"Teen Titans"- The Nick Cardy Era

The Teen Titans had their beginning in "The Brave and the Bold"#54, but it was not until issue #60 that they got their group name. In that issue, original Titans- Robin,the Boy Wonder; Kid Flash;and Aqualad were joined by Wonder Girl (Wonder Woman's younger sister). It also marked the first time that Nick Cardy would draw The Teen Titans. Cardy would continue to draw them throughout the original 43 issues of their own comic (pencilled or inked or both), from 1966-73.

Nick Cardy's era ushered in a number of milestones. Beast Boy (who would become a Titan in later years),was introduced in T.T.#6.Hawk and the Dove would make several guest appearances.Aqualad took a leave in issue #19; to be replaced by Speedy (Green Arrow's side-kick).Wonder Girl went through a costume change at the end of #22 (from a cute pony-tailed, younger version of Wonder Woman, to a sleek, cat-suited,lovely young woman, with her hair fully straightened out). This new look for Wonder Girl was properly introduced in issue #23 (with Nick Cardy's most famous cover). Starting with issue #25, the Titans went through a several issue arc, in which they (except Robin) would accidently help kill an important man, and undergo testing and re-training under billionaire Mr. Jupiter (without their usual flashy costumes).During this time, an African-American young man,Mal Duncan (who would later become The Guardian), as well as Lilith, a beautiful, psychically-gifted redhead, would join the team.The Titans eventually went back to their regular costumes and adventures.

One of my favorite storylines,which began in issue #16, was the "Dimensional Caper" storyline. The story dealt with an alternate dimension; where the Titans had crossed over into an identical High-School, but one ruled by green-skinned evil beings. The Titans encountered the other dimension several other times (in varied issues).

The Cardy era had its share of unusual villains (especially in the early T.T. issues) like The Mad Mod, The Scorcher, and The Ant (to name but a few). Sometimes the Titans would be battling a social issue, instead of a super-villain, but it was always kept interesting.

Nick Cardy's excellent artwork is what defined the early Teen Titans.