The Teen Titans have witnessed numerous roster changes over the years, with new and old members joining, departing, and making comebacks. However, a charmingly delightful piece of fanart underscores the enduring appeal of the original team as one of the best incarnations. Additionally, it unexpectedly and inadvertently foreshadowed current events in comic continuity, making this fanart even more notable.
In 2020, artist Lin took to Instagram to share a hilariously wholesome depiction of DC’s original Teen Titans team, featuring Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad. The artwork captures the young heroes in the peak of their youth as they construct a human tower.
Garth forms the shakey base of this tower, with Speedy using him as a foothold and Dick Grayson perched atop his shoulders. Similarly, Donna Troy balances on Dick’s shoulders, her hair held by Wally’s hand as he occupies the pinnacle of the tower, with Speedy trying his best to hold the speedster up.
Given Wally’s position at the top of the human tower and the less-than-enthusiastic facial expressions of his comrades, it’s evident that this stunt was undoubtedly the Speedster’s idea, who is depicted with a broad grin and a triumphant hand raised. Conversely, Roy looks exceptionally panicked and on the verge of toppling over with Wally in his arms. While Dick and Donna appear equal parts exasperated and unamused by their role in the tower. Hilariously, poor Garth seems to be reaching his limits as he strains to support the combined weight of the four other heroes.
In addition to the humor captured in Lin’s fanart, she also excels in detailing the background, which tells the story of the young heroes taking a breather from their heroics as they perch on a graffiti-laden rooftop, surrounded by copious amounts of soda and bags of McDonald’s. This further accentuates the youthful essence of the characters, rendering the scene especially nostalgic. Moreover, the costumes of each Teen Titan also contribute to this nostalgia, portraying every character in their original attire before they transitioned to new aliases and updated costumes.
As previously mentioned, Lin’s fanart was published over four years ago. Hence, there was no way she could have known that her depiction of the original Teen Titans was predicting comic continuity developments in 2024. Tom Taylor’s ongoing Titans run features Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven, but it has also notably brought the original Teen Titans back into the fold, with the exception of Roy Harper. Therefore, Lin’s artwork may have originally been intended as a throwback piece, but it also inadvertently demonstrated a prophetic element by predicting the reunion of the original Teen Titans.
Source: Lin