The Russian Starfire

A young teenage boy who accompanied his archeologist father to investigate what they discover to be crashed alien spaceship in the Siberian wastes near the Yenisei River in Russia back in June, 1908...the lad sneaks into the spaceship at night, where he triggers an energy blast that gives him great strength and speed, turning him into Russia's first hero....Starfire!

This Starfire debuted in Teen Titans #18 (November-December, 1968), and would later be tied to the Teen Titans.

Eye Of The Beholder!

In Teen Titans #18 (November-December, 1968) by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman and Bill Draut, under a Nick Cardy cover, we first meet Starfire in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Teen Titans and Starfire have to work together to stop the jewel thief, Andre Le Blanc from stealing the crown jewels.  Kid Flash, of all the Teen Titans, is especially displeased for their American team to have to work with the Russian hero, and the Russian lad is none to fond of his American counterparts.    The teens get a chance to try to capture Andre when he takes a practice run, but the team just works against each other, allowing Le Blanc to escape.  

The kids regroup, with tensions running high, when they split up to guard the thief's next target.  There, Andre traps Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin and Wonder Girl (all under the watchful eye of Starfire)...with Starfire eventually confronting Le Blanc, who bests him and puts his life in danger. Thankfully, Starfire had freed the Teen Titans from their traps (who held back to allow Starfire the honor of capturing Le Blanc), and together, they bring Andre to justice, learning the lesson that all men of all nations need to work together.

A Pretty Girl Is Like A -- Maladi!

With New Teen Titans #18 (April, 1982) by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal, the original Starfire returns (and his given name of Leonid Kovar) is revealed.  Here, starting in a forgotten bureau in the Soviet Union, Marek Slavik finds out his son Tomas was killed by Americans.  Marek's brother Tomas and wife Sonya were also killed earlier in two incidents involving the American army, and thus Slavik plots revenge.  Using a long abandoned project, Slavik infects his secretary, young bride-to-be Maladi Malanova, with a radiation (unbeknownst to her), and sends her with papers to deliver to New York City (promising her that she will be back before her wedding...a lie).  Later, King Faraday, of the FBI, recruits Robin and Wonder Girl to inform the other Titans that their old "friend", Starfire, is back in the USA on a covert mission. 

The Titans gather in their tower, and look for Kovar, finding that one of the custom agents at the airport collapsed (where Maladi was 3 days before) and was taken to the hospital. Raven finds out that the man was infected with a radiation poisoning and the Kovar was interested in this as well.  Kovar closes in on Maladi, but the Titans interfere, thinking he might be responsible to the radiation poisoning.  The Titans capture Kovar, where he explains that Slavik poisoned his secretary to spread death in America, and that though she cannot be saved, anyone she touched could be.  Kovar escapes Titans Tower to continue to go after her, while Maladi goes to a doctor to see about her sickness.  

Kovar tracks her down, and lets her know of her dire situation, and that he plans to kill her.  The Titans show up and fight him, stopping his plan.  They take her to a hospital where she dies.  Kovar, after being confronted by Kid Flash by his cold plan to kill her asks why...and Leonid explains that instead of the slow death she got he was to offer her a quick death, as he could do no less for the woman he was engaged to.

Though not in the issue, Kovar got a new heroic name, that of Red Star in Action Comics #551, and fought alongside the heroes during the Crisis On Infinite Earths, was later involved with the first Justice League International/Suicide Squad team-up, came back to America to fight with Hammer and Sickle of the People's Heroes at S.T.A.R. Labs, got a new costume and joined the Titans during the Titans Hunt against the Wildebeest, during which time he developed energy manipulation powers, stayed with the team until Zero Hour, but returned again with yet another new costume, all the while, loyal to Russia, yet also an honorable hero.

Aquaman DC Super Stars

Aquaman didn't have any 80 page or 100 page reprint collections all to himself, but one of the ones he had all to himself was DC Super Stars #7 (September, 1976), and what a fine collection it was.


All under a Jim Aparo cover, with a few great tales within, as well as a few special features, all to please even the fussiest of Aquaman fans.


Let's take a look at the tales just below the surface!

Aquaman 35

First up is Aquaman #35 (September-October, 1967) by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy, wherein Aquaman found himself "Between Two Dooms".

