May 1984
The Judas Contract: Book One - The Eyes of Tara Markov
By Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Dick Giordano
The Titans finally open up to Terra. They take her around town and show her where they live and introduce her to some of their friends (Terry Long, Sarah Sims). Tara and Gar share a kiss before she heads back to Titans Tower.
Terra arrives at the tower. Terra tries talking to Raven who tells her that she senses darkness in Tara’s soul. Terra gets angry and stomps off.
The next day the Titans engage in some training activities. Cyborg tests his strength while the others watch. His words make it clear that lifting the weight is more than just a physical accomplishment. He is still adjusting to the mechanical parts of his body and feels much less in control than he did before his father rebuilt his body.
Donna and Kory spar with staves on a raft in the pool. The first one to fall in the water loses. They seem to be evenly matched but Donna gets knocked overboard first.
Terra and Changeling are pitted against one another outdoors in the snow. She isn’t really interested in fighting him until he starts to insult her. She takes it easy on him until he starts getting a little too close to her. Something inside her snaps and she goes Dark Phoenix on him.
Changeling is unconscious when the fight ends. Terra has to be pulled off him by other Titans. Raven observes the fight and senses something truly frightening in Tara Markov. Raven is still fighting the dark side of her own soul and wonders if that is what she senses and not her teammate’s troubling core.
Terra apologizes to Changeling and the others. She tells them a story about when she was held hostage, by way of explanation. It rings a bit hollow but the others seem to accept it, with the exception of Raven. She doesn’t say anything but it shows in her eyes.
Deathstroke tells Tara that she made a grave mistake in losing her temper while sparring with Changeling. He is pleased with her work for the most part but now he has to finish the deal, with her help.
The chapter ends with Deathstroke and Terra getting ready to complete the contract that Grant, his son, failed to complete. They don’t know it but someone is watching them from a distance.
Thoughts
It is never stated explicitly but the visuals make it clear that Tara Markov is wearing contact lenses that are capable of transmitting photographs back to Deathstroke. She takes pictures of the Titans in their civilian lives as well as at the Tower. It is easy to ignore these visuals but studying them adds so much more to the story.
I remember reading this story when it first came out, buying it at the Chevy Chase Pharmacy, as I did several issues of this series. I’ve read it a few times before.
I prefer the coloring in the original comic book over the collected edition. The colors are a little more faded in the original but I think they look too sharp in the collected edition.
The title page announces (in the original comic book) that this is a four-part story. The titles have been edited out of the title page in the collected edition. I don’t think much is lost but it does look different and is worth noting.
I love the transition near the end as Terra is apologizing. There are several thin panels that stretch horizontally across the page focusing on different characters’ eyes. The focus goes from Terra to Raven to Terra to Raven to black to Deathstroke. I noticed it on the first read through but it wasn’t until I was flipping back through that it really stood out to me.
I got so into reading this story that lost track of where I was. I boarded the wrong train and took it further than I should have. It cost me probably a half hour of commute time.
This is a great opening chapter to this 4-part story. It sets the table quite nicely. The Titans have no idea what is coming next or what a big mistake they just made in opening up to Tara.
Titans' Tower
Overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans about New Teen Titans (1980) 36 and 37, many of whom were happy to see George Perez return after a very brief hiatus.
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