So with the Teen Titans and the Titans now both having their prequel specials out, I can say I think we are heading into interesting times to come.

Titans is for me personally the kind of book I have sort of been waiting to show up for a long time now, a book where you take Titans characters and give them a tangible goal to work towards. The Source Wall is broken and as a result it's creating new metahumans that might turn out dangerous to themselves and others. The Titans job is to predict, stop and help the afflicted before anyone gets hurt. There will of course be people who don't want that and some who will seek to exploit it. And the team for once has the League's backing, which is nice.

Their special is centred around Nightwing getting his team to join him, with most having somekind of experience with the results of the broken Source Wall. Some join readily, some more reluctantly. And the only green spanner in the works shows up at the very end when the backing of the League shows it's flip side in the guise of a chaperone (or babysitter).

I quite liked this special because I felt it set up everything we needed for the actual series to begin, we have a threat for the team to deal with, we have an introduction to the whole team, everyone has a reason for why they are there and we get a base of operations set up before the first alarm goes off.

Teen Titans is heading in the exact opposite way, nearly. Damian, Wally (II) and Emiko have all collectively realized that the old ways, ways of those older than themselves, are not working for them and they need to be different if they want to make any real change. Which will mean they will be going against pretty much everyone in tights right now, mentors included.

Their special is more set up around the three main characters, Damian, Wally and Emiko learning some harsh lessons that will drive them towards each other and that older people sucks. Damian learns its better to fight fire with fire when Black Mask blows up his favourite diner. Wally learns why you should never hand a suspect over to the Suicide Squad. And Emiko learns her mother is a b****, as if she didn't already know that. It's very 'Cry for Justice'-like in the sense the major players have all been 'wronged' and now they are out to do something about it.

Of the two I actually found TT to be the more interesting, since Titans is very much a standard roll-call of the team, while TT provides the rather grizzly situations that's going to bring this group together. Its not that its something we haven't seen before, it's just not the usual cup of tea for the Teen Titans to assemble over a pile of bodies who don't include any of their caped friends.

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Down the road however, I suspect the team of Titans may have the greater staying power, since it's team is a collection of old stalwarts and fan favourites. Teen Titans has three existing characters, two of which are quite polarizing, and three characters we haven't actually met yet. Not to mention these two teams are nearly bound to end up in a confrontation sooner rather than later due to the appearance of Brother Blood in both the Titans Special, and in the advanced preview of Teen Titans. And to top it off the Titans has League backing and the Teen Titans are going to be seen as having gone off the rails, for TT thats a great set off but eventually I think it might wear thin.