This was a huge issue for the Aquafamily.  First, Atlantis was attacked by Black Manta (his first appearance, though it doesn't feel so), wherein he captures Aquaman as the Sea King goes out to fight him.  While captured, Black Manta poison's Atlantis' dome, forcing Dr. Vulko (a senior advisor of Aquaman's) to pump all the water out of the city and, after Aquaman returns, initiate Project X, a plan that turns all the city dwellers into air breathers.  With only Aquaman, Aqualad, Mera and Aquababy being able to breathe water, Mera and Aquababy have to go outside the dome for a bit to breathe, where Black Manta captures the boy.  Meanwhile, Ocean Master (a previous foe of Aquaman's) was planning an attack, sees this and takes Aquababy for himself, leading to a fight between the villains, which Aquaman intercedes in...until he is injured.  Ocean Master wins, but gives Arthur Jr. to his dad, and leaves Atlantis behind.

Teen Titans 30

The second and final reprinted tale was a short from Teen Titans #30 (November-December, 1970), with Aqualad and Aquagirl (her only Teen Titans appearance before the 1980s) headed to a concert inland, where they would find "Some Call It Noise" in a story by Steve Skeates and Nick Cardy.

Garth and his Atlantean girlfriend, Tula, try to attend a concert, but have to deal with a problem first, that of an escaped mental patient enraged by an experimental hormone treatment.  While Aqualad defeats him, the patient injures Aquagirl, forcing Aqualad to take her back to the water...which he has to hurry to do because of the one hour limit Atlanteans have to be away from water.

Better still, there were a few pages on additional Aquaman villains...

...like the Fisherman, the Liquidator, the Awesome Threesome, the Human Flying Fish, and even Ocean Master, Black Manta and Mera!

Superman Meets The Ghost Of Batman

Holy ectoplasm, Batman!  It appears all the comics you've read since 1964 have been lying to you, claiming that Batman is alive, when, according to this cover of World's Finest Comics #139 (February, 1964, by Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff), Batman has only been a ghost of himself!

Well, wait a minute....

...let's take a look inside this book, to find out what is going on.

"The Ghost Of Batman" (by Dave Wood, Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff) begins pretty much like any tale of the day, with Superman, disguising himself as Batman, stopping the Sphinx Gang from completing a robbery (all so that Bruce Wayne can appear with Kathy Kane/Batwoman, to allay her suspicions of his being Batman), when things go horribly wrong, in that the gang appear to have successfully kill the Batman!  Now, Superman easily escapes their trap, but....how to reveal Batman is still alive without blowing Batman and Superman's secret? 

Why, Superman poses as the Ghost of Batman, while Bruce poses as Superman.  

Eventually, (after a little unintentional torture of Robin, making him think Bruce was dead), the World's Finest Team lets Batwoman in on this (pretending it was all part of the original plan to capture the gang)....but, this reawakens her belief in Bruce being Batman....at least until they borrow another Wayne Manor resident to help misdirect her investigations (though, how as close up as the video shows, would anyone mistake Alfred for Batman, even in the costume....but, hey it worked a few years later on TV!).

Now, there was a death in this issue, with the Aquaman/Aqualad feature, "The Doom Hunters"  by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon, as this was the last new Aquaman story in World's Finest Comics for a time, where Aquaman has to save Tom Blake from the Daredevil's Club.  

Don't feel too sorry for Aquaman and Aqualad, as by this time, they were well into issues of Aquaman's own title, where, at the time, Aquaman was well into his courtship with Mera.

DC Super Stars Teen Titans

The Teen Titans had been out of print for a few years when DC Super Stars #1 (March, 1976), with its cover made of a couple of past covers of Teen Titans by Nick Cardy gave the kids their first collection of tales...


...but, this was a key issue to the development of the Teen Titans, presenting a few old tales of the team.


Let's set the wayback machine to take a look at the two classic tales reprinted here, as well as a few other surprises that E. Nelson Bridwell's reprint title had in store for readers...

Teen Titans 11

First up, the team was offered up as "Monster Bait" by Bob Haney, Irv Novick and Nick Cardy in a story reprinted from Teen Titans #11 (September-October, 1967), with cover by Cardy.

Occasional member Speedy (Green Arrow's partner, Roy Harper), came to Titans' Lair to convince the team (Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Wonder Girl) to go help Willie Gregson, a young genius who was helping scientist Dr. Simon Finely, as the boy was being menaced by blackmailers using Gregson's dad's criminal past to try to have the lad steal Finely's nerve gas formula.  The five kids took the Titanscopter to the campsite near where the scientist and his team worked, and after enjoying a little time on the water in bathing suits, fought against the scuba diving criminals and their robot monster involved in this nefarious scheme.

