Oh the hippie, dippy, trippy, late sixties gave way to the love, peace, flower child which traveled through the remainder of America’s struggling civil rights adolescence.  While America had passed a civil rights bill, their first Catholic President was assassinated.  While desegregation moved forward more violence against African Americans continued in the social holdouts of racism.  When some college students followed the Hippie life and dropped out, they became icons of a social war as the younger generation told the older generation, stop sending us to die in your wars.  Young men burned draft cards and ran to Canada to avoid the death machine that was Vietnam.  A later President would soon be exposed to be criminally implicated in campaign tampering and would resign in disgrace.  No one over 30 would ever be trusted again.

It is in this backdrop that the Teen Titans are created.

While Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad had existed for a while now, they had rarely teamed up.  In fact, Wonder Girl’s admission is an editorial flub as when she first appeared she was a younger version of Wonder Woman, not a separate character.  Eventually, to make the two characters completely distinguishable, Wonder Girl a.k.a. Donna Troy got this new snappy costume change cover and ditched the golden eagle and blue star spangled shorts.

To mirror the characterization that Aquaman was receiving in Justice League of America, Aqualad began to feel more like a fish out of water as well and summarily left the group.

As the time went on for the Teen Titans they needed new members and they got them and they mirrored the times of their creation.

Brothers Hank and Don Hall were selected to become the spirits of war and peace in America.  Whenever Hank and Don are in danger or need to respond to danger they are able to say their names “Hawk” “Dove” and they transform into their distinctive costumes.  Hawk is the aggressor.  Hot tempered.  Strong.  Shoots first and asks questions never.   Dove is the peaceful one.  Calm.  Agile.  Defensive.

While in battle Hawk will concentrate on brutal close combat, Dove tends to play “dodge ball” with anyone who targets him for attack.

Lilith Clay and Gnarrk

Lilith Clay is a psychic sensitive girl whose free spirit and love for mankind leads the Titans down towards the path of enlightenment.  Lilith plays a major role in helping tame another titan, Gnarrk, a large cro-magnon whose brute strength is only tempered by Lilith’s soothing voice and attention.  Both Lilith and Gnarrk only wear street clothes and are not seen in costumes in this era.

Aquagirl

Of course, where there is an Aqualad, there must be an Aquagirl.  Though not a member of the Titans, Tula became the major love interest of Aqualad over the years and she would be a supporting player in Titans tales for years to come.

Mal Duncan and Bumblebee

Mal Duncan is the first African American Titans character.  Hanging with the Titans Mal served as a regular guy, although I guess at this point in the DCU, his blackness could be considered his super power.  Along with Lilith, he served as a Greek chorus member to point out when the more iconic titans would not see things from a more street/real point of view.  Eventually Mal would gain the identity of The Guardian and be given a horn that he calls his Gabriel’s Horn and would become known as The Herald.


Karen Beecher becomes Mal Duncan’s girlfriend and acts as a calming effect to Mal’s hot headed tendencies.  While black males in comics were traditionally introduced as the “angry black man”, black women had not been that explored in comics with Karen being one of the first of DC’s ethnic females.

However Karen wasn’t just a pretty face, she was a scientist and an inventor.  She used her skills to create her costume that enabled her to fly, shoot stinging rays, a honey gun to glue up the works, her antennae picked up police scanner bandwidth and other sounds from a fair distance away.  She manages to win her own place on the team and stands alongside Mal with the Titans.

Harlequin

Harlequin is (we think) Duela Dent and in her many, many appearances she has stated that she is the daughter of Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarecrow, well, you get the picture.

Originally created as a Joker foil for Robin and Batgirl, Duela proved very popular and moved quickly from villain status to “misunderstood heroine.”  Ditching the female Joker clothes and moving towards a more traditional Harlequin outfit, Duela carried any number of joke like gag gadgets with her and continuously played pranks on her teammates and villains alike.  She carried seltzer bottles, a pipe that blew bubbles of glue or tear gas, roller skate shoes, and had a natural unpredictability in combat.

As time went on, additional Titans characters merged with some of the above to create Titans West to compete with Titans East which brings us to this great cover moment…

You know that Beast Boy is Changeling of the New Teen Titans, right?

The original blonde Bat-Girl, Bette Kane, who was the sidekick and niece of the original Batwoman.  A teenage tennis prodigy, Bette is a natural athlete and has one heck of a backhand.

Golden Eagle is Charlie Parker who idolized Hawkman and through some hocus-pocus, Charlie was able to become a teenage version of Hawkman via Hawkman’s enemy, the Matter Master.  Charlie found himself with a Thanagarian harness and wings, however without the past lives, Charlie did not have Hawkman or Hawkgirl’s affinity with weaponry.

The Teen Titans would sail into obscurity shortly after this cover was published and they would languish in comic book limbo for the most part except for guest starring roles for all the main sidekicks.  Again, being gone does not mean that they are forgotten and New Teen Titans artist George Perez made sure to pay tribute to the original Teen Titans, featuring Mal in his Guardian outfit, Harlequin’s new outfit, and G’narrk (next to Lilith).

Next up, we visit a new earth and The Freedom Fighters!