Brave and the Bold #54 - Atop the Fourth Wall

Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn. In this episode, Linkara reviews the first appearance of the Teen Titans!
atopthefourthwall.com
Originally uploaded November 19th, 2012.
ORIGINAL INFO: Listen to the jive, if you are un-square!
RUMINATIONS: Ugh, I hate it when I get blemishes on my face before a review. It’s just like when my hair is out of place - it’s all I can focus on when I’m editing.
As I described in the episode, I wanted to ease people into the Teen Titans a bit before I got to my “March of the Titans” month that I ended up doing the following year. Previously, the only other times people had seen my love of the Titans had been in a VERY early episode, Titans #5, and earlier in the year with the New Teen Titans anti-drug comic. While the New Teen Titans stuff encompassed most of the history videos (primarily because of just how long their run lasted), these reviews of the early stuff helped show just how different a lot of the book was throughout its history, from their goofier beginnings to their brief attempt to go without costumes, efforts to be more relevant and complex, until finally hitting their stride and popularity that has never been matched before or since.
Here, it is a humble, if insane, start for the teen heroes.

[@jackwells8107]

To really understand what was going on with the 'adult vs. teen' parts of this, you have to understand that the idea of 'teenagers' really didnt' come into being until the 40s, and the 50s had a lot of trouble with 'teenage gangs' and stuff, so there was a lot of reaction to that in the 60s. In many ways, the parents of teenagers in 1964 had never been teenagers themselves.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"There weren't a thousand dooms, I counted only 976." You missed the microdooms. Common mistake.

[@dragonsword8129]

5:52 Wait. THAT'S Mr. Twister?! Man, they really made an overhaul for his appearance in Young Justice. It was for the best.

[@daelen.cclark]

Dragon Sword Yeah, I think the young justice cartoon made a good choice to make mr. twister a red tornado prototype.

[@romdan7136]

Wait, what does he look like in YJ? I know his comic revised version, but not the YJ version.

[@dragonsword8129]

@@romdan7136 Here’s a clip of him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6m1lYONeMiemrM

[@romdan7136]

@TheTribalOne Oh.

[@htruman]

You forgot to mention that Aquaman can also survive Deep Water Pressure. And his skin is as strong as a skin of a Rino. Also your right, Aquaman is no joke.

[@jakebryant3445]

Yea I agree, you don't f*ck with Aquaman

[@Duothimir]

Dude was punching Nazi submarines in half in his very first issue. He was already badass, and then Superfriends made him (and everyone else) lame, and then they overcompensated to make him badass again.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

@@Duothimir I wouldn't say Superfriends made everyone lame. Lame in comparison to the comics? Sure. But at least the others had more to do.

[@andreworders7305]

@@jakebryant3445 He doesn't have aquakinesis though, something the Justice League movie just forgot I guess

[@andreworders7305]

Why don't all Atlantean have these powers anyway, being half human wouldn't give you superpowers would it?

[@JaelinBezel]

7:03 Also this is Wally West. The same Wally West who once escaped the gravitational force of a black hole.

[@richardauthement3105]

and later on as the flash outran instantaneous teleportation. with some help of course.

[@isenokami7810]

My favorite part of the Teen Titans show was how they took a joke of a sidekick character like Robin and made him a badass. He's probably my favorite out of the five.

[@KTChamberlain]

My sign would have said: "Bring back Lian Harper."

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

He has been killed for longer than her.

[@daelen.cclark]

ChiefMedicPururu Thank god for the convergence titans tie-in.

[@lightturner8913]

She's back now lmao

[@ellnats]

i know you, i saw your countdowns, you're kinda funny, and i agree, LIAN FOREVER!!!

[@jakeproven256]

The plot of this story seems like it would be an episode of Codename Kids Nextdoor.

[@GanonGhidorah]

17:48 - Oh c'mon Linkara, you of all people should KNOW how serious this situation is. Too much Pink-Energy is Dangerous.

[@foxfireinferno3547]

Obviously, Aqualad received his invitation though E(el)-Mail.

[@austinharris9077]

21:17 Is Aqualad channeling old Joseph Jostar? Choose the one that makes you laugh the most: "OH NO!" OH MY GOD!" "OH GOD!" "HOLY SHIT!" "SONNOVA BITCH!"

