Teen Titans #26

Mar 1970 · DC · 0.15 USD

📊 ~68,362 copies sold its debut month

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“A Penny for a Black Star”

★ 1st appearance — Herald

About this Issue

Teen Titans #26 marks one of the most significant social milestones in DC's Bronze Age output: the first appearance of Mal Duncan, a character widely recognized as among the earliest — and by many accounts the very first — African-American superhero to join a DC Comics team. The issue also contains what is documented as the first interracial kiss in mainstream comic book history, between Mal and Lilith Clay, a moment so charged that editorial director Carmine Infantino ordered it recolored in blue shadow to soften its visibility, yet editor Dick Giordano kept it in print regardless. Beyond its racial history, the issue launched the team's bold 'de-powered, de-costumed' era — the first chapter of the Mr. Jupiter story arc, in which the Titans shed their identities and code names to engage directly with inner-city social realities — a sharp stylistic and thematic pivot that reflected the broader relevancy movement sweeping comics at the turn of the decade.

In "A Penny for a Black Star," the Teen Titans take on a challenging new mission when Mr. Jupiter sends them to live in Hell's Corner, a gritty inner-city neighborhood, as part of a special training program—forcing them to set aside their costumed identities and confront life on the streets. Written by Robert Kanigher and brought to life with dynamic art by Nick Cardy, this 1970 issue captures the team's growth through realism and resilience, with Cardy also handling the cover pencils and inks.

writer Robert Kanigher · artist, inker Nick Cardy · letterer John Costanza · cover Nick Cardy

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $36

CGC 9.8 · 2 in census $2,110

CGC 9.6 · 4 in census $451*

CGC 9.4 · 7 in census $250

CGC 9.2 · 5 in census $163

CGC 9.0 · 7 in census $140

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $123*

Show all 18 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 9 in census $112*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $93

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $84

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $76*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $57*

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $49*

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $39*

CGC 3.0 none in existence

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $26*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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

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History

The issue was written by Robert Kanigher with art and cover by Nick Cardy, and its cover date is April 1970 (on-sale early 1970). The decision to strip the team of their powers and costumes originated not with Kanigher but with DC's Editorial Director Carmine Infantino, who directed the creative team toward stories of social relevancy in line with other DC titles of that period; editor Dick Giordano and Kanigher then executed that mandate beginning here. The interracial kiss between Mal and Lilith in this debut issue drew considerable reader mail — including, according to Giordano, both hate mail with at least one death threat and a substantial volume of supportive letters — making it one of the most talked-about single images in the title's original run. The issue has since been collected in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 (2007) and the Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus (2017).

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Mal Duncan (Malcolm Arnold Duncan), introduced under the title story 'A Penny for a Black Star,' written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Nick Cardy.
Mal Duncan is recognized as among the earliest, if not the first, African-American superhero in DC Comics history.
The issue contains what is documented as the first interracial kiss in comic book history — between Mal Duncan and Lilith Clay — a scene editor Dick Giordano preserved despite Carmine Infantino's objections, though it was recolored as a blue-tinted night scene to reduce its prominence.
This issue inaugurates the 'Mr. Jupiter arc,' in which the Teen Titans renounce their costumed identities and superpowers under the direction of the wealthy Loren Jupiter, moving into a fictional inner-city neighborhood called Hell's Corner.
Mal, introduced as a non-powered civilian, wins his place among the Titans by defeating Storm Trooper — leader of the Hell Hawks street gang — in an amateur boxing match.
Robin (Dick Grayson) does not join the de-powered team and appears only in flashback/cameo; he was excluded because he was still appearing in costume in DC's Batman titles concurrently.
The issue has been reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 (DC, 2007) and the Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus (DC, 2017).
Mal Duncan went on to hold multiple heroic identities across his publication history — including Guardian (second to hold the title), Hornblower, Herald, and Vox — and has appeared in animated form in Teen Titans, Young Justice, and Teen Titans Go!.