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!