Teen titans first appearance key issues
With a possible Teen Titans show in 2015, it is time to look into what possible investment opportunities are there for this series. I talked about their silver age first appearance in my article on pre 1965 undervalued comics but there are many other issues to discuss.
Remember: This is more of a reference list than a recommendation list. There are simply too many characters to buy them all. The ones I liked will have a * besides the title.
In the following, I will divide the listing into 2 sections: team appearances and individual character appearances.
Teen Titans team appearance
Teen titans have went through a couple of iterations and even name changes. Without further information, it is hard to know which version of the team the show will be based on. Safe to say, with Nightwing as the lead, it will probably be the bronze age to modern age teams, rather than the silver age team.
DC presents #26
This book was hot earlier in 2014 due to the confirmation that Cyborg will be in the Justice League movie. If you have not bought the book then, you now have to decide whether at current prices, is there any more room for growth?
Currently, a CGC 9.6 copy of DC Presents #26 sells for around $250-$280. This is very close to another book which has a confirmed TV show: Constaintine. Both books were printed in the 80s, with very poor first app covers so comparing their performance might not be way off.
It is possible that Teen Titans is more popular and propels #26 to a greater price appreciation relative to Swamp Thing #37 but I don’t think it will be too wide a gap. Personally, I will not recommend buying this book at current Ebay prices.
New Teen Titans #1*
Collectors love #1 issues which means this book will also see some interest. It is currently quite affordable and I recommend getting this as I think it can be a $70 to $100 book if the show airs. The significance of this issue can be compared to X-Men #94 while DC presents #26 is like Giant Sized X-Men #1.
Teen Titans character first appearance
This will be the tricky part. Teen Titans have seen a rotating membership and it will be difficult to know who will be in the show. I based my recommendations on 2 things: (i) is it costly to create the effect on TV due to smaller budgets and (ii) is the character relevant in the current New 52 series. Also, characters who have their first appearance in the team books above will also be omitted below.
Tales of Teen Titans #44: Nightwing first appearance*
This should be a book that is easy to get. It was hot for a while but has cooled down. It should be getting hot again so now might a good time to pick it up if you do not have this. Nightwing #1 is also worth a look.
Check out the ebay listing here.
Brave and the Bold #60: Donna Troy first appearance
An important and fan favorite character, Donna Troy is the first Wonder Girl who appeared in the silver age Brave and the Bold. Unfortunately, she has not appeared in the New 52 yet, which means the likelihood of her appearing the TV show might be lower than her replacement: Cassandra Sandsmark.
Wonder Wonder #105 and #111: Cassandra Sandsmark first appearance*
Cassandra Sandmark was not one of the founding member of the New Teen Titans but she played an important role once she joined the team in volume 3. In the most recent 2014 team, Cassandra is still in the team. Her powers are also easy to be portrayed on TV. Wonder Woman #105 is Cassandra’s first appearance while #111 is her full appearance as Wonder Girl. Both are dollar bin materials so worth picking them up.
Doom Patrol #99: Changeling first appearance*
Beast Boy or Changeling is another staple of the Teen Titans team. He is featured in almost every version of the team including the current team. This will probably be the second most expensive teen titans individual character appearance after Brave and the Bold #60. As at this moment, there is only one 9.8 listing and it costs a whopping $6.9k. If you can find cheaper low grade version, this issue is still worth picking up as it didn’t go through the movie or tv hype yet.
Flash Vol 2 #92: Impulse first appearance
Impulsed joined the Teen Titans volume 2 and has since been a regular member. Unfortunately, with a Flash TV show, I don’t know if it will be too confusing for the audience to see 2 Flash on TV. Based on this, I am not going to recommend this issue even though it is a cheap copy to pick up.
Teen Titans #37 and #39: Ms Martian cameo and first appearance*
I first take notice of Ms Martian when there was a report on Bleed cool saying that she and Superboy might be in a Young Justice TV show. It is possible that this development has changed into this Teen Titans incarnation. Ms Martian joined the team in volume 3 of the series and has been featured frequently in animated shows. I think her first appearances are worth a gamble. The only downside is that she only has a small mention in the current 52 series. If you like to speculate, Ms Martian had a one panel cameo in #37 and a full appearance in #39. Both are cheap to pick up.
Adventures of Superman #500: Superboy (Kon-El) first appearance
Based on the same Bleeding Cool report, Superboy was mentioned in the same breadth as Ms Martian so I am putting this issue up. Again, the concept of Superboy might be confusing to audiences who already knew about Man of Steel so he might not be used. In addition, this is a high print issue so it is difficult to see it appreciating in the future,