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Teen Titans
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| Teen Titans | |
|---|---|
Cover for Titans #1 (May 2023), art by Nicola Scott | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) |
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| Leader(s) | Nightwing |
| Member(s) | |
| Roster | |
| See: List of Teen Titans members | |
The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC's premier superheroes in the Justice League. The original team later becomes known as the Titans when the members age out of their teenage years, while the Teen Titans name is continued by subsequent generations of young heroes. Created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani and first appearing in 1964 in The Brave and the Bold #54, the team was formed by Kid Flash (Wally West), Robin (Dick Grayson), and Aqualad (Garth) before adopting the name Teen Titans in issue 60 with the addition of Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) to their ranks.[1]
Over the decades, DC has cancelled and relaunched Teen Titans many times, and a variety of characters have been featured heroes in its pages. Significant early additions to the initial quartet of Titans were Speedy (Roy Harper), Aquagirl (Tula), Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), Hawk (Hank Hall), Dove (Don Hall), Harlequin (Duela Dent), and three non-costumed heroes: boxer Mal Duncan, psychic Lilith, and caveman Gnarrk. The series would not become a genuine hit until its 1980s revival as The New Teen Titans under writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez.[2][3] This run depicted the original Titans now as young adults and introduced new characters Cyborg (Victor Stone), Starfire (Koriand'r), and Raven (Rachel Roth), as well as the former Doom Patrol member Beast Boy (Garfield Logan) under his new alias of Changeling, who would all become enduring fan favorites. A high point for the series both critically and commercially was its "The Judas Contract" storyline, in which the Teen Titans are betrayed by their teammate Terra (Tara Markov).
The 1990s featured a Teen Titans team composed entirely of new members before the previous members returned in the series Titans, which ran from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Subsequent stories in the 2000s introduced a radically different Teen Titans team made up of newer DC Comics sidekicks such as Robin III (Tim Drake), Wonder Girl II (Cassie Sandsmark), and Impulse / Kid Flash II (Bart Allen), as well as Superboy (Conner Kent), some of whom had previously featured in the similar title Young Justice. Later prominent additions from this era included Miss Martian (M'gann M'orzz), Ravager (Rose Wilson), Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kid Devil, Blue Beetle III (Jaime Reyes), and Solstice (Kiran Singh). Concurrently, DC also published Titans, which featured some of the original and 1980s members now as adults, led by Dick Grayson in his adult persona of Nightwing. Important storylines for the 2000s era of Teen Titans included "Titans Tomorrow" and the company-wide crossover Infinite Crisis.
In the 2010s, The New 52 reboot in 2011 added new characters Bunker (Miguel Jose Barragan) and Skitter (Celine Patterson) to the 2000s roster, although the volume proved commercially and critically disappointing for DC, leading to the return of the original Titans in 2016's DC Rebirth era, alongside a new cast of Teen Titans led by Robin V (Damian Wayne) alongside Aqualad II (Jackson Hyde) and Kid Flash III (Wallace "Ace" West), later joined by Red Arrow (Emiko Queen). Later storylines saw the elder Titans establish a Teen Titans Academy for young heroes and serving as the DC Universe's main heroes during Dark Crisis when the Justice League were declared dead.
The Teen Titans have been adapted to other media numerous times, such as in the animated television series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, and the live-action television series Titans. Within DC Comics, the Teen Titans have been an influential group of characters taking prominent roles in all of the publisher's major company-wide crossover stories. Many villains who face the Titans have since taken on a larger role within the publisher's fictional universe, such as the assassin Deathstroke, the demon Trigon, and the evil organization H.I.V.E..
Publication history
[edit]| Teen Titans | |
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Cover for Teen Titans #1 (Jan.–Feb. 1966), art by Nick Cardy | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | List
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| No. of issues | List
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| Creative team | |
| Created by | List
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| Written by | List
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| Penciller | List
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| Inker | List
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Original incarnation
[edit]Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West) and Aqualad (Garth) team up to defeat a weather-controlling villain known as Mister Twister in The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964) by writer Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani.[5] They appeared under the name "Teen Titans" in The Brave and the Bold #60 (July 1965), joined by Wonder Woman's younger sister Wonder Girl (Donna Troy).[Note 1][6] After being featured in Showcase #59 (December 1965), the Teen Titans were spun off into their own series with Teen Titans #1 by Haney and artist Nick Cardy.[7]
The series' original premise had the Teen Titans helping teenagers and answering calls. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that Haney "took some ribbing for the writing style that described the Teen Titans as 'the Cool Quartet' or 'the Fab Foursome'. The attempt to reach the youth culture then embracing performers like The Beatles and Bob Dylan impressed some observers."[8] Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy makes guest appearances[9][10] before officially joining the team in Teen Titans #19.[11] Aqualad takes a leave of absence from the group in the same issue,[11] but makes several later guest appearances,[12][13] sometimes with girlfriend Aquagirl.[14] Neal Adams was called upon to rewrite and redraw a Teen Titans story which had been written by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. The story, titled "Titans Fit the Battle of Jericho!", would have introduced DC's first African American superhero, but was rejected by publisher Carmine Infantino.[15] The revised story appeared in Teen Titans #20 (March–April 1969). Wolfman and Gil Kane created an origin for Wonder Girl in Teen Titans #22 (July–Aug. 1969) and introduced her new costume.[16] Psychic Lilith Clay[17] and Mal Duncan also join the group.[18] Beast Boy of the Doom Patrol makes a guest appearance seeking membership, but was rejected as too young at the time;[19] existing heroes Hawk and Dove, a duo of teenaged superpowered brothers, appear in issue #21;[20] and time-displaced caveman Gnarrk aids the team in two issues.[21][22]
The series explored events such as inner-city racial tension and protests against the Vietnam War. One storyline beginning in issue #25 (February 1970) saw the Titans deal with the accidental death of a peace activist, leading them to reconsider their methods.[23] As a result, the Teen Titans briefly abandoned their identities to work as ordinary civilians, but the effort was quickly abandoned. Along the way, Aqualad left the series and the character of Mr. Jupiter, who was Lilith's mentor and employer, was introduced. He financially backed the Titans for a brief period. The series was canceled with #43 (January–February 1973).[24]
1970s revival
[edit]
The series resumed with issue #44 (November 1976).[25] The stories included the introductions of African American superheroine Bumblebee and former supervillainess-turned-superheroine Harlequin in issue #48[26] and the introduction of the "Teen Titans West" team in issues #50–52 consisting of a number of other teen heroes, including Bat-Girl (Betty Kane) and Golden Eagle.[27] The revival was short-lived and the series was cancelled as of issue #53 (February 1978), which featured an origin story.[28] At the end, the heroes realized that, now that they were in their early 20s, they had outgrown the name the "Teen" Titans. In the last panel, without speaking, they all go their separate ways.
The title appeared again in 1999 for Giant Teen Titans Annual #1 (1967) (ISBN 1-56389-486-6), a one-shot special that reprinted selected Silver Age stories in the 1960s-style 80-Page Giant format.
The New Teen Titans (1980–1996)
[edit]| New Teen Titans | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | List
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| No. of issues | List
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| Main character(s) | Robin/Nightwing Cyborg Kid Flash Wonder Girl Raven Starfire Beast Boy |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Marv Wolfman George Pérez |
| Written by | Marv Wolfman |
| Penciller | |
| Inker | Romeo Tanghal |
DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) introduced a new team of Titans, anchored by Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash and soon followed by The New Teen Titans #1 (November 1980). The series, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, re-introduced Beast Boy as Changeling and introduced the machine man Cyborg, the alien Starfire, and the dark empath Raven.[29] Raven, an expert manipulator, forms the group to fight her demonic father Trigon and the team remains together.
Wolfman and Pérez's working relationship quickly evolved to the point where they were plotting the series jointly. Wolfman recalled that "once George moved to the same town I lived in, only five blocks or so away, we usually got together for lunch and would work out a story over the next few hours. In many cases I would then go home and write up a plot based on it, or sometimes George would take the verbal plotting we did and take it from there."[30]
The team's adversaries included Deathstroke the Terminator,[31] a mercenary who takes a contract to kill the Titans to fulfill a job his son Grant Wilson had been unable to complete. This led to perhaps the most notable Titans storyline of the era. 1984's "The Judas Contract", in Tales of the Teen Titans #42–44 and Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3,[32] featured a psychopathic girl named Terra with the power to manipulate Earth and all Earth-related materials. She infiltrates the Titans in order to destroy them. "The Judas Contract" won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for "Favorite Comic Book Story" of 1984[32] and was later reprinted as a standalone trade paperback in 1988.[33] Robin adopts the identity of Nightwing,[34] while Wally West gives up his Kid Flash persona and quits the Titans. It also featured the introduction of a new member in Jericho, Deathstroke's other son.
Other notable New Teen Titans stories included "A Day in the Lives...",[35] presenting a day in the team members' personal lives; "Who is Donna Troy?",[36] depicting Robin investigating Wonder Girl's origins; and "We Are Gathered Here Today...", telling the story of Wonder Girl's wedding.[37] Tales of the New Teen Titans, a four-part limited series by Wolfman and Pérez, was published in 1982, detailing the back-stories of Cyborg, Raven, Changeling, and Starfire. Wolfman wrote a series of New Teen Titans drug awareness comic books which were published in cooperation with The President's Drug Awareness Campaign in 1983–1984. The first was pencilled by Pérez and sponsored by the Keebler Company,[38] the second was illustrated by Ross Andru and underwritten by the American Soft Drink Industry,[39] and the third was drawn by Adrian Gonzales and financed by IBM.[40][41]
The New Teen Titans (vol. 2)
[edit]The New Teen Titans relaunched with a new #1 issue in August 1984[42] as part of a new initiative at DC informally referred to as "hardcover/softcover". The New Teen Titans along with Legion of Super-Heroes and Batman and the Outsiders were the first and only titles included in this program. The same stories were published twice, first in a more expensive edition with higher-quality printing and paper distributed exclusively to comic book specialty stores, then republished a year later in the original format, distributed to newsstands. The title was renamed Tales of the Teen Titans with issue #41, while a new concurrently published series named The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) launched with a new #1 following the release of Tales of the Teen Titans #44 and Annual #3, the conclusion of the "Judas Contract" storyline. After both titles ran new stories for one year, with Tales of the Teen Titans #45–58 taking place prior to the events of The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #1, and a filler issue reprinting a digest-only story and the original preview story from DC Comics Presents #26, the series began reprinting the first 31 issues of the "hardcover" series (sans several back-up stories focusing on Tamaran that ran in New Teen Titans #14–18), the first Annual, and the lead story from the second Annual, before being cancelled with issue #91.
Issue #1 of The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) created controversy when Grayson and Starfire were depicted in bed together, although it had been established for some time that they were a couple. The initial storyline, "The Terror of Trigon",[43] featured Raven's demon father attempting to take over Earth and Raven's own struggle to remain good despite Trigon's demonic blood inside her. Pérez left the series after issue #5.[44] José Luis García-López followed Pérez as the title's artist and Eduardo Barreto followed García-López. Paul Levitz scripted or fully wrote issues #28–33 to give Wolfman time to catch up on his writing after he fell behind by taking on Crisis on Infinite Earths and History of the DC Universe.[45]
Name changed to The New Titans
[edit]Pérez temporarily returned with issue #50, when the series took the name The New Titans without the "Teen" prefix, as the characters were no longer teenagers.
Issue #50 told a new origin story for Wonder Girl, her link to Wonder Woman having been severed due to retcons created in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Pérez sketched through issues #55, 57 and 60, while only providing layouts for issues #58–59 and 61, with artist Tom Grummett finishing pencils and Bob McLeod as inker. Pérez remained as cover inker to issues #62–67. He would return for the series finale #130 (Feb. 1996) providing cover art. Issues #60 and #61 were part of a five-part crossover with Batman, "A Lonely Place of Dying" and along with issue #65, featured the debut of Tim Drake as the third Robin.
The brief return of Pérez and the addition of Tom Grummett failed to move sales for the book, which were starting to decline. Furthermore, the addition of Danny Chase (a teenage psychic) drew negative fan response due to his abusive attitude towards the rest of the team. Believing Wolfman had grown stagnant, DC assigned Wolfman a new editor, Jonathan Peterson, and gave Peterson authority to override Wolfman over the direction of the book.
With Peterson controlling the book's direction, the series was rapidly overhauled. The Wildebeest, a villain who used proxies and surrogates to hide his true identity while vexing the Titans, was expanded to a full army of villains called the Wildebeest Society and revealed to be a front for the remaining members of the supervillain group H.I.V.E. The group fell under the control of Titan Jericho, who in turn was being possessed by the corrupted souls of Azarath. During the "Titans Hunt" storyline that followed (#71–84), Cyborg was destroyed and rebuilt, along with being lobotomized; Danny Chase and Arella (Raven's mother) were killed and resurrected as the gestalt being Phantasm (an identity created by Chase early in the series); while Raven, Jericho, and Golden Eagle were killed. New character Pantha (based on plans for a female Wildcat character Wolfman conceived in the mid-'80s) joined the team, along with Deathstroke and Red Star. Deathstroke was also given his own solo book and the team received its first crossover tie-in since Millennium, with The New Titans #81 being part of the "War of the Gods" storyline.
Peterson also saw the launch of Team Titans, which featured a new genetically modified (and heroic) doppelganger of Terra and Donna Troy, who was depowered in the "Total Chaos" crossover. Peterson left the book before "Total Chaos" concluded, leaving Wolfman to deal with the fallout from Peterson's editorially mandated storylines, including the final break-up between Starfire and Nightwing as a couple, the return of Speedy as Arsenal, and the resurrection of Raven as a villain.
Following Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, the series saw a revamp: Nightwing was removed from the series by Batman editorial and a roster of new young heroes such as Damage and Impulse were inserted into the team to try and renew interest, along with Team Titan survivors Mirage and Terra II. New Green Lantern Kyle Rayner was also brought onto the title and given a prominent romance with Donna Troy, whose marriage with Terry Long had collapsed in the pages of Team Titans before the book's cancellation. Sales saw a collapse and despite several crossovers with other books (Damage, Green Lantern, Darkstars, and Deathstroke), the series was cancelled with issue #130. The series finale saw the return of Blackfire as an ally, as the Titans purged Raven of evil once again to prevent Raven and the revived Citadel Empire from reconquering the Vega star system.
