The New Teen Titans, Vol. 6

The New Teen Titans (Collected Editions) #6

by Marv Wolfman

In these stories from NEW TEEN TITANS #35-41 and BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #5, the Teen Titans help fellow heroes Thunder and Lightning rescue their father from H.I.V.E. And when the Fearsome Five escape prison, it’s up to the combined forces of the Titans and the Outsiders to battle their army of Earth Creatures. Then, in one of the 1980s’ most legendary stories, Dick Grayson uncovers the startling truth behind the past of his teammate Donna Troi, a.k.a. Wonder Girl. And Kid Flash leaves the team after a grim battle against the forces of Brother Blood.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Science Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the sixth volume of “The New Teen Titans”: Cyborg’s girlfriend, Sarah, is being held hostage by a psycho ex-boyfriend; former villains-turned-friends Thunder and Lightning reveal an origin story that harbors a secret about H.I.V.E. that may come back to haunt the Titans (foreshadowing); Dick Grayson, formerly known as Robin, plays real-life detective in order to find out the truth about his friend Donna Troy’s parents; and Terra, the newest member of the team, reveals her true colors...

It’s in issue 38 that, I feel, writer Marv Wolfman turned a corner with this series. In a good way. There’s a more mature feel to the storyline and a starker realism than is evident in previous stories. We’ve seen glimpses, especially in the story about the runaway kids.

Issue 39 is also the start of the now-famous “Judas Contract” storyline that so many of my DC-loving friends still talk about with reverence. Wolfman and artists George Perez and Romeo Tanghal have really kicked it up a notch with this one...

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialog sometimes feels stilted but the art and stories are still fantastic. You can see why it was the top book of its day. In this volume, we get the classic "Who Is Donna Troy?", a crossover with the Outsiders, Kid Flash quits, Dick hangs up the Robin identity and Deathstroke throws in some serious ick factor by sleeping with Terra. Nothing like seeing grandpa aged Slade Wilson and a 16 year old Terra in their robes post-coitus. And no, I didn't pick up on this relationship at all when I first read these books as a 12 year old.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is classic Teen Titans. This particular volume contains some major plot points relating to Terra and Robin, so it's well worth reading.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

By this point we're clearly in Act II of the New Teen Titans. Wolfman has done such an amazing job of creating a cast of new villains and troublemakers for his comic that he can now return to people like the Fearsome Five, Thunder & Lightning, and Baron Blood and tell us their continuing stories. It's been rare in modern-day comics to successfully create new villains like that, so it's impressive that Wolfman succeeded again and again.

Meanwhile, he continues to evolve his characters in interesting ways, which were all but unknown in the '80s (except for over with the distinguished competition's X-Men). These are the best issues of the volume: "Who is Donna Troy" (#38), about Donna's origins for the moment; and "Crossroads" (#39), about Wally and Dick moving on. The former is one of the best in the Teen Titans run to date, but the mere existence of an issue like the latter, so focused on character growth, shows how special the comic was.

The worst issues in the volume are sadly the crossover with the Outsiders comic. It's crucial for Dick's character growth leading up to "Crossroads", but overall a dull, punch-em-up comic.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the last one. Not as much narration and more action. These one shots also kinda connected. Seeing the Fearsome Five again was fun, I like them as villains. The team up with the Outsiders was pretty good too. There is still a lot of teen angst and growing pains, but I feel like this was a bit more balanced.
Wally finally decides to leave, which I am glad about so we wont have to deal with him constantly questioning if he loves or hates Raven and if he belongs there and all his other issues. I am glad that Dick and Kory have worked things out for the most part, and it will be interesting to see him transform into Nightwing. It was refreshing to see him not get along with Bruce and Bruce try to take over his team in the crossover mags, and them finally learn respect for each other. The friendships do get back on track as well for the most part here, I don't know what happened in volume 5.
Brother Blood is going to come back to haunt them, I know it. I wonder how Donna is going to approach life after her marriage as well.
I don't think this would be for everyone, as the art is a bit dated and I guess some of the dialogue is as well, but if you don't mind that and like the Teen Titans, go for it!

