The Titans #31
The Titans #31 is a chapter in the late-Faerber era of the 1999 Titans series that introduced the villain Theta and continued the controversial D.E.O. Orphans subplot — a group of young government-linked metahumans whose forced insertion into the book's DNA made this stretch of issues a documented case study in editorial interference reshaping a writer's vision. The issue also advances Rose Wilson's slow integration into Titans life, presaging her recurring role as Lian Harper's caretaker, a thread in Roy Harper's story that would have long-term consequences in the DC Universe. While the series never recaptured its early momentum, this issue sits at the pivot point where the Faerber run was most visibly straining under competing editorial and creative agendas.
This exact issue on ebay
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Writer Jay Faerber and penciller Paul Pelletier produced this issue under editor Andrew Helfer, whose tenure on the book is well-documented as a source of creative friction. Faerber has gone on record — notably in a 2002 CBR interview — stating that Helfer arrived with no prior familiarity with the Titans and pushed hard for a focus on a brand-new cast of young metahumans (the D.E.O. Orphans), forcing Faerber to restructure existing story plans around them. The cover was supplied by J.H. Williams III, who had co-created the D.E.O. itself in the late 1990s, lending a degree of visual continuity to the government-agency threads running through these issues.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published July 18, 2001 with a September 2001 cover date; part of Titans Volume 1 (the 1999 ongoing series).
- Story titled 'Crowded House,' written by Jay Faerber with art by penciller Paul Pelletier and inker Bud LaRosa.
- Cover art by J.H. Williams III, who co-created the Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O.) with Dan Curtis Johnson in Batman #550 (1998).
- First in-continuity appearance of the villain Theta, an antagonist connected to the D.E.O. Orphans storyline running through Faerber's run.
- Director Bones (Mister Bones) appears as a supporting presence in his capacity as D.E.O. Regional Director — a role he assumed circa 1999 after debuting as a villain in Infinity Inc. #16 (1985), created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Todd McFarlane.
- Rose Wilson appears as a supporting character in this issue and surrounding issues, during the period when she served as a caretaker for Arsenal's daughter Lian Harper; Rose's comics debut was in Deathstroke the Terminator #15 (1992), created by Marv Wolfman and Art Nichols.
- The D.E.O. Orphans — a group of young government-ward metahumans dubbed 'DEOrphans' by fans — are featured; Faerber later confirmed in interviews that editor Andrew Helfer mandated their inclusion, significantly altering his original story plans.
- The issue's editorial context reflects a broader tension in the Faerber run: Helfer's push to refocus the title on new characters came at the cost of storylines centered on the established Titans roster, including Nightwing, Arsenal, Tempest, Troia, and Jesse Quick.
Cast · 13 characters
Full credits
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.