The New Teen Titans and the Uncanny X-Men
[edit]The New Teen Titans was widely thought of as DC's answer to the increasingly popular Uncanny X-Men from Marvel Comics, as both series featured all-new members and depicted young heroes from disparate backgrounds whose internal conflicts were as integral to the series as was their combat against villains. The two teams met in the 1982 crossover one-shot entitled "Apokolips... Now", which teamed Darkseid, Deathstroke, and Dark Phoenix against both teams. The story was written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Walt Simonson and Terry Austin.[46][47]
New Titans: Games
[edit]In 1989, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez began planning a prestige format special, their first work together on the franchise since Pérez left after The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #5. The project was put on hold when it was decided instead to have Pérez return to the main book as artist and for their first project back together to be "Who Is Wonder Girl?" instead.
Over the course of 1989 and 1990, Wolfman and Pérez continued to work on Games, with over half the project being completed. But the ascension of Jonathan Peterson as editor of the series, and Pérez moving off of New Titans to work on The Infinity Gauntlet for Marvel led to the book being shelved.
In the early 2000s, Wolfman and Pérez approached DC about completing the book as a stand-alone graphic novel. The book was completed in 2010 and published in 2011.
The plot had the New Titans be forced by King Faraday to go after a mysterious mastermind who forces his victims to play deadly "games" for his amusement. In the interim, Wolfman had rewritten the plot (most notably, changing the original ending where Nightwing personally executes the main villain of the series after his "games" result in the death of longtime Titan ally Sarah Simms and the maiming of Danny Chase) though retained several key details (the death of Simms and Chase losing his hands) and several additional twists (the introduction of a previously unknown sibling of Raven, the revelation that the main villain was a schizophrenic Faraday, and the destruction of Titans Tower) that make it impossible to fit into canon, resulting in the story being retconned to take place in an alternate universe.
Teen Titans Spotlight
[edit]Due to fan backlash over the hardcover/softcover move to the direct market with the main title, a new newsstand Titans book was launched in August 1986 called Teen Titans Spotlight. The series was an anthology series and featured individual members of the Titans in solo stories, often spanning multiple issues. The series also focused on former members of the group (such as Hawk and Aqualad) and the Brotherhood of Evil, detailing the formation of the second version of the group. As the move to the direct market effectively limited The New Teen Titans ability to be part of company-wide crossovers, two issues of Spotlight tied into the Millennium crossover event, with the second issue being the coda for the event.
The series failed to catch on and was cancelled in 1988, along with Tales of the Teen Titans.
Team Titans
[edit]The Team Titans were one of 100 groups sent back through time to prevent the birth of Lord Chaos, the son of Donna Troy and Terry Long. Their mission was to kill the pregnant Troy before she could give birth. Mirage, Killowat, Redwing, Terra, Nightrider, Prestor Jon, and Battalion made up the team.
Teen Titans (vol. 2) (1996–1998)
[edit]
Teen Titans was written and penciled by Dan Jurgens. It began in 1996 with a new #1 (October 1996), with Pérez as inker for the first 15 issues. Atom, who had become a teenager following the events of Zero Hour, leads the brand-new team (of Prysm, Joto, Risk, and Argent). Arsenal became a mentor about halfway through and Captain Marvel Jr. joins the team. The series ended in September 1998.
A contest was held in the letters pages to determine who would join the team. Robin (Tim Drake), won the vote, but editors on the Batman titles banned his appearance, forcing Jurgens to use Captain Marvel Jr. instead.[48] His inclusion failed to boost sales and the series was then cancelled.
Titans (1999–2003)
[edit]| Titans | |
|---|---|
Cover for Titans #1 (March 1999), art by Mark Buckingham and Wade Von Grawbadger | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | List
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| No. of issues | List
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| Creative team | |
| Created by | Devin Grayson Mark Buckingham |
| Written by | List
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| Penciller | List
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| Inker | List
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The team returned in a three-issue miniseries, JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative,[49] featuring nearly every Titan and showcasing the return of Cyborg. This led into Titans, written by Devin K. Grayson,[50] starting with Titans Secret Files and Origins #1 (March 1999).
This team consisted of Nightwing, Troia, Arsenal, Tempest, the Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, Changeling, Damage and Argent. One new member, Jesse Quick, joined. This team lasted until issue #50 (2002). The West Coast branch of the team, Titans L.A., appeared once, in the pages of Titans Secret Files and Origins #2.
Between Teen Titans and Titans, a new generation of young heroes formed a team in Young Justice, consisting of Superboy, Robin, Impulse, Wonder Girl, Secret, and Arrowette. The two series concluded with the three-issue miniseries Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day, which led to two new series: Teen Titans and Outsiders.
Teen Titans (vol. 3) (2003–2011) and Outsiders (vol. 3) (2003–2007)
[edit]
Writer Geoff Johns' Teen Titans series began in 2003, after a three issue miniseries entitled Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day, which saw Lilith's death and Donna Troy sent to another world after seemingly dying, along with the disbanding of the 1998–2002 Titans roster and the Young Justice team. The relaunch came on the heels of the debut of the Teen Titans animated series on Cartoon Network and reflected DC Comics chief executive Dan DiDio's desire to rehabilitate the Titans as one of DC's top franchises. Launched at the same time was a companion series, a revived version of The Outsiders which featured Nightwing and Arsenal, along with several other Titans members (Captain Marvel Jr. and Starfire).
The series featured several of the main teenage heroes from the Young Justice roster (Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse) and Starfire, Cyborg and Changeling (now rebranded Beast Boy to reflect the cartoon). Raven later returned to the team, reborn in a new teenage body while Jericho was brought back, having escaped death by possessing and laying dormant inside his father Deathstroke's mind.
The series renewed interest in the Titans,[51] but drew sharp complaints due to shifts in the personalities of the various Young Justice characters. Most notably, the decision to have Impulse rebrand himself Kid Flash and the decision to Jettison his happy-go-lucky person in favor of a more serious personality. The series, under Geoff Johns, also dramatically retconned Superboy's origin with the revelation that he was a hybrid clone based on the combined DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor.
Under Geoff Johns, the Teen Titans were front and center during the build-up and events of the Infinite Crisis crossover. During the lead-in of the crossover, Donna Troy came back in a four-part crossover miniseries with The Outsiders called "The Return of Donna Troy" while Superboy and Cassie Sandsmark became a couple. During Infinite Crisis, Superboy was killed by Superboy-Prime, Cyborg was severely damaged by cosmic forces unleashed by Alexander Luthor Jr., Starfire was lost in space with several other heroes, while Kid Flash became lost in the Speed Force, re-emerging in the Flash uniform and having aged to adulthood after a failed attempt to stop Superboy-Prime.
One Year Later and the post-Geoff Johns Titans
[edit]Following the events of Infinite Crisis, the Teen Titans fell into a state of chaos. Wonder Girl quit the group to join a cult she believed could resurrect Superboy, while Robin took a leave of absence to travel the globe with Batman and Nightwing. Beast Boy and Raven attempted to keep the Titans going, resulting in a massive open call membership drive that saw a large number of heroes come and join the roster, which was anchored by Beast Boy and Raven. New members include Miss Martian, Kid Devil, Zachary Zatara, Ravager, Bombshell (who like Terra I, was a traitor working for Deathstroke), Young Frankenstein, and Osiris.
During this period, Osiris was driven from the team due to a smear campaign launched by Amanda Waller after she manipulated him into killing a super-villain. The smear campaign against Osiris, along with the war between Black Adam and Intergang, led to Adam declaring war on the world. In the ensuing series of battles against the super-hero community, the Titans fought and lost a bloody battle with the villain, culminating in the deaths of Terra and Young Frankenstein. The deaths led to Beast Boy resigning from the team to join the Doom Patrol along with Herald and Bumblebee, while Raven took a leave of absence to purge Jericho of the dark forces that were corrupting him.
Robin and Wonder Girl eventually rejoined the Titans (now located in San Francisco, California) and helped foil Bombshell's plan to frame Miss Martian as Deathstroke's latest mole in the team and allowed Raven to cleanse Jericho of the corruption that had turned him evil. Geoff John's final arc on the series would introduce a new villainous "Titans East" team, led by Deathstroke and Batgirl Cassandra Cain.
Soon after, events related to the Countdown story arc impacted the Titans. Duela Dent and Bart Allen are killed; Cyborg leaves, and Supergirl joins and Blue Beetle is invited to train, but the two eventually leave, with the members joining the Justice League of America and Justice League International, respectively. The Titans fight the future, evil adult versions of the group (Titans Tomorrow) and Clock King and the Terror Titans, who are part of Darkseid's underground fight club for metahumans.
After the Batman R.I.P storyline, Robin leaves and Wonder Girl leads the team. Red Devil loses his powers after Brother Blood absorbs them. Miss Martian returns with several teen heroes liberated from the Dark Side Club. A new team is formed: Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle and the now-powerless Red Devil are joined by Kid Eternity and Static, with the new Aquagirl, Miss Martian and a reformed Bombshell signing up.[52][53]
In the Blackest Night crossover, several dead Titans are resurrected as members of the Black Lantern Corps. In the Titans: Blackest Night miniseries, an emergency team consisting of Donna Troy, Cyborg, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Beast Boy, Kid Flash and the new Hawk and Dove, is formed to defend the Tower. In the ensuing battle, Hawk is killed after her predecessor Hank Hall tears her heart out. At the end of the Blackest Knight crossover, Hank Hall is resurrected and resumes his partnership with Dove. In the main series, Ravager and Jericho fight their father Deathstroke and the dead members of the Wilson family, resurrected as Black Lanterns.
During this time, several back-up stories begin to run in the series: one called "The Coven", starring Black Alice, Zachary Zatara and Traci Thirteen and later, one starring Ravager.
Later storylines involve the corruption of Wonder Girl at the hands of various factors (designed to address complaints about the character's abusive attitudes towards her teammates post-Infinite Crisis), Kid Devil is killed in battle, while Kid Eternity is revealed to have been beaten to death by the Calculator after being kidnapped by him.
J. T. Krul became the writer with issue #88 and penciler Nicola Scott became the book's artist. The issue's teaser shows a line-up of Superboy, Wonder Girl, Raven, Beast Boy, Kid Flash and Ravager. The Titans undergo this roster change in issue #87, the final issue before Krul's run. Following a mission to an alternate dimension to rescue Raven, the team splits. Bombshell and Aquagirl are missing in action, Miss Martian is in a coma and she and a powerless Static leave with Cyborg to go to Project Cadmus to find a way to restore his powers.
Damian Wayne, the current Robin, is announced as a new team member,[54] officially joining in #89. A series for Static was announced.[55] In January 2011, new Titan Solstice debuted in the January 2011 Wonder Girl one-shot. She entered the main Teen Titans title following the crossover with the Red Robin series.[56] During the crossover, Tim asks the Titans for help in tracking down the Calculator after he tries to kill his friend, Tamara Fox. Tim rejoins the team as Red Robin (rather than Robin) but Cassie would remain the leader. Following this, Damian quits the team.[57]
The book concluded with a three-part storyline spanning issues #98–100, which saw Superboy-Prime return to destroy the team. A large group of former Titans arrived and the series ended with Prime trapped in the Source Wall. The remainder of the issue consisted of pieces of artwork showcasing the various Teen Titans who appeared in that incarnation of the title, contributed by various DC artists.
Titans (vol. 2) (2008–2011)
[edit]
art by Ethan Van Sciver
A second ongoing Teen Titans series, titled Titans, launched in April 2008 with a cover date of June 2008, written by Judd Winick.[58] The first issue was drawn by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund and the second was by Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas. The opening storyline follows the events of the Teen Titans East Special one-shot released in November 2007, revealing that Cyborg's team survived the attack, except Power Boy, dead after being impaled. The team's new line up consists of former New Teen Titans Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Red Arrow and Starfire.[59][60]
In the series' first story, Trigon makes a series of attacks on every member, former or current, of the Teen Titans and Trigon has "another child" that, unlike Raven, will assist him in his attack. After reclaiming Titans Island and establishing a headquarters on the East River, Cyborg sets out to create an East Coast Titans team. During a training session, the team was massacred by an unseen force. Though Cyborg survives, Titans' members past and present are attacked by demonic entities across the globe. Raven, sensing Trigon's presence once again, calls upon her former Titans allies to defeat her fiendish father.
After rescuing several Titans and questioning Trigon himself, the Titans learn that Trigon's three children have prepared his second invasion for him. Raven's three half-brothers – Jacob, Jared and Jesse – are responsible. Working as a team, the Titans thwart the Sons of Trigon and stop Trigon's invasion plan. Following this adventure, Raven chooses her adopted family over her biological family, Red Arrow decided to join his former teammates (although both he and Flash retain their JLA membership) and the Titans were back together as a team.
Following this, the team settles at Titans Tower (the New York base), to recover from the events. While Dick and Kory attempt to make a decision on where their relationship will lead, Raven and Beast Boy go out on a "not-a-date". During this, Raven reveals that since she faced her brothers, she has begun to feel as if she is losing control and slipping back under her father's influence. Although Beast Boy rejects the idea, he is unexpectedly blind-sided as Raven gives in to her darker side, under the influence of her half-brother's coaxing. Using her teleporting powers, she and the sons of Trigon vanish, leaving a distraught Beast Boy to warn the others. Using a gemstone that carries Raven's pure essence within it, the Titans free Raven of her father's evil. As a result, Raven leaves each Titan with an amulet that can be used to cleanse any evil influence from her body.
Following this, Jericho arrives, frantically asking for help to separate himself from Match's body. Jericho has turned renegade again and fights the Titans. He is under the control of the numerous people that he has taken command of over the years. Nightwing resigns from the Titans due to his new responsibilities in Gotham.
Brightest Day: Titans – Villains for Hire
[edit]
A Comic-Con announcement stated that Cyborg, Donna Troy and Starfire were leaving the team to pursue the JLA. Red Arrow, with his daughter Lian, has already relocated and is no longer involved with the Titans, but he got a spotlight in issue #23 after what happens to him in Justice League: Cry for Justice #5. After a series of spotlight issues,[61][62] Final Crisis Aftermath: INK writer-artist creative team Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino took over. Deathstroke took over the team with the Tattooed Man and Cheshire.[63]
One of the new members included Carla Monetti a.k.a. Cinder, a young redheaded woman with the ability to manipulate fire. Osiris, a member during the One Year Later gap, who had been brought back to life after the events of Blackest Night, returned as a member. The final issue of the limited series, Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal ended with an advertisement stating that Arsenal's storyline would continue.
The team debuted in the one-shot issue Titans: Villains for Hire, where they are hired to assassinate Ryan Choi (the Atom) in his home in Ivy Town. The issue quickly became the subject of controversy due to Choi's violent death. Allegations of racial insensitivity dogged DC over the decision to kill off a relatively high-profile Asian character.[64]
Following the one-shot, in the team's inaugural storyline they were hired to assassinate Lex Luthor following the events of War of the Supermen. This is revealed to be a ruse set up by Luthor and Deathstroke to draw out the real assassin, a shape-shifter named "Facade", who had apparently killed and impersonated a woman on Luthor's security detail.
