Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling: Issue 155

Issue 155 - Beast Boy

May 25, 2022

We end Season 7 with BEAST BOY! A wild therapy session, plus a touching tribute to the late George Perez - listen now!

Intro
- Appropriate doing this episode in the wake of George Perez’s passing
- Season finale - apologies for no episode last week
Background
- Beast Boy (Garfield Mark Logan) created by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown in The Doom Patrol #99 (Nov. 1965)
- Garfield Logan was living with his parents in Africa when he contracted an illness that was lethal to every species except the West African green monkey - his parents attempted to turn him into a monkey for 24 hours to let the disease run its course, but the experiment gave him the ability to transform into any animal, but he retained green pigment skin/fur
- His parents die, and he’s court appointed to a villain who wants to use his powers - he is rescued by the Doom Patrol, and he joins their ranks for a time
- Later joins the Titans West, and then joins the New Teen Titans - renames himself Changeling
- As a member of the Titans, he had a relationship with Terra which ended when she revealed she was working for Deathstroke
- After Donna Troy’s death, he forms a new Titans team with Cyborg & Starfire, but the team is beaten by Superboy-Prime
- He begins a relationship with Raven, but after they break up he leaves the team and rejoins the Doom Patrol
- Reintroduced in the New 52 as a member of the Ravagers, with red fur instead of his usual green due to connection to a extradimensional power source called The Red
- Is in a relationship with Terra once again, but after a battle with Deathstroke leaves him near death, he is rescued by Raven, who then mind controls him in a war against her father #BecauseComics
- In Rebirth, he once again joins the Titans, and is in a relationship with Raven

Issues
- Ariel - where does his obsessive wisecracking come from? - Facade used to hide inner pain from loss
- Ariel - explain his relationship with Raven (14:11)
- Inferiority complex (25:06)
Break (37:47)
- Plugs for BetterHelp, Scotch N Sports, and Howard Mackie
Treatment - Theme is evolution (39:45)
- In-universe - He has to change each session and explain why
- Out of universe - (42:32)
Skit (50:42)
- Hello Garfield, I’m Dr. Issues. - Please, call me Beast Boy…but I’m aaaaaall man, if you catch my drift.
- That’s…um…incredibly awkward. You don’t have to prove anything to me. - That’s right, I don’t. Now if you’ll excuse me I
- Wait, we haven’t started yet. -But I proved my point. I can do my own thing and get whatever I want, when I want. I don’t need a doctor to tell me how to feel.
- Good, because I don’t do that. -Alright then.
- *pause* Soooo…are you going to actually answer anything I say with a real answer and not just find a way to shrug it off? - Maybe. How much?
- My typical fee is - *interrupting* No, how much do you pay ME to put up with you being boring?
- You don’t even know me! -You did a lot of school, right?
- Yes, but -*interrupting* and you think you’re pretty smart, right?
- I don’t brag -*same pace* I bet to have an office like this, you have a lot of money coming your way, too.
- That’s none of your -*last time* But am I wrong?
- *pause* I can’t remember the last time somebody tried to boil my essence down to bare bones stereotypes without a single hint of who I truly am. Let’s try this the other way. You’re a living being, right? - Yeah.
- You’re a superhero, correct? -Sure
- You’re incredibly desperate for attention, obviously -I wouldn’t say
- *interrupting* And you’re probably single, I take it - That’s not
- *same pace* Plus you have weird ears - Low blow, man
- *same pace* And I I don’t know what’s up with your voice -*angry* STOP!
- I’m just matching tit-for-tat -No, NO, you’re just trying to be a bully.
- And yet, like you said, was I wrong? What’s the difference between what you did and what I did? -I was trying to pump you up, so you’d leave me alone. Instead you made it sound like I was making fun of you. There's a huge difference, and if you can’t see that, then I don’t think we should talk anymore.
- What if I told you that I failed at mimicking your style because it’s unique? Does it sound more like a compliment? Plus, I enjoy being weird. -But that doesn’t excuse busting my chops about being lonely sometimes!
- I didn’t say you were lonely, just desperate for attention. -*pause* I don’t get it.
- You sound like the life of the party. Do you have friends? -Yeah.
- Do you have an intimate relationship - Whoa, whoa, I don’t go around telling bedtime stories. Let’s just say, my name suits me.
- Oh brother…So anyway, you have friends and close relationships, but you still said I cracked wise about being lonely. That doesn’t match up. How can you think that way even when you put so much energy out there to get people to like you? -They like me because I’m entertaining…no revelation there.
- *sigh* I’m talking about from YOUR side, though. Something is in your schtick that wants to be on all of the time. That usually means the person is hiding pain or sadness. Which is it? - *pause* I guess both.
- How long can you keep up that act? -It’s not an act, alright? I really am this awesome!
- Asking a different way…how long do you stay in your basic form without turning into something else? - I’unno, I don’t do it unless there’s a reason to.
- So why do you do it with personal interactions? -*pause* You’re really pushing this as a “thing,” aren’t you?
- It’s what I do. -Alright, here goes *morphing sound*
- What are you doing? -Hold on…almost
- *screaming* MY OFFICE CAN’T FIT - *elephant trumpet* I guess we’ll have to address things my way.
- *angry* YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO BECOME THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM! - I figured we could stop using metaphors.
- *muffled* I can’t even write my notes down - Guess you’ll just have to…use your memory
- You are not permitted to use any more elephant jokes -*morphs again* How about this then?
- A gorilla…how droll. Let me guess, you weigh 800 pounds? -No, just 790. I had to get a little weight off of my shoulders
- I swear you are going to drive me bananas. Quit monkeying around and we can actually get somewhere. -No need to go ape over this.
- You are beyond annoying now. Please stop. -But you’re playing into the puns yourself.
- It’s a reflex and it’s gotten me into some trouble. If you relax for a moment, I’ll let you in on a secret. Humor is my main defense mechanism because the world is a tough place, and I don’t know if I would survive without levity. I play into jokes more than any psychiatrist I know because it’s my comfort zone. But sometimes I go too far, and I make those that love me pissed off because I had to learn when to stop and hear them without pre-loading a retort. So I’m leveling with you…from a professional stranger…pump the brakes once in a while so you can appreciate the sadder things in life more. Cry, ponder, just for a little bit. Otherwise you’ll notice that others are experiencing things on a deeper level and you’ll always miss out. - *pause* Dude, you really are a nerd.
- Thank you! Now can you just be Beast Boy? -*morphing sound* Call me Gar.
- Okay then. *pause* yo, for real, those puns were on point. -I KNEW IT!
- Don’t let it go to your head. Willing to talk again? -Sure, whatever. But you’re not, like, TRYING to make me cry or something, right?
- My old motto used to be “If you ain’t cryin, I ain’t tryin’ “ - Glad you didn’t use a bummer like that! See you around.
Ending (57:06)
- Recommended reading: New Teen Titans
- Next episodes: Mental Health Avengers
- Plugs for social