Teen Titans 24

Next up for the team (which was down to four, as Aqualad had taken a leave of absence and Speedy joined full time), time on the slopes facing the "Skis Of Death" by Bob Haney, Gil Kane and Nick Cardy from Teen Titans #24 (November-December, 1969), with Cardy providing the original cover.

Vacationing in their alter egos (after finding out Wonder Girl's origin, name of Donna Troy and near lack of a life), the team went skiing.  Of course, there was trouble at the Medicine Mountain resort.  The Titans came to the aid of ski instructor Eddie Tallbow, to find that developer Anson Larson was trying to force the resort off the land so he could sell it to the government for a hefty profit...and he would have gotten away with it if not for these kids.

Introducing The Teen Titans

One of the most important parts of this issue was four new pages introduced by Mr. Jupiter (a senior advisor for the Teen Titans for a time), written by E. Nelson Bridwell, with art taken from previous Teen Titans issues for the members), that introduced the team for readers.


Not only Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy...

....but also other members such as brothers Hawk & Dove, telepath Lilith, fix-it-man Mal Duncan, and even caveboy Gnarrk and Doom Patroler Beast Boy....who, at the time of this issue, the last two had only been associates of the team.

That was due to change, thanks to the successful sales of this issue (as well as Super-Team Family #1, which also had a Teen Titans reprint), leading to the Teen Titans getting a ten issue revival in the mid-1970s, which also featured the introduction of the Titans West and added a few new heroes to the team, like Bumblebee, Joker's Daughter, Bat-Girl and Golden Eagle!

But, bigger things were coming for the Titans after the 1970s ended....

Justice League Lore: Early Days of Mera

Behind every good man is a good woman, and Aquaman is no exception, having as his support, the love of his life, Queen Mera.
 
But, how did these two first meet, and eventually find true love?

These are the tales.....

The Doom From Dimension Aqua

Mera first met Aquaman in Aquaman #11 (September-October, 1963) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, when the queen was exiled from her home dimension.  Mera had "hard water" powers (the ability to make water solid, and manipulate it to do her bidding), but those powers faded soon after she arrived in the oceans of Earth after an encounter with an oil tanker.  Mera was pursued by Xebel, who was the leader of the rebels who were against the queen, and even with the help of his sidekick, Aqualad, and mystical imp, Quisp, Aquaman was unable to prevent being captured (along with Mera and Aqualad), and taken back to her home dimension under Xebel.  Aquaman uses his power to communicate with fish to get help to escape, and the three return to Earth, where Aquaman figures out that oil removes the powers of those from Mera's dimension, and uses against Xebel and his forces, which allows Mera to return to her throne on her world.

Invasion Of The Giant Reptiles

Aquaman #13 (January-Februrary, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy has Mera's next appearance, but it isn't just for second date.

Mera (as well as some prehistoric creatures) are brought into the oceans of Earth due to a time warp opened by an undersea earthquake, where she has to help Aquaman fend off the giant reptiles...

....who are being controlled by criminals from the future with a mind control ray, who then turn the ray on Mera, who battles Aquaman for a time, but Aquaman turns the tables and gets both the prehistoric reptiles and futuristic criminals to their home times.

The Tyrant Ruler Of Atlantis

Aquaman was always a bit hard headed, but in Aquaman #14 (March-April, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, it was proven that Aquaman was not hard headed enough. 

A head injury to Aquaman made him think that he was the king of Atlantis, so Mera and Aqualad took him to Atlantis for treatment, and in honor of his usually good deeds, the Atlanteans played along, until Aquaman became increasingly cruel. 

They place him in a watery prison, which Aquaman tries to escape from, hitting his head again, which seems to restore Aquaman's usually benevolent behavior, and clears him of the delusion that he was currently king of Atlantis.

Menace Of The Man-Fish

Aquaman #15 (May-June, 1964) with art by Nick Cardy, finds Aquaman and Aqualad helping scientist Dr. Deering with a formula of his that will allow surface men to breathe underwater, but the doctor is caught in an explosion which unhinges the man, as well as allowing him the ability to breathe underwater.


Deering uses a machine against Aquaman and Aqualad, capturing Aquaman as he tries to prevent the doctor from hijacking a ship.

Mera arrives to save Aquaman, and the pair stop Deering and his machine, whose powers and insanity wear off, and he can be taken in for treatment.

The Duel Of The Sea Queens

Mera has some competition for Aquaman in Aquaman #16 (July-August, 1964) by Nick Cardy, as Aquaman chooses to spend time with Sirene instead of Mera (and Aqualad). 