Following several adventures, the Titans are confronted by Ray Palmer and the Justice League for their hand in Ryan's murder. The Titans are nearly defeated, but manage to escape thanks to an intervention from the newly resurrected Isis.[65] Following the battle with the Justice League, Titans concluded with a two-part storyline which saw Jericho's return. The series ended with Arsenal battling Slade for control of the team and the Titans ultimately disbanding and Arsenal taking Jericho under his wing, leaving Slade alone once again.[66]
The New 52 (2011–2016)
[edit]

art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
DC Comics relaunched Teen Titans with issue #1 (cover dated November 2011) as part of DC's New 52 event, written by Scott Lobdell with former Justice League artist Brett Booth providing interiors. The relaunch was controversial, because it was originally designed as a direct continuation of the previous Teen Titans series before Dan DiDio declared that all previous incarnations of the Titans never existed; this in spite of the fact that early issues of the 2011 series (as well as "Red Hood and the Outlaws" and "Batwoman") made explicit mention of the previous Teen Titans teams.
The new team is formed by Tim Drake, now rebranded as "Red Robin" to protect teenage heroes from a villain known as Harvest and his organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. A running theme for the 2011–2014 series was Harvest kidnapping young heroes for experimentation and enslavement as part of the villainous scheme for world domination.
The 2011–2014 series featured several crossovers, "The Culling", which had the team meet the Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as "Death of the Family", which focused upon a meeting of Batgirl, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and the Titans, as the Joker kidnapped Red Hood and Red Robin. The 2012 "Zero Month" issue provided the New 52 origin of Tim Drake, recasting him as a young computer hacker who was adopted by Batman to protect him from retaliation by the Penguin.
The 2011–2014 series and Scott Lobdell's writing drew negative reviews, though the Lobdell-created character Bunker was positively received by fans. Criticism included the meandering Harvest/N.O.W.H.E.R.E storyline; the introduction of Bar Torr, a futuristic fundamentalist Christian terrorist based on Bart Allen; and the elimination of the franchise's lore. The character of Raven and Trigon was originally embargoed by Lobdell, but the characters were brought back due to fan demand. The 2011 series also spawned a short-lived spin-off, The Ravagers, which ran for 10 issues and featured Beast Boy, Terra, and Caitlin Fairchild of Gen13 in major roles.
The series was relaunched in July with a new issue #1 with Will Pfeifer as writer. The series continued with the characteristics of the main characters, but ignored the events of the Ravagers spin-off, presenting Beast Boy both green and in line with his animated series characteristics. The series also added an African American version of the super-heroine Power Girl to the roster.
Due to the backlash against the removal of the previous incarnations of the Titans (and the ripple effect it had upon characters such as Nightwing and Donna Troy), DC launched a new miniseries called "Titans Hunt", which restored the original 1960s version of the Titans to canon. The series states that all memory of the original Titans was erased by Lilith to protect the team from Mister Twister. It also alludes to further reality alterations to the DC Universe; these are then picked up on in the DC Rebirth initiative, beginning a week after "Titans Hunt", which restores Wally West to canon, along with various aspects of the pre-Flashpoint continuity.
DC Rebirth (2016–2020)
[edit]
The June 2016 DC Rebirth relaunch established two Titans teams: the Titans, with Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), Lilith, Arsenal, Donna Troy, the Bumblebee and Tempest; and the Teen Titans, consisting of Damian Wayne as Robin, Ace West as Kid Flash, Jackson Hyde as Aqualad, Beast Boy, Starfire and Raven. Titans writer Dan Abnett confirmed in an interview with Newsarama that Titans characters Hawk and Dove, Herald, Gnarrk, and others would be appearing in the new series as well.[67][68][69] After "The Lazarus Contract" event, Ace is fired from the Teen Titans and joins Defiance, Deathstroke's version of the Titans. However, Wallace returns to the Teen Titans in issue #14. In Super Sons #7, Superboy (Jon Kent) acts as a temporary member.
As part of the "New Justice" banner for DC Comics, both teams underwent changes in their roster, with Nightwing, Donna Troy, Raven, Steel (Natasha Irons), Beast Boy, Miss Martian and eventually Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner),[70] and Robin, Kid Flash, Red Arrow (Emiko Queen), Crush (Lobo's daughter), Djinn, and Roundhouse for the Teen Titans.[71] The Titans series ended its run at issue #36 (April 2019), while Teen Titans is ended its run in November 2020 at issue #47.[72]
Infinite Frontier (2021–2022)
[edit]In the Teen Titans Academy series, the adult generation of Titans (Nightwing, Starfire, Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven) serve as faculty of a new superhero academy designed to mentor the heroes of tomorrow. Its upperclassmen are the active Teen Titans squad (Bunker, Roundhouse, Crush, Kid Flash III, Red Arrow II, and Jakeem Thunder), while its new students include three bat-themed Gotham residents (the brawny Megabat, techy Bratgirl, and bat-like metahuman Chupacabra) collectively known as the Bat Pack; the established superhero Billy Batson / Shazam; paraplegic speedster Bolt; EMP-generating Brick Pettirosso; nonbinary ragdoll and apprentice to Doctor Fate, Stitch; Raven's star pupil, Dane; tubular shapeshifter Marvin "Tooby" Murakami; ice-wielder Summer Zahid; simian superhero Gorilla Gregg, nephew of Grodd; Hero dial wielder Miguel Montez; green-prehensile-haired Tress; and the amnesiac, super strong, Matt Price. As the new students and faculty of the academy attempt to establish their new school, they are plagued by appearances of someone assuming the costume of Red X, once worn by Dick Grayson and another mysterious copycat.
As time goes on, the team discover that Dane is the half-demon antichrist, and under the alias Nevermore (reflecting his similarities to Raven), is destined to bring about the apocalypse. In the first story arc's conclusion, the mysterious third Red X is revealed to be Brick, operating under the false belief that Dick Grayson is his father; he was manipulated by the second Red X, who bears a longstanding grudge against Grayson. Dane and Brick's attacks on the Academy cause the structure to collapse, but the students manage to prevent all but minimal casualties. Matt Price fires optic blasts in the final confrontation, indicating to onlookers that he may be a Kryptonian, but Grayson deduces he must be something else, as the blasts give off no heat. Teen Titans Academy is one of the series which leads directly into the events of the major company crossover "Dark Crisis", which sees Nightwing, the Titans, and the other younger heroes step up in the Justice League's absence to defeat a possessed Deathstroke's dark army and save the multiverse.
Dawn of DC (2023–present)
[edit]Following the events of "Dark Crisis" and during the run of writer Tom Taylor on Nightwing, Superman approaches Nightwing with the proposition that he serves as the leader of the new superhero team who succeeds the Justice League following their disbanding. This leads to Nightwing unveiling a new Titans Tower in Blüdhaven with the team consisting of him, The Flash (Wally West), Donna Troy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. This will lead into a new Titans series written by Taylor and illustrated by Nicola Scott.[73][74] The Titans' first challenge brings them into conflict with Brother Eternity, a Tamaranean named Xand'r who used to work for the royal family of Tamaran before betraying them to the Citadel, whom has taken over the Church of Blood (now renamed the Church of Eternity) and infuses Tempest with a parasite to turn him against the team. This later leads to the events of Titans: Beast World where Amanda Waller and Doctor Hate (revealed to be Raven's demonic half having escaped her gem and taken on a new form styled after Doctor Fate) take advantage of Beast Boy becoming a Star Conqueror to defeat Brother Eternity's master, a Star Conqueror known as the Necrostar, and use him as part of a plot to transform the superheroes and supervillains into mind-controlled animals. Although the Titans do return everyone to normal, Waller frames the Titans as the culprits for the attack and confiscates the Hall of Justice. In addition, Hate defeats Raven during the incident, imprisons her in her own gem, and poses as her to infiltrate the Titans. Tempest, freed from the parasite, finally joins the team.
Titans Tower
[edit]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021) |
Titans Tower is the headquarters of the Teen Titans. The first tower was located in New York City, while later series depict it in California, usually the San Francisco Bay Area. Although the location and appearance of the tower has changed throughout the various series, there are a few defining characteristics, such as always being shaped to resemble the letter "T".
The latest Titans Tower is located in Blüdhaven, now being rebuilt over a destroyed prison. This acts as the headquarters for a new team of Titans, who now act as the world's protectors after the Justice League has gone into a hiatus.
Enemies
[edit]Collected editions
[edit]Silver Age Teen Titans
[edit]| Title | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showcase Presents Teen Titans Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #54, 60 Showcase #59 Teen Titans #1–18 |
528 | 1-4012-0788-X |
| Showcase Presents Teen Titans Vol. 2 | Teen Titans #19–36 The Brave and the Bold #83, 94 World's Finest Comics #205 |
512 | 1-4012-1252-2 |
| The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #54, 60 Showcase #59 Teen Titans #1–5 |
203 | 1-4012-0071-0 |
| The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Vol. 2 | The Brave and the Bold #83 Teen Titans #6–20 |
400 | 978-1-4012-4105-6 |
| Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus | The Brave and the Bold #54, 60, 83 Showcase #59, #75 Teen Titans #1–24 Hawk and Dove #1–6 |
880 | 1-4012-6756-4 |
| Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus | The Brave and the Bold #94, 102, 149 Batman Family #6, 8–9 Teen Titans #25–53 |
724 | 1-4012-7075-1 |
| Teen Titans: The Silver Age Vol. 1 | The Brave and the Bold #54, 60 Showcase #59 Teen Titans #1–11 |
360 | 1-4012-7508-7 |
| Teen Titans: The Silver Age Vol. 2 | The Brave and the Bold #83 Teen Titans #12–24 |
352 | 1-4012-8517-1 |
| DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 1 | includes Teen Titans #20–22 | 192 | 1-4012-1917-9 |
| Giant Teen Titans Annual #1 (1967 issue, published 1999) | Showcase #59 Teen Titans #4 The Flash #164 Wonder Woman #144 |
80 | 1-56389-486-6 |
New Teen Titans
[edit]| Hardcovers | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 | DC Comics Presents #26, The New Teen Titans #1–8 |
230 | 1-56389-485-8 |
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 | The New Teen Titans #9–16, The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #18 |
240 | 1-56389-951-5 |
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Vol. 3 | The New Teen Titans #17–20, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1–4 |
228 | 1-4012-1144-5 |
| DC Archives: The New Teen Titans Vol. 4 | The New Teen Titans #21–27, Annual #1 | 224 | 1-4012-1959-4 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1 | DC Comics Presents #26, The New Teen Titans #1–20, The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #18, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1–4 |
684 | 1-4012-3108-X |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 | The New Teen Titans #21–37, 39–40, Annual #1–2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41–44, Annual #3 |
736 | 1-4012-3429-1 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 | The New Teen Titans #38, Tales of the Teen Titans #45–50, The New Teen Titans vol. 2 #1–6, The New Titans #50–61, 66–67, Secret Origins Annual #3 |
792 | 1-4012-3845-9 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1 (New Edition) | DC Comics Presents #26, The New Teen Titans #1–20, The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #18, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1–4 |
684 | 978-1-4012-7128-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 (New Edition) | The New Teen Titans #21–40, Annual #1–2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41, Batman and the Outsiders #5 |
656 | 1-4012-7762-4 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 (New Edition) | Tales of the Teen Titans #41–58, Annual #3, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1–9 |
720 | 1-4012-8110-9 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 4 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #10–31, Annual #1–2, Omega Men #34 |
768 | 1-4012-8930-4 |
| The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 5 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #32–49, Annual #3–4, Infinity, Inc. #45, Secret Origins #13, Annual #3, Tales of the Teen Titans #91 |
744 | 1-77950-473-X |
| Trade paperbacks | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Teen Titans Volume 1 | DC Comics Presents #26, The New Teen Titans #1–8 | 240 | 978-1-4012-5143-7 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 2 | The New Teen Titans #9–16 | 232 | 978-1-4012-5532-9 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 3 | The New Teen Titans #17–20, Tales of the New Teen Titans #1–4 | 224 | 978-1-4012-5854-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 4 | The New Teen Titans #21–27, Annual #1 | 224 | 978-1-4012-6085-9 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 5 | The New Teen Titans #28–34, Annual #2 | 224 | 978-1-4012-6358-4 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 6 | The New Teen Titans #35–40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41, Batman and the Outsiders #5 | 200 | 978-1-4012-6576-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 7 | Tales of the Teen Titans #42–48, Annual #3 | 224 | 978-1-4012-7162-6 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 8 | Tales of the Teen Titans #49–58 | 264 | 978-1-4012-7496-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 9 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1–9 | 240 | 978-1-4012-8125-0 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 10 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #10–15, Annual #1 | 216 | 978-1-4012-8824-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 11 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #16–23, The Omega Men #34 | 272 | 978-1-4012-9520-2 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 12 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #24–31, Annual #2 | 312 | 978-1-77950-471-5 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 13 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #32–40, Annual #3, and Infinity, Inc. #45 | 336 | 978-1-77950-809-6 |
| The New Teen Titans Volume 14 | The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #41–49, Annual #4; Tales of the Teen Titans #91, and Secret Origins #13, Annual #3 | 416 | 978-1-77951-549-0 |
| Terra Incognito | The New Teen Titans #28–34, Annual #2 | 220 | 1-4012-7162-6 |
| The Judas Contract | The New Teen Titans #39–40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41–44, Annual #3 | 192 | 0-930289-34-X |
| The Terror of Trigon | The New Teen Titans vol. 2, #1–5 | 134 | 1-56389-944-2 |
| Who is Donna Troy? | The New Teen Titans #38, Tales of the Teen Titans #50, The New Titans #50–54, select pages from #55, the "Who Was Donna Troy?" back-up story from Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins 2003 |
224 | 1-4012-0724-3 |
New Titans
[edit]| Title | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titans: Total Chaos | New Titans #90–92; Deathstroke, The Terminator #14–16; Team Titans #1–3 | 360 | 978-1-4012-7864-9 |
The Titans
[edit]| Title | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative | JLA/Titans #1–3 Titans Secret Files and Origins #1 |
192 | 1-4012-2776-7 |
| Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day | Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1–3 (see also Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Death and Return of Donna Troy below) |
55 | 1-4012-0176-8 |
Teen Titans (vol. 3) (2003–2011)
[edit]Note: Issues #27–28, penciled by artist Rob Liefeld and written by Gail Simone, are not collected in any of the trade paperbacks and were reprinted in DC Comics Presents: Brightest Day #3 (Feb. 2011), which also included Legends of the DC Universe #26–27 (tying in with characters spotlighted in Brightest Day). Issues #48–49, which tie in with the "Amazons Attack" Wonder Woman story, are likewise not collected in any trade paperback.
