Polite Dissent

Tales of the Teen Titans #50 is a double-sized anniversary comic book that observes the marriage of Donna Troy to Terry Long. Held at the palatial Dayton estate (Garfield Logan’s house — at least in the pre-Crisis, pre-Byrne era), the wedding guests included almost everyone who had ever been a member of the Teen Titans. The caveman Gnarrk was the only no-show (but his existence would soon be a moot point with the looming Crisis).

Hank and Don Hall appear at the bottom of a single page, where Donna introduces them to Terry. She presents them as Hank and Don as well as Hawk and Dove — so much for secret identities (although she seems to be introducing Don as Hawk and Hank as Dove). A snide reference is made to their previous appearance in The Brave and the Bold #181:

Terry: Funny, I got the impression you were older.
Hank: Yeah, lately everyone’s been saying that.

This comic can best be described as a celebration — like all weddings should be. There are no super-villains, no nefarious plots and no threats to loved ones. What makes the story all the more poignant is the fact that both Terry and Donna have since suffered completely pointless deaths; Terry and their son Robert died in Wonder Woman #121 and Donna was killed in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3.

This is the final appearance of Hawk and Dove (or in this case, Hank and Don Hall) before Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was to start in a mere six months.

Given my recent fascination with Duela Dent, I thought that I’d throw in her appearance in this comic as well. She gets more lines than the Hall brothers. They get no respect, I tell you.