceded it. Lasting four issues long, it elaborated on the backstories of Cyborg, Raven, Changeling (as Beast Boy was called at the time), and Starfire.

This issue is a rather significant one because...it's a wedding issue! Yup, one of the Titans, one Donna Troy, the heroine of many origins. Seriously, her origins have been rewritten so many times it's ridiculous. At the time in the comics, she was in a relationship with a previously-divorced teacher named Terry Long, who was nearly twice her age. Yeah, I can certainly see why the character was disliked by some fans. Donna may have been an adult, and she was not one of his students, but yeah. It is a bit iffy to me.

Despite that, the wedding of Donna Troy is considered one of the crown jewels in a rather excellent run of comics. But does it deserve the praise? Let's find out as I take a look at Tales of the Teen Titans #50!

The cover is awesome. It's a Perez piece, so you know I'll love it. You have Donna and Terry right in the center in their wedding clothes. Fun fact, George Perez's wife Carol designed the wedding dress Donna Troy wears in the comic. Behind them stand their bridesmaids and groomsmen. In the background stand Donna's friends, family, and Titans teammates.

"We are Gathered Here Today..."
Writers: Marv Wolfman, George Perez
Penciller: George Perez
Inkers: Mike DeCarlo, Dick Giordano
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Marv Wolfman, George Perez
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story beings on the Temple of Athena on Themyscira. You may know it as the home of the Amazons. A group of Amazons are wondering why Queen Hippolyte has asked for a private audience with Athena herself...which is incredibly unusual. Considering what's going on in this story, you'd think Hippolyte would be running around the island, hooting that one of her daughters is getting married.

The scene shifts to the home of Steve Dayton, the fifth richest man in the DCU. He's also known as Mento of the Doom Patrol. He's also the adoptive father of one Garfield "Changeling" Logan, who is helping plan the party.

There's a lot to do, and it's clear the green kid is struggling with the proverbial weight of it all. Mento's butler Questor is watching this, and is puzzled by the appearance of a clown. Changeling explains it's because there will be a bunch of little kids at the wedding, and the clown will be entertaining them. Poor Garfield is going bugnuts with all the people getting on him about everything from the cake to the dance floor. Questor steps in to help out so the former and future Beast Boy can take a break.

Elsewhere, Adeline Kane, the ex-wife of Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson is greeting the new day. She goes to wake up her son Joe, aka Jericho, but hears nothing from his room. She realizes that he's upstairs in his attic studio. Turns out, the mute superhero was up all night preparing a little gift for Donna and Terry.

Adeline is impressed by the painting, and pleads with him to let her arrange a gallery show for his work. She feels the world needs to see his talent, but he refuses, feeling he's not ready to exhibit his art yet.

We next go to a place. A place of nowhere but darkness and gloom. This is where Raven is right now. She is struggling with the evil influence of her father Trigon. She's likely not going to be attending the wedding.

Another Titan is having an issue with coming to the wedding: One Victor Stone, aka Cyborg. Yes DC, he was a Titan. Vic and his galpal Sarah Simms are on their way, but Cyborg is feeling like a freak. I don't know why, as his best friend is GREEN, a teammate of his is ORANGE, and they don't hide that. Also, he remarks that he could blow the secret identities of all the Titans. Again, teammates who are GREEN and ORANGE and DO NOT HIDE IT. Cyborg is a dope.

Questor comes by and notices Changeling's tux for the wedding.

Yeah, he knows he can only get away with that tux because it's the 80s. Questor then goes to check on Steve Dayton, who is brooding in his office...and has a bottle of some alcoholic drink on his desk. But he didn't touch it. He's been having some issues, likely because of that helmet he uses as Mento. Despite this, he vows to be there for Garfield, as he really needs this, after that whole thing with Terra.

Next, we shift to Kory Anders/Koriand'r, aka "Starfire". She's hanging out with some of the bridesmaids. Among them is fellow Titan Lilith, aka Omen. As for the blushing bride? Well, Donna Troy is talking to her mentor Wonder Woman as she gets ready. She has some jitters about walking the aisle, but Diana assures her she's doing the right thing, and they'll be happy. The girls get visited by Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing. He's going to walk her down the aisle. Dick and Donna talk for a bit. Dick tells her that Terry is a lucky man to have a woman like her. Donna tells her she loves him (in the familial way, family was a big thing with the Titans), and they share a hug.

And with that, let's get this wedding properly started. The ceremony goes off without a hitch. Nice work, Garfield. Donna Troy walks the aisle, and vows are said.

I think Perez himself appears in that ring of people. Donna Troy and Terry Long share their first kiss as a married couple. Later on, Terry and Donna share their first dance. The party afterwards is a way for us to catch up with some past Titans members. Both the Guardian and Bumblebee had retired from superheroics after their marriage, and Guardian sold his first book. Lilith senses something strange. So does Questor the butler. He checks out door that is oddly unlocked, but nothing is there.

On a balcony, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson do some talking. In the Batman books at the time, the supervillainess Nocturna had adopted Jason Todd, the then-Robin, and the Dark Knight can't do anything about it. Dick then wonders something. If Bruce wanted to adopt Jason...why didn't Bruce adopt Dick? Bruce admits that he wonders that himself. He then figures his youth back then and obsession with his career as the Batman at the time prevented him from considering it, and then before he knew it, Dick had grown up.

