I've stated before how big of a fan I am of the Teen Titans animated series and I personally consider it to be the best animated superhero show in existence (No offence to Batman, Justice League, Superior Spider-Man, Young Justice--okay wow we have a lot of good shows in this genre). But one of the biggest complaints about the series is its more kid friendly portrayal of a lot of the famous Teen Titans storylines from the comics, the most controversial one being The Judas Contract. And I can understand why they would be upset about it, but what i think animated series lacks in adult material, it makes up for in mature themes. So let's talk about both of them and try and see which one is better.
In 1984, the Teen Titans comic had introduced a new member to the team, Tara, who had the ability to control the Earth, she was with the team for nearly a year when it was revealed that she was a spy, working for the infamous Teen Titan villain, Slade Wilson A.K.A. Deathstroke The Terminator and is also his lover (Keep in mind she is 16 and he's in his 40's). Once she revealed her true self, she betrayed the team and was able to capture them all, her and Deathstroke selling them to the H.I.V.E. (Evil people) where they would kill them. In the end, Dick Grayson, now with the new persona of Nightwing and with a new team member going by the name Jericho are able to free the other Titans and a fight breaks out, in which Tara tries to kill them all herself and they try to speak some sense into her. In the end, they are forced to accept that Tara can't be reasoned with, she's not under anyone's influence and never really was their friend, she's nothing more than a psychopath, who wants nothing more than to kill the others. Eventually, Tara accidentally kills herself while trying to kill the other Titans but fails, the Titans then hold a funeral for her, keeping it a secret that she betrayed them so her family can believe she died a hero.
While in the 2004 season, Terra (Spelt differently) while still an undercover traitor, also became friends with the Titans, she wasn't pretending to be their friend, she actually liked and trusted them. When she did eventually betray them and defeat them all in battle, she ends up having a change of heart. However Slade (Not called Deathstroke in the series) is revealed to be able to control Terra physically. A similar battle occurs where she nearly murders the Titans and they try and break through to her, in the end she takes control of her body and sacrifices herself to save the Titans and kill Slade.
So the big differences here are the fact that Terra really was good deep down and is able to redeem herself in the end but Tara was a straight up killer who took joy in other people's misery and she hated the Titans. The arcs for both characters I think are pretty damn excellent and it really does come down to your personal preference; though I do have to go with Terra, due to the fact that the friendship she had with the Titans was real on both sides, and the relationship between her and Beast Boy was also very serious. In the comic, Tara and "Changling" (I hate that stupid name) was a ploy on Tara's part, but completely real for Changeling, which makes her betrayal and death a lot harder for him to deal with, which is one of the ways how the comic is superior because of Garfield's (Changling's real name) suffering. Both Beast Boy and Changling's feeling for Terra/Tara are real, the difference being Beast Boy was able to get through to Terra, while Changling was not.
But still, even with that, I think the TV Show told the superior story, because of how the other Titans react to it. In the comic, we only see the aftermath of the fights with Tara, but in the show, we see the fights, the best one being between Terra and Raven. In both comic and show, Raven doesn't trust Tara, in the comic it's because she senses the evil deep inside, in the show, it's simply because she hasn't proven herself to her. Eventually Terra does earn Raven's trust, which makes the fight between them that much better, not only are the two the most powerful members of the team, but Terra is actually able to get under Raven's skin and mock her, make her angry. The fight is epic both physically and emotionally.
Tara spent nearly an entire year with the Titans while Terra only spent a few episodes, yet their friendship comes across as much more serious and believable, making the end result, much more tragic.
However there is one area in which the comics wins hands down, Tara's reason for betraying the Titans. She's a psychopath, she wants to prove she's better than everyone else and she hates the Titans and everything they stand for, sure, seems simplistic, but it's coherent. In the show, I don't understand why she betrays the Titans, they were good to her, she liked them, everything was great, the only logic behind it that I can think of is that maybe she was afraid of Slade too much to tell him no. But then this also leads me to another issue, at one point, when Terra is at her most conflicted and Beast Boy learns of her affiliation with Slade, he yells at her and disowns her as a member and a friend, which is the final stepping stone into her betraying them. This felt way too out of character for Beast Boy for him to completely disown Terra like that, especially considering everytime he sees Terra afterwards, he tries to convince her to join them again. You could argue that it was just the heat of the moment that made him say that, but no, Beast Boy is in more control of his emotions than that, especially his anger, especially with the girl he loves, he would never yell at her like that, especially when she apologises for the deception.
In the end, both versions are fantastic, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. The Judas Contract is much more coherent and dark, but Aftershock is a lot more emotional and better paced. It's hard to say one is superior than the other but in the end I have to go with Aftershock, maybe it's my nostalgia, maybe it's cause it's my introduction to the story arc, but in the end, it's the one i get more invested in and is the bigger tragedy of the two.
-Danny
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