Polite Dissent

The second of two New Teen Titans anti-drug PSA comics from the early 1980s. Once again, this comic features an intro by then-First Lady Nancy Reagan as well as the Robin stand-in “The Protector.”

The plot is extremely basic. The Titans bust some drug dealers, thrust themselves into the lives or some local children, and bust some more drug dealers. Every few pages, one of the neighborhood children takes a few panels to explain why they became a junkie and why they don’t want to be one anymore. It’s a lot like the married-couple interludes in When Harry Met Sally, only without the charm. Speedy, everyone’s favorite ex-druggie superhero gets his own page as well.

It’s plainly obvious this time that generic teen hero “The Protector” is just a re-tooled Robin. There are a number of slip-ups along the way that show he was originally meant to be the Boy Wonder. For instance, in the first few pages me mentions how happy he is to work with the Titans for the first time, yet he keeps saying things like, “And you know how Starfire is.” In the most blatant scene, there is a close up of pair of eyes behind a dark green diamond mask giving orders to the rest of the team — despite the fact that no one present wears that mask (except Robin. Who’s not there because he sold his soul to Nabisco. You heard me! He’s not there! Nothing to see here! Move on!)

The art this time is by George Perez, and as usual is outstanding. The story by Marv Wolfman is plodding and slow. It hits all the “drugs are bad” talking points, but in a pedestrian un-inspired way. I think Marvel’s method of having two shorter stories per PSA comic makes for a much better read.
Just like last time, the last four pages are do-it-yourself worksheets on ethical dilemmas for the reader. This time, these pages are introduced by Ernie the Keebler elf. In my professional opinion, if you hear a little elf talking to you, you either need to stop taking drugs entirely, or start taking some much stronger ones.

Take a look at the back cover. Look familiar? It should. It’s the same as last week’s, just with Speedy in place of Kid Flash (though I suspect that this is the original).

This comic was brought to you by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Customs Service, and those fun loving elves from the Keebler Company.