The "New" Teen Titans Part Eight Its NOT all DOOM and Gloom for Beast Boy

As mentioned last time, Gar Logan had finally made the ranks of the Team calling its self  Teen Titans West, but this team had disbanded a few months after the Original Teen Titans had gone their separate ways.

This left Gar without a team to be part of, or a family either. During Garfield Logan's short life he had had to deal with a lot of issues. As a little boy he had nearly died from a tropical illness whilst he accompanied his scientist parents on an exploration into the African Jungle. The disease SAKUTIA was deadly to humans, but animals had an immunity.  His parents thinking they could and had isolated the genetic marker that would save their son used it on young Garfield. This process not  only saved  him, the side effects would unfortunately change him forever too. He had survived  but now could transform into any animal he could imagine. The down side of  having his amazing power was he was  now green and covered in fur.

Later when his parents had died in an accident,  Garfield believed and  knew that he could have saved them if he had been able to use his powers better. At first his transformations were manly reactionary, but in time he could choose what he wanted to change into. In the early stages he could sometimes change his body but retain his head in human form.  But as time went on he would tend to change to an exact copy of any animal, but always remaining green.

Now an Orphan He had been put in the care of Gailtry a guardian who treated him as a Green Freak and only tolerated him in order to embezzle the sizable fortune his birth parents had left him.


 After breaking free of Gailtry's control Gar found himself being cared for by the Doom Patrol's members. And later officially adopted by Rita Farr aka Elasti Girl and her husband Steve Dayton. (More on the Original Doom Patrol later )

BEAST BOY MASCOT OF THE DOOM PATROL 

Finding a Family at last with Rita Farr & Steve Dayton AKA Elasti Girl & Mento

He had a family again with the Doom Patrol, but even though he had his amazing powers that could equal those of many of the members of the Doom Patrol, he was not allowed to fight alongside them due to his age. He was given his own uniform, but his Green Skin was initial disguised with a Purple Face Mask. He was treated like their mascot, and this inability to be able to become a proper member of the DP he decided to offer his services to the then fledgling original Teen Titan team. But they had also refused him membership as they too felt he was too young. They themselves were only young teenagers, but Gar was only a pre teen, and in their young eyes a child !

REJECTED BY THE TEEN TITANS !

Shortly after this his world was again rocked to the core when his adopted mother Rita Farr and the other members of the Doom Patrol were killed in action. This sent his adopted Father Steve Dayton into a deep depression. His mental state was always an issue as his experimental Mento Helmet had along with granting him fantastic mental abilities had brought his sanity into question at times. Now with the added effect of losing his wife Steve Dayton withdrew from the world and become almost a recluse.

So Gar was a little rich boy living with his Multi Millionaire Father in the life off luxury and indulgence. But Gar wanted More.

After Trying his hand at acting, and again trying to reform the Teen Titans West, He even tried to re brand himself as The Changeling to help rid himself of his young Beat Boy image. But none of this worked.  Gar was at his lowest ebb. Until he was contacted by Raven in her question to form a team of people to help help her in her quest to combat he father the Demon Trigon.

IT MAY NOT ALWAYS BE EASY BEING GREEN, BUT IT CAN BE FUN SOMETIMES !

With The "NEW" Teen Titans he found a new found family, friends and a place in world.

BEAST BOY NO MORE.... MEET THE CHANGELING !

Next Time a look at another New or is that Old member of the New Teen Titans.

Until Then ENJOY !

The New Teen Titans Part Seven It's All Changeling for Beast Boy

Back in October 2012 I told the tale of how Garfield (Gar)  Logan  aka Beast Boy attempted to join the then Original Teen Titans but had been rejected due to his age. This happened in Teen Titans 6# (1966)

The Original Doom Patrol's Mascot Beast Boy complete with his Purple Mask

Well here is what happened next.

Long Before the original Crisis on Infinite  Earths in 1985  and after being rejected as being too young to join the TT's in 1966 , young Garfield finally made the grade and became a Teen Titan. But at first he as a member of the Unofficial team of Teen Super Heroes called The Teen Titans West.

The Original Teen Titans West from 1976 . Golden Eagle,  Gnarrk, Hawk, Lilith, Dove, Beast Boy and Original Bat- Girl

This team brought together by former Teen Titan member Lilith helped and later joined the original Teen Titans circa 1976.

