The Teen Titans were based around several proven comic book concepts. Child sidekicks like Robin and Bucky were born of the realization that the kids reading comics dreamed of fighting crime alongside their favorite heroes. Superhero teams were likewise inspired by the financial consideration that kids were more likely to buy a comic featuring a variety of superheroes. Ergo, there should be a team made up of young superheroes.
As solid as this logic was, it still took time for the Teen Titans to take off as a concept. The team’s first incarnation suffered from writer Bob Haney’s attempts to capture the slang of 1960’s teenagers. This “groovy talk” proved to be at odds with later attempts to tackle current events, like the Vietnam War. A 1976 revival would fare little better. It would not be until the 1980s that the team would take off and become one of DC Comics‘ most popular series.
Best Teen Titans comics as of 2025
The past four decades have seen a variety of comics, animated series, and a live-action show inspired by the Teen Titans. Ironically, this makes getting into the mainline comics somewhat difficult. There are a number of alternate timelines (such as the Earth One reality) and several graphic novels aimed at young adults. Thankfully, most of these are geared toward new readers and none of them veer far from the core of the classic characters.
New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1
When it comes to the Teen Titans, few would dispute that the 1980 New Teen Titans series was a game-changer. The brainchild of writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, the series set up a new team of teen heroes for a new generation. Their line-up brought back several beloved teen sidekicks, while introducing new heroes like Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire.
The opening story arc found Raven gathering the other heroes to help prevent her father, Trigon, from emerging on Earth. The team decided to stay together afterward, soon running afoul of the assassin known as Deathstroke the Terminator. This would set up one of the greatest rivalries in comic book history, with Slade Wilson becoming the archenemy of the first Robin, Dick Grayson.
The whole of the Wolfman/Perez run is well worth reading. Thankfully, DC has done a fair job of keeping these issues available in trade paperback and omnibus editions. The most recent collection, published in 2022, collects the first 16 issues of their run and the team’s first appearance in DC Comics Presents #26.
DC Finest: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
The Judas Contract is easily the most famous Teen Titans storyline of all time. It was adapted into both the 2003 Teen Titans animated series and as an animated movie in 2017. It has also been continually referenced by later storylines.
Ignoring the tensely plotted story, which involves a traitor to the team helping Deathstroke, there are several notable things about The Judas Contract. Chief among them is it marking the point at which Dick Grayson adopted the Nightwing persona. However, it is also the storyline that found Wally West retiring as Kid Flash.
Given all that, it is not surprising that The Judas Contract was the first Teen Titans story chosen to be reprinted as part of the DC Finest line of trade paperbacks. However, to fully appreciate the story, it is best to read all the issues building up to it. The aforementioned New Teen TItans Omnibus additions are perfectly suited towards that purpose.
JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative
When alien probes start abducting superheroes around the world, the Justice League can’t help but notice. Soon they deduce a common link between all the victims; they were all one-time members of the Teen Titans. The kidnapped heroes are faster in figuring out who is responsible and why they were taken. This sets up an epic battle between the two teams to determine the fate of one of their own.
Originally published as a three-part miniseries in 1998, ‘The Technis Imperative’ was a love letter to every incarnation of the the Teen Titans. Indeed, despite the JLA getting first billing in the title, this is undoubtedly a Teen Titans story. While there is an epic fight between the two teams (with matches like Beast Boy versus Plastic Man), the focus is on the relationships between the young heroes. This drives home the point that the Titans are just as much a family as they are a superhero team.
Beyond reviving several characters forgotten during the 1990s, ‘The Technis Imperative’ also marks an important Teen Titans milestone. From this point on, the team was known as the Titans rather than Teen Titans. The miniseries also inspired a new monthly Titans comic, based around the first five members building a new squad.
Teen Titans by Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo
Today’s comic-reading teens are more likely to pick up books at a bookstore or school book fair than periodicals at a local comic shop. With that in mind, DC Comics began publishing graphic novels aimed at young adults in 2017. Unsurprisingly, one of these series was intended to modernize the Teen Titans concept.
The series’ opening trilogy focused on Raven and Beast Boy. Both young heroes come into their powers under stressful circumstances and ultimately find each other. However, they have little chance to explore their romance, as they are hunted by Slade Wilson and the mysterious H.I.V.E. organization. As they go on the run, they join forces with other special young people, including Damian Wayne and Kori Anders.
The artwork by artist Gabriel Picolo is suitably animated. However, it is the scripts of Beautiful Creatures author Kami Garcia that keeps the series grounded despite the superhero theme. The stories are just as much about the characters bonding and dealing with their feelings of being outsiders as they are about the manhunt targeting them. The sixth volume, Teen Titans Together, which introduces Cyborg into the story, is due for release in 2026.
Titans Vol. 1: Out of the Shadows
When they were younger, the Teen Titans thought that they would one day join the Justice League. However, circumstances following the Dark Crisis require them to replace their mentors. It is a task they know they can handle, but will the world accept them as their primary defenders?
Writer Tom Taylor previously proved that he had a handle on Nightwing while writing Dick Grayson’s monthly series. With the 2023 Titans series, he proved he knew the rest of the classic Teen Titans just as well. Teaming with artist on Nicola Scott, they delivered a brief but memorable run that reestablished the team for the Dawn of DC era.
This run on Titans was defined by high concept ideas. These ranged from the team racing against time to solve the murder of a future version of Wally West, to Beast Boy stretching his powers to become insect swarms and kaiju. This set the stage for the Titans: Beast World event, which remains one of the best DC Comics crossovers in recent memory.
How we chose the best Teen Titans comics
The chief concerns in compiling this list of the best Teen Titans comics were historical relevance, accessibility, and relatability. Most of these stories are notable as important milestones in the team’s history. However, an effort was also made to choose volumes that were friendly to new readers. Also, volumes were chosen that were just as much about the characters’ emotional development as they were about supervillain fights.