| Vol. # | Title | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Kid's Game | Teen Titans vol. 3 #1–7 Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins 2003 |
192 | 978-1-4012-0308-5 |
| 2 | Family Lost | Teen Titans vol. 3 #8–12, ½ | 136 | 978-1-4012-0238-5 |
| 3 | Beast Boys and Girls | Beast Boy #1–4 (1999 miniseries) Teen Titans vol. 3 #13–15 |
168 | 978-1-4012-0459-4 |
| 4 | The Future Is Now | Teen Titans/Legion Special #1 Teen Titans vol. 3 #16–23 |
224 | 978-1-4012-0475-4 |
| Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Insiders | Teen Titans vol. 3 #24–26 Outsiders vol. 3 #24–25, 28 |
144 | 978-1-4012-0926-1 | |
| Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Death and Return of Donna Troy | Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1–3 Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins 2003 DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1–4 |
176 | 1-4012-0931-9 | |
| 5 | Life and Death | Teen Titans vol. 3 #29–33, Annual vol. 3 #1 Robin vol. 4 #146–147 Infinite Crisis #5–6 |
208 | 978-1-4012-0978-0 |
| 6 | Titans Around the World | Teen Titans vol. 3 #34–41 | 192 | 978-1-4012-1217-9 |
| 7 | Titans East | Teen Titans vol. 3 #42–47 | 144 | 978-1-4012-1447-0 |
| 8 | Titans of Tomorrow | Teen Titans vol. 3 #50–54 | 144 | 978-1-4012-1807-2 |
| 9 | On the Clock | Teen Titans vol. 3 #55–61 | 160 | 978-1-4012-1971-0 |
| 10 | Changing of the Guard | Teen Titans vol. 3 #62–69 | 192 | 978-1-4012-2309-0 |
| 11 | Deathtrap | Teen Titans vol. 3 #70, Annual 2009 Titans vol. 2 #12–13 Vigilante vol. 3 #5–6 |
192 | 978-1-4012-2509-4 |
| 12 | Child's Play | Teen Titans vol. 3 #71–78 | 208 | 978-1-4012-2641-1 |
| 13 | Hunt for Raven | Teen Titans vol. 3 #79–87 | 978-1-4012-3038-8 | |
| 14 | Team Building | Teen Titans vol. 3 #88–92, Red Robin #20, Wonder Girl vol. 2 #1 |
168 | 978-1-4012-3256-6 |
| 15 | Prime of Life | Teen Titans vol. 3 #93–100 | 200 | 978-1-4012-3424-9 |
| Ravager – Fresh Hell | Backup stories from Teen Titans vol. 3 #72–75, 78–82 | 144 | 978-1-4012-2919-1 | |
| Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book One | Teen Titans vol. 3 #1–12, ½, Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins 2003 | 368 | 978-1-4012-6598-4 | |
| Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book Two | Teen Titans vol. 3 #13–19, Legends of the DCU 80-Page Giant, Beast Boy #1–4, Teen Titans/Legion Special #1 | 320 | 978-1-4012-7752-9 | |
| Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book Three | Teen Titans vol. 3 #20–26 and #29–31 and Outsiders Vol. 3 #24–25 | 296 | 978-1-4012-8952-2 | |
| Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Omnibus | Teen Titans vol. 3 #1/2-26, 29–46 and 50, Legends of the DC Universe #2 Titans Secret Files and Origins #2, Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003, Beast Boy (1999) #1–4, Teen Titans/Legion of Super Heroes Special #1, Outsiders (vol. 3) #24–25, Robin (vol. 4) #146–147, Infinite Crisis #5–6 and Teen Titans Annual #1. | 1426 | 978-1-4012-3693-9 | |
Titans (vol. 2) (2008–2011)
[edit]| Vol. # | Title | Material collected | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Friends | Titans East Special #1 Titans vol. 2 #1–6 |
200 | 978-1-4012-8428-2 |
| 2 | Lockdown | Titans vol. 2 #7–11 | 128 | 1-4012-2476-8 |
| 3 | Fractured | Titans vol. 2 #14, #16–22 | 192 | 1-4012-2776-7 |
| 4 | Villains for Hire | Titans: Villains for Hire Special #1 Titans vol. 2 #24–27 |
160 | 1-4012-3048-2 |
| 5 | Family Reunion | Titans vol. 2 #28–32, Shazam! #1 | 144 | 978-1-4012-3293-1 |
| 6 | Broken Promises (cancelled) | Titans vol. 2 #33–38, Annual vol. 2 #1 | 176 | 978-1-4012-3360-0 |
| 1 | Titans Book One: Together Forever | Titans East Special #1 Titans vol. 2 #1–11 |
320 | 978-1-4012-8428-2 |
The New 52 Teen Titans (vols. 4–5) (2011–2014)
[edit]| # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Publication date | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2014 | ||||||
| 1 | It's Our Right to Fight | Teen Titans vol. 4 #1–7 | 168 | 978-1-4012-3698-4 | ||
| The Culling: Rise of the Ravagers | Teen Titans vol. 4 #8–9, Annual vol. 3 #1, Legion Lost vol. 2 #8–9, Superboy vol. 6 #8–9 | 176 | 978-1-4012-3799-8 | |||
| 2 | The Culling | Teen Titans vol. 4 #8–14, DC Universe Presents #12: Kid Flash | 192 | 978-1-4012-4103-2 | ||
| 3 | Death of the Family | Teen Titans vol. 4 #0, #15–17, Batman vol. 2 #17, Red Hood and the Outlaws #16 | 160 | 978-1-4012-4321-0 | ||
| 4 | Light and Dark | Teen Titans vol. 4 #18–23 | 144 | 978-1-4012-4624-2 | ||
| 5 | The Trial of Kid Flash | Teen Titans vol. 4 #24–30, Annual vol. 3 #2–3 | 256 | 978-1-4012-5053-9 | ||
| 2014–2016 | ||||||
| 1 | Blinded by the Light | Teen Titans vol. 5 #1–7 | 176 | 978-1-4012-5237-3 | ||
| 2 | Rogue Targets | Teen Titans vol. 5 #8–12, Annual vol. 4 #1 | 192 | 978-1-4012-6162-7 | ||
| 3 | The Sum of Its Parts | Teen Titans vol. 5 #14–19 | 144 | 978-1-4012-6520-5 | ||
| 4 | When Titans Fall | Teen Titans vol. 5 #20–24, Annual vol. 4 #2, Teen Titans: Rebirth #1 | 184 | 978-1-4012-6977-7 | ||
DC Rebirth Titans (vol. 3) (2016–2019), Teen Titans (vol. 6) (2016–2020)
[edit]| # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Cover | Publication date | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | |||||||
| Titans Hunt | Titans Hunt #1–8; Justice League vol. 2 #51, Titans: Rebirth #1 | 264 | SC | September 20, 2016 | 978-1-4012-6555-7 | ||
| 1 | The Return of Wally West | Titans: Rebirth #1, #1–6 | 168 | March 7, 2017 | 978-1-4012-6817-6 | ||
| 2 | Made in Manhattan | Titans vol. 3 #7–10, Titans Annual #1, stories from DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 | 152 | September 26, 2017 | 978-1-4012-7377-4 | ||
| 3 | A Judas Among Us | Titans vol. 3 #12–18 | 168 | February 20, 2018 | 978-1-4012-7759-8 | ||
| 4 | Titans Apart | Titans vol. 3 #19–22, Titans Annual #2 | 136 | September 25, 2018 | 978-1-4012-8448-0 | ||
| 5 | The Spark | Titans vol. 3 #23–27, Titans Special #1 | 184 | February 19, 2019 | 978-1-4012-8774-0 | ||
| 6 | Into the Bleed | Titans vol. 3 #29–36 | 192 | June 25, 2019 | 978-1-4012-9167-9 | ||
| Teen Titans | |||||||
| 1 | Damian Knows Best | Teen Titans: Rebirth #1, #1–5 | 144 | SC | June 20, 2017 | 978-1-4012-7077-3 | |
| 2 | The Rise of Aqualad | Teen Titans vol. 6 #6–7, 9–11 | 128 | March 6, 2018 | 978-1-4012-7504-4 | ||
| 3 | The Return of Kid Flash | Teen Titans vol. 6 #13–14, 16–19, a story from DC Rebirth Holiday Special 2017 #1 | 152 | October 9, 2018 | 978-1-4012-8459-6 | ||
| 1 | Full Throttle | Teen Titans Special #1, Teen Titans vol. 6 #20–24 | 160 | April 9, 2019 | 978-1-4012-8878-5 | ||
| 2 | Turn it Up | Teen Titans vol. 6 #25–27, Teen Titans Annual vol. 5 #1, a story from Mysteries of Love in Space #1 | 144 | October 29, 2019 | 978-1-4012-9467-0 | ||
| 3 | Seek and Destroy | Teen Titans vol. 6 #31–38 | 190 | March 31, 2020 | 978-1-77950-008-3 | ||
| 4 | Robin No More[75] | Teen Titans vol. 6 #39–47 and Teen Titans Annual vol. 5 #2 | 256 | February 23, 2021 | 978-1-77950-668-9 | ||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||
| The Lazarus Contract | Titans vol. 3 #11, Teen Titans vol. 6 #8, Deathstroke vol. 4 #19–20, Teen Titans Annual vol. 5 #1 | 136 | HC | November 14, 2017 | 978-1-4012-7650-8 | ||
| SC | July 24, 2018 | 978-1-4012-8097-0 | |||||
| Super Sons of Tomorrow | Super Sons #11–12, Superman #37–38, Teen Titans #15 | July 3, 2018 | 978-1-4012-8239-4 | ||||
| Dark Nights: Metal – The Resistance | Teen Titans #12, Nightwing #29, Suicide Squad #26, Green Arrow #32, The Flash #33, Justice League #32–33, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32, Batman: Lost #1, Hawkman: Found #1 | 248[76] | 978-1-4012-8298-1 | ||||
| Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth | Justice League #10–12, Aquaman 40–41, Titans #28, Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth #1, Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth #1 | 203 | HC | April 16, 2019 | 978-1-4012-9101-3 | ||
| Teen Titans/Deathstroke: The Terminus Agenda | Teen Titans #28–30, Deathstroke #41–43 | 168 | HC | December 10, 2019 | 978-1-4012-9965-1 | ||
| SC | November 3, 2020 | 978-1-77950-236-0 | |||||
Teen Titans Academy (2021–2022), Titans United (2021)
[edit]| # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Cover | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Titans Academy (2021–2022) | ||||||
| 1 | X Marks the Spot | Teen Titans Academy #1–5 | 208 | HC | March 8, 2022 | 978-1-77951-281-9 |
| 2 | Exit Wounds | Teen Titans Academy #6–15 | 240 | HC | October 11, 2022 | 978-1-77951-569-8 |
| Titans United (2021) | ||||||
| 1 | Titans United | Titans United #1–7 | 200 | SC | September 27, 2022 | 978-1-77951-674-9 |
| Titans United: Bloodpact (2022) | ||||||
| 1 | Titans United: Bloodpact | Titans United: Bloodpact #1–6 | 160 | SC | January 3, 2024 | 978-1-77951-831-6 |
Titans (vol. 4), Tales of the Titans (2023), World's Finest: Teen Titans (2023-2024), Knight Terrors: Titans (2023)
[edit]| # | Title | Material collected | Pages | Cover | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans (2023-present) | ||||||
| 1 | Out of the Shadows | Titans #1-5 | 120 | SC | June 4, 2024 | 978-1-77952-512-3 |
| 2 | Beast World | Titans #6-7, Titans: Beast World #1-6 | 232 | SC | August 20, 2024 | 978-1-77952-812-4 |
| 3 | The Dark-Winged Queen | Titans #8-15 | 184 | SC | February 25, 2025 | 978-1-7995-0053-7 |
| 4 | Hard Feelings | Titans #16-20 | 136 | SC | June 24, 2025 | 978-1-7995-0190-9 |
| 5 | Terminated | Titans #21-27 | 136 | SC | November 25, 2025 | 978-1-7995-0287-6 |
| Tales of the Titans | Tales of the Titans #1-4 | 136 | SC | April 9, 2024 | 978-1-77952-714-1 | |
| World's Finest: Teen Titans | World's Finest: Teen Titans #1-6 | 160 | SC | May 21, 2024 | 978-1-77952-514-7 | |
| Knight Terrors: Terror Titans | Knight Terrors: Titans #1-2, Knight Terrors: Shazam #1-2, Knight Terrors: Angel Breaker #1-2, Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1-2, Knight Terrors: Ravager #1-2 | 288 | SC | March 5, 2024 | 978-1-77952-568-0 | |
| Titans: Beast World Tour | Titans: Beast World Tour: Metropolis #1, Titans: Beast World Tour: Gotham #1, Titans: Beast World Tour: Atlantis #1, Titans: Beast World Tour: Star City #1, Titans: Beast World Tour: Central City #1 | 192 | SC | August 20, 2024 | 978-1-77952-813-1 | |
In other media
[edit]Television
[edit]


- The Teen Titans appear in a self-titled segment of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, consisting of Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad.
- Hanna-Barbera planned to make a Teen Titans TV series, set in the same universe as Super Friends, though nothing came of it.[citation needed]
- The New Teen Titans appear in the 1984 Keebler PSA "New Teen Titans Say No to Drugs", consisting of Wonder Girl, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, and Protector.[77]
- The Teen Titans appear in a self-titled TV series, initially consisting of founding members Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. Additionally, Thunder and Lightning, Hot Spot, Wildebeest, Titans East, Red Star, Kole, Gnarrk, Melvin, Timmy Tantrum, Teether, Bobby, Kid Flash, Argent, Bushido, Herald, Jericho, Killowat, Pantha, and Jinx appear as honorary members throughout the series.
- The Teen Titans serve as partial inspiration for Young Justice.[78][79]
- The Teen Titans appear in the Mad short "Teen Titanic", consisting of Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Blue Beetle, Superboy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad.
- The Teen Titans appear in the "New Teen Titans" segment of DC Nation Shorts, consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy.
- The Teen Titans appear in Teen Titans Go! (2013),[80] consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy.
- A Teen Titans animated series meant to be loosely set in the DC Animated Universe was planned, but abandoned.[81]
- Two iterations of the Titans appear in a self-titled TV series,[82] with the first incarnation consisting of founding members Dick Grayson, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Hawk and Dove as well as later recruit Jericho while Grayson eventually joins Kory Anders, Rachel Roth, and Gar Logan to form a new incarnation years later. As the series progresses, Jason Todd, Rose Wilson, Superboy, and Krypto join the group while Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Hawk and Dove rejoin.