[@JaelinBezel]

Comic: (states that Mister Twister presents the greatest peril of Robin's and Kid Flash's lives) Me: "Suck it, Trigon! You ain't shit!"

[@PantherJaguar]

I just finished reading the Percy Jackson book series and it has really helped me strengthen my argument of how Aquaman is an awesome superhero who isn't useless on land. Even on land he can be a force to be reckoned with.

[@JaelinBezel]

So was the first couple of episodes of Young Justice homaging this book? I mean Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad run off to investigate something on their own, and then in the next episode fight someone by the name of "Mister Twister".

[@KidSnivy69]

12:48 to 13:24Thank you Lewis. While Aquaman isn't a top favorite of mine, I've always been annoyed with him being the butt of all jokes. The simple fact is Aquaman is OUTRAGEOUS!

[@elijahblechman8633]

i loved him in the Brave and the Bold cartoon

[@elijahblechman8633]

Eamonn Deane yeah he was, i wish he was on the main team.

[@KidSnivy69]

+Elijah blechman From what I heard Aquaman was suppose to have a bigger role in the final season of Unlimited

[@dejaypage1575]

Agreed. Seriously if he wasn't they nice, he'd break someone in three different ways...on the same limb Seriously, I think he break an arm in three angles if he really wanted too.

[@nezumi6554]

Brave and the Bold Aquaman for life! He was simply... FANTASTIC! oh yeah he was outrageous too I guess

[@powerist209]

24:54- Well, that was back when "swamps are useless and evil" are popular. Then it turned out that filling in the biome that prevents water pollution, bloods, and massive species die off due to lack of flies was a bad idea later on.

[@SasukeUchiha-ix2yk]

Yeah, I really do not think Aquaman deserves any of the crap tossed at him.

[@SasukeUchiha-ix2yk]

BTIsaac sadly this is true. hell, some stories can ruin one of the greatest names of the Marvel universe, like One More Day for instance

[@SasukeUchiha-ix2yk]

BTIsaac true, but you have no idea how baldy I wish it wasn't canon

[@GanonGhidorah]

25:25 Kid Flash: "Look, Aqualad is riding into town on a Narwhal swimming in the Ocean!" Robin: "Causing a Commotion!"

[@isaacbailey3681]

Given there was an arc about Linkara becoming evil, the rule really DID apply to him.

[@bradenmiller5919]

I just realized linkara is reading order is Titans before the Justice society let alone Justice League.

[@chaosinc.382]

I can assure you Narwhals cannot do that. It's a horn, not a darn drill. Unless it was a cybernetically enhanced Narwhal... It is the DCU I dunno if that's terribly unlikely.

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

It's a drill that can pierce through the oceans!

[@NegaNekojin]

Actually it's an overgrown fang, but yeah... other than that, your point still stands as it doesn't work as a drill.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

They _are_ the unicorns of the sea tho.

[@davidspring4003]

"hello, Airport Security. We're three teenagers in bright, gaudy, colorful costumes, and we want to look at your radar records. That's not weird is it?"of course not. it's a super hero universe. They'd probably think it weird if a superhero team DIDN'T ask to see some sort of records that week.

[@strawberrybankai12]

that note the "teenagers" left behind reads like a bad riddle

[@frankcastle3463]

Mr. Twister... he look like the offdpring of a Cherokee chief and the Quakers oats guy.

[@KubatheChangeling]

Linkara: "Give Sections more time!" Me: "UNDO FOODFIGHT!!!" And yes, I did seen this movie, even though I seen the two reviews of it before watching it, it was absolutely terrible.

[@daelen.cclark]

BRING BACK HORN BLOWER!

[@Jygerthe2nd]

12:48 - 13:24 This is always my go-to argument for why Aquaman is awesome. lol

[@darkhero-3097]

Robin's haircut makes me think it's actually Jason Todd and not Dick Grayson.

[@TheBonkleFox]

But is he age 12? that's the real defining factor.

[@gideon5386]

Me: Wait, what did Tony Harris do? *Pauses video and looks up Tony Harris Controversy. Me: ...Shit.

