Cover: Jim Starlin

DC Comics Presents #26

Oct 1980 · DC · 0.50 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Victor Stone★ 1st appearance — Starfire★ 1st appearance — Cyborg★ 1st appearance — Koriand'r★ 1st appearance — Raven★ 1st appearance — Rachel Roth★ 1st appearance — Raven★ 1st appearance — Silas Stone

About this Issue

DC Comics Presents #26 is the foundational key issue of the Bronze Age DC renaissance: it contains the 16-page insert story 'Where Nightmares Begin!' — the first appearance of Cyborg (Victor Stone), Raven, and Starfire (Koriand'r), as well as the first canonical appearance of the New Teen Titans as a team, in a future-vision experienced by Robin. The issue also marks the debut of Beast Boy's rechristening as Changeling. The Wolfman–Pérez New Teen Titans line that this preview launched went on to become DC's top-selling title of the 1980s, rivaling the X-Men in popularity, and directly set the stage for Crisis on Infinite Earths. Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire have since become cornerstones of DC's publishing output and its animated and live-action adaptations, making the characters introduced here among the most culturally durable debuts of the entire Bronze Age.

In "Between Friend and Foe!", Raven ventures into Dick Grayson’s dreams to reveal a haunting glimpse of the Teen Titans’ future, where they face a terrifying, other-dimensional protoplasmic threat. Written by Marv Wolfman and brought to life by George Pérez’s dynamic art, this 1980 issue offers a rare, dreamlike look at the team’s evolving legacy, with cover by Jim Starlin.

Contains 3 stories

Between Friend and Foe!

17 pp · Superhero

Green Lantern [Archon Z'Gmora]N'Gon (villain)Archie Jones

Where Nightmares Begin!

14 pp · Superhero

an other-dimensional protoplasm (villain)

Whatever Happened to Sargon the Sorcerer

8 pp · Superhero

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $44

CGC 9.8 · 672 in census $931*

CGC 9.6 · 937 in census $287*

CGC 9.4 · 767 in census $226

CGC 9.2 · 623 in census $210

CGC 9.0 · 518 in census $162

CGC 8.5 · 501 in census $153

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 368 in census $104

CGC 7.5 · 307 in census $104

CGC 7.0 · 237 in census $94

CGC 6.5 · 156 in census $75

CGC 6.0 · 145 in census $71

CGC 5.5 · 63 in census $67*

CGC 5.0 · 62 in census $67

CGC 4.5 · 48 in census $51*

CGC 4.0 · 34 in census $47*

CGC 3.5 · 15 in census $44*

CGC 3.0 · 9 in census $39*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $30*

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 5 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

PR $39 Newsstand $40 Newsstand $50 VG · Newsstand $59.99 VF $60 Newsstand $60 VF $67 Newsstand $69

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 111 total · seen 29 days ago

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History

When George Pérez moved from Marvel to DC in 1980, he negotiated to draw one title of his own choosing — and at the urging of writer Marv Wolfman, he chose the twice-canceled Teen Titans. DC's editorial team was skeptical enough about the revival that, rather than launch straight into a new series, they embedded a 16-page preview story (written by Wolfman, penciled by Pérez, and inked by Dick Giordano) inside the Superman team-up anthology DC Comics Presents, using the format DC had pioneered for promoting new titles without raising the cover price. The issue was edited by Julius Schwartz, with E. Nelson Bridwell as associate editor and Joe Orlando as managing editor, and went on sale July 10, 1980, carrying an October 1980 cover date. Wolfman and Pérez, who had previously worked briefly together on Marvel's Fantastic Four, developed their highly collaborative working process — including late-night plot sessions — beginning with this preview, a creative partnership that would define DC throughout the decade.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Cyborg (Victor Stone), Raven (Rachel Roth), and Starfire (Koriand'r) — three entirely new characters created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.
First appearance of the New Teen Titans as a team, presented as a prophetic vision Raven projects into Robin's mind while he investigates a hostage situation at S.T.A.R. Labs.
First use of the name 'Changeling' for Garfield Logan (formerly Beast Boy); his code-name change is shown in this issue.
The New Teen Titans preview is a 16-page insert story titled 'Where Nightmares Begin!', written by Marv Wolfman with pencils by George Pérez and inks by Dick Giordano — the first of DC's insert-preview format stories (which ran 1980–1985).
The main lead story, 'Between Friend and Foe!', is a Superman/Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) team-up written and drawn by Jim Starlin with inks by Steve Mitchell; Jim Starlin also drew the cover.
A third story, 'Whatever Happened to Sargon the Sorcerer?', features Sargon (John Sargent) defeating the villain Matter Master; it is written by Bob Rozakis.
The New Teen Titans preview insert was reprinted in Tales of the Teen Titans #59 (November 1985) and has since been collected in the New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1, multiple New Teen Titans Omnibus editions, and a DC facsimile edition published in March 2025.
The issue's on-sale date was July 10, 1980; cover price was 50 cents. Julius Schwartz served as editor, with E. Nelson Bridwell as associate editor.