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"No, Robin, it is you who have been defeated. I have captured the king... your pawns cannot save you. You have lost. "
- The BrainOriginally aired: January 7, 2006 Written by Amy Wolfram
Directed by Ben Jones
The final game has begun. While the Titans are spread out throughout the globe on one last mission, Brotherhood mastermind the Brain makes his move. Robin has a strategy of his own, but as all the villains begin taking down all the superheroes all at once, will it be enough to save his friends?
Hynden Walch as Argent, Madame Rouge
Khary Payton as Herald
Dee Bradley Baker as Tramm, Gnarrk
Diane Delano as Pantha
Freddy Rodriguez as Mas Y Menos
Glenn Shadix as The Brain, Monsieur Mallah
This episode features the full animated debuts of Argent, Pantha, Jericho, Bushido, Herald and Killowat; It also features the full animated debuts of Cheshire and Psimon.
Story Editor Amy Wolfram on CALLING ALL TITANS: "For part one, CALLING ALL TITANS, that was definitely a challenge to have 54 characters fighting each other – and to have it build in a way that’s satisfying. So we used a trick from that old shampoo commercial, ‘so she told two friends, and he told two friends, and so on…’ So it’s constantly building exponentially, which I think was really cool. [...] The mixing and matching [of the characters] from my scenes came a lot from the board artists; They’d say, 'Wouldn’t it be cool if…' So I would say, 'Yeah. Let’s go for it.'"Story Editor Rob Hoegee on CALLING ALL TITANS and TITANS TOGETHER: "When we were doing the season finale episodes, you should have seen us. We got the big conference room here at the studio, which has a table that’s like 25 feet long. And the table was full of note cards - and had the artists draw a little picture of the character on each note card. So were literally mapped out where each character was at what point and what they were doing. It was really quite daunting."
This episode introduces Argent. Introduced in TEEN TITANS (second series) #1 [1996], The second group of Teen Titans were united by a common origin. The sinister H'San Natall alien race produced alien/human half-breeds to act as warrior sleeper agents on Earth. The seedlings - Argent, Risk, Joto and Prysm - were activated on their 16th birthdays. Led by the teenaged Atom, the youths joined under the auspices of former Titans mentor, Loren Jupiter. Silver-skinned Toni Monetti learned she had the ability to control bursts of silver plasma energy. Joining the Teen Titans as Argent, Toni evolved from spoiled rich girl to capable heroine. In this episode, Argent even remarks when she receives a Titans communicator that it clashes with her outfit. In the comics, Argent is Italian, not British.Pantha first hit the scene in NEW TITANS#74 [1991]. The team was thrown into turmoil when the Titans were viciously hunted by the Wildebeest Society. Titans were lost as new allies were found - such as Pantha, Phantasm and Baby Wildebeest. A result of the Wildebeest Society's macabre experiments, Pantha long sought the truths behind her origins. Pantha's razor sharp personality was softened when Baby Wildebeest bonded with ferocious feline as his 'mama' - much to her chagrin. This episode, Cyborg mentions that Pantha and Wildebeest are friends. Upon learning of Wildebeest's capture, Pantha becomes enraged.
Raven locates the Titan known as Herald. Streetwise Mal Duncan was invited to join the Titans by Loren Jupiter in TEEN TITANS #26 [1970]. Mal later adopted the identity of the Herald when his girlfriend Karen Beecher [Bumblebee] helped fashion a dimension-opening Gabriel's Horn for him. Herald and Bumblebee eventually settled down and married. But the Titanic twosome has come out of 'semi-retirement' when their Titans friends need them.
Raven locates Herald in Dimension X, which is an alien dimension encountered by the Teen Titans way back in 1968. In TEEN TITANS #16 [1968], The Teen Titans discovered that Hillsdale High actually is the secret base for an alien takeover. Entering "Dimension X," they rescued some of the students. The Dimension X aliens returned in TEEN TITANS #21-22 [1969].
Jericho first appeared in TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #42-44 [1984]. As son of Slade Wilson, Joe Wilson was born with the mutant ability to possess people once he made eye contact. A childhood accident left his vocal chord severed - leaving young Joey unable to speak. The gentle mute hero known as Jericho joined the Titans despite his familial ties. Long believed slain during an encounter with the Wildebeest Society in NEW TITANS #84 [1992], Jericho's damaged spirit has managed to return from certain death. When Beast Boy first meets Jericho, he is playing a guitar; In the comic book series, Jericho was an artist and musician.
In Asia, Robin locates Bushido. Marking his first appearance in TITANS ANNUAL #1 [1999], Japanese teenager Ryuko Orsono became the proud Bushido warrior upon his mother's death - fulfilling a long family line of honorable heroes. Bushido later joined the short-lived Titans L.A. Branch in TITANS SECRET FILES #2 [2000]. In this episode, Robin and Bushido fight demon-ninjas who turn to dust; Bushido battles various mythical creatures from Japanese folklore.
The time-tossed Team Titan named Killowat first appeared in NEW TITANS #79 [1991]. Hailing from a depressing alternate future, the timelost teens sought to prevent their own future. Originally a soldier for the evil Lord Chaos, Charlie Watkins realized the error of his ways during an accident with a bank of energy converters. Crackling with electricity, Charlie joined the Team Titans as Killowat! Killowat was later erased from time during the Zero Hour time crisis in 1994.
The asian assassin known as Cheshire made her first appearance in NEW TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2 [1983]. Vietnamese orphan Jade Nguyen learned to survive in the Far East through the study of martial arts and the craft of poison. Taking the name Cheshire, she became a feared and famous international assassin. Jade later had a daughter named Lian, the product of a brief yet passionate affair with Speedy. In this episode, the battle between Speedy and Cheshire has some special significance for long-time fans.
Psimon first plagued the Titans as a member of the Fearsome Five way back in NEW TEEN TITANS #3 [1981]. Dr. Simon Jones was given fantastic mental powers by Raven evil father, Trigon. Psimon gathered the Fearsome Five, a group of criminals, to destroy the Teen Titans.
Wonder Girl makes her second 'unofficial' appearance on the animated series with another cameo. She is seen on the compass wheel. Wonder Girl, also known as Donna Troy, is Wonder Woman's younger sister. She first appeared - and joined the Teen Titans - in Brave and the Bold #60 [1965].
For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
CALLING ALL TITANS is the culmination of season five. It's actually tough to meet expectations at this point. The Titans have been scattered around the globe, and between the good and evil teams, we've got 54 characters to contend with. What could have been a narrative mess is, instead, a visual treat.Wisely, the episode starts at a slower pace. Pairing each Titan with a new recruit accomplishes two things: One, we get to see some new animated Titans and see what makes them special; Two, the Brotherhood threat escalates to dangerous levels. The second half of the episode is a series of fight scenes - which could get boring. But thanks to the nimble direction of Ben Jones, it moves at a brisk pace while maintaining interest. The match-ups were great fun; Speedy vs. Cheshire, Raven vs. Psimon... the list goes on.
The new Titans are a delight; Animated Jericho, Pantha, Argent, Bushido and Herald all come off as strong characters in their own right. Lots of credit should go to Amy Wolfram for making these characters distinct amid 49 other characters vying for attention. This episode truly delivers on the build-up of season five. Grade: A
provided by John The Artist