- The Teen Titans appear in the DC Super Hero Girls episode "#TweenTitans", consisting of preteen incarnations of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven.
Film
[edit]- The Teen Titans appear in Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006), consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy.
- In May 2007, Warner Bros. announced a Teen Titans film was in development, with Robin as a confirmed member and Akiva Goldsman and Mark Verheiden writing the film.[83] In 2014, Goldsman announced the development of Titans (see above), leaving the film's production in question.[84] Heroic Hollywood's El Mayimbe later announced on Collider Heroes that Warner Bros. was developing both a Teen Titans film with Cyborg, among others, and an all-female group of heroes.[85]
- The Teen Titans make a non-speaking background cameo appearance in Justice League: The New Frontier.
- The Teen Titans appear in films set in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU):
- They first appear in Justice League vs. Teen Titans,[86] consisting of Starfire, Raven, Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy as well as new recruit Robin and occasional ally Dick Grayson.
- The Teen Titans appear in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract,[87] consisting of current members Starfire, Blue Beetle, Raven, Beast Boy, and Robin as well as founding members Dick Grayson, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Bumblebee.
- The Teen Titans appear in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War,[citation needed] consisting of Dick Grayson, Starfire, Blue Beetle, Raven, Beast Boy, Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, Bumblebee, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Ace West.
- Two incarnations of the Teen Titans appear in Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans (2019), with both consisting of Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven.
- A live-action Teen Titans feature film was reported to be in development as part of the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise at DC Studios in March 2024, to be written by Ana Nogueira.[88]
Video games
[edit]- The Teen Titans appear in a self-titled video game (2005),[citation needed] consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy.
- The Teen Titans appear in a self-titled video game (2006),[citation needed] consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy.
- The Teen Titans appear in DC Universe Online.[citation needed]
- The Teen Titans make non-speaking cameo appearances in Cyborg and Starfire's endings in Injustice 2,[citation needed] with Cyborg, Starfire, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Beast Boy appearing in the former ending and Robin, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy appearing in the latter ending.[citation needed]
Miscellaneous
[edit]- The Teen Titans appear in Teen Titans Go! (2004), primarily consisting of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. Additionally, a villainous alternate universe incarnation of the Titans called the Teen Tyrants appear in issue #48, consisting of Red Robin (Robin's counterpart), Tempest (Aqualad's counterpart), Arsenal (Speedy's counterpart), Red Raven (Raven's counterpart), and Blackfire (Starfire's counterpart).
- The Teen Titans appear in Smallville Season 11,[89] consisting of Superboy, Speedy, Blue Beetle, Miss Martian, Zan and Jayna, and Raven. This version of the group are students of Jay Garrick's school for the gifted.
- The Teen Titans appear in the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic,[citation needed] consisting of Superboy, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, Starfire, and Red Robin. Additionally, Dick Grayson, Cyborg, and Raven appear as former members.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The name "Wonder Girl" itself had been regularly used for a variety of flashback tales of Wonder Woman's childhood exploits.
References
[edit]- ^ "Bob Haney Interviewed by Michael Catron Part Four (of Five)". The Comics Journal. Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books. March 23, 1997. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi D. (October 1982). "DC's Titanic Success". The Comics Journal (#76). Fantagraphics Books: 46–51.
- ^ Levitz, Paul (2010). 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany: Taschen. p. 454. ISBN 978-3-8365-1981-6.
[Marv Wolfman and George Pérez] created a title that would be DC's sales leader throughout the 1980s.
- ^ Teen Titans (1976) at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, eds. (2010). "1960s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
They were never given a team name when scribe Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani spun them against Mister Twister. This first team-up of Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad came to be classically regarded as the inaugural story of the Teen Titans.
- ^ McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 115: "Writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy added another member to the ranks of the newly formed Teen Titans: Wonder Girl."
- ^ McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 116: "The Teen Titans earned their own series after successful tryouts in both The Brave and the Bold and Showcase. Scribe Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy promptly dispatched Robin, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash...as the newest members of the Peace Corps."
- ^ Daniels, Les (1995). "Teen Titans Assistants Earn a Promotion". DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York City: Bulfinch Press. p. 134. ISBN 0-8212-2076-4.
- ^ Haney, Bob (w), Cardy, Nick (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "The Secret Olympic Heroes" Teen Titans, no. 4 (July–August 1966).
- ^ Haney, Bob (w), Novick, Irv (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Monster Bait!" Teen Titans, no. 11 (September–October 1967).
- ^ a b Friedrich, Mike (w), Kane, Gil (p), Wood, Wally (i). "Stepping Stones for a Giant Killer!" Teen Titans, no. 19 (January–February 1969).
- ^ Skeates, Steve (w), Cardy, Nick (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Blindspot" Teen Titans, no. 28 (July–August 1970).
- ^ Skeates, Steve (w), Cardy, Nick (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Captives!" Teen Titans, no. 29 (September–October 1970).
- ^ Skeates, Steves (w), Infantino, Carmine (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Some Call it Noise" Teen Titans, no. 30 (November–December 1970).
- ^ Cronin, Brian (2009). Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed. New York City: Plume. ISBN 978-0-452-29532-2. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 134: "Four years after the debut of Wonder Girl, writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gil Kane disclosed her origins."
- ^ Kanigher, Robert (w), Cardy, Nick (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "The Titans Kill a Saint" Teen Titans, no. 26 (January–February 1970).
- ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 139: "The inaugural adventure of the non-powered non-costumed Teen Titans introduced one of DC's first African-American heroes, Mal Duncan. Written by Robert Kanigher, with stellar artwork from Nick Cardy..."
- ^ Haney, Bob (w), Molno, Bill (p), Trapani, Sal (i). "The Fifth Titan" Teen Titans, no. 6 (November–December 1966).
- ^ Adams, Neal (w), Adams, Neal (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Citadel of Fear" Teen Titans, no. 21 (May–June 1969).
- ^ Skeates, Steve (w), Cardy, Nick (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "A Mystical Realm, A World Gone Mad" Teen Titans, no. 32 (March–April 1971).
- ^ Haney, Bob (w), Tuska, George (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Awake, Barbaric Titan" Teen Titans, no. 39 (May–June 1972).
- ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 138: "Tragedy initiated a new era for the Teen Titans as told by scribe Robert Kanigher and artist Nick Cardy."
- ^ Haney, Bob (w), Saaf, Art (p), Cardy, Nick (i). "Inherit the Howling Night!" Teen Titans, no. 43 (January–February 1973).
- ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 171: "More than three years since Teen Titans was canceled, writers Paul Levitz and Bob Rozakis, with artist Pablo Marcos, revived the series."
- ^ Rozakis, Bob (w), Delbo, José (p), Colletta, Vince (i). "Daddy's Little Crimefighter" Teen Titans, no. 48 (June 1977).
- ^ Franklin, Chris (July 2013). "Go West, Young Heroes: The Teen Titans in La-La Land". Back Issue! (#65). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 56–58.
- ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 176: "The team's untold origin...was vividly transcribed by writer Bob Rozakis and artist Juan Ortiz."
- ^ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 188: "[The New Teen Titans] went on to become DC's most popular comic team of its day. Not only the springboard for the following month's The New Teen Titans #1, the preview's momentous story also featured the first appearance of future DC mainstays Cyborg, Starfire and Raven."
- ^ Nickerson, Al (August 2006). "Who is Donna Troy?". Back Issue! (#17). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 64–66.
- ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 189: "Debuting in the shadows of the cover to the team's second issue, written by Marv Wolfman and meticulously illustrated by artist George Pérez, Deathstroke was...asked to kill the Teen Titans."
- ^ a b "Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards Archives". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ Wolfman, Marv; Pérez, George (1988). The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. New York City: DC Comics. p. 192. ISBN 0-930289-34-X.
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Giordano, Dick; DeCarlo, Mike (i). "There Shall Come a Titan (The Judas Contract Book 3)" Tales of the Teen Titans, no. 44 (July 1984).
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Tanghal, Romeo (i). "A Day in the Lives..." The New Teen Titans, no. 8 (June 1981).
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Tanghal, Romeo (i). "Who Is Donna Troy?" The New Teen Titans, no. 38 (January 1984).
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Giordano, Dick; DeCarlo, Mike (i). "We Are Gathered Here Today..." Tales of the Teen Titans, no. 50 (February 1985).
- ^ The New Teen Titans (Keebler Company) #1 Archived September 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ The New Teen Titans (American Soft Drink Industry) #2 Archived September 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ The New Teen Titans (IBM) #3 Archived August 26, 2024, at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ "Turner, Carlton E.: Files, 1981–1987 – Reagan Library Collections". Simi Valley, California: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. n.d. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014.
This series contains material relating to the development and distribution of the Teen Titans drug awareness comic books. The comic books were designed to communicate the dangers of drug abuse to elementary school children. The Drug Abuse Policy Office coordinated the project, DC Comics developed the story line and artwork, and private companies funded the production costs. The Keebler Company sponsored the fourth grade book (released in April 1983), the National Soft Drink Association sponsored the sixth grade book (November 1983), and IBM sponsored the fifth grade book through the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth (February 1984). The files consist primarily of correspondence with educators, parents, and children.
- ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 209: "As one of DC's most popular team books, The New Teen Titans was a natural choice to receive the deluxe paper quality and higher price point of the new Baxter format. With the regular newsstand title having already changed its name to Tales of the Teen Titans with issue #41, the path was clear for a new comic to once again be titled The New Teen Titans. Featuring the trademark writing of Marv Wolfman and the art of George Pérez, this second incarnation was a success from the start, providing readers with the perfect blend of high-quality paper with high-quality storytelling."
- ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Pérez, George (i). "Shadows in the Dark!" The New Teen Titans, vol. 2, no. 1 (August 1984).
Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Pérez, George (i). "The Search for Raven" The New Teen Titans, vol. 2, no. 2 (October 1984).
Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Tanghal, Romeo (i). "Souls as White as Heaven..." The New Teen Titans, vol. 2, no. 3 (November 1984).
Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Tanghal, Romeo (i). "--Torment!" The New Teen Titans, vol. 2, no. 4 (January 1985).
Wolfman, Marv (w), Pérez, George (p), Tanghal, Romeo (i). "The Terror of Trigon!" The New Teen Titans, vol. 2, no. 5 (February 1985). - ^ "George Pérez signs contract with DC, Takes leave of absence from Titans". The Comics Journal (#92): 16. August 1984.
- ^ "New Writers on Titans". Comics Feature. No. 51. Movieland Publishing. January 1987. p. 5.
- ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 199: "The issue, written by longtime X-Men scribe Chris Claremont and drawn by Walter Simonson [was]...one of the most well-received crossovers of its time – or of any time for that matter – the team-up was a huge success."
- ^ Brown, Jonathan (August 2013). "The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans: The Breakfast Club of the Comics Crossover". Back Issue! (#66). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 65–68.
- ^ Cadigan, Glen (2008). "Teen Titans 2: Dan Jurgens". Titans Companion 2. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 52–59. ISBN 978-1-893905-87-0.
- ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 285: "Writer Devin Grayson and artist/co-plotter Phil Jimenez revived another stalled DC property in the JLA/Titans miniseries."
- ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 287: "Writer Devin Grayson, alongside artist Mark Buckingham, relaunched the Titans in a new ongoing series."
- ^ Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 310: "None [of the Teen Titans series] had reached the heights of the Marv Wolfman and George Pérez era until writer Geoff Johns and artist Mike McKone's relaunch."
- ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (July 27, 2008). "CCI: McDuffie Reaches Milestone with DC". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ McKeever, Sean (w), Barrows, Eddy (p), Jose, Ruy; Ferreira, Julio (i). "The New Deal Part 1: Choices" Teen Titans, vol. 3, no. 66 (February 2009).
- ^ "Nicola Scott joins J.T. Krul on Teen Titans". DC Comics. July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "Static Ongoing Series to Launch in 2011". DC Comics. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (October 27, 2010). "Krul Talks DC Exclusive, Wonder Girl". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Krul, J. T. (w), Jeanty, Georges (p), Hunter, Rob (i). "On the Shoulders of Titans Part II" Teen Titans, vol. 3, no. 92 (April 2011).
- ^ Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 333: "Writer Judd Winick and penciller Ian Churchill produced a Titans series to please both modern-day fans and those of the classic Marv Wolfman/George Pérez era."
- ^ Winick, Judd (w), Churchill, Ian (p), Rapmund, Norm (i). "The Fickle Hand Part Two: Today I Settle All Family Business" Titans, vol. 2, no. 1 (June 2008).
- ^ "AICN Comics Reviews Titans! Serenity! Dragon Head! The Tournament Continues: Winners + New Fights! & More!". Ain't It Cool News. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "Titans #22". DC Comics. February 10, 2010. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ "Titans #23". DC Comics. March 17, 2010. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ^ Segura, Alex (January 11, 2010). "DCU in 2010: More on Brightest Day: Titans". DC Comics. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (May 13, 2010). "Wallace Responds to Hero's Death in Titans: Villains for Hire". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ Wallace, Eric (w), Richards, Cliff (p), Richards, Cliff (i). "The Methuselah Imperative Part 1 of 3" Titans Annual, no. 1 (September 2011).
- ^ Wallace, Eric (w), Moore, Travis (p), Wong, Walden (i). "The Methuselah Imperative Part 3 of 3" Titans, vol. 2, no. 38 (October 2011).
- ^ "Titans: Rebirth #1". DC Comics. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (April 12, 2016). "Rebirth's Teen Titans and Red Hood & The Outlaws Line-Ups & Motives Revealed". Newsarama. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016.
- ^ Rogers, Vaneta (May 26, 2016). "Wally West-Led Titans To 'Unlock the Mystery' of Rebirth". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016.
- ^ NIGHTWING Leads New TITANS Team Out of NO JUSTICE. Newsarama
- ^ DC Launching JUSTICE LEAGUE Line Under NEW JUSTICE Banner Archived October 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Newsarama
- ^ DC cancels Teen Titans, Young Justice, Suicide Squad, Hawkman, and more Archived August 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Newsarama
- ^ Taylor, Tom (2023). Nightwing #100. DC Comics.
- ^ Brooke, David (January 25, 2023). "New Dawn of DC 2023 plans reveal Cyborg, Titans, and Green Lantern". aiptcomics.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Originally titled as Djinn Wars which was released on September 29, 2020. The later release in 2021 is an updated version which also have the final three issues (45–47) which were not part of the original release.
- ^ "DC Comics March 2018 Solicitation". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ "Who's Who: The Protector". Titans Tower. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014.