But, it is proven that that wasn't Aquaman who was getting rid of his old friends, but Rovere, Sirene's brother, who had shape-changed into Aquaman, and Mera has to rescue the original Aquaman while Aqualad finds out that the two aliens hadn't meant any harm.  Stellor (yet another of the alien race), arrives to capture Aquaman, Mera and Aqualad, and releases them in capsules into space.  Luckily, Aquaman is able to get back to the ship, overpower Stellor, find his friends and return to Earth, giving the ship to Sirene and Rovere.

The Man Who Vanquished Aquaman

Turnabout is fair play, and in Aquaman #17 (September-October, 1964) by Nick Cardy, Aquaman has to fend off a suitor for Mera, this time, the Olympian god, Poseidon, who has time-traveled to the present to claim Mera as his bride, threatening Mera's home dimension if she does not comply.

Aquaman follows the pair back in time, and gets Zeus' help in defeating Poseidon in a contest.  Being a sore loser, Poseidon takes Mera back to the present, with Aquaman following, and Aquaman rescuing Poseidon when he breaks his magic trident. 

Poseidon realizes the error of his ways, and returns to his own time, without Mera.

The Wife Of Aquaman

With Aquaman #18 (November-December, 1964) by Jack Miller and Nick Cardy, Aquaman and Mera both find their lives changed forever.  With the death of Juvor, the king of Atlantis, the Atlanteans elect Aquaman to be their king, with the provision that Aquaman take an Atlantean woman as his bride (and their queen).  Aquaman rescues Mera from Oceanus, a renegade from Mera's dimension, learning that she left her home dimension to be with Aquaman (and Oceanus had removed her powers).  Aquaman tells Mera he cannot marry her, but the brokenhearted Mera flees before she can be told why.  Mera finds Oceanus instead, who convinces her to be his queen, then conquers Atlantis, throwing Aquaman into prison.  Aquaman escapes, confronting Oceanus at his wedding to Mera, where Oceanus nearly wins, but Mera saves Aquaman, proclaiming her love for him  Aquaman then wins, exiling Oceanus, and becoming king of Atlantis.  In honor of her help, the people of Atlantis make Mera an honorary Atlantean, which allows Aquaman to marry her, with his friends from the Justice League of America (as well as Aqualad, and his friend Robin, who had recently formed the Teen Titans), in attendance.

Aquaman and Mera have many ups and downs over the years, but eventually are able to put their problems behind them and work together, with only Aquaman #18 of the above reprinted in full-sized and in color, in Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years.  Let us hope the upcoming Aquaman movie inspired DC to swim through their vault, and unleash the treasures of Nick Cardy art, including the introduction of Mera (and later, the quest for Mera as well....with art by Jim Aparo).

Superboy Super Spectacular With Friends

Superboy was a star of more than one DC Super Spectacular...here's a look at his first, 100 Page Super-Spectacular #DC-15 (March, 1973), edited by E. Nelson Bridwell, with a cover by Nick Cardy, featuring Superboy and a few of the friends he would make along the way.


Here's a look at the stories contained in this issue.. 

Adventure Comics #273

First up, Superboy has to deal with "The Boy Who Was Stronger Than Superboy" from Adventure Comics #273 (June, 1960) by Jerry Siegel and George Papp, with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.



This story has Superboy facing off against Ted Grahame, a boy from Smallville that Superboy rescued from a climbing accident, who develops super powers stronger than Superboy's, but whose parents are taken hostage by criminals....resulting in Superboy having to help save them, and take away the risk for Ted (his super powers) for the lad's own good.

Detective Comics #65

The second story reprinted is the second story of the Boy Commandos from Detective Comics #65 (July, 1942) with "Nostradamus Predicts" by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who also got to draw the cover (with Jerry Robinson) of the first of the Boy Commandos cover appearances (and this time, with Detective stars, Batman and Robin).

The Boy Commandos were a group of orphans (Andre Chavard, Alfy Twidgett, Jan Haasen and Brooklyn) who worked with Rip Carter (a member of the U.S. Army stationed in Great Britain) who worked together to fight the Nazi menace.  In this story, the boys were sent to school to continue their education, but found a Nazi hidden there, working as a gardner named Bathingham.

Superboy #57

Back to a Superboy story, with "The Boy Of The Year Contest" from Superboy #57 (June, 1957) (which you'd think Superboy would win, as the cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye evidences being a one man baseball team) by Otto Binder and John Sikela.