[@mikethegrunty5968]

My brain itches from that stupidity. Screw that dude

[@gideon5386]

Mike White I know. I hate it when great creators act like jackasses. And I freaking LOVE his art, but that just made me lose so much respect for the guy.

[@mikethegrunty5968]

+Garrett Knisley I feel ya man

[@Bauglir100]

+Mike White Exactly! For crying out loud, everyone knows *Val Kilmer cosplayers are the Devil's children*. Why would he waste time complaining about female cosplayers when he could be lobbying for people to be allowed to bitch-slap anyone that would actually wear one of those ridiculous Schumacher nippled bat-suits to a convention?

[@mikethegrunty5968]

I don't know the details, but he basically said women only do sexy cosplay to prey on men at cons

[@DJtheChaos246]

“Why can’t you be a younger hexagon like me?” Coming in from the year 2022, saying this joke did not age well thanks to NFTs!

[@potatobombkyle]

21:14 *WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH AQUALAD'S FACE IN THIS PANEL?!?! THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES!*

[@jfdrac]

Posing for Edvard Munch

[@williammorahan4907]

@@jfdrac Who?

[@jfdrac]

@@williammorahan4907 Edward Munch is the artist who painted the famous painting "The Scream" aka the MACAULAY CULKIN FACE LOL

[@DetectorCliche]

1:55 A company puts out a poll hoping for the publics input on what they think the best course of action is and one of those options is for the organization to fire someone who's working for them? That feels almost like public shaming if I've ever seen it.

[@Cdr2002]

Dick Grayson x Wally West is one of the most popular ships in modern fandom so Robin copping a feel is a fairly prophetic

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

Is there a redhead they wouldn't pair Dick with?

[@Cdr2002]

@@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets I guess just Jason because ewwwww He dyed his hair black if you don’t know what I’m talking about

[@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets]

@@Cdr2002 1. Jason isn't excluded (sadly). 2. They've dropped the hair dye thing. It's naturally black, now.

[@Cdr2002]

@@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets bad writers no incest! Bad! Only the bat family members with not the same parents can date!!!

[@Tustin2121]

29:26 - "Featuring Jive and Footage From:" Hahahahaha!! Horray for finding Easter eggs like this years afterwards. XD

[@mikethegrunty5968]

There's two things that got me into the teen titans. The awesome animated series, and these vids. Now I'm a Titans nut:)

[@mikethegrunty5968]

Both the comic and show have their strong point. My fav Titan is either beast boy or Raven, and yes, I do ship them. As for teen titans go.... It's like the ring of power: I loves it, I hates it :P

[@mikethegrunty5968]

I agree. If it was its own original superhero group, to quote avgn, I wouldn't shake two shits at it. As for Robin I kinda prefer dick as nightwing, and dameon or Tim as Robin, but that's me

[@mikethegrunty5968]

I LOVE Damian and dicks chemistry. I just wish Damian was in batman and robin eternal in place of that idiot Jason ( though admittedly he's much more tolerable than he was in red hood and the outlaws)

[@mikethegrunty5968]

+Eamonn Deane Tim Drake is awesome... Granted he's not being possessed by Raven to make out with the female members..... Seriously, wtf, Lobdel?

[@mikethegrunty5968]

+Eamonn Deane it's pretty bad, but the Titans didn't get screwed over as bad as starfire. Ugh

[@VicEntity]

Mister Twister reappeared in Young Justice as a Red Tornado clone.

[@alicedarhk9790]

ahem... NARWHALS NARWHALS SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN DUE TO AQUALAD'S COMMOTION!!

[@noahmagana137]

Ten years of the review of linkara’s favorite team’s first appearance

[@eman2863]

Thanks for not making fun of aqua man, it can get really old

[@thomasjenkins7506]

aquaman isn't useless. just lame. yes, he owns 3/4 of the world, but it's the 3/4 of the earth that people don't live in. it's like saying you are king of the great victoria desert. who cares?

[@thomasjenkins7506]

MysteriousTomJenkins that's the thing. non-comics readers (the people who make fun of aquaman) don't care about a fictional race of people no matter how advanced they are. if they can't see a use for the hero in the real world, he isn't going to be looked fondly upon.

