The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC's premier superheroes in the Justice League. The original team later becomes known as the Titans when the members age out of their teenage years, while the Teen Titans name is continued by subsequent generations of young heroes. First appearing in 1964 in The Brave and the Bold #54, the team was formed by Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad (Garth) before adopting the name Teen Titans in issue 60 with the addition of Wonder Girl to their ranks.
Aqualad is the alias of several superheroes in American comic books published by DC Comics and appearing in media published by DC Entertainment. The character was originally created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist Ramona Fradon, serving as the sidekick and junior counterpart to superhero Aquaman alongside contemporary, Aquagirl. The character's first incarnation, Garth, debuted in Adventure Comics #269. A native Atlantean unlike his mentor, Garth in both continuities has purple eyes signifying a heritage considered evil and was an outcast taken in by Aquaman. He eventually abandons the "Aqualad" role and adopts the alias, "Tempest".
Black Lightning is a superhero appearing in American comic book published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella with artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in Black Lightning #1, during the Bronze Age of Comic Books. Although his precise origin story has varied over the years, he is generally depicted as a metahuman superhero who uses the ability to generate and control electricity to defend his community – and the world – as Black Lightning. Although not the first black superhero to feature in DC Comics stories, Black Lightning was DC's first African-American superhero to headline his own series.
Teen Titans is an American animated superhero television series created by Glen Murakami and developed by Murakami, David Slack and Sam Register. Based on DC Comics's superhero team of the same name it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and DC Entertainment. The show premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003; its first two seasons also aired on Kids' WB. Initially, only four seasons were planned, but the popularity of the series led to Cartoon Network's ordering a fifth season. The final half-hour episode of the show, "Things Change", aired on January 16, 2006; it was later followed by a TV movie, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, that premiered on September 15 the same year, serving as the series finale. A 15-minute episode titled "The Lost Episode" was released as part of an online promotional campaign by Post Consumer Brands in January 2005.
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The Tasmanian Devil is a fictional superhero appearing in DC Comics. A pacifist Australian metahuman able to turn into a giant aggressive Tasmanian Devil, he first appeared in Super Friends #7, with his first canonical DC Universe appearance being in Infinity, Inc. #32. In Justice League Quarterly #8, he is revealed to be gay.
Extraño is a superhero magician appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Joe Staton, he first appeared in Millennium #2. Extraño is noted for being the first openly gay superhero in DC Comics. Originally a character affiliated with the Green Lantern mythos, the character in recent stories is instead cast as a sorcerer in the DC Universe, serving as the magical ally of Midnighter and later both leader and founder of Justice League Queer, a loose network for LGBTQ superheroes who can call on each other for superheroic and personal support.
In comics, LGBT themes are a relatively new concept, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themes and characters were historically omitted from the content of comic books and their comic strip predecessors due to anti-gay censorship. LGBT existence was included only via innuendo, subtext and inference. However the practice of hiding LGBT characters in the early part of the twentieth century evolved into open inclusion in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and comics explored the challenges of coming-out, societal discrimination, and personal and romantic relationships between gay characters.
Jaime Reyes is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, the character made his first appearance in Infinite Crisis #3. Jaime Reyes is the third character to assume the mantle of Blue Beetle, but is substantially different from his predecessors.
In American mainstream comics, LGBT themes and characters were historically omitted intentionally from the content of comic books, due to either formal censorship or the perception that comics were for children and thus LGBT themes were somehow inappropriate. With any mention of homosexuality in mainstream United States comics forbidden by the Comics Code Authority (CCA) until 1989, earlier attempts at exploring these issues in the US took the form of subtle hints or subtext regarding a character's sexual orientation. LGBT themes were tackled earlier in underground comix from the early 1970s onward. Independently published one-off comic books and series, often produced by gay creators and featuring autobiographical storylines, tackled political issues of interest to LGBT readers.
Gay interpretations have been part of the academic study of the Batman franchise at least since psychiatrist Fredric Wertham asserted in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent that "Batman stories are psychologically homosexual". Several characters in the Modern Age Batman comic books are expressly gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
Young Justice is an American superhero animated television series developed by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman for Cartoon Network and Distributed By Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Despite its title, it is not a direct adaptation of Peter David, Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an original story set in the DC Universe with a focus on teenage and young adult superheroes.
Ivan Velez Jr. is an openly gay Latino American cartoonist, writer, museum educator, and teaching artist, known for creating the groundbreaking comic book series Tales of the Closet, and for his work with the DC Comics imprint Milestone Media, and with Marvel Comics.
Kaldur'ahm, or Kaldur for short, is the superhero codenamed Aqualad and Aquaman in media published by DC Entertainment. The character was created by Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman and Phil Bourassa for the television series Young Justice, and voiced by Khary Payton. His name is a reference to the character Cal Durham, formerly a henchman of the supervillain Black Manta who was sent to infiltrate Atlantis, but defected to the Atlanteans. While originally developed for television, DC quickly adapted the character to its mainstream comic books, with Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' re-interpreting the character. For television, creators were able to tell a story where Aqualad had known and worked with Aquaman for many years, while the comic book version had to be introduced to Aquaman and readers at the same time, meaning aspects of his backstory had to be changed.
DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, formerly known as DC Ink, is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original one-shots, graphic novels and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present traditional DC Universe characters for young adult readers. The first title of the DC Ink imprint, Mera: Tidebreaker, was published on February 2, 2019 and Batman: Nightwalker was the last title to be published under DC Ink. Wonder Woman: Warbringer, the first title of DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults, was published on January 10, 2020.
Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen, also known as The Flash, is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe. Based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name, he is portrayed by American actor Ezra Miller. Originally appearing in a minor role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, Barry had a prominent role in the film Justice League, its director's cut, and in his titular film. Miller also reprised the role in cameo capacity in other DC Comics media such as the Arrowverse event series Crisis on Infinite Earths and in the HBO Max series Peacemaker. The DC Extended Universe marks the first time The Flash has been portrayed in live-action film.
Infinite Frontier is a 2021 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. It is the follow-up to the 2018 New Justice relaunch. The relaunch and event was shepherded by writer Joshua Williamson. The continuity and repercussions established by Infinite Frontier continue into the 2023 Dawn of DC relaunch.
Naomi McDuffie, also known as Powerhouse, is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by the writer Brian Michael Bendis for his Wonder Comics imprint, along with writer David F. Walker and artist Jamal Campbell. The character's name is, in part, a tribute to comic book writer and creator Dwayne McDuffie.
DC Pride is an annual LGBTQIA+-themed comic book anthology first published by DC Comics in June 2021. The second anthology was published in June 2022. The third anthology was released in May 2023.
