Art by Nick Cardy
“He’s gear, he’s grinchy, he’s the gorgeous creep of Carnaby Street! When he slides into a new outfit, look out, because he’s about to toss a new whammy at the world! Who is he? None but the grooviest, swingingest villain the fabulous Teen Titans have faced yet – the blitherin’ bloke they call the Mad Mod, merchant of menace!”
Thus opens Teen Titans #7, published in 1968. The Sixties were a decade that witnessed the Civil Rights Movement and protests against the Vietnam, but it was also a time when the Beatles and Rolling Stones competed on the radio charts and the fashion of what became known as Swinging London swept across the Atlantic Ocean and throughout the United States.
Hoping to appeal to the teen set of the 1960s, DC Comics enlisted the forty-year-old Bob Haney to craft narratives for the new Teen Titans comic book that reflected the youth culture of the decade. It was a different approach for the usually conservative publisher, and while Haney’s scripts often reflected the corporate philosophy, he still managed to add some psychedelic coloring to the comic books nonetheless, with “The Mad Mod, Merchant of Menace” being a prime example.
The story begins at the U.S. Treasury Department, where the Teen Titans – younger sidekicks of the primary DC superheroes that included Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin, and Wonder Girl – have been summoned to help bring down a smuggling ring. The prime suspect is the hottest singer in America, Holley Hip, whose frequent tours across Europe would make it easy for him to sneak such contraband as diamonds and rare chemicals back into the United States.
The Teen Titans have been paired with Holley Hip as part of a “Good Neighbor” cultural exchange tour, with the first stop being London. Kid Flash can’t help but notice the large number of trunks being loaded onto the plane – perfect for smuggling – and asks Hip about them.
“Like, they’re all my clothes, man,” the singer replies. “I’ve got at least five changes of costume per concert. All my clothes are the most, and made specially for me by the Mad Mod of London! He’s the greatest threads man there is!”
According to Shawn Levy in his 2002 book Ready, Steady, Go: The Smashing Rise and Giddy Fall of Swinging London, Carnaby Street was unknown to most Londoners for most of its existence, as was its history. The name was a derivation from nearby Karnaby House, a mansion built in 1683 and demolished fifty years later. Why the street is spelled with a C instead of K is likewise unknown, as is the exact year that Carnaby Street was established – although it first appeared on area maps in 1687.
Prior to the 1960s, the most notable thing about Carnaby Street was a cholera outbreak in 1854. During the Sixties, however, it became the center of Swinging London. “Carnaby Street has turned into one of those phrases that sets the adrenalin pumping into your bloodstream,” Design magazine declared in August 1966. “It tends to make you feel either young, stylish and hyper-aware – or else old, old and old.”
When the upper floor workroom of men’s clothing designer John Stephens caught on fire in 1957, his Beak Street landlord suggested a first floor windowfront on Carnaby Street. “People walking by will see your clothes,” he told Stephens, who simply replied, “Who walks by?”
Instead of the bland wool and tweed of the times, John Stephens crafted clothing that contained splashes of color and were made from better material. His wares soon caught the attention of the growing community of artists and musicians in Soho, and business began booming as a result.
“He changed styles monthly, weekly, even daily,” one former patron recalled. “Every time you walked past a John Stephen window there was something new and loud in it, and when you counted out your money, you found you could afford it.” Before long, Stephen had two stores on Carnaby Street – His Clothes and Male West One. Other boutiques began popping up as well, including Adonis, Domino Male, and Gear.
Upon arriving in London, the numerous trunks containing Holley Hip’s clothes are transported to Ye Mad Mod’s Real Gear Garb, likewise located on Carnaby Street – “the place where way-out Mod clothes are born and sent throughout the world.” Kid Flash secretly follows and discovers that the Mad Mod has been intertwining drugs and rare chemicals into the threads used to create the clothing of Holley Hip.
Kid Flash immediately radios his fellow Teen Titans but is captured by the Merchant of Menace and his goons before completing his message. Since all they know is that Kid Flash was at the Mad Mod’s shop, Aqualad, Robin, and Wonder Girl head to Carnaby Street as well.
The Mad Mod has by now remade the unconscious Kid Flash into a mannequin and tells the Teen Titans that it’s for an upcoming fashion show. The trio of superheroes are suspicious, however, and attempt to follow the truck transporting the mannequin, with only Aqualad having any success. It’s a good thing, too, as the truck stops at a pier and the Mad Mod’s goons toss Kid Flash into the Thames River. Aqualad is able to save him but then finds himself under attack.
“Mumbling mantas!” the Teen Titan exclaims. “The Mad Mod in a crazy scuba outfit, riding a robot fish!”
When upper-class British bohemian types began dressing in silk jackets from Morocco and Asia in the late 1950s, the fad inevitably caught on, especially among “modernists,” a term used to distinguish them from “traditionalists.” The Trads listened to early jazz music while the Mods preferred the more intricate and experimental sounds of Chet Baker, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis.
It wasn’t long before a new generation of Mods hit the scene, duplicating the stylings of the original modernists but more into rhythm and blues than jazz, drove scooters instead of cars, and fueled their nights with amphetamines. Fashion was still important, especially anything that contrasted with the drab black and greys suits of their fathers, and the boutiques on Carnaby Street were suddenly besieged by a new clientele.
The influence of the Mods not only increased sales at fashion stores but resulted in a shift from jazz to rhythm and blues at Soho nightclubs. It also led to the first Mod rock band, The Who – an odd choice since their music didn’t fit the definition of rhythm and blues and its members didn’t embrace the Mod lifestyle. Publicist Peter Meaden, however, noticed that the Mod scene lacked a band of its own, and although hesitant at first, it wasn’t long before The Who were dressing in outfits purchased on Carnaby Street and became regular performers at Soho nightclubs like the Marque.
After the release of their breakthrough hit single “I Can’t Explain,” The Who scored an appearance on Ready Steady Go!, a Friday evening television program that premiered in August 1963 and spotlighted the newest trends, whether it be fashion, music, or the latest dance craze.
“The weekend starts here!” the show announced each week, and viewers were assured afterwards that their outfits would be spot-on when they went out later that night. The set of Ready Steady Go! was pop art in style, the camera movements jerky and spontaneous, and the studio audience carefully selected for their looks and dancing ability.
The program was especially appealing to Mods. Pop fashion changed weekly on Ready, Steady, Go! and these newer Mods embraced the disposable nature of their culture by buying cheaper versions of the designs offered on Carnaby Street, knowing that they wouldn’t be worn more than once. Style was what mattered most for the Mods, and even their scooters were fitted with souped-up motors and psychedelic paint designs.
While Kid Flash is able to defeat the Mad Mod, he is unable to prevent his escape. The Carnaby Street smuggler likewise eludes the Teen Titans when he jumps out of a plane wearing specially-designed skydiving attire. “That character’s got a mad outfit for everything,” Robin comments.
The Mad Mod runs out of luck in Paris, the next stop of Holley Hip’s Good Neighbor tour. During the concert, the lights go out and the Merchant of Menace attempts to steal Hip’s jacket, likewise laced with contraband. The Teen Titans are ready, however, and finally capture the Mad Mod.
The day may be saved but the show must go on, even if Holley Hip’s clothes have been confiscated by the police. “He’s dreamy,” Wonder Girl later remarks backstage. “And Robin’s outfit looks even better on him than it does on the Boy Wonder!”
Anthony Letizia