Teen Titans #25
Teen Titans #25 is the hinge point between the Silver Age version of the title and its early-Bronze Age reinvention: a single issue in which the team's comfortable costumed-crimefighter identity collapses under the weight of a real-world tragedy. By centering the story on the accidental killing of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning peace activist during a riot — imagery that resonated directly with late-1960s American political violence — writer Robert Kanigher and artist Nick Cardy forced the young heroes to reckon with consequences rather than triumph, a tonal shift still rare at DC in 1970. The issue simultaneously introduces Lilith Clay (the first new solo member added to the original team who was not a pre-existing sidekick) and Loren Jupiter, the mysterious patron who would anchor the title's 'non-powered' era, while also permanently altering the team's roster by folding in Hawk and Dove and sending Robin on an extended leave of absence. As the opening chapter of what historians have called the 'non-costumed Teen Titans' era, it marks one of the earliest attempts at DC to engage superhero storytelling with the social anxieties of the Vietnam War generation.
In "The Titans Kill a Saint?", the Teen Titans face their most harrowing moment yet when a peaceful protest turns deadly and a Nobel laureate is murdered before their eyes. Written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated with bold emotion by Nick Cardy, this pivotal 1970 issue sees the team torn between justice and guilt, leading to a shocking decision that will redefine their future—under the watchful eyes of the Justice League of America. The cover by Nick Cardy captures the moment’s intensity, a striking image of turmoil and consequence.
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The issue was scripted by veteran DC writer Robert Kanigher and fully illustrated — both pencils and inks — by Nick Cardy, who had been the series' defining visual voice since its 1966 launch. Dick Giordano, who had recently joined DC from Charlton as an editor and was actively pushing the publisher toward more socially conscious storytelling, edited the book. The on-sale date was November 18, 1969, though the cover is dated February 1970. Kanigher, Cardy, and Giordano collaborated to engineer the Mr. Jupiter premise specifically as a vehicle for dismantling the Silver Age status quo of the series — having Robin decline Jupiter's offer provided a story-logical explanation for Dick Grayson's concurrent solo appearances in Detective Comics, where he was already being repositioned as a college student.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Lilith Clay (later known as Omen), a telepath and precognitive, created by Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy — she joins the team by issue's end and becomes a regular throughout the remainder of the original series run.
- First appearance of Loren Jupiter, the wealthy, secretive patron who funds the Titans' new 'non-powered' training program and whose connection to Lilith would be revisited in later decades.
- Hawk (Hank Hall) and Dove (Don Hall) officially join the Teen Titans in this issue, crossing over from their own recently concluded series.
- Robin (Dick Grayson) takes a leave of absence from the team, declining Mr. Jupiter's offer; he subsequently appears in solo backup stories in Detective Comics beginning with #394, and does not return to the Titans until issue #35.
- The Titans agree to forsake their costumes and super-powers and enroll in Mr. Jupiter's covert government-sponsored training program — a dramatic structural reset for the title that launched the so-called 'non-costumed' Bronze Age era of the book.
- Story title: 'The Titans Kill a Saint?' — written by Robert Kanigher, art (pencils and inks) by Nick Cardy, letters by John Costanza, edited by Dick Giordano; cover art also by Nick Cardy.
- The issue has been reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 (black-and-white) and Teen Titans: A Celebration of 50 Years (color).
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Official Teen Titans Index #2 (1985), Showcase Presents: Teen Titans #2 (2007), Teen Titans: A Celebration of 50 Years #[nn] (2015), Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus #[nn] (2017), Historias Fantásticas #259
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