[Brian Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole middle section of the series has so many things going on, with both character melodrama arcs, the villain of the issue and what's happening with the other villains (Brother Blood advancing his plans against the world, and the Brotherhood of Evil advancing their plans against Brother Blood, none of which are explained to the reader) that very little happens in each issue, but when you read them in succession they perk right along. It's the strength of this arc and the lead in to the Judas Contract that everyone remembers about his series, and (alas) everyone repeats.

[Lucas Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great volume, with tension building up for what will happen on the next book.

We got two nice issues, where the Titans meet Batman and the Outsiders, to fight the Fearsome Five. A great partneship between Wolfman, Perez, Barr and Aparo.

And we have the great story "Who is Donna Troy", where Donna's fiance Terry Long ask Dick to help her to uncover and understand her past. Great issue. It's for stories like this that we understand why this run was so successfull.

[Liz.Loki · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Who is Donna Troy?" is the BEST issue of this entire comic run.

Donna always wanted to find out the truth about her past to fully understand who she is, and with Dick’s help, now she knows how loved she is by so many people — the Amazons, the Titans, her adoptive family, and her birth-mom. It was so heartwarming to see her reunite with her family, it made me cry.

Unfortunately the other issues were a bit boring to me, bc I don't like Terra and many men have been written really grossly, and the main plot wasn't that interesting. The issue about Donna Troy saves this volume.

[JW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. We see Thunder and Lightning again, and their storyline is somewhat resolved. We also get an interesting crossover two parter with the Outsiders that gives us a glimpse of why Robin is chafing working for Batman. The final story, Crossroads, was particularly good. Can’t say I’m going to miss Wally.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that makes me think ah,.they don't.make comics like they used to. It's all about the relationships - they may disagree sometimes, but they're family. Dick and Donna have my favorite platonic friendship, and Vic and Tera have some cute moments that I completely forgot about.

[Tom Malinowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terra joins up, Thunder and Lightning meet their Dad, Dick and Wally retire from superheroing but Dick just the identity of Robin, Brother Blood makes his move, and Terra's wrath heightens. Good stuff.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid volume of Teen Titans. Great character arcs and some good (but not spectacular) stories.

[Tiagoツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESSE VOLUME FOI MARAVILHOSO, TODO CAP FOI IMPORTANTE E BEM FEITO MINHA NOSSA QUE PERFEITO... FINALMENTE CHEGAMOS AO CONTRATO DE JUDAS
e que saudade do kid flash já

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this edition, we see betrayal of the team and the human side of being superheroes very clearly and that's the strength of the book. The writing and artwork are topnotch and seeing the growth of characters and team dynamics are something that all comic book team books could learn from.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my thoughts on this volume I want to mention an overall and then mention some specific issue by issue items that peaked my interest.

Overall this was a satisfying issue. It was very pivotal to getting characters out of the ruts they dug themselves into and getting back on the horse. Cyborg came bashing in to save Sarah and I hope to see more of them united in the future. Wally was able to finally move on from the titans and go back to his normal college life, something he has been struggling with for a while. Raven has been able to get back control of her abilities and surprise Trigon, although she is still very closed off from the rest of the team. Dick was able to move past the moniker of Robin, stop acting like his name, and get his life back into a position with Starfire. And Dick was even able to help Donna uncover her past so that she can move forward.

With some many characters progressing this volume was also very important for Terra. Who is stuck in a place between betraying the teen titans under the manipulation of Slade Wilson, and finding herself in a place of true trust with the team where she is second guessing whether to give it all up and continue with Slade.


More specific issue by issue though:

Issue 38 had me tearing up with Donna’s story and Dick’s non stop search for her past. I love the dedication Dick was able to show to helping her and the conclusion she was able to attain. Now Dick finally started talking to Star fire again, glad to see that’s getting fixed.

Issue 39:Wally’s face on page 9 lol.

Issue 39: interesting the comments slade makes on how powerful Tara has become. Especially because this is a directly result of her being with the titans. Also admits she is a kid, which makes the entire situation 10x worse.

