The idea of Dick Grayson using a computer as a teenager bugs me. Intellectually, I understand the whole sliding timeline thing. Dick Grayson is younger than me now, so obviously his teen years had instant messaging in them.

But it’s still weird. Even though I know how old the character is supposed to be, and I can accept him living in the modern world right now, I can’t picture his early years being set in anything other than the decades those stories were written in.

I had the same trouble when Spider-Man: Chapter 1 came out. Uncle Ben buying Peter an Apple computer just seemed wrong. I had a much easier time with Ultimate Spider-Man. Probably because that was essentially a new character, not rewriting the history of the one in the regular Spidey comics.

I think I’m partly bothered because this is a game of catch up that nobody can ever really win. 30 years from now somebody is going to write another story about the early days of the Teen Titans. That version will start off with Robin using a holo-cell phone, and things like instant messaging on a computer will look quaint.

Jason, I had the same reaction. I will always picture the Teen Titans getting together in the 60’s. Anything else just feels off to me.

Pretty art, though.

“We run the risk of the characters disappearing altogether”

I don’t really see that at all. Roy, Donna, Wally, and Dick are all still around. A Year One type book can be fun to read, but I don’t see any risk of the characters fading away if they don’t get one.

I think the problem is really more the use of the term “IM’ing” and the fact that the keyboard and monitor are separate components rather than a single huge console, because of course the Batcave has had computers for decades.

Every character in comics has sliding timelines. When the Fantastic Four retell their origin, they don’t mention the cold war space race or the fact that Ben and Reed were WWII vets. Frank Castle was originally a Vietnam vet, but that must be forgotten as well. The JLA Year One (Waid-Kitson) and Batman Year One (Miller) and Man of Steel (Byrne) all retold the early days with modern sensibilities… Why should the Teen Titans be any different?

As charming as the Haney-Cardy issues were, the goofiness didn’t allow for much character depth. I’m all for a modern retelling of the Titans’ early days! Worrying about when the iPod was introduced and why “early Robin” would have one is just silly. Just enjoy the gorgeous art and fun story…

“Worrying about when the iPod was introduced and why “early Robin” would have one is just silly”

It’s not a worry, it’s a reaction. As I said, it won’t keep me from enjoying the book.

Frank Castle is still a Vietnam vet and always will be, he made a deal with Death in Born, which keeps in young in the regular Marvel universe. I don’t care about the sliding time scale, this book looks awesome!