Blog Post
Superchum's Favorite Superheroes: Raven from Teen Titans
Steve Myers • Jun 24, 2020
Who's Your Favorite Teen Titan? For Superchum, it's Always Been Raven
The Adventures of Superchum
is one of the top web comics, and is about Superchum the world's friendliest hero. As a superhero parody, the funny comic strip chronicles many wacky adventures involving its primary heroes Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders. The ingredients of what makes its funny comic ideas work as a superhero webcomic
are all rooted in my history of growing up reading super hero comic books.
So to really understand the framework of what Superchum is built upon, and where all the superhero jokes and comic strip ideas originate, I thought it would be nice to take a look at who some of my favorite superheroes are. This is a a small series that will delve into the inspirations behind Superchum or the superhero comics
that inspired me as an artist. And for the first installment I'm going to start with Raven from the Teen Titans.
Raven is a character from DC Comics. Raven is a superhero. She's a member of the group the Teen Titans. She first appeared (along with the rest of the "New Teen Titans") in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26, circa 1980. She was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez.
She's a magic user, and is the daughter of the demon Trigon and a woman from Gotham City named Arella.
Raven's powers include:
- Darkness/Shadows Control: Raven has the power to create and control the element of pure darkness and shadows and bend it to her will; often using it in conjunction with her telekinesis.
- Soul-Self/Astral Projection: The basis of almost all of Raven's powers are derived from her soul-self. She is able to project her own spirit from her body into a ghostly form, using it to interact with the physical world, affect others mentally, and to traverse through time-space.
- Advanced Telekinesis: Raven can merge a small part of her soul-self into objects in order to take control of them, with the object essentially becoming an extension of her soul-self.
- Telekinetic Constructs: With her soul-self able to be molded into any shape, Raven often creates simple domes or walls that act as barriers against attack. She can project solid bolts to be used as projectiles, or a steady stream of solid force.
- Telekinetic Force-Fields: She can erect unusually strong shields of sheer telekinetic and dark energy around herself and others for protection.
- Telekinetic Teleportation: In conjunction with her telekinesis, Raven's soul-self is able to envelop her (along with a max of four other people) and travel to other dimensions, primarily Azarath. She can use this technique to travel vast distances on Earth or to teleport by momentarily displacing herself and then re-appearing in another location.
- Empathy: The psionic ability to sense the emotions of others, allowing her to gain insight into their thoughts and intentions, and even experience their own feelings. This also enables her to sense the mental state of others, as she has stated that she would know if someone's mind had been tampered with.
- Levitation: Raven can levitate off the ground and hover, without visible projection of her dark energy as is shown when she utilizes telekinesis. Her power is also sufficient to enable her to counter the gravitational pull of other planets.
That's all well and good but why is she one of Superchum's favorite superheroes? What about Raven inspires Chumliness?
I've long been a fan of the Teen Titans. George Perez is one of my favorite artists and while it may not show in my particular style of art, he has been an artist that has inspired me since I was young. I've tried to draw like him in the past. And I voraciously collect the comics and art he puts out.So over the years I've read a ton of Teen Titans. I also have a penchant for magic users. I love Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate
and Doctor Occult and the Scarlet Witch. But among them all Raven was always different.
What makes her so cool, and why she's had an impact on The Adventures of Superchum is the source of her angst. Her troubled heritage creates so much drama that stories that revolve around her have always had an added level of gravitas. Whether it was Trigon coming to destroy the world, or Raven struggling to control the darkness inside her, the tale always had an edge. But in the middle of all that was Raven herself, standing strong and being loyal to her friends, the Titans. She's very much the core of what I always want the Befrienders
to be: Even in darkness, friendship can shine.
Also, when making funny comic strips with tons of superhero jokes, Raven has always been a beacon of humor. In the cartoons, voiced by Tara Strong, Raven has a sharp edged wit that I have always found funny and entertaining.
Raven brings the funny! And that has always been a primary piece of what I aspire to do with my own work. So it came as no surprise to me that over the years, Raven keeps popping up as my most often requested sketch when I go to shows, events, and conventions.
DC Comics Has New Raven YA Book
Update: Raven is now also the subject of a brand new YA graphic novel published by DC Comics. The book can be found here, at DC Comics' official site. The book, written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo is a fun re-invention of Raven's standard characterization. It's been updated for today's readers but still maintains all of the elements that makes Raven a fan favorite.
Raven Sketches at Shows
Since I began going to shows as an artist in artist's alley, I've offered my services as a sketch artist. Usually not more than a few bucks will get you an 8.5" x 11" black and white inked drawing of whatever you request (within reason). And one of the most interesting trends throughout the years has been Raven. She is the most commonly requested subject in my sketches. Below you will see one of the sketches I was asked to do last year:
It's always fun to be asked to draw Raven. As a character design she's very interesting. She has the cloak, and the darksoul, as well as her magic abilities. There's so many ways you can take those elements and construct them into a dynamic image. Also as a Teen Titan, she's young and you can play up that vulnerability of youth to create even more dramatic energy in a sketch. Here are some more examples of sketches I've done of Raven:
Recently I took one of my favorite sketches of Raven and transformed it into a print, which I bring with me to shows and conventions now. That way if someone wants a more polished piece of Raven, they can get it. Below is a before and after of the initial image of the print:
To make the piece I took the pencil sketch above, and transformed it into a larger pen and ink drawing on paper. After that I scanned it into my computer and colored it in Adobe Photoshop. And this is what the final print looks like:
This piece was very fun to draw and has ended up being one of my most popular items at shows. I like it because I feel I captured both the energy of Raven's power as well as the vibrance of her youth. It really melds the Teen Titans Go! aspect of Raven with the more traditional DC Comics aspects of her character. I also added the logo and other print items of the recent Raven limited series around it to make it look like an "alternate" cover just for fun.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Myers
Artist and Creator
Steve created Superchum when he was 13. He's been drawing a version of Superchum and the Mighty Befrienders
since 1995.
Inspired heavily by both Superman and The Tick, Superchum is Steve's homage to the Golden and Silver Age of comics.
Steve is an award winning cartoonist and designer who has had his artwork used in movies, books, and comics since the 1990s.
He's also a Search Engine Optimization expert and creator of Doctor Digital the World's First SEO Superhero. Other comics work from Steve include Dirk Fantastic and Spacejacked, both published by Oddity Prodigy Productions. And also Smash Bronson Beach Detective, published by Cat and Mouse Press.
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