So You Won't Watch a Series with the Word 'Raven' in the Title, eh?

I think television is the perfect place for smaller, lesser known comic book properties. Warner Bros. struck out with their last semi-obscure property, Birds of Prey—but I think part of that was how close it tried to stay in the realm of Batman without having Batman.

Last week the Variety reported that the CW would be bringing a Raven series to the small screen  just in time to fill some red boots as they fly away after ten seasons. Diego Gutierrez (V and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will produce and write the new series based on one of the more tragic heroines of the 80’s.

Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez as one of the founders of the new Teen Titans back in 1980. Raven is an empath who is forced to maintain control over her emotions in order to keep her demonic side at bay. Her father is an interdimensional demon name Trigon who impregnated her human mother and just started the ball rolling on bad parenting.

Trigon has haunted his daughter for years and is sure to be a constant in Raven’s life during the course of the series. He’s big, red, has horns and four eyes (no, not glasses) and he is as evil as they come. While I wouldn’t expect an exact adaptation of Trigon on television, I’ll cross my fingers that he won’t be an over the top veteran actor who sports a red tie and smokes a cigar—if the phrase “What, no hug for daddy?” followed by a sinister laugh makes it into the show, I’m out.

It will be interesting to see what is kept and what remains with this adaptation of Raven. She has the ability to teleport and heal people (but she feels the pain that she drains from them). I always thought she was a bit on the humorless side though, so I can’t imagine too literal a translation for her character either.

A Raven series is only in the earliest of developmental stages now, so it remains to be seen if this will make it to 2011 Fall season in time to ensure that the CW is not without a DC property in its lineup.