The original Teen Titans parted ways when their series ended in 1978. But hardly anything’s gone forever in comics and the Marv Wolfman resurrects the group with a line-up that consists of some new members along with a handful of familiar faces. But the team’s return would also signal the rise of a new sinister organisation in the DC Universe in the form of the HIVE. While it seems the HIVE would never become a major threat in themselves, their arrival introduces one of DC’s most popular villains to this day… Deathstroke!
While the introduction of the Teen Titans marks the true crossover element of this reading order, the HIVE would make their actual debut in the pages of Superman Family and Action Comics. In these bizarre stories – also penned by Wolfman – Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen stumbles across the HIVE’s existence, while Superman becomes their next big target when Superman Island returns to Earth!
Related Events: These stories are largely unconnected, aside from the fact they introduce a new villainous organisation to the DC Universe at the same time.
Crossover: The events of the back-up feature in DC Comics Presents lead directly into the first issue of New Teen Titans; the Omniverse Comics Guide has named the event ‘The HIVE’ after the villains who make their debut across these titles