[@Bauglir100]

+Thomas Jenkins Lameness only depends on the writer. Aquaman in the Super Friends cartoon: Lame superhero that talks to fish. Aquaman in the comic books proper: Badass warrior that could take on a stadium full of armored football players, beat those football players to a pulp, throw them across the field, and then summon a family of giant mutant gators from the sewers below to level the stadium. All without needing a weapon or magical apparatus.

[@Bryan-dr5qy]

+MysteriousTomJenkins Non Comic readers can know Aquaman is cool too,for instance,having tha ability to control all aquatic life,if that dosen't change anything,then he has super strength,speed, vision,durability,stamina and reflexes and he has a trident that is magic and can control lightning and water.

[@madmatrix30]

I heard that Aquaman can control humans since we evolved from aquatic life. He once gave someone a seizure.

[@morganyoung3557]

The best part of this review is definitely you showing why Aquaman shouldn’t mocked, Aquaman is definitely the most underrated bad ass ever. I also agree that the Teen Titans or Titans (depending on the ages of the group) are one of the coolest superhero teams ever.

[@powerist209]

Now this comic is officially creepy with the revelation of Titans Hunt's story on why there was no Teen Titans in New 52.

[@daelen.cclark]

powerist I’ve never read the titans hunt miniseries, is it any good?

[@calsh14]

@@daelen.cclark I'm a year late, but yes. They actually made sure to have Gnarrk & Mal Duncan be important. Then the Rebirth Titans run decided to forget Mal and Gnarrk, ruined the team in the middle of the series, DIDNT bring back Danny Chase, made Dick and the others cede control of the team to the Justice League (even though in the Pre-N52 continuity Dick told the JL to go suck a dick and leave the Titans alone) revamped Donna Troy's origin once again, tried to get Wally and Donna as a thing, had Omen actually be important (which I enjoyed), was the ONLY series doing the Dr. MANHATTAN storyline, and screwed over the original team by having Dick not recruit his old friends to the team, post No Justice mind you, instead of untested newbies

[@JKJ1900]

A Richard Attenborough fan club? I'd join that in a second!

[@MasteroftheZ]

Okay, that Our Town joke. I don't know if this is a common thing, but my school's acting body fought are drama program so long to get Our Town to not be produced. Eventually it came down to either doing Our Town or nothing at all for the rest of the year. And that is why no play was made at my high school that year.

[@JaelinBezel]

What is “Our Town”?

[@MasteroftheZ]

@@JaelinBezel Our Town is a play written by Thorton Wilder. The play itself is about what it's like to live in a small American town and the importance of life and how wonderful it is. The problem with the play in my opinion is that it's INCREDIBLY UNINTERESTING. Nothing really happens in the play. Turns out the lives of normal people in rural America is incredibly boring.

[@JaelinBezel]

@@MasteroftheZ So why did the drama program want to do it so badly as to make such an ultimatum?

[@Avigorus]

No no no, not Neutro riding the whale, but a giant turtle taking the island upon its back. Oh, and the appearance of a very clumsy old guy with a curious, self-propelled luggage being chased by a skeleton in a billowing black cloak. :-D

[@thehoodedteddy1335]

You know, it took you reviewing this comic to realize. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are very obviously supposed to be Aquaman and Aqualad. To be fair, I was watching spongebob long before I even knew who Aquaman was, but still, how has it taken me this long to realize it?

[@AmySay]

This was the first Linkara video I ever watched!!

[@charlesgorman4919]

You know why you don't make fun of Aquaman Linkara, it is because you are smart.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

Aqualad is atop the narwhal.

[@TheBonkleFox]

I'm with you about aquaman. for anyone who thinks he's useless all i can do is point to blackest night, where the zombified corpse of aquaman controls fucking fish zombies to wreak havoc on the atlantean army.

[@MJ-zl3vo]

24:18 Taking "Sleeping" with the fishes to a Whole new Meaning

[@tannerprice2018]

My only history with the Teen Titans as a kid was the TV show. Before TT Go screwed it over.

