>CBR News: What is your personal history with the Teen Titans as characters, as a team, as a concept? Were you a fan before you came to the team for DC: Rebirth?
>Benjamin Percy: I dipped in and out of the Wolfman-Perez run when I was a kid — and then revisited the old issues after I graduated college and the Johns’s run rekindled my interest. When DC approached me about writing the series, I do what I always do: immerse myself in research. Watching “Young Justice” and “Teen Titans Go!”; reading every issue I could get my paws on. That’s the only way to approach an event like Rebirth: know what’s been written, so that I can cultivate the best of it, while giving the Teen Titans my own unique spin. Wolfman/Pérez and Geoff Johns remain my touchstones for quality.
>Various people have assumed leadership of the team over the years but now Damian Wayne has taken the reins. How does Damian’s approach vary?
>You won’t be surprised to hear he takes the team by force. It’s Damian after all. And you also won’t be surprised to hear that Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Kid Flash don’t appreciate his tyrannical approach.
>But slowly — and with difficulty — they’ll come to empathize with each other as they realize good intentions underlie Damian’s bad behavior. He’s not only looking to help himself, but save their lives, as they all face a common enemy.
>Benjamin Percy: I dipped in and out of the Wolfman-Perez run when I was a kid — and then revisited the old issues after I graduated college and the Johns’s run rekindled my interest. When DC approached me about writing the series, I do what I always do: immerse myself in research. Watching “Young Justice” and “Teen Titans Go!”; reading every issue I could get my paws on. That’s the only way to approach an event like Rebirth: know what’s been written, so that I can cultivate the best of it, while giving the Teen Titans my own unique spin. Wolfman/Pérez and Geoff Johns remain my touchstones for quality.
>Various people have assumed leadership of the team over the years but now Damian Wayne has taken the reins. How does Damian’s approach vary?
>You won’t be surprised to hear he takes the team by force. It’s Damian after all. And you also won’t be surprised to hear that Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Kid Flash don’t appreciate his tyrannical approach.
>But slowly — and with difficulty — they’ll come to empathize with each other as they realize good intentions underlie Damian’s bad behavior. He’s not only looking to help himself, but save their lives, as they all face a common enemy.
