The New Titans #99
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe New Titans #99 marks a genuine generational turning point for one of DC's most personally complex characters: it is the first appearance of Roy Harper under the Arsenal identity, permanently retiring the Speedy name he had carried since 1941. The rename was not cosmetic — it came paired with a government-funded weapons upgrade that expanded Roy's arsenal far beyond bow and arrow, narratively underscoring his full break from sidekick status. The transformation followed the same thematic pattern already established for his Titans peers — Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, Wally West becoming The Flash, Donna Troy becoming Troia — cementing the idea that the original Teen Titans had irreversibly grown into independent adult heroes. That trajectory made Arsenal a foundational figure for every subsequent Titans line, Outsiders chapter, and Justice League of America roster he joined across the following three decades.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue falls in the middle of 'The Darkening,' a four-part story arc spanning New Titans #97–100, written by series mainstay Marv Wolfman and drawn by Tom Grummett with inker Al Vey — the final story arc for that art team on the title. Wolfman wove the Arsenal debut into a larger plot in which Changeling is captured by the Brotherhood of Evil, allowing Roy's identity change to land mid-action rather than as a standalone ceremony. The story also featured the government handler Sarge Steel maneuvering behind the scenes, providing the in-story political logic for why Roy specifically — with his federal connections — would be elevated and rebranded at this moment. The issue was edited by Rob Simpson, with Frank Pittarese as assistant editor, and went on sale May 27, 1993, carrying a July 1993 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Roy Harper as Arsenal — his first use of that codename and costume after decades as Speedy, Green Arrow's sidekick since More Fun Comics #73 (1941).
- Written by Marv Wolfman; penciled and cover-drawn by Tom Grummett; inked by Al Vey; edited by Rob Simpson (assistant editor Frank Pittarese).
- Part 3 of the four-part 'The Darkening' arc (New Titans #97–100), the last major story arc illustrated by the Grummett/Vey art team on the series.
- The issue's story is titled 'Part Three: The Brotherhood' — the New Titans battle the Brotherhood of Evil to rescue Changeling, with Arsenal making his debut as a supporting character within that mission.
- Roy's new Arsenal identity came with a government-funded high-tech costume giving him weapons beyond archery, reflecting a deliberate expansion of his powerset and role as de facto new Titans leader.
- Characters appearing alongside Arsenal include Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Starfire, Pantha, Red Star, Baby Wildebeest, Changeling (Gar Logan), and Steve Dayton (Mento), as well as Brotherhood of Evil villains Brain, Phobia, Plasmus, and Warp.
- On-sale date: May 27, 1993; cover date: July 1993; published by DC Comics as part of the New Titans ongoing series (which had been retitled from New Teen Titans with issue #50).
- The Arsenal identity established here persisted as Roy Harper's primary alias through multiple team affiliations — including the Outsiders and a Justice League run — until the 2011 New 52 reboot, and was revived again after that.
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Reprinted in Os Novos Titãs #106 (1995)
Key issues in The New Titans
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