[@RaphBlade7]

You know, recently I have seen two Nick Jr. shows (Peppa Pig and The Adventures of Paddington) where the characters try to teach children that the classic "message in a bottle" is a form of littering and involve an older character having made the message in a bottle when they were children (Grampy Rabbit who's first name is revealed to be Reggie in Peppa Pig, while it was Mr. Curry in Paddington). Considering that mindset, one could argue that the message in a bottle Aqualad gets is both littering (and potentially animal cruelty if we factor the eel into this). Guess it shows how times have changed, as behaviors that were once considered completely harmless, now seem problematic.

[@Novanglus1735]

Hmmmm...could Aquaman really summon Cthulhu? Cthulhu does live in the ocean but he isn't a native of the oceans, being a Great Old One.

[@AlluMan96]

Summon? Not sure. However, Aquaman has beaten Cthulhu up, so at the very least, Cthulhu is Aquaman's bitch.

[@ellnats]

1:41 DC has continued to earn my distain and utter hatred

[@rjd-kh8et]

That terrible video game couldn't have helped Aquaman's reputation, either.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

13:24 I hope Lewis Eventually "Gag Busts" the "You want me to mock Aquaman" Joke (b having somebody respond "No, because you have said he is....") given his film proved his badassery and Since 2000's nobod mocks aquaman thanks to his appearances in cartoons, tv series, AND EVEN the most "Silver Age" Aquaman we have got in the "Batman: Brave and the Bold" cartoon proved to be more badass than his "dark edgy" counterparts. Although LEGO 2 mocked the "original aquaman" for not beign as cool as his 2018 movie self....

[@ellnats]

the dread Cupig, you shall be my enemy, but dont worry, its more like we put on a show for parties and charities, like the guys in costume at disney land or something

[@2wingo]

No offense, Lewis, but "when they stop giving me things to bitch about I'll stop doing the bitching" is the second biggest lie on the Internet (the biggest being "I have read and agree to these terms and conditions").

[@cartooncritic7045]

Kekicus Maximus.

[@theruoc147]

I'm so glad I saw this video, it let's me appreciate the awesomeness of the Titan's miniseries even more.

[@violagreene4643]

At least the gaudily clad teenagers didn't ask to be taken to the nuclear wessels.

[@magnos_decimus]

I love the secret origin's month theme song

[@infinityalbi9840]

Meta_Melcan The original one is the Justice League animated series theme song. The second one is the Avengers movie theme. You're welcome...

[@masterofthelag8414]

21:18 DEAR GOD THAT FACE D:

[@TheTheDontae]

.........you ok homie your nose

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I'll stand by you on Aquaman. I don't read a lot of comics, but just what I remember from Justice league (the cartoon), I always felt like he was a character who could be good in the right hands. And that wasn't exactly the best possible version of Aquaman out there.

[@bardocksboy2840]

Finally! Thank you for pointing out just how much Aquaman's powers extend to.

[@andreworders7305]

I kind of love the Mr. Twister design

[@smurphy8881]

I want to see a design for the Dread Cupig

[@captainjackharkness2136]

You and me both.

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

+Sean Murphy 40.media.tumblr.com/c6d37a5adeafbc26fa618dc0e9014e1e/tumblr_mit6ywGu551ra8s5ko1_500.png We have one!

[@smurphy8881]

and now the universe has completed the job for which it was designed for. Such a glorious day.

[@masterofthelag8414]

+TheHeroOfTomorrow I love it, 10/10 make it a full book

[@dannyfenlon2476]

Screw spiderman!! I want pictures of the dread cupig

[@henrygvidonas9573]

"Leaping mantas!" Thuffering thuccotash!

[@lucasmackey2808]

5:51 There sure glad I don’t look stupid in this

[@lynngreen7978]

Are those grenades on his staff - or turtle shells? The shells would fit the Amerind theme of the staff. The town rental agreement sounds like the one Gotham city had with the Amerinds in the '66 Batman.

[@wilsonkierankitsune]

Is this the first time "sure glad I Don't look stupid in this" was used?

[@RaphBlade7]

I thought the saying was "Sleeps with the Fishes", not "Swims with the Fishes".

