Raven and Beast Boy
First known as the Teen Titans and then merely the Titans, the team has certainly had its share of ups-and-downs, of victories and defeats--none more so than these two, Raven and Beast Boy.
Raven has seen her origin change over the years since she was introduced in 1980, but generally she's presented as the offspring of a demon father, Trigon, and a human mother, Arella. She was raised in an alternate dimension, Azarath, where she was taught to suppress her emotions: should Raven ever lose control of herself, her demonic side would emerge and potentially turn her evil. Given Raven's control of mystical energy, her abilities as an empath, and her sheer power with spellcasting, she would be lethal. Afraid of both her own powers and her father's arrival on Earth, Raven helped reform the Teen Titans to stop him--and if necessary, herself.
Beast Boy (also known as Garfield Logan) got his powers more accidentally. Infected with a rare virus while living in Africa, his father used an experimental serum made from the blood of a West African green monkey to save his life. It did, though it also turned him green. Garfield didn't mind, though, since it also gave him the ability to shapeshift into any animal he had seen--even if it was just a picture in a book. After the Doom Patrol saved his life from an assassin, he joins up with them as Beast Boy; after the Doom Patrol was wiped out, he joined up with the Teen Titans, initially as Changeling, before reverting back to his earlier codename. He quickly became known as the jokester of the group, using quips and puns, even in combat--this was to mask his own fear and keep up his friends' morale. He also became something of a ladies' man, pursuing relationships with several superheroines, including Terra and Raven. In comics, he predates Raven by over a decade: Beast Boy debuted in 1965.
To comic aficionados and fans, Raven and Beast Boy were fairly well-known, but it was not until 2003 and the runaway success of the Teen Titans cartoon that they became known outside of comic circles. Their origins were kept largely intact, and both Raven and Beast Boy became popular for their personalities--Raven, the introverted girl who holds herself back out of fear, and Beast Boy, the extroverted boy who doesn't know the meaning of holding oneself back. It was not long before the two began being "shipped" with each other, given their opposite personalities, and the writers ran with the storyline. Though the original Teen Titans cartoon ended in 2006, it has continued with the crazier, more child-oriented Teen Titans Go!
Because of Raven's gray skin color (adopted by the cartoon because it is easier to animate), she is not the easiest character to cosplay; Beast Boy (who has always been green) just as much so. However, these two gave it a shot, and did just fine, with an excellent eye for detail. (The "real" BB doesn't wear glasses, but one has to make allowances for safety!) Given that they were posing up a storm for several photographers, that accounts for the blurriness of the picture--my fault, not theirs.
Raven and Beast Boy
First known as the Teen Titans and then merely the Titans, the team has certainly had its share of ups-and-downs, of victories and defeats--none more so than these two, Raven and Beast Boy.
Raven has seen her origin change over the years since she was introduced in 1980, but generally she's presented as the offspring of a demon father, Trigon, and a human mother, Arella. She was raised in an alternate dimension, Azarath, where she was taught to suppress her emotions: should Raven ever lose control of herself, her demonic side would emerge and potentially turn her evil. Given Raven's control of mystical energy, her abilities as an empath, and her sheer power with spellcasting, she would be lethal. Afraid of both her own powers and her father's arrival on Earth, Raven helped reform the Teen Titans to stop him--and if necessary, herself.
Beast Boy (also known as Garfield Logan) got his powers more accidentally. Infected with a rare virus while living in Africa, his father used an experimental serum made from the blood of a West African green monkey to save his life. It did, though it also turned him green. Garfield didn't mind, though, since it also gave him the ability to shapeshift into any animal he had seen--even if it was just a picture in a book. After the Doom Patrol saved his life from an assassin, he joins up with them as Beast Boy; after the Doom Patrol was wiped out, he joined up with the Teen Titans, initially as Changeling, before reverting back to his earlier codename. He quickly became known as the jokester of the group, using quips and puns, even in combat--this was to mask his own fear and keep up his friends' morale. He also became something of a ladies' man, pursuing relationships with several superheroines, including Terra and Raven. In comics, he predates Raven by over a decade: Beast Boy debuted in 1965.
To comic aficionados and fans, Raven and Beast Boy were fairly well-known, but it was not until 2003 and the runaway success of the Teen Titans cartoon that they became known outside of comic circles. Their origins were kept largely intact, and both Raven and Beast Boy became popular for their personalities--Raven, the introverted girl who holds herself back out of fear, and Beast Boy, the extroverted boy who doesn't know the meaning of holding oneself back. It was not long before the two began being "shipped" with each other, given their opposite personalities, and the writers ran with the storyline. Though the original Teen Titans cartoon ended in 2006, it has continued with the crazier, more child-oriented Teen Titans Go!
Because of Raven's gray skin color (adopted by the cartoon because it is easier to animate), she is not the easiest character to cosplay; Beast Boy (who has always been green) just as much so. However, these two gave it a shot, and did just fine, with an excellent eye for detail. (The "real" BB doesn't wear glasses, but one has to make allowances for safety!) Given that they were posing up a storm for several photographers, that accounts for the blurriness of the picture--my fault, not theirs.