The story reprinted here has Superboy being disqualified from being in the Boy of the Year contest (because the Boy of Steel cannot supply a home address, without giving away his secret identity).  So, four other boys are up for the award, but are beset by accidents, which people feel Superboy is causing.  Clark Kent defends his alter ego, ends up being nominated, and while Superboy finds the real culprit, Clark Kent wins the award!

Adventure Comics #270

Time for another second appearance, this time that of Aqualad in the Aquaman feature from Adventure Comics #270 (March, 1960) by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon, with "The Menace Of Aqualad".

Wait a minute?  Aqualad a menace?  That's what a fortune teller told Aquaman, and over the next few days, Aqualad acts odd, imperiling Aquaman.  Aquaman finally confronts his young friend about his odd behavior, which Aqualad explains as he was preparing a cave for the two of them to live in, and wanted it to be a surprise for Aquaman's birthday.

Hawk and Dove #3

It's a pair of brotherly super-heroes as Hawk and Dove (brothers Hank and Don Hall, teenagers who got super powers from a supernatural source) feature in one of the stories from Hawk and Dove #3 (December-January, 1968/1969) with "Twice Burned" by Steve Skeates, Gil Kane and Sal Trapani.


Hawk and Dove have to hunt down criminals who beat John Kieves (Don Hall/Dove's friend Linda's father), with Hawk taking the more aggressive approach, and Dove trying to reason with Linda's brother, Mark, to stop him from taking vengeance in his own hands.  Dove does stop him, but only by resorting to violence (which he claims to abhor).

Superboy #63

Back to Superboy and his legal troubles, with "The Trial Of Superboy" from Superboy #63 (March, 1958) by Jerry Coleman and Creig Fessel, under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye (where Lana Lang tortures poor Clark Kent).

Superboy is being sued by a man who claims his house was destroyed by a piece of the rocket the brought Superboy to Earth from Krypton hitting his dwelling and wrecking it.  They get Superboy to reenact the original flight of his rocket, and pieces do fall off, hitting a glass factory where the house had been.  But, an astronomer comes out with proof that a comet effected the trajectory, getting Superboy freed from charges (and, later, it was discovered the glass factory was really producing secret government weapons).

Adventure Comics #81

Next up, a look at "A Drama In Dreams", which is a Sandman and Sandy tale from Adventure Comics #81 (December, 1942) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (showcasing those yellow outfits, with it being Sandman's newer costume, as he had abandoned the gas mask a while ago....).


Sandy the Golden Boy finds his mentor, Sandman, has been replaced by an imposter, and has to go on a hunt for Wes Dodds, finding him by following the fake.  But, Sandy gets captured as well, and he and Wes work together to get free, with Wes taking over being Sandman from the phony, allowing him to defeat the criminals.
 

House of Mystery #164

Dial up the excitement with this adventure of Robby Reed and his H-Dial from House of Mystery #164 (January, 1967) by Dave Wood and Jim Mooney, as the hero of multiple identities takes on "Dr. Cyclops - The Villain With The Doomsday Stare".


Robby ends up fighting new villain, Dr. Cyclops, and his super-spectacles, as the villain runs amuck in Zenith City.  Dialing an identity, Robby becomes Zip Tide to face his foe, but has to save innocent bystanders instead.  Finding the villain a second time, Robby becomes Super Nova, but fails, and re-dials to become Robby Robot, where he is finally able to end his battle with Dr. Cyclops.

Superboy #130

Last but not least is a tale of Superbaby (Superboy as a baby) from Superboy #130 (June, 1966) by Otto Binder and George Papp (under a Curt Swan and George Klein cover).


Superbaby, missing his canine, Krypto (that Jor-El had sent into space), goes looking for another pet in Smallville, causing chaos at the farm, a zoo and then heading out to space, where a shape-changing creature attacks the lad, who luckily defeats it, and returns to Earth, puppyless.


(Don't worry, Clark Kent eventually finds Krypto when he's Superboy!).

A hundred pages of fun, excitement, danger and thrills...

...just one of many (Superboy would later get another Super Spectacular full of reprints, and would have an issue of his own title feature many other stories as well....that much more to look forward to!

....as well as looking back, at this beautiful back cover for this issue, by Nick Cardy.

The Teen Titans Christmas Carol

More accurately, the title of the story was "The TT's Swingin' Christmas Carol" for all of you hepcats around when Teen Titans #13 came out back on cover date January-February, 1968 by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.