- ^ DC Animated Showcase: Greg Weisman Interview, Part 1 on YouTube Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ Weisman, Greg (July 30, 2010). "Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes..." Ask Greg. s8.org. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (June 8, 2012). "Teen Titans Returning With New Full Length Episodes". IGN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015.
- ^ "The DC Animation Resource". The World's Finest. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- ^ Sorokach, Josh (August 11, 2021). "What Time Does 'Titans' Season 3 Premiere on HBO Max?". Decider. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 31, 2007). "Teen Titans growing up at Warner Bros". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 11, 2014). "DC Comics Titans Drama From Akiva Goldsman Nears TNT Pilot Order". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014.
- ^ "Ant-Man & Wasp Movie Announced, Daredevil Season 2 Trailer". Collider. October 13, 2015. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (July 11, 2015). "Animated Batman: Bad Blood and Justice League Vs. Titans Announced, New Trailer for Robot Chicken DC Comics Special: Magical Friendship". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.
Justice League Vs. Titans will introduce the Teen Titans to the unofficial DC animated cinematic universe, and is also described as an original story.
- ^ Damore, Meagan (July 23, 2016). "SDCC: Justice League Dark Animated Film Confirmed; Teen Titans & More Announced". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 15, 2024). "Teen Titans Live-Action Movie a Go at DC Studios (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Vaneta (October 3, 2013). "Bryan Q. Miller Brings the Teen Titans To Smallville". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013.
External links
[edit]- Titans at DC Comics.com
- Teen Titans, The New Teen Titans Archived June 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New Teen Titans vol. 2 Archived June 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine and Teen Titans vol. 2 Archived June 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
- Teen Titans (1964) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016.
- Teen Titans (1980) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016.
- Sean McKeever on the Teen Titans in His Future
Teen Titans
View on GrokipediaPremise and Origins
Concept and Creation
The Teen Titans were conceived in 1964 as a team of teenage superhero sidekicks, drawing from the Silver Age trend of pairing young protagonists with established Justice League mentors to appeal to adolescent readers seeking relatable adventures independent of adult heroes.[5] DC Comics editor George Kashdan commissioned writer Bob Haney to develop a story uniting select sidekicks, resulting in their debut team-up in The Brave and the Bold #54 (cover-dated July 1964), penciled and inked by Bruno Premiani.[6] [7] In the issue's lead story, "The Thousand and One Dooms of Mr. Twister," Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth) independently investigate a weather-manipulating villain named Mr. Twister (Brom Stikk), whose powers stem from a magical hat and Native American artifacts, forging an ad hoc alliance without yet adopting a formal team identity.[6] [5] The narrative emphasized youthful initiative and camaraderie, contrasting the sidekicks' impulsive decision-making with the more calculated strategies of their mentors, which Haney later attributed to exploring teen autonomy in a superhero context.[7] The positive reception prompted a follow-up in The Brave and the Bold #60 (July 1965), where the trio officially named themselves the Teen Titans after thwarting the Mad Mod, solidifying the concept as a distinct junior counterpart to the Justice League.[8] Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), originally introduced as a Wonder Woman sidekick in 1965, joined as the fourth member shortly thereafter, expanding the roster to highlight gender diversity among young heroes while maintaining the core focus on mentorship-derived powers and peer-driven heroism.[5] This formation reflected DC's broader strategy in the mid-1960s to serialize sidekick ensembles, capitalizing on the commercial success of titles like The Justice League of America, though the Titans' lighter tone and emphasis on school-life interruptions differentiated them from adult-oriented teams.[9] The concept's longevity stemmed from its grounding in verifiable Silver Age dynamics, where sidekicks like Robin had outsold solo hero books, prompting publishers to nurture youth-targeted narratives amid rising comic sales to teenagers.[5]Initial Formation and Early Iterations
The Teen Titans formed in The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964), when Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad (Garth), and Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) allied to defeat Mister Twister (Bromwell Stikk), a villain using enchanted Native American flutes to control weather and terrorize Hatton Corners by kidnapping its youth.[10][11][12] After their success, the sidekicks pledged to operate as a permanent team of adolescent heroes independent of their mentors.[8] The story, written by Bob Haney and penciled by Bruno Premiani, marked the debut of this ensemble, though the "Teen Titans" moniker was not applied until The Brave and the Bold #60 (July 1965).[8][13] The group transitioned to its own anthology with a preview in Showcase #59 (December 1965/January 1966), followed by Teen Titans #1 (February 1966), scripted by Haney and featuring art by Nick Cardy, pitting the team against the ancient Mesoamerican beast-god Xochatan in a South American adventure tied to Peace Corps efforts.[14][15] The bi-monthly series, published by DC Comics under editor Murray Boltinoff, ran for 43 issues until February 1973, focusing on standalone tales of teen rebellion, mentorship conflicts, and battles with foes like the Mad Mod or Ding Dong Daddy, while maintaining the core quartet's dynamic of youthful autonomy.[16][17] Early iterations preserved the founding lineup through the late 1960s, with occasional guest appearances by peers like Speedy (Roy Harper), but shifts emerged in the early 1970s amid declining sales and cultural changes.[18] By Teen Titans #50 (1973), the concept expanded to a bi-coastal structure with Titans West—a West Coast auxiliary including Lilith Clay (later Omen), Hawk, Dove, Batgirl (Bette Kane), and Golden Eagle—formed to counter telepath Mister Esper's disasters in Los Angeles, allowing parallel operations while the original East Coast team addressed separate threats.[19][20] This brief diversification reflected attempts to refresh the formula before the series' cancellation after #53, signaling the end of the Silver Age phase.[16]Core Characters and Team Composition
Founding and Iconic Members
The Teen Titans originated as a team of young superheroes, primarily sidekicks to established Justice League members, first uniting in The Brave and the Bold #54 (cover-dated July 1964), where Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth) combined forces against the villain Mister Twister, who targeted teenagers with weather-manipulating powers.[21] This encounter marked the proto-formation of the group, emphasizing themes of youthful independence and camaraderie among proteges of Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman, respectively.[22] The team's official debut as the Teen Titans occurred in their self-titled series' premiere issue, Teen Titans #1 (cover-dated February 1966), scripted by Bob Haney and illustrated by Nick Cardy, incorporating Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) as the fourth founding member alongside Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad.[23] These characters—Robin as the strategic leader, Kid Flash providing super-speed, Aqualad wielding aquatic abilities, and Wonder Girl drawing Amazonian strength—comprised the core lineup, reflecting DC Comics' strategy to appeal to younger readers by showcasing teen heroes navigating autonomy from their mentors.[24] Speedy (Roy Harper), Green Arrow's ward, joined as a recurring early member in subsequent issues, expanding the initial roster to five during the Silver Age.[22] Subsequent iterations elevated certain members to iconic status, particularly the 1980 relaunch in The New Teen Titans #1 (November 1980) by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, which revitalized the franchise with a darker, more mature tone and introduced enduring figures like Starfire (Koriand'r), an alien princess with energy projection powers; Cyborg (Victor Stone), a half-human technopath; Raven (Rachel Roth), a empathic demon hybrid; and Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), a shape-shifting green-skinned teen.[22] Retaining Robin (transitioning to Nightwing by 1984) as leader, this lineup of five achieved commercial dominance, selling over 1 million copies of early issues and influencing adaptations, due to its focus on interpersonal drama, diverse origins, and ensemble dynamics.[25] These characters, alongside the originals, remain synonymous with the Teen Titans' legacy, embodying evolution from sidekick ensemble to standalone heroes confronting personal traumas and global threats.[26]Recurring Members and Expansions
The Teen Titans roster expanded beyond its founding members of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad (Garth), and Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) during the Silver Age with the addition of Speedy (Roy Harper), who joined the team in Teen Titans #19 in February 1968, bringing archery expertise and Green Arrow's legacy to the group.[27] Subsequent Bronze Age stories introduced civilian allies who gained superhuman abilities, including Mal Duncan, who debuted as a member in Teen Titans #26 in March-April 1970 and later adopted identities like Guardian and Herald, providing tech support and drum-based sonic powers.[28] Karen Beecher, Mal's girlfriend, joined as Bumblebee in Teen Titans #50 in December 1977-February 1978, becoming DC's first Black female superhero with size-shifting and flight capabilities derived from experimental serums.[28] Lilith Clay, a precognitive teen, integrated in Teen Titans #25 in October-November 1969, later rebranded as Omen with expanded psychic talents. Hawk (Hank Hall) and Dove (Don Hall), the mystical warrior brothers, affiliated recurrently starting in Teen Titans #31 in April-May 1971, contributing aerial combat and pacifist duality to missions. These additions diversified the team's dynamics, shifting from pure sidekicks to a mix of powered civilians and siblings, though membership fluctuated amid low sales and cancellations by 1978. The most transformative expansion occurred with the 1980 relaunch of The New Teen Titans #1 in November 1980, where writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez retooled the team by retaining Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash while introducing four new recurring staples: Starfire (Koriand'r), a Tamaranean alien princess with energy blasts and flight; Raven, a half-demon empath wielding soul-self projections for teleportation and empathy; Cyborg (Victor Stone), a cybernetically enhanced athlete with super strength, tech interfaces, and sonic cannons following a lab accident; and Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), a green-skinned shape-shifter from animal forms, previously of the Doom Patrol.[2] Cyborg's debut predated the series in DC Comics Presents #26 in October 1980, but the full quintet of newcomers solidified as core members, elevating the Titans to a bestselling franchise with interpersonal drama and cosmic threats.[29] This lineup persisted through the 1980s, spawning further recurrents like Jericho (Joseph Wilson), a vocal-mimicry possessor debuting in Tales of the Teen Titans #43 in September 1984, and Danny Chase, a telekinetic added in The New Titans #37 in November 1987. Post-Crisis expansions included branch teams like Titans East, initially conceptualized in the 1970s but formalized in Titans East Special #1 in September 2007 under Cyborg's leadership, featuring recruits such as Anima (Courtney Mason) with animated tattoos, Tattoo (Isaiah), and Risk (Cody Driscoll) for regional operations on the U.S. East Coast.[30] The 1999 Titans series aged the New Teen Titans cohort into adults, adding Arsenal (formerly Speedy), Nightwing (evolved Robin), and Tempest (evolved Aqualad) as recurring elders mentoring younger heroes.[29] These evolutions maintained continuity for legacy characters while accommodating reboots, ensuring figures like Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy recurred across eras as foundational to the Titans' identity despite periodic roster overhauls.Publication History
Silver Age Origins (1964–1973)
The Teen Titans originated as a team of teenage superhero sidekicks in The Brave and the Bold #54, published by DC Comics in July 1964, written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Bruno Premiani.[31] [7] The story featured Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth) uniting to combat a criminal gang preying on orphaned children, establishing them as a provisional group akin to a junior Justice League without an official team name at that point.[31] Their popularity prompted a return in The Brave and the Bold #60 (July 1965), where Haney and Premiani formally named the quartet the Teen Titans upon the addition of Wonder Girl (Donna Troy).[7] The team launched its self-titled ongoing series with Teen Titans #1 in February 1966, scripted by Haney with art by various artists including Irv Novick and covers by Nick Cardy.[15] The bi-monthly title emphasized youthful adventures blending superhero action with teen-oriented subplots, such as school rivalries, dating dilemmas, and identity struggles, while battling foes like the Mad Mod or animal-themed villains revived from ancient myths.[15] Core membership stabilized around Robin as field leader, Kid Flash providing speed-based reconnaissance, Aqualad handling aquatic threats, and Wonder Girl contributing Amazonian strength, with occasional guest appearances by Speedy (Roy Harper) starting in issue #4 (May–June 1966).[24] Over 53 issues through early 1973, the series maintained a lighthearted Silver Age tone, prioritizing ensemble dynamics and moral lessons over deep continuity, though sales fluctuations reflected broader market trends favoring edgier content.[15] Haney's scripts often incorporated fantastical elements, like time-travel encounters or battles against Mr. Twister, a recurring antagonist from the team's formative tales.[7] The run concluded with issue #53 (January–February 1973), entering hiatus amid declining readership and DC's shifting focus, though reprints in anthology titles sustained visibility.[15] This era cemented the Teen Titans as a distinct property appealing to younger audiences, distinct from adult mentor teams.[32]Bronze Age Revival (1976–1980)
Following a hiatus since Teen Titans #43 in February 1973, DC Comics revived the series with issue #44, cover-dated November 1976.[33] The creative team for the relaunch issue consisted of writers Paul Levitz and Bob Rozakis, penciler Pablo Marcos, inker Bob Smith, and cover artist Ernie Chan.[34] The story reunited the core lineup of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), Aqualad (Garth), and Speedy (Roy Harper), who had been operating independently, through a scheme orchestrated by the villain Doctor Light to capture them individually.[35] Rozakis took over as sole writer from issue #45 onward, with Marcos providing pencils for much of the run and various inkers including Smith and Don Heck contributing.[36] The narratives emphasized team dynamics and social issues typical of Bronze Age comics, including Mal Duncan's confrontation with the entity Azrael in #45 and dimension-hopping adventures.[37] A pivotal arc in issues #48–50 centered on the assassination of the Titans' mentor, industrialist Mr. Jupiter, which led the team to question their purpose, temporarily disband, and engage in time travel to alter events before reforming.[37] The revival incorporated existing supporting characters like Lilith Clay and Guardian (Mal Duncan) while adding Bumblebee (Karen Beecher) as a full member in #50 and Bat-Girl (Bette Kane) in #52.[38] Antagonists encountered included the Fearsome Five, the Joker's Daughter, and the Children of the Dream.[37] Despite these efforts to reinvigorate the title with fresh threats and member expansions, the series struggled with sales and concluded after issue #53 in February 1978.[33] This short run of 10 issues bridged the gap to the more successful 1980 relaunch under Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.[37]The New Teen Titans Era (1980–1996)
