Johns leaves Titans, but the next writer (surprise, surprise) may not be any better
So now, Geoff Johns is making a grand exit from the Teen Titans volume he was writing (H/T: Titans Tower Monitor). But who is he handing over the writing chores to? Adam Beechen, who is writing Robin, and, I'm sorry to say, has done quite a few things to tick off fans of Cassandra Cain, when DC editorial mandate decreed she be a villainess. As written about here, last year, Beechen, in his scripting for Robin, depicted Cass most disturbingly as a racial dragon lady stereotype, all the more disturbing given that she's a teen.
And even if Johns has revealed in TT #43 that Cassie was under the influence of drugs from Deathstroke, that doesn't excuse the racial stereotyping Beechen wallowed in last year, nor the fact that Cass was turned into a criminal in the first place. In fact, as far as storytelling is concerned, why should she have to have been? I'm sure that with a little work (and skillful writing), she could find a better mentor somewhere, not to mention a better foster family as well, and even ask the rest of the Bat-family if they could help her at it. Then, from there, she could go on to study towards her own path with a better mentor involved. Why should turning to the bad side be the only option?
And I really don't expect Beechen to be much better on this series, which is why I'll be avoiding any trades made of this, and other people more willing to get pamphlet issues than me these days would do best to avoid it too. (Actually, Robin does seem to be plummeting in sales now, thanks to Beechen's hack job; it wouldn't surprise me if it does cascade even further down the mountain in time.)
And even if Johns has revealed in TT #43 that Cassie was under the influence of drugs from Deathstroke, that doesn't excuse the racial stereotyping Beechen wallowed in last year, nor the fact that Cass was turned into a criminal in the first place. In fact, as far as storytelling is concerned, why should she have to have been? I'm sure that with a little work (and skillful writing), she could find a better mentor somewhere, not to mention a better foster family as well, and even ask the rest of the Bat-family if they could help her at it. Then, from there, she could go on to study towards her own path with a better mentor involved. Why should turning to the bad side be the only option?
And I really don't expect Beechen to be much better on this series, which is why I'll be avoiding any trades made of this, and other people more willing to get pamphlet issues than me these days would do best to avoid it too. (Actually, Robin does seem to be plummeting in sales now, thanks to Beechen's hack job; it wouldn't surprise me if it does cascade even further down the mountain in time.)
Labels: dc comics, dreadful writers, misogyny and racism, Titans