This delightful tale, beautifully rendered by artist Nick Cardy, detailing the Titans role in a modern day reenactment of Dickens' classic tale....as Robin was reading in the issue before going to a Batman comic.  The team ends up fighting Jacob Farley and Mr. Scrounge, with the Titans giving junkyard owner Scrounge the Dickens' treatment, with Kid Flash as the Ghost, Aqualad as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Wonder Girl as a swingin' Ghost of Christmas Future, at least until Mr. Big shows up.  They still defeat the villain, get a new wheelchair for Tom, and even better job conditions for Mr. Ratchet!

This story was also reprinted many times, including in Limited Collector's Edition C-34 (February-March, 1975, cover by Nick Cardy) and the Best of DC #22 (March, 1982, cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano), but both of these reprintings are missing the second page...

..how's that for coal in your stocking?

But you can get the complete tale in the Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus with a groovy cover by Darwyn Cooke, and all the original Teen Titans tales from Teen Titans #1 to #24, and their premiere tales from Brave and the Bold and Showcase, featuring Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy!

The Secret History of the Teen Titans

Well, the original Teen Titans history won't be a secret after you read this.

The Teen Titans made their first appearance as a team in Brave and the Bold #60 (June-July, 1965), fighting the Separated Man (which also featured the premiere of Wonder Girl)....but, the teens gathered together a few times before that as well!

The Secret Olympic Heroes

Teen Titans #4 (July-August, 1966 by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy) told an earlier tale of the Teen Titans, where Speedy (Roy Harper, the ward of Green Arrow) worked with Robin (Dick Grayson), Aqualad (Garth), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) to stop the agents of DIABLO from ruining the Olympic games.

This involved some superior archery by Speedy, and the help of one of the young athletes, Davey Bradley, who ran a special race to save the team and look good in front of his father, Ted Bradley.

Speedy was working with the team, but this was the first time readers saw that (coming back a little later for a guest appearance in Teen Titans #11 of September-October, 1967, and permanently after Teen Titans #19 of January-February, 1969).  But, no origin here, and a little extra confusion added with Speedy not being a regular member of the Teen Titans in the early days...

...so, looking forward to go back....

In The Beginning...

The last of the original Teen Titans run, Teen Titans #53 (February, 1978 by Bob Rozakis, Juan Ortiz and John Fuller) had a special flashback tale, featuring Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Speedy and the new Wonder Girl meeting for the first time as each of them had just had problems with their mentors (Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Arrow and Wonder Woman), as their mentors had turned to crime.  The sidekicks gathered in Metropolis, thinking of going to Superman for help, but then realized he, too, might have turned bad, and thus, they resolved to team-up against the heroes gone bad, and take them down.  Along the way, they also found out that the heroes were turned by an extra-dimensional being, the Antithesis, who was powered by the heroes misdeeds, and as the last of the teens defeated the last of the heroes, Antithesis disappeared back into his dimensional home, without the power to break free, and the team decided to stay together, with Wonder Girl suggesting the Titans name.  Speedy didn't feel like much of a joiner, so he didn't participate in the Teen Titans earliest adventures, but was welcome to come back when he wanted to.

Before the Crisis on Infinite Earths, this event took place after Aquaman's wedding to Mera in Aquaman #18 of November-December, 1964, where Robin and Aqualad were guests...

...after the Crisis, it appears the fab four Teen Titans were guests at the wedding as well, as related in Brave and the Bold #10 of April, 2008.

Groovy!
 

The Thousand-and-One Dooms Of Mr. Twister

But, the most of the sidekicks (Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad) did meet one time before in Brave and the Bold #54 (June-July, 1964 by Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani and Sheldon Moldoff), when they faced Mr. Twister in the town of Hatton Corners.  Mr. Twister kidnapped the youths of the town, and used the power of his magical Indian medicine staff to control the weather, which was enough to even take Kid Flash and Aqualad out of the way.  Luckily, Robin was there to put an end to the trouble caused by Brom Stikk (the man who called himself Mr. Twister...

....who would later come back to menace Robin and the Teen Titans under another identity, and even later with more help as well!).

Then the Teen Titans appeared in Brave and the Bold #60 (June-July, 1965, the introduction of Wonder Girl), then in Showcase #59 (November-December, 1965), leading to Teen Titans #1 (January-February, 1966)....and from there into history, adding members like Hawk & Dove, Lilith, Mal, Gnarrk, Joker's Daughter, Golden Eagle and more!