Issue 39: I love how Dick reveals he is giving up robin and immediately walks over to stare distantly out the window. aAso hilarious how he goes “anyway I don’t know who I am, now let me just take off all my clothes.” Not a direct close but it basically was what happened.

Issue 41: Tara has become such an integral part of the team, and we see moments where she second guessing her constant betrayal. That part about being integral to the team is especially shown where she was pivotal in escaping bloods trap. Makes the next volume so much harder.

Issue 41: “Yes, Cyborg, that is how I see you. Hardly nemeses. Definitely playthings.” -Brother Blood.

This was a quote that really stood out to me, not just to show how powerful and egotistical blood is, but really goes to show the caliber of villains the titans attract. They are constantly seeing them as lesser because they are younger and that really allows for the titans powers and skill to show them up.


Issue 41: Love seeing Dick’s willpower to again break past bloods torture and control.

Issue 41: I do like that blood was finally brought down not solely by the titans, but by the enemies he has made by trying to play the world on such a grand scale. It goes to show how much larger he believes himself to be. Unfortunately, based on the Titans reactions, Mother Mayhem’s reaction, and the reaction of the US politicians to the current state of the people in Zandia, I think that leaves a lot of room for Blood to come back stronger. Especially with him now being seen as a martyr for his cause. It will allow his religion to spread wider. And he did go plummeting to the pits below. Yk the pits of blood…that have sustained him…yeah.

Up Next…JUDAS CONTRACT…oh no…

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So close! So close to getting that elusive 5-star rating! This is great stuff, but as the first half of the volume is filled with several stories that don’t quite live up to their potential. This volume opens with a couple issues drawn by Keith Pollard, who is an excellent artist, but he’s just not George Pérez. There’s absolutely nothing wrong here, the stories just aren’t presented in that unique Pérez style that I love so much. There’s something about the way that Pérez moves the perspective, moves the camera if you will, that creates such a cinematic shift from panel to panel. Pollard is good, but he’s just not Pérez. Then we have the New Teen Titans/Batman & the Outsiders crossover, which is fun, but just doesn’t really do much for me. No real appeal here, and I’m not a huge fan of Jim Aparo’s art style. Again he’s a wonderful artist, just not quite to my tastes. That brings us halfway through the volume. Good stuff, but not great. Next up some powerful stories and art by Pérez: Who is Donna Troy? Crossroads. Lifeblood! & Baptism of Blood! Are all classics from Wolfman & Pérez. We get some of the secrets about Wonder Girl’s mysterious past, Kid Flash retires and Robin quits being Batman’s sidekick once and for all, then a 2-part battle-brawl with Brother Blood (sure, sure, this story didn’t need to be 2-issues, but it’s still fun). Beautiful.
Mr. Pérez, you are dearly and sorely missed.

[David Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real Teen Titans! This book is a thumb in the eye to the current era of comic books. The creators on this book crafted a singular work which presented characters coming of age just as the medium itself was. In today's era of comics it seems that many believe that you must "burn down" traditional characters and relationships in order to create something fresh and engaging. In actuality this only creates something cheap and transient.

Wolfman and Perez did the opposite. They dove deeper into existing characters (and some pretty cool new ones) and mined their pasts in order to create a present which reflected a natural growth and maturity. It's striking how personal some of the Titan stories in this collection are. Part of the comic's success is due to how deep some of the character development goes.

The work is free from cheap "hot button" gimmicks inserted simply to create a momentary sales spike. The conflicts (internal and external) in the book are so consequential because they expose each of the Titan's true selves. I fear that the level of writing and the consistency of the art may never be seen again.

This series of stories leads up to the Judas Contract. In fact, this book contains my favorite single issue story of all time, Who is Donna Troy? Such a great story, especially if you had been reading this story since the beginning and got to know the characters. It's always good to go back and re-visit.

[Arthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty standard for a New Teen Titans volume. I enjoyed seeing Donna in a leadership role and Dick finally acknowledging what a "jackass" he's been to Kory and the rest of his friends. Dick and Donna's relationship was explored a little further in Who Is Donna Troy, which was nice and it was also funny to see Batman's reaction to him outgrowing their partnership ("You want to officially end out friendship?" He's your son you fool.) I was surprised to see the roster of the Outsiders! I recognized all of them from Young Justice: Outsiders and naïvely had no idea of their comic origin. Wally and Raven's dynamic was pretty frustrating, but I'm trying to be empathetic to what they're going through. The Brother Blood plot was a little weak. Brother Blood is trying to appear as a benign religious figure but he calls himself Brother Blood and his right hand woman Mother Mayhem. Not very inconspicuous. Also the whole concept of having Dick be one to push the button to kill the Titans untheatrical, because of course he won't do it and Blood would have successfully killed them if he'd just pushed the button himself. Obviously he had ulterior motives to this, but it was pretty anticlimactic. I did like seeing Terra sort of open up to Vic though after he saved her a couple times.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent enough volume collection of the classic DC Comics series The New Teen Titans.

There's battles aplenty, a team up between the Titans and the Outsiders that leads to a new understanding between Robin and Batman, more on the storyline of an enemy within and some departures.

Oh and there's more on the long running Brother Blood storyline that has been woven into the book's plotline.

I think the best story was the done in one Who Is Donna Troy? issue. Robin is asked to track down the truth behind Wonder Girl's true parentage. It lacks any explosive fireworks you might expect in a superhero comic but it was a nicely written detective story with a good resolution. I know that it doesn't last because of the endless DC reboots of their universe but it was still good for the time it was "the truth".

The only thing I didn't like is how the final issue in the collection just seemed to end out of nowhere, but not feel like a real ending to the story. I'm sure it will continue into the next volume but it felt as if the single issue was incomplete for some reason.

[Rexhurne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The payoff for the last volume finally came. I complained about the unresolved drama with Robin, Wally and Donna, but there is a lot of character development for all of them. The Thunder & Lightning plot also gets a surprising and satisfying resolve here. Even Terra gets her time to shine (in a disturbing fashion).

The part with the Outsiders was a bit weird. In his own comics Batman seems to be really busy between juggling his two identities, his own adventures, things with the justice league, and helping Jason Todd. Why would he want to mentor a random superteam in one of his penthouses? A bit farfetched if you ask me, but apparently they have a lot of comics with this team. I wasn't impressed with this crossover though, it seemed like a bit of a side story and an excuse to show the conflict between Batman and Robin. But that's fine, since it was needed for Robin to further develop in this title.

[Tefi ⟡♡]

En estos issues nos dan más info de los villanos y también más momentos lindos de los Titans, pa qué...

Highlights:

-Issue #36: lo máximo fue ver a Wally llorar y Donna consolándolo, es que ellos son FAMILIA
-Issue #38: ES MI NUEVO ISSUE FAVORITO DE LA SERIE. Lit es Dick ayudando a Donna conocer su pasado antes de que Diana la encontrara y es tan wholesome y nos dan un vistazo a cómo Dick mira y ama a Donna, los wonder twins son soulmates en todo el sentido de la palabra :(
-Issue #39: Wally y Dick dejan a los Teen Titans (bueno, Dick solo está pensando qué nueva identidad tomar la vdd y hasta le opaca el momento a Walls eah) y tenemos a Terra por fin donde nos revelan que es una mladita coludida con Deathstroke, damn it
-Issue #40-41: Bueno, Dick se liberó de la posesión mental por el poder del amor de Kory y a sus amigos, no me quejo, solo que fue muy fácil todo, y ya tocará pronto The Judas Contract, un miedo...

