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1st Teen Titans
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1,128 posts in this topic

That early 1970s DC Super-Spectacular reprint of B&B 54 certainly was marketed as a Teen Titans story on the cover. It made me curious to seek out the similar reprint of B&B 60, in DC-12, also known as Superboy #185 in 1972:

 

The Astounding Separated Man. In their very first case , the original Teen Titans-- Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad...

 

hm

 

Zonker, As you note, DC 100 Page Super-Spectacular 21 shows BB 54, on its COVER, as a Teen Titans story:

 

$(KGrHqZHJCoE9!KpcKjGBPSDUeKQ)g~~60_35.JPG

 

Have you looked at its index to compare to the index you post above?

 

Blazing, have you looked at the No. 21's index?

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But, if you asked is there a team of superhero sidekicks or junior Justice Leaguers or teen superheros, after BB 54 you would have said yes.

 

More importantly, BB 60 itself points back to BB 54 as the origin of the team.

 

Once again, no one disagrees that the name TT appeared first in BB 60. But, the first appearance of the team was BB 54. Just like with TTA 27. I know this confuses some people, but for those of us who read the stories, what matters is the first appearance of the character/team not the trademarked name, and the flow of the story not the financial hype of the book.

 

If all you cared about was the first appearance of the trademarked name, you'd view Strange Tales 114 as the "first SA appearance" of "Captain America" because it is the first SA appearance of the name/costume/trademark. But, if you care about the story of Steve Rogers, it's not important at all.

 

Actually, I would not have said yes re BB 54, because at no point in there do they agree to form a team that will consistently act together. Where were the LOCs or fanzines clamoring to know the name of this amazing new team that debuted in BB 54? Why weren't the fans desperate to know who else was in this great new team? Where's the clubhouse?

 

None of that happened because no one thought a superhero team in the way we understood it had just been formed.

 

Until BB 60. The first appearance of the Teen Titans.

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Where were the LOCs or fanzines clamoring to know the name of this amazing new team that debuted in BB 54? Why weren't the fans desperate to know who else was in this great new team? Where's the clubhouse?

 

What are you basing this on? What fanzines were you reading in 1964? What did the B&B letter column, if there was one, say about BB 54? Or are you just making stuff up?

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Where were the LOCs or fanzines clamoring to know the name of this amazing new team that debuted in BB 54? Why weren't the fans desperate to know who else was in this great new team? Where's the clubhouse?

 

What are you basing this on? What fanzines were you reading in 1964? What did the B&B letter column, if there was one, say about BB 54? Or are you just making stuff up?

 

There wasn't a BB letter column till Batman was a regular if I remember correctly.

 

That's what I thought.

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Where were the LOCs or fanzines clamoring to know the name of this amazing new team that debuted in BB 54? Why weren't the fans desperate to know who else was in this great new team? Where's the clubhouse?

 

What are you basing this on? What fanzines were you reading in 1964? What did the B&B letter column, if there was one, say about BB 54? Or are you just making stuff up?

 

Basing what on? I'm asking you questions. If you don't have the answers, that's fine. But if BB 54 really constituted the creation of a new superhero team as you claim, there ought to be evidence of it in the fandom literature from the time: LOCs, fanzines, etc.

 

I've never heard of any. How about you?

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Thanks blazing for having the integrity and curiosity to post an image that hurts your cause. I appreciate the truth seeking. It is exactly what I've been saying: First, the team is created in BB 54. And then it is named in BB 60.

 

Which again begs the question: Do we care more about the first appearance of the team/character (TTA 27/Avengers 4) or of the name/trademark (TTA35/ST 114)? The answer is that the "first appearance" is of the team/character, not the name/trademark.

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Seems consistent with DC's commentary at the time that TT 60 was the first appearance of the team.

 

Not sure how you can reconcile the notion that the first appearance of the "team" was BB 60 when the text you post states: "That's the situation that brings three young super-heroes together - IN A TEAM LATER TO BE KNOWN AS THE TEEN TITANS!"

 

"Team" first appears in BB 54. And is "later known as the Teen Titans" in BB 60.

 

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thats how I read it too. theres a TEAM of heroes. Later they get a name. TEAM came first.

 

Give the editors a break for not knowing what was going to happen as a result of teaming the kids together….and spelling it out for everyone at the time.. They were not interested in all this retrospective fanboy stuff. Just SALES! If something works, do it again, and embellish it with stuff the kids expect and like.

 

Bottom line was that they went BACK to their concept as presented in #54.

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Give me a break. Lots of groups of two heroes have referred to themselves or been referred to as "teams" in comic stories. That means nothing, whether they later team up with others or not.

 

The original lineup of the Teen Titans is Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Wonder Girl.

 

Look at the cover of BB 60:

"TEEN TITANS - 4 TEENAGE HEROES IN ONE BLAZING ADVENTURE!"

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So let me get this straight. The reprint labels the story in #60 as the "first adventure of the teen titans" and includes Wonder Girl in the original line up.

 

Duck's reaction-meh

 

The reprint of 54 calls the group a team that would LATER be known as the Teen Titans. Just as 60 quotes Robin as saying the Titans formed AFTER the events of 54. Notice a pattern?

 

Duck's Reaction-Clearly 54 is the first Teen Titans.

 

I would argue against this logic and I believe it strengthens the argument 60 is the first appearance and 54 is the origin issue. I have held this position all along. I see nothing here to convince me otherwise.

150629.jpg.9b5ad0c7be34d15058083c518d1df2b1.jpg

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Teen Titans is 4 TEENAGE HEROES.

 

Even if there are other books where 1, 2 or 3 of them appears it is not the Teen Titans.

 

BB53 and BB54 are both part of the circumstances that lead to the official formation of the first team in BB60.

 

...

 

Some drummers, guitarists, and singers have worked together, but they cannot be said to be the beginning of a group until they actually come out and say "we are from today Metallica!" (or another group).

 

For me TT's first appearance was BB60. BB53 and BB54 are where some of them got to know and thus the lead up to the formation and first appearance of the team.

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I thought this may be of interest. The last few panels of Brave and the Bold #53.

 

Thanks again! To me, the end of BB 53 just dramatizes that the end of BB 54's announcement of a "new team" meant something more than just a mere "team-up."

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Some drummers, guitarists, and singers have worked together, but they cannot be said to be the beginning of a group until they actually come out and say "we are from today Metallica!" (or another group).

 

Lots of musicians form groups before they pick a name. And I can't think of very many bands whose line-ups didn't change over time.

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