The New Teen Titans launched in September 1980 with issue #1, written by Marv Wolfman and penciled by George Pérez, inked by Romeo Tanghal.[2] This relaunch followed the team's introduction in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980), which previewed the expanded roster of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), and newcomers Cyborg (Victor Stone), Starfire (Koriand'r), Raven, and Changeling (Garfield Logan, formerly Beast Boy).[39] The series emphasized mature themes of team dynamics, personal trauma, and interpersonal relationships, distinguishing it from prior Teen Titans iterations.[2] The creative team's collaboration drove immediate commercial success, with The New Teen Titans becoming DC Comics' best-selling title of the 1980s.[40] Sales reportedly outpaced competitors, contributing to the franchise's revitalization amid the direct market era's growth.[41] Pérez's detailed artwork, often featuring double-page spreads, enhanced the storytelling, while Wolfman's scripts explored character backstories through miniseries like Tales of the New Teen Titans (1982), which detailed origins for Cyborg, Raven, Changeling, and others.[42] Key story arcs defined the era's narrative depth. "The Terror of Trigon" (spanning early issues including #4-6) introduced Raven's demonic heritage and her father Trigon's invasion threat, establishing cosmic stakes.[39] "The Judas Contract" (1984, New Teen Titans #39-44 and Annual #3) featured the betrayal by teenage infiltrator Terra and her alliance with Deathstroke, culminating in a team rescue operation and Dick Grayson's transition to Nightwing in #39 (February 1984).[43] These arcs, praised for psychological complexity, influenced subsequent superhero team books.[2] In June 1984, with issue #41, the title shifted to Tales of the Teen Titans to accommodate a new Baxter-format series, New Teen Titans volume 2 (starting September 1984), while maintaining continuity.[44] Pérez departed as regular artist in 1984 to work on Crisis on Infinite Earths, though he returned briefly for issue #50.[45] Wolfman continued scripting, adding members like Jericho (Joseph Wilson, Deathstroke's son) and addressing evolving threats from organizations such as H.I.V.E. Annual issues (#1-4, 1982-1985) expanded lore with self-contained stories.[39] By 1988, issue #50 relaunched the series as The New Titans, dropping "Teen" to reflect the aging roster's young adult status.[44] Wolfman helmed the run through its conclusion as New Titans #130 in 1996, incorporating events like "Titans Hunt" (1989) and "A Death in the Family" crossovers, though sales declined later in the decade amid industry shifts.[39] The era's innovations in character development and ensemble storytelling set benchmarks for DC's team books, yielding over 130 issues and influencing media adaptations.[2]Post-New Teen Titans Developments (1996–2003)
The New Titans series, the continuation of the New Teen Titans under writers Marv Wolfman and various artists following George Pérez's departure, concluded with issue #130 in February 1996.[46] In this final storyline, titled "Where Nightmares End," the Titans defeat Trigon, rescue Changeling (Beast Boy) and Raven, and subsequently disband, with members dispersing to address personal matters or join other teams.[47] DC Comics briefly attempted a relaunch with a new Teen Titans ongoing series in late 1996, introducing a roster of inexperienced heroes—Risk, Argent, Prysm, and Joto—revealed as half-human, half-alien hybrids created through a eugenics program by the extraterrestrial H'San Natall race.[48] This version emphasized youthful inexperience and alien heritage but struggled with sales and creative direction, effectively ending after issue #13 in September 1998 without resolving its core arcs; surviving characters like Argent later integrated into subsequent Titans publications.[48] From 1996 to 1999, former Titans operated individually or in limited team-ups within broader DC events, such as Zero Hour (1994 carryover effects) and Final Night (1996), but lacked a dedicated title.[39] A pivotal crossover occurred in the JLA/Titans three-issue miniseries (December 1998–February 1999), written by Devin Grayson and penciled by Phil Jimenez.[49] The story, "The Technis Imperative," depicts an alien entity called Technis (revealed as Cyborg's father, Silas Stone, assimilated by technology) manipulating conflicts between the Justice League and Titans, forcing generational clashes—e.g., Batman versus Nightwing, Wonder Woman versus Troia—while highlighting evolving hero dynamics and reconciliation.[49] In July 1999, DC launched Titans volume 1 (#1–50, ending December 2002), shifting focus to a veteran lineup comprising Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Troia (Donna Troy), Flash (Wally West), Tempest (Garth), and Arsenal (Roy Harper) from the original and New Teen Titans eras, supplemented by younger members like Argent, Bushido, and Damage.[50] Primarily written by Devin Grayson with rotating artists including Mark Pajarillo and Mike McKone, the series explored mature themes such as parenthood (Arsenal raising daughter Lian Harper), romantic tensions, and recovery from traumas like Donna Troy's identity crises and Garth's magical burdens.[51] Key arcs included battles against villains like Deathstroke and the Fearsome Five, internal team fractures, and crossovers with Young Justice, emphasizing the Titans' transition from sidekicks to independent leaders; the title averaged 15,000–20,000 monthly sales but faced cancellation amid DC's 2003 lineup adjustments tied to the Teen Titans animated series launch.[39]Geoff Johns Run and Modern Reboots (2003–2011)
Teen Titans Volume 3 launched in September 2003, written by Geoff Johns with art by Mike McKone, reestablishing the team as a group of young legacy heroes following the events of the Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day miniseries, in which the adult Titans disbanded after the apparent death of Cyborg and other losses.[39] The core lineup consisted of Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (Kon-El), Impulse (Bart Allen), and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), who formed the team to operate independently from their mentors, establishing a new Titans Tower headquarters in San Francisco Bay.[39] Raven joined covertly in the first arc, revealed in issue #6, while Beast Boy (Gar Logan) integrated later, restoring elements of the classic New Teen Titans roster while emphasizing interpersonal tensions and growth among the teenagers.[52] Johns' run, spanning issues #1–26 and resuming for #29–46 and #50, explored themes of legacy, identity, and emerging threats, including the Brother Blood cult storyline in issues #1–5, where the team confronted genetic manipulation and cult indoctrination targeting Wonder Girl.[53] Deathstroke served as a recurring antagonist, clashing with the Titans in arcs like "The Future is Now" (issues #17–19), which depicted a dystopian timeline influenced by villainous interventions.[54] The series tied into broader DC events, such as Infinite Crisis in 2005–2006, where Titans members participated in multiversal conflicts and the resurrection of Jason Todd, impacting team dynamics.[39] Johns' narrative revitalized the franchise by blending high-stakes action with character-driven drama, contributing to increased sales and cultural relevance for the property.[55] Following Johns' departure around 2006, subsequent writers including Judd Winick and Adam Beechen continued the series through its 100-issue run until October 2011, incorporating expansions like the addition of members such as Miss Martian and static, while addressing arcs involving the Terror Titans and the Culling event in issues #92–100.[39] This era maintained the modern reboot's focus on a rotating roster of teen heroes facing global threats, including crossovers with Outsiders and Justice League, but faced criticism for inconsistent creative direction post-Johns.[56] The volume concluded ahead of the New 52 relaunch, solidifying the 2003–2011 iteration as a bridge between pre-Crisis legacies and contemporary DC continuity.[57]New 52 and Rebirth Eras (2011–2020)
Following DC Comics' The New 52 relaunch in September 2011, the Teen Titans series (Volume 4) debuted with issue #1, written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Brett Booth with inks by Norm Rapmund.[58] The storyline centered on Tim Drake as Red Robin assembling a covert team to combat threats targeting young metahumans, initially recruiting Superboy (Kon-El) and later expanding to include Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark), Bunker (Miguel Barragan), and Solstice (Kiran Singh).[59] Key antagonists included the organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E., led by Harvest, which conducted experiments on superpowered youths, culminating in events like "The Culling" crossover where the Titans allied with other young heroes against Harvest's forces.[60] The series explored themes of isolation and mentorship under Red Robin's leadership, running for 30 monthly issues through April 2014, with annuals and specials extending the narrative.[58] Post-2014, the title saw transitions, including a brief continuation under writer Will Pfeifer, but faced cancellation amid DC's shifting lineup before the Rebirth era.[61] In June 2016, DC's Rebirth initiative restored select pre-Flashpoint continuity elements, launching Titans: Rebirth #1 as a lead-in, followed by the new Teen Titans series (2016) starting with Teen Titans: Rebirth #1 in September 2016.[62] Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jonboy Meyers, the Rebirth run featured Damian Wayne (Robin) forcibly recruiting a team comprising Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Kid Flash (Wallace West) to counter global threats, beginning with a confrontation against Ra's al Ghul.[63] This iteration emphasized Damian's authoritarian leadership style, internal team conflicts, and battles with entities like the Demon Etrigan, spanning issues #1–20 through 2018.[64] Subsequent creative shifts included writers Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson from 2018 onward, incorporating arcs such as "The Lazarus Contract" crossover with Titans and Deathstroke, where the team navigated time manipulation and family legacies involving Deathstroke.[65] By 2019–2020, the series evolved with additional members like Crush (Lobo's daughter) and Roundhouse, focusing on interstellar threats and personal growth amid Damian's evolving role, before transitioning into the Infinite Frontier era.[63] These runs prioritized younger heroes' independence while tying into broader DC events, though sales fluctuations led to multiple relaunches within the decade.[64]Infinite Frontier and Recent Developments (2021–Present)
In June 2021, DC Comics' Infinite Frontier relaunch preserved multiversal continuity while introducing new titles, including Teen Titans Academy, which debuted on September 8, 2021. The series, written by Tim Sheridan and primarily illustrated by Rafa Sandoval, portrayed veteran Titans—Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy—as mentors at a New York City-based academy for emerging superpowered youths, incorporating students like Shazam, the Gorilla, and Roundhouse amid threats from groups such as the Fearsome Five.[66] Running for 15 issues until its conclusion in January 2022, the title emphasized themes of legacy and training but faced cancellation amid broader DC line adjustments.[67] Following the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event, which dismantled the Justice League structure, DC launched a new Titans volume on May 16, 2023, written by Tom Taylor with art by Nicola Scott and others. This ongoing series reunites the core New Teen Titans roster—Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Donna Troy, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Flash (Wallace West)—as they relocate to Titans Tower in San Francisco to defend Earth independently, confronting threats like the Chaos Lords and internal team tensions.[68] By July 2025, the series had reached issue #25, incorporating crossover elements such as the Titans: Beast World storyline from November 2023 to January 2024, where Beast Boy's powers unleash a global animal mutation crisis testing the team's cohesion.[69] Parallel developments included the six-issue World's Finest: Teen Titans miniseries (August 2023–January 2024), which retroactively explored the original 1960s team's exploits in a modern context, pitting Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Speedy against the Fearsome Five.[70] Additionally, tie-in projects like the Titans 2025 Annual #1 (July 30, 2025), focusing on Donna Troy's backstory, and a forthcoming young adult graphic novel Teen Titans: Together by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Piccolo (November 4, 2025) have expanded the franchise's narrative scope.[71] These efforts reflect DC's strategy to evolve the Titans from sidekicks to frontline defenders, prioritizing ensemble dynamics over solo heroics.Fictional Elements
Bases and Infrastructure
The Teen Titans' primary infrastructure revolves around Titans Tower, a multifunctional T-shaped headquarters featuring living quarters, laboratories, training arenas, hangars, and advanced computer systems designed for team operations and defense.[72] The structure's design emphasizes self-sufficiency, with subterranean extensions in later iterations including medical bays and submarine access points.[72] Titans Tower debuted in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) within a prophetic dream sequence experienced by Robin, but its first canonical establishment occurred in The New Teen Titans #7 (February 1981), where a detailed cutaway illustrated its internal layout as a high-tech clubhouse funded through team resources and alliances.[2][73] The original iteration was built by Dr. Silas Stone on Titans Island in New York City's East River following Cyborg's integration into the team during the early 1980s New Teen Titans run.[72] Subsequent versions adapted to threats and relocations, with the first tower destroyed by Trigon in The New Teen Titans #5 (August 1981) and later seized after damage from the Wildebeest Society in the Titans Hunt crossover (1990).[74] A second tower, rebuilt by Cyborg as a holographic decoy atop a hidden underground facility on the same island, served from 1999 to 2002 before destruction by the villain Epsilon during the Titans series.[72] The third major iteration, constructed in San Francisco Bay with city council support post-[Infinite Crisis](/page/Infinite Crisis) (2005–2006), incorporated memorials to fallen members Superboy and Kid Flash, as depicted in Teen Titans #33 (2006).[75][76]| Tower Version | Location | Key Events and Features |
|---|---|---|
| First | Titans Island, East River, NYC | Built by Silas Stone; destroyed by Trigon (New Teen Titans #5) and Wildebeest Society (Titans Hunt); included apartments, labs, and hangars.[72] |
| Second | Titans Island, East River, NYC | Holographic surface over subterranean base; operational 1999–2002; destroyed by Epsilon.[72] |
| Third | San Francisco Bay, CA | Post-Infinite Crisis rebuild; features founder statues and memorials (Teen Titans #33).[72] |
Villains and Adversaries
Deathstroke, also known as Slade Wilson, serves as one of the Teen Titans' most persistent and formidable adversaries, debuting as a superhuman mercenary assassin in The New Teen Titans #2 (December 1980), where he was contracted by H.I.V.E. to eliminate the team. Enhanced by an experimental serum granting him enhanced strength, reflexes, and healing, Deathstroke employs tactical brilliance and advanced weaponry in repeated assaults on the Titans, often targeting Nightwing due to personal vendettas involving his children, such as the brainwashing of Jericho. His conflicts span decades, including alliances with the Titans' enemies and occasional uneasy truces, underscoring his role as a morally ambiguous operative driven by profit and revenge rather than ideology.[79][80] Trigon, a multidimensional demon lord embodying pure evil, emerges as a cosmic threat and the archenemy of Raven, whom he sired through her mother Arella on the pacifist world of Azarath. First prominently featured in the "Terror of Trigon" storyline across The New Teen Titans issues #1–6 (1984), Trigon seeks interdimensional conquest, repeatedly attempting to possess Earth via Raven as a gateway, forcing the Titans into apocalyptic battles involving soul-self manipulations and alliances with Azarathian forces. As ruler of over a hundred hellish realms, his invasions test the team's unity, with Raven's heritage providing both vulnerability and key defenses against his reality-warping powers.[81][82] Brother Blood, the high priest and successive leader of the fanatical Church of Blood cult, antagonizes the Titans through ritualistic schemes and technological enhancements, debuting in The New Teen Titans #21 (July 1982) as a successor in a lineage of immortal villains who absorb knowledge and powers from predecessors. Often allying with H.I.V.E. or Trigon, Blood employs mind control, cybernetic upgrades, and blood-based mysticism to pursue domination, notably clashing with Cyborg in arcs involving identity theft and cult expansions. His defeats highlight the Titans' resistance to organized fanaticism, with each incarnation adapting tactics like genetic engineering to evade mortality.[83] The H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination), a covert terrorist organization masquerading as an elite academy, trains young supervillains and deploys them against the Titans, first encountering the team in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) before major arcs in The New Teen Titans. Led by figures like the Queen Bee or Deathstroke, H.I.V.E. fields squads such as the Fearsome Five (including Psimon, Mammoth, and Shimmer) for espionage, assassinations, and global destabilization, emphasizing structured villainy over chaotic individualism. Their infrastructure, including underwater bases and indoctrination programs, poses systemic threats, culminating in repeated Titan infiltrations and dismantlings.[83][84] Additional adversaries include the Brotherhood of Evil, a espionage network led by the disembodied brain of Monsieur Mallah and the Gorilla Grodd-like General Immortus, who orchestrate animalistic and intellectual plots against teen heroes since the Silver Age; and Blackfire, Starfire's tyrannical alien sister from Tamaran, whose power grabs and betrayals exploit familial ties in interstellar conflicts. These foes collectively challenge the Titans' youth, loyalty, and heroism through personal, demonic, and institutional vectors.[84][83]Themes and Major Story Arcs