[@jayarby8494]

23:52 We can use whales! *WHAAAAAAAAAAALES!*

[@KnightlyNerdandDork]

Dear Linkara, since you're a Titan fan like me I wonder: did Mr Twister make a recent comeback after this comic?

[@andrewbarone3781]

He got transformed into "gargoyle" later in the 60s series and later showed up in the 2015 Titans Hunt as some sort of eldritch being who killed Don Hall/Dove.

[@stanswan6184]

Looking forward to your fav era of titans; stories and team

[@Smartalic10]

I think the better question for the narwhal is...how fast is that narwhal to get from the attic all the way to whatever they are?

[@zakfett92]

One of the worst things the New 52 did was ruin the backstory of Mr. Freeze. In his original story he was sympathetic, but in the new one he's just pathetic.

[@seb24789]

I wonder what Linkara thinks about DCs 2012 He-Man reboot.

[@kovulover]

THOSE ARE WORSE THAN GRENADES THOSE ARE TURTLE SHELLS, SOMEONE WARN MARIO

[@davidspring4003]

hey. Lewis, your review of Hulk #1 appears to be missing from your playlist of uploaded videos. idk if that's because you didn't upload it, it was taken down for some reason, or if you just forgot to put it in your playlist.

[@Nightwing9597]

What’s going on with Linkara’s nose in this episode?

[@fredjones2170]

@Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall: You realize you passed up a golden opportunity at 8:20 to make a David Cameron joke, right?

[@williammorahan4907]

Who?

[@dunkanbulk14]

hey linkara, do you think maybe someday you could check out the lego bionicle and/or hero factory comics made by dc?

[@crazbach9696]

18:16 Bro, that’s hilarious🤣🤣

[@dejaypage1575]

24:16 Ah Wally, you're just jealous that Garth gets all the girls. Just ask Star and Raven, they crushed on him when they met him;; ...I know it's the cartoon, do what?

[@jessewilley531]

The type of clubhouse big enough for all of them would require zoning permits.

[@andreworders7305]

Can someone explain the Tony Harris joke?

[@starrs0]

If Mr. Twister had just from the get go brought in The Mighty Glow Cloud (ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD) to rain his bounty of dead animals onto the town those kids would've been fucked

[@Romrojal]

I think that's a green fruit or 2 turtle shells hanging from Mr. Twister's staff.

[@jimlovejes]

17:46 too much pink energy is dangerous.

[@IzzysIssues]

Dread Q Pig? Not "The Baconator"? I'm almost disappointed.

[@jamesadamsfl]

Good review, though I would have preferred if Linkara had at least discussed THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #60, just like he gave a quick run-down of Batman’s origins after analyzing DETECTIVE COMICS #27. Looking back on this issue, I can’t decide if Titan Hunt’s decision to turn Mister Twister into a demon responsible for erasing the world’s memory of the Teen Titans is really goofy and contrived or if it’s a fun nod to the team’s origins.

[@romdan7136]

Ya know, i think about the Power Ranger Joke and it's like....Wally has MET the rangers lmao (Or was it Barry for that one?)

[@Tareltonlives]

Narwhal tusks (that's right-those are teeth, not horns) are also sensitive to pressure and temperature. Needless to say, NArwhals are not beavers. Why not walrus? Or a fish that burrows like a blenny? Granted, those are tiny, but hey, he's Aquaman's pal; he can get a whole bunch of crabs and fish and other digging animals out there.

[@andreworders7305]

22:16 seems like Aqualad would be better suited to tailing the boat

[@Weirdoid]

Mr. Twister? Will he sell them plastic worms?

[@andreworders7305]

Oh, the mediocre old days when the worst Star Trek series was Enterprise. How spoiled we were then.

[@BlackGoldSaya]

Dude, what happened to your nose?

[@georgemiser]

Are they assholes though? The teens were supposedly just as big a part of the town and their lives as they were of their parents. Maybe it MIGHT come off as ''disrespectful'' to the families of those kids if you look deep enough, but yeah. The townsfolk are justified in their reasons to mourn.

[@mobius273]

15:29 look at those fuck-me-eyes on aqualad

[@Justicion88]

How do Kids go on Strike? Well this question didnt age well.