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one started strong with Cyborg and Sarah Sims' story, but weakened with the return of Thunder and Lightning. I guess I just didn't care for their overall story though it was wrapped up nicely. Then there was a story with Batman and the Outsiders and I could definitely tell it was written and drawn by different people. It was fine, but the focus was definitely less on the Titans and more on Batman and Robin. It was needed for Robin's progression towards becoming Nightwing, but was otherwise rather forgettable. The outsiders were...interesting, I guess you could say. I'd never heard of them before now and I think there may be a good reason. I didn't know, and still don't know much about them besides learning about Terra's relation. After that we finally discover Donna's origins, and it was overall fine. It was done well, but just not particularly interesting to me, but that may just be because I don't care all that much for her character in general. Still, it was nice seeing Dick helping her out and getting a really sweet ending. Finally we had two issues with Brother Blood, which seemed a little haphazard and honestly a bit repetitive. I feel like the same thing keeps happening every time they come against Brother Blood, but I do find him an interesting villain. I just wish we'd get to finally see what he's up to, though I think I can guess at this point. I do really enjoy all the political intrigue his story brings in as it's interesting to see how he uses the media against the titans. It just feels like a very big problem, bigger than the constant threat of death. It's something I didn't expect going into these comics and definitely opens my eyes to the kind of reasons this was so popular in it's time.

[SB Senpai Manga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Landmark moments in this book! Donna hires Dick to look into her past to see where she came from and man is it heartbreaking! Cyborg and his girlfriend confront her ex husband, because she was a victim of spousal abuse, Dick and Wally quit being Robin and Kid Flash, and the legendary Terra Arc begins now! This book is a huge turning point for all the characters as we see them mature into adulthood and how very soon there will be a massive shift for all of them. I only don’t like the Brother Blood subplot here. Kinda not needed for an otherwise excellent book.

[Tom Maseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The classic revival of the Teen Titans in the 1980s by writer Marv Wolfman and artist extraordinaire George Perez. In Volume 6, the Teen Titans help fellow heroes Thunder and Lightning rescue their father from H.I.V.E. And when the Fearsome Five escape prison, it’s up to the combined forces of the Titans and the Outsiders to battle their army of Earth Creatures. Dick Grayson uncovers the startling truth behind the past of his teammate Donna Troy, a.k.a. Wonder Girl. A grim battle against the forces of Brother Blood. The issues are New Teen Titans #35-41 and Batman And The Outsiders #5.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art as always by Perez and Tanghal, but my God, some of the dialog here is just atrocious. Terra is as annoying as I remembered her to be, and yet another African American character, this time a Senator, speaks in "black" dialect. It was bad enough Cyborg talked like an uneducated street criminal, but a US Senator? Seriously, Wolfman?

This volume contains the classic resolution on Donna Troy's identity, the end of Kid Flash's membership, and Dick Grayson giving up being Robin.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brother Blood! A team-up with Batman and the Outsiders! Kid Flash quits and Dick Grayson stops being Robin! Plus, the classic "Who is Donna Troy?" These are some of the stories in this volume, collecting the great Wolfman/Perez run of the 80s. The Legion was my favorite during this time, but New Teen Titans was a extremely close second. I love reading these again after all these years and they definitely hold up.

[Greg Trosclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep forgetting how good all these original New Teen Titan books were and reading them again makes me yearn for a simpler time time of comic creation. Today's creators should take a page from the writers from this era. They could tell a very good story in two or three issues and it feels plenty thought out and well characterized. Today's bloated 5, 6 and 7 issue story lines have become tired.

[Sarospice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is when every issue fires on all cylinders. Perez and Wolfman could go anywhere and do anything because they knew their characters so well. Each issue holds tons of growth. I realize this is a teen title written for young adults which is why it works. They aren't treated like tweens but aa maturing people. I only wish a title currently did the same of not talking down to it's readers but making us care about the characters.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of my trip down memory lane... and these issues that include the Crisis are actually better - hard to believe that Perez & Wolfman managed to create the Crisis AND keep New Teen Titans running at the same time.

The harassment problems are still there - no surprise. This was always a comic that wanted it both ways... strong female characters who could take care of themselves but who were also pin-ups for male readers to ogle.

[Anthony Wendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great moments in this volume. The use of the two part crossover between "Batman and The Outsiders" really helped to cement Robin's eventual decision to make redevelop himself. Also, Kid Flash finally makes a decision on where he stands with the team, which frankly feels long overdue. Kid Flash and his wishy washing feelings on where he stands with the team has been the character's main conflict (this and his feelings for Raven) has been feeling like being a hero is too hard.