Recurring Themes in Team Dynamics
The Teen Titans' team dynamics frequently revolve around the concept of a surrogate family, where members provide emotional support amid personal traumas and superhero duties. Creator Marv Wolfman intentionally crafted the group to interact like real people, fostering relationships that mirror familial bonds rather than mere alliances.[85] This approach, prominent in the 1980 New Teen Titans relaunch with artist George Pérez, emphasized character backstories influencing group interactions, such as Raven's internal struggle with her demonic heritage straining team trust during the "Terror of Trigon" arc in issues #1-6 (1980-1981).[86] Romantic entanglements often complicate operational cohesion, a recurring motif across eras. Dick Grayson's (Robin/Nightwing) relationship with Starfire, initiated in New Teen Titans #1 (1980), exemplifies how personal affections can both strengthen loyalty and provoke jealousy or division, as seen in tensions with other members like Donna Troy.[87] Similarly, Garfield Logan (Beast Boy/Changeling) and Victor Stone (Cyborg)'s bromance provides comic relief and mutual encouragement, counterbalancing heavier conflicts, evident in their banter during crises like the Judas Contract storyline (1984).[88] Leadership transitions highlight themes of maturity and independence from mentors. Grayson's evolution to Nightwing in New Teen Titans #39 (1984) symbolizes the team's shift toward self-reliance, recurring in later runs where successors like Tim Drake or Damian Wayne grapple with authority, often leading to power struggles resolved through collective growth.[89] Betrayals, such as Tara Markov's (Terra) infiltration in New Teen Titans #26-28 and #37-44 (1982-1984), underscore recurring trust erosion, forcing the team to rebuild via forgiveness and redefined roles, a pattern echoed in post-Crisis and Rebirth eras.[90] Interpersonal conflicts driven by diverse origins—alien (Starfire), mystical (Raven), technological (Cyborg)—foster themes of empathy and adaptation. Wolfman noted the Titans' "realistic" relatability stems from these dynamics, allowing young heroes to navigate identity crises collectively, distinct from the more hierarchical Justice League.[89] This emphasis on emotional realism over pure action persists, influencing adaptations and reboots by prioritizing relational depth for character arcs.[91]Pivotal Storylines and Events
The "Terror of Trigon" storyline, spanning New Teen Titans #1-6 (1980-1981), established the revamped team's core dynamics under writers Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, introducing Raven's demonic heritage and the invasion by her father, Trigon, which tested the heroes' unity and foreshadowed ongoing supernatural threats.[92] This arc solidified the lineup of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven, emphasizing interpersonal conflicts alongside cosmic perils, and sold over 150,000 copies per issue, revitalizing the franchise commercially.[93] "The Judas Contract," published across Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44 and Annual #3 (1984), depicted the infiltration and betrayal of the Titans by new recruit Terra, orchestrated by assassin Deathstroke (Slade Wilson), culminating in the team's near-destruction and Terra's sacrificial death to halt her rampage.[94] This four-part saga, inking over 100 pages of Pérez's detailed artwork, explored themes of trust and redemption, introducing Jericho as a new member possessing body-control powers, and remains a benchmark for character-driven superhero narratives, influencing subsequent adaptations.[95] In 2003, Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day miniseries (#1-3) by Judd Winick dissolved the veteran Titans roster following the apparent death of Donna Troy by a Superman robot, paving the way for Geoff Johns' Teen Titans relaunch focused on younger members like Tim Drake's Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl, with sales exceeding 100,000 for the debut issue.[96] This event bridged eras, reintroducing Garfield Logan (Beast Boy) and emphasizing legacy succession amid crossover chaos tied to larger DC Universe events.[44] Johns' "A Kid's Game" arc (Teen Titans vol. 3 #1-7, 2003-2004) chronicled the new team's formation post-Graduation Day, incorporating Raven's resurrection and battles against villains like Deathstroke, while "Titans Tomorrow" (Teen Titans #17-19, 2005) flashed forward to a dystopian future where the Titans evolve into authoritarian enforcers, critiquing unchecked heroism and impacting continuity through time-travel elements.[97] These developments integrated the Titans into Infinite Crisis (2005-2006), where Cyborg's sacrifice and team fractures highlighted evolving threats from multiversal incursions.[98]Collected Editions
Early and Silver Age Collections
DC Comics has reprinted the Silver Age Teen Titans stories, spanning the team's debut in 1964 through the late 1960s, in multiple collected editions to preserve the original adventures of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Wonder Girl.[99] These collections capture the era's youthful superhero team dynamics, written primarily by Bob Haney and illustrated by artists like Bruno Premiani and Nick Cardy, emphasizing teen independence from their mentors.[100] The Showcase Presents: Teen Titans series offers affordable black-and-white trade paperbacks reprinting the full run's early issues. Volume 1, published in April 2006, collects The Brave and the Bold #54 and #60 (1964–1965), Showcase #59 (1965), and Teen Titans #1–18 (1966–1968), totaling over 500 pages of formative team formation and battles against villains like the Mad Mod.[101] Volume 2, released in 2007, continues with Teen Titans #19–36 (1968–1971), The Brave and the Bold #83 and #94, and World's Finest Comics #205, introducing characters like Hawk and Dove while maintaining the Silver Age tone into the Bronze Age transition.[102] For color reproductions, the DC Archive Editions and Silver Age Archives provide premium hardcover formats. The Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Volume 1 reprints early appearances, while subsequent volumes like the DC Archive Editions cover Teen Titans #6–20 alongside The Brave and the Bold #68, highlighting Haney's scripts and Cardy's artwork from 1967–1969.[100] These editions prioritize fidelity to original printings, appealing to collectors seeking high-quality scans of the 1960s issues.[103] Modern compilations include the Teen Titans: The Silver Age trade paperbacks and omnibus. Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus Volume 1, collecting The Brave and the Bold #54 and #60, Showcase #59, and Teen Titans #1–11 (1964–1967), was released to consolidate debut-era tales in a single oversized edition.[104] Volume 2 of the trade paperback series gathers later Silver Age stories, featuring foes like Captain Rumble, in a format accessible for new readers while preserving the period's campy, adventure-driven narratives.[99]| Collection Title | Format | Key Issues Collected | Publication Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 1 | Trade Paperback (B&W) | Brave and the Bold #54, 60; Showcase #59; Teen Titans #1–18 | 2006 |
| Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 | Trade Paperback (B&W) | Teen Titans #19–36; Brave and the Bold #83, 94; World's Finest #205 | 2007 |
| Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 | Hardcover Omnibus | Brave and the Bold #54, 60; Showcase #59; Teen Titans #1–11 | ca. 2016 |
| Teen Titans: The Silver Age Vol. 2 | Trade Paperback | Select later Silver Age Teen Titans issues | 2017 |
New Teen Titans and Subsequent Runs
The New Teen Titans (1980) series, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated primarily by George Pérez, has been reprinted in a series of trade paperback editions by DC Comics, covering the run's 40 issues from November 1980 to March 1984.[105] The first volume collects the team's debut in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) and New Teen Titans #1–8 (November 1980–June 1981), introducing core members Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven amid threats like the Fearsome Five.[105] Subsequent volumes include Vol. 2 (The New Teen Titans #9–20), Vol. 3 (#21–25 and Annual #1), and Vol. 4 (#26–33 and Annual #2), with later entries like Vol. 5 (Games and Who is Donna Troy?) and Vol. 6 incorporating Tales of the Teen Titans #41–50.[106] Larger omnibus editions consolidate these materials for comprehensive reading. The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1 (2011, revised 2017) gathers DC Comics Presents #26, New Teen Titans #1–20, Tales of the Teen Titans #1–4, and select anthology stories, spanning over 700 pages of early arcs including the origin of the team's Titans Tower headquarters.[107] Vol. 2 extends to New Teen Titans #21–40, Annuals #1–2, and crossovers like Batman and the Outsiders #5, culminating in the "Terror of Trigon" storyline.[44] These hardcovers, priced around $125–150, feature restored artwork and creator introductions, though some reprints note Pérez's detailed panels challenging modern digital coloring.[108] Subsequent runs under the Tales of the Teen Titans (1984–1988, issues #41–91, renumbered from the original series) and The New Titans (1988–1996, #1–130) titles continued Wolfman's narrative, shifting focus to adult themes and lineup changes like Nightwing replacing Robin. Collections for these are fragmented; Vol. 7 of The New Teen Titans trades reprints Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3 and #50–58 alongside The New Teen Titans (vol. 2) #1–9 (1984 miniseries).[109] Key arcs like "The Judas Contract" appear in standalone trades such as New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, but much of The New Titans era—featuring events like the Titans Hunt (1988–1989, killing off members including Dove and Lilith)—remains uncollected in dedicated volumes, with select issues integrated into crossover titles like Deathstroke: The Terminator Vol. 1.[44] DC has prioritized earlier Pérez-era material, leaving gaps in post-1988 runs due to lower commercial demand for 1990s issues.[110]Modern Era Collections
The New 52 relaunch of Teen Titans (2011–2014), written primarily by Scott Lobdell, was collected into five trade paperbacks covering the full run. Teen Titans Vol. 1: It's Our Right to Fight compiles issues #1–7, published September 5, 2012.[59] Vol. 2: The Culling gathers #8–14, released February 5, 2013.[111] Vol. 3: Death of the Family includes #15–17 and #0, issued November 20, 2013.[112] Vol. 4: Light and Dark collects #18–23, dated July 17, 2014.[113] Vol. 5: The Trial of Kid Flash assembles #24–30 plus Annuals #2–3, published February 18, 2015.[114] DC Rebirth-era Teen Titans (2016–2020), featuring Damian Wayne as leader and contributions from writers like Benjamin Percy and Adam Glass, appeared in at least four trade paperbacks. Teen Titans Vol. 1: Damian Knows Best covers #1–5 and the Rebirth one-shot, released March 14, 2018.[115] Vol. 2: Turn It Up includes #6–7, #9–11, and Annual #1, published November 7, 2018.[116] Vol. 3: The Return of Kid Flash compiles #13–14 and #16–19, dated May 29, 2019.[117] Vol. 4: Robin No More collects #39–44 and Annual #2, issued April 27, 2021.[118] Post-Rebirth developments under Infinite Frontier (2021–present) introduced spin-offs like Teen Titans Academy, written by Tim Sheridan, collected in hardcover and trade paperback editions. Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks the Spot gathers #1–5 and the 2021 Yearbook, published January 4, 2022.[119] Vol. 2: Exit Wounds includes #6–15, released September 6, 2022.[120] These formats prioritize accessibility for readers, with no omnibus editions announced for these runs as of 2022.[44]Adaptations in Other Media
Television Series
The Teen Titans' first television adaptation consisted of three seven-minute animated segments produced by Filmation as part of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, which premiered on CBS on September 9, 1967.[121] These shorts featured core members Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Wonder Girl combating villains in standalone stories, marking the team's initial foray into broadcast animation tied to DC's broader superhero lineup.[122] The flagship animated series, Teen Titans, developed by Glen Murakami, debuted on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and ran for five seasons until January 27, 2006.[123] Drawing loosely from the comic books, the show followed Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy defending Jump City from threats like Slade while exploring teen interpersonal dynamics and personal growth.[4] Its blend of action, humor, and emotional depth contributed to strong viewership, prompting the extension beyond initial four-season plans.[123] However, Cartoon Network did not renew the series for a sixth season, with season 5 produced knowing it would likely be the last. A proposed rebranded "New Teen Titans" season was rejected by Warner Bros. Feature Animation executives. Cited reasons include declining ratings after season 4, toy licensing issues (Bandai held rights, but Mattel became CN's partner in 2006), and network/executive decisions. The series concluded with the episode "Things Change" (2006) and the film Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo as a finale.[124][125] Teen Titans Go!, a comedic spin-off emphasizing the characters' off-duty antics and roommate squabbles over serious heroics, premiered on Cartoon Network on April 23, 2013, and remains in production as of 2025, making it DC's longest-running animated series.[126][127] The series retains the core five-member team but adopts a slapstick, parody-driven format targeting younger audiences with episodic, self-contained narratives.[128] In live-action, Titans, created by Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Greg Berlanti, launched on DC Universe on October 12, 2018, before transferring to HBO Max, concluding after four seasons in 2023.[129] This darker, R-rated interpretation centers on Dick Grayson assembling a team including Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy to confront mature threats, diverging from youthful comics origins with gritty realism and adult themes.[130] The series emphasized character backstories and psychological depth, earning praise for its tone amid mixed reception for visual effects and plotting consistency.[130]Films and Direct-to-Video
Teen Titans adaptations include a limited number of animated films, primarily direct-to-video releases produced by Warner Bros. Animation as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line, alongside one theatrical feature derived from the comedic Teen Titans Go! series. These productions draw from the team's comic book origins, emphasizing team dynamics, villain confrontations, and character development, often integrating elements from broader DC lore.[131][132]| Title | Release Date | Format | Director(s) | Key Plot Elements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo | September 15, 2006 (TV premiere); February 6, 2007 (DVD) | Direct-to-video (TV movie) | Michael Chang, Heather A. Maxwell, Matt Youngberg | The Titans travel to Japan to stop Brushogun and local criminals, uncovering a conspiracy involving the villain Daizo and his associate Tanaka. The film serves as the series finale to the 2003–2006 animated series.[133][134][135] |
| Justice League vs. Teen Titans | March 29, 2016 | Direct-to-video | Sam Liu | Damian Wayne joins the Titans after clashing with the Justice League; the team battles Trigon, who possesses the League members, forcing an alliance to avert demonic invasion.[131][136] |
| Teen Titans: The Judas Contract | April 4, 2017 | Direct-to-video | Sam Liu | The Titans recruit Terra, who secretly betrays them to Deathstroke and Brother Blood in a plot for power enhancement, leading to internal conflict and a confrontation over loyalty.[137][138] |
| Teen Titans Go! To the Movies | July 27, 2018 | Theatrical | Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic | The Go! Titans seek Hollywood fame but face Slade's scheme to divide heroes using mind-control; the film parodies superhero tropes with meta-humor and celebrity cameos.[139][140] |
| Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans | September 17, 2019 | Direct-to-video | Michael Jelenic | A multiverse anomaly pits the Go! Titans against the original animated series Titans, resolving through cooperation against shared threats in a style-blending crossover.[141] |