Changeling and Jillian are dancing, and having some fun doing it. The green-skinned Titan is thrilled. Nothing has gone wrong at the wedding, and he's naturally feeling pretty proud of himself. Cyborg wants to talk to him. The former athlete has noticed that no one has made any remarks about how he looks, and he wants to know what Garfield did. Well, Beast Boy had his stepfather Mento use his helmet to send out mental impressions to everyone who looks at him. As a result, they see only Vic Stone. Cyborg...takes it well.

Again, Garfield doesn't hide his green skin, Starfire doesn't hide her orange skin. Why is he so worried about people seeing him?! Starfire ends up quite popular with the guys at the party. A couple of women talk about it, finding it disgusting. One of them remarks that she did talk to the Tamaranean, and she was really nice. It's crazy.

We get a cameo of the original Hawk and Dove, and Dick Grayson runs into Duela Dent, aka Joker's Daughter and Harlequin. Perez drew her as middle-aged. Her Harlequin days are, in her own words, "fifty pounds ago". Dick tells her he realized something a while back: She was far too old to be the daughter of the Batman villain Two-Face, like she claimed. But then again, she claimed she was the daughter of various other Batman villains, too. Dick wants to know the truth, but she teases him by walking away and saying that maybe she'll tell him one day. I get the feeling Marv Wolfman had intended to do something with this in the future, but never got around to it.

In the pool, Charley Parker and Bette Kane are discussing reforming Titans West with Aqualad and Tula. However, the two Atlanteans have responsibilities to Atlantis that must take priority at the moment. Speedy is considering it, but Bumblebee, Guardian, and Kid Flash are all retired. Maybe the idea of a West Coast-based Titans team isn't meant to be...

Elsewhere in the mansion, Changeling is brooding. He feels like a royal screwup. He's lost a lot in his young life, and it makes him feel like he's ruins everything he touches. Cyborg comes by...to apologize. Yeah, he was hurt by what Garfield did, but he gets that the green-skinned animorph meant well. He just wanted Donna's wedding to run smooth, and Vic does think Garfield did a great job with it. The two are able to reconcile. But enough drama! Let's ROCK!

Jericho, Mal Duncan, and Dick Grayson cut some tunes for the audience. FREEBIRD! PLAY FREEBIRD! Wonder Woman approaches Donna Troy, and tells her there's something she and Terry have to see. They follow the Amazing Amazon to a room in the mansion, the same room Questor noticed earlier. Donna is nervous about it being a supervillain attacking. Makes sense. Quite a few supervillains would attack a wedding. However, it's not a supervillain. Well, not at the time, anyway.

Yup. Queen Hippolyta came to give her regards to Donna. You see, the Queen of the Amazons can't step foot off the island or else she'll lose her immortality. So, she asked Athena if she could witness her daughter's wedding, and Athena was like, "Okay, that's cool. Tell her the other gods wish her well, too." I think they've mellowed out a bit with age.

The ceremony continues on. We get the cutting of the cake and the tossing of the bouquet and garter. But even the most fun of parties have to end. As the sun goes down, the guests are leaving. Drinks have been drunk, cake has been eaten, and a good time was had. The Titans give Garfield a little gift for all the hard work he did to make the wedding a spectacular event.

Terry's brother Barry is talking to their sister, and he admits something: He's a bit envious of his brother. Both of the Long brothers had marriages that ended in divorce, but it seemed that Terry managed to find the most wonderful new lady to marry. He wonders if he'll himself ever be that lucky.

As for the newlyweds? Well, they're going to spend their honeymoon in Greece. And they're going to head there in style: On Steve Dayton's private jet. Being friends with a kid who was the adopted son of one of the richest men in the DCU has its perks. Both Terry and Donna had decided to get out of their wedding togs and into something more comfortable.

Wonder Girl indeed. The two make a toast to their love, to peace, to wisdom, and to unity. Donna Troy was so happy to see everyone there at her wedding...except for Raven. She wished the empath was there. Terry tells her a tale of a student he had about three years earlier. Like Raven, she had troubles. She needed help, but was too shy to ask for it. She would get the help she needed, but she had to gather up the courage to ask. The Titans can't help Raven unless she asks for it.

With that, the story ends with Donna and Terry enjoying their honeymoon as the plane flies into the sunset.

I will admit, I was a bit bothered by the age gap between Donna and Terry...mainly because Donna herself says she's nineteen in the comic. Yeah, technically, Donna Troy is legally an adult, but it's still a bit...creepy to me. I'm sorry, I can't come up with a better word for it.

Otherwise that, it's actually really good. I like that the wedding went off without a hitch, and the drama of the story was character stuff. Speaking of character stuff, I thought it was rather odd that Cyborg was worried about people seeing him even though one of his teammates is green, another orange, and they make no attempt to hide that. I get that Cyborg still feels like a freak because of his cybernetics, but it did feel kind of silly. I'm surprised that most of the Titans don't operate publicly already, considering who they are.

You could tell Wolfman and Perez saw an opportunity to weave some potential new story threads with the attempt to reform Titans West and the whole mystery regarding the identity of the Joker's Daughter. Shame those never panned out as far as I know. I would have loved to have seen those plot seeds come to fruition.

This story has moments that are funny, dramatic, and rather heartwarming. Some consider this story one of the crown jewels of Marv and George's work on the Teen Titans, and I can see why. Despite my reservations with Donna and Terry's relationship, I can see they truly loved each other.

Next time, we're going to rejoin the heroes of the Marvel Universe as they continue their adventures on Battleworld. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! And if you want to give my blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!