For the length of this blog I have resisted mentioning other comics companies except when discussing those characters acquired by DC Comics such as Fawcett, Quality, and Charlton.

But now I find myself forced to mention Marvel Comics.

Not because I have any inherit disdain about Marvel, far from it, they’re characters are arguably grittier and less god like than those in the DCU and therefore more accessible due to their humanity.  Even those wielding God-Like powers in the Marvel Universe have flaws and every day problems.

I mention Marvel Comics for one reason alone, Kitty Pryde.

Kitty Pryde is a character in the X-Men line of comics from Marvel and she joins the X-Men as their youngest admitted member at the time.  Kitty undergoes a trial by fire including one of the classic comic book time traveling/alternate history stories “Days of Future Past”* which tells the tale of how mutants (such as the X-Men) are slaughtered by all mankind because of their powers.

Kitty becomes a beloved and trusted ally and an X-Man for many years.

Now, what happens when you take that formula of the sweet little super heroine and turn it upside down?

You get Terra.

The Judas Contract is the culmination of a plot that started back in New Teen Titans #1, so lets review a little bit.

  • When escaping her captors, Starfire crashes into Earth sending the Gordanians to Earth to retrieve her.  This caused the Gordanians to destroy the apartment of a Mr. Grant Wilson.
  • As a result of this Grant Wilson loses his girlfriend due to his callousness and his apartment due to damage.  He becomes enraged and embittered towards the Titans and seeks out a method of revenge.
  • The evil organization known as H.I.V.E. comes forth and subjects Grant to an experiment giving him super powers, powers that H.I.V.E. demanded Grant use to bring in the Titans.
  • Calling himself The Ravager, Grant Wilson attacks the Titans and very well could have destroyed them had it not been for the fact that the powers were burning him out and he was not going to last long.
  • Raven gave Ravager his last wish by allowing him to see the Titans dead, however this did not end the matter.
  • Ravager’s father is Slade Wilson, The Terminator, and Terminator picked up the contract.  First believing that he could take on the Titans himself, Slade was beaten, but barely by the Titans.  It was then that Slade realized that he was going to need help.
  • Enter Terra.  A girl with new earth moving powers that found Slade.  Her age, powers, and guile made her the perfect accomplice and she was planted into the group so that she could learn all the Titans’ secrets.

And that mission is accomplished in the first issue of The Judas Contract, The Eyes of Tara Markov.

Using contact lens cameras, Terra has been recording every move of the Titans and this is the day when the Titans reveal their secret lives.  We open upon Starfire as Kory Anders posing for a film festival poster as photographer Donna Troy shoots the film.   As Cyborg returns to his apartment in Hell’s Kitchen and as Dick Grayson heads up to his walk up apartment.  Changeling and Raven do not have secret identities per se, and Changeling heads to his home in Steve Dayton’s mansion, which will be the locale for Donna Troy’s wedding.  Raven meanwhile meditates in Titans Tower which brings up an interesting point about Raven and Terra.

In every instance Raven must touch someone to heal them and at every turn Terra has fled from Raven’s touch.  Terra has played this off as being superstitious and just plain not liking Raven, however we find here that Raven is the only Titan that suspects Terra’s duplicity, but because of her own inner battle with her father’s evil, she has not informed the Titans of her instincts.  Most likely Terra’s natural acting ability has been interfering a bit with Raven’s empathic powers with Raven’s self-doubt helping out.

Terra swears to herself “Witch, I’m saving you for myself.”

The next time we view the Titans they are in the midst of battle training.  Cyborg pushes his strength further than before, Starfire bests Wonder Girl in staff fighting, but it is the test battle between Changeling and Terra that is the true story here.

One of Changeling’s trademarks is his taunting, he picks an enemy and a nickname for them and begins to distract the enemy via taunting, humorous comments.  He chooses this strategy with Terra and it sets her off, her psychopathic nature exhibits itself and she nearly kills Changeling in a rage, when this was supposed to be just an easy battle exercise.

We get a bit of a hint that Terra had been teased a lot as a child, perhaps this is because she is the illegitimate daughter of a King or for her pronounced buck teeth, its difficult to say.  The only thing to be sure of is that she almost blew her cover and the entire plan.

Raven appears on the scene and tries to help Garfield and Terra.  Her eyes pierce through Terra and the scene shifts back to the Terminator.  Terra and the Terminator are more than partners by this point, they are also lovers.

Yes Terra is 15-16 making Deathstroke a child molester at best, but one could look at Terra in her nightgown, crude moll style makeup, and cigarette and say Deathstroke wasn’t the first to go spelunking.

The two villains leave Deathstroke’s hideout and it is time for…the betrayal.

Next Up:  Dick Grayson adopts a new identity, a new Titan appears, and the origin of Deathstroke the Terminator.

* = see the correction in the comments, after all my first No Prize deserves to be noted.