Legendary friendships abound in comics, and perhaps one of the most enduring is between Raven and Starfire, from the Teen Titans, and an awesome piece of fan art reimagines the duo as icons of style; Raven rocks a classic goth look, and Starfire working a more jock-oriented, but still geeky, outfit. Even though the two are in a completely different context, the piece perfectly captures what makes Raven and Starfire’s friendship one of the best.
In the early 1980’s, DC Comics tapped writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez to revamp the dormant Teen Titans franchise. Launching in November 1980, Wolfman and Perez’s New Teen Titans was a smash hit with both fans and critics, and finally gave DC a book that could compete with Marvel’s X-Men, then enjoying runaway success. Wolfman and Perez took existing Titans, such as Robin, Speedy, and Donna Troy and mixed them in with newcomers Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire. The creators then gave the new recruits some of DC Comics’ most compelling backstories: Cyborg’s struggle to come to terms with his new body, Raven attempting to flee her father Trigon’s demonic legacy, and Starfire coping with a lifetime spent in slavery and servitude. These traumas forged bonds between all of the Titans, but Raven and Starfire especially, and a gorgeous piece of fan art celebrates this amazing friendship.
Artist Romy Jones shared the piece in an Instragram post, citing Gabriel Picolo’s recent Beast Boy Loves Raven graphic novel as inspiration. Starfire and Raven are walking side by side. Starfire is staring ahead, ready to face whatever comes their way; she is wearing a NASA logo t-shirt and jeans, as well as carrying her letter jacket over her shoulder. Raven, next to her, is looking to the side, an inquisitive look on her face. Her look is classic goth, with a black halter top, black pants and necklace, along with black fingernails. Fans approve, with over 7,000 likes.
Both Raven and Starfire have aged in the comics and left behind the “teenager” label long ago. Jones’ art restores Raven and Starfire to all their teen glory, showing how the duo might dress today. Starfire has always exuded confidence and beauty, even after the horrors she experienced, and Jones’ captures that. Starfire is a person of opposites: she remains optimistic in the face of it all and her look here, balancing a letter jacket (something considered “jock”) with a NASA logo shirt (which some may consider “geeky”) shows that. Raven, on the other hand, is looking sideways, for any threats that might think they can sneak up on them. Between Starfire’s eye on the future and Raven looking out for the present, nothing can stop them.
The Teen Titans Raven and Starfire’s personalities balance each other out. Starfire helps Raven deal with the darkness inside her, and Raven has helped Starfire sort out her past traumas. In the process, one of comics’ most enduring friendships was forged and amazing fan art from Romy Jones nails everything great about it.
Source: RomyJonesDraws