However after the cancellation of the Teen Titans comic in 1977, it was assumed that both Teams of Teens all went their separate ways and disbanded.  BUT after the Original Crisis where various characters where either removed from the DC Universe or given a make over, the tale of what happen to the TT's was finally told in 1990 and again updated in or around the year 2000.

The Original TT's of Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl etc, had indeed split in 1976. All wanted to explore life away from being Super Heroes and build and try to live a  civilian identity life. However , the West Coast Team did try to stay together and did so for a little time longer, but as most of them had interests outside their Super Heroes lives, many found it hard to remain together as a strong fighting team. The original TT's had been more of a family, the later West Coasters had all been and had had some success as individual heroes, and some found working as a team difficult and limiting. So like their East Coast "cousins" the Teen Titans West also broke up.

The West Coast Teen Titans circa 1990 with revised post Crisis  line up. Golden Eagle, Bumble Bee, Hawk, Lilith, Dove, Beast Boy, Flamebird & Herald 

This left Gar Logan out on a limb. Unlike most of the other Titans his identity was known. He had been part of a team of Heroes adventurers long before he had wanted to join the TT's.  His Adopted parents had been Super Heroes, so when the TT's West broke up, Beast Boy was left high and dry without any idea of what his future would be.

Garfield Logan Poor Little Rich Boy a Teen Titan No More !

Next Time we will continue with tale of Garfield Logan and his journey from Beast Boy to Changeling.

Until Then ENJOY !

The NEW Teen Titans Part Six Forget Helen of TROY Meet Donna Troy aka Wonder Girl

Along with the new members of the team that would become The "New" Teen Titans were a number of old faces.

Although Donna Troy had been a Titan from the beginning her back ground and origin was always a bit of a mystery. Being added to the original line up of Robin, Kid Flash and Aqua Lad who were the junior sidekicks of Batman, The Flash and Aqua man, it was always implied that Wonder Girl WAS the side kick of Wonder Woman.

This was in fact a bit of a mistake. A Wonder Girl had appeared in the pages of the Wonder Woman comic at the end of the 1950's start of the 1960's but this was NOT a new character. That Wonder Girl was really Wonder Woman as a young Girl, as much as Wonder TOT was Princess Diana as a Toddler. Wonder Girl would have many adventures with her older self and younger self also. These were impossible tales as they called them. Many people including some of the editors at DC not knowing this automatically believed Wonder Girl was a separate entity so when the idea of the Original Teen Titans was discussed Wonder Girl got added as a character connected to Wonder Woman.

The Wonder Family Woman from the 1950's - 1960's , Girl & Tot 

Putting Wonder Girl into the Teen Titans meant that a new origin was needed to explain who or what she was. In earlier stories she called Wonder Woman "Mother" and again was implied she was Princess Diana's adopted daughter who she had rescued  as a child from a burning building. Being human once on Paradise Island home of the Amazons she was granted Amazonian powers buy the other Woman granting her a part of their amazing Amazonian powers. Later it was revised that Wonder Woman had indeed rescued her and taken her to Paradise Island, but Queen Hyppolyta, mother of Wonder Woman had adopted her and named her Donna. This making Diana her sister.

Well that origin worked for a while, and for most of Wonder Girl;s early career this was the agreed and accepted back story.  Years later Wonder Girl's addition into the "new" TT's gave the writers a chance to explore her back ground and her links to the mythological world of the Greek God's that was a main part of the Wonder Woman world. And that was how things stayed.

Years later Donna would learn who she really was, not once but twice or maybe three times. Each origin worked at that time, but again trying to retro fit a character into a past where she did not or should not exist was always with its dangers that giving readers answerer's to question would invite more questions to be asked. Wonder Girl was an abnormally, a bit like Duela Dent the Harlequin aka The  Jokers Daughter and Why was there Two Hawk Men in the DC Universe, one Human with links to the Past and magic and Egypt and another an Alien Police Man... and don't forget Power Girl was she Super Girl or not ?

Anyway for the time being Donna Troy aka Wonder Girl became a member of the New TT's and soon befriended Starfire and later the reserved and secretive Raven.

Unlike today,  Wonder Girl remained in her familiar Red Costume and would do until she got a complete make over and a hair cut many years later. (but that's a tale for a later time ! )

As Wonder Girl grew older her fashion choices changes too.

Here  is Wonder Girl as she was at the start of the "New" Teen Titan era.

Next Time its a 2nd Chance for this New Teen Titan, until then



ENJOY !