I remember when this storyline came out in the original comic. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for each next issue to be released. This is also where the character of Nightwing came to be. I remember vividly the panel with Dick Grayson walking down stairs in his new costume.
Now one of the greatest Teen Titans storylines is an animated film with Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. Of course there are some alterations made. We don’t get Dick Grayson’s transformation into Nightwing, but instead have him showing up to help the team after a long absence. Already joined is Damien Wayne as the current Robin – as seen in the previous animated film Justice League vs. Teen Titans.
Terra, the new member of the team, is having problems fitting in and is rather antagonistic, keeping her distance from the team. Blue Beetle, not in the original storyline but now a member of the team in the comics, is having a problem with his symbiotic alien scarab. Starfire is the leader of the team, and Cyborg isn’t here. These are just a few of the alterations to the storyline, but overall what we have here is a solid recreation of the comic story – one that still resonates more than 30 years later.
And if you are familiar with the original storyline from the comic chances are you will already know how this ends. This is not the end of the Teen Titans by any stretch of the imagination, and the ending of the film as well as the post-credits scene lay out the foundation for future stories.
Special features kick off with a half hour with Marv Wolfman and George Perez reminiscing about their creation of the team and their working relationship. This is a great visit with these two legends. Then we get a few minutes looking at the character of Deathstroke. Then there is a “sneak peek” at the upcoming Batman & Harley Quinn animated film and a couple of episodes of the “Teen Titans” animated series that focus on Terra. By far the best is the Wolfman/Perez bit.
If you’re a fan of Teen Titans or the DC animated films then you need to add this. It ranks up there as one of the better storylines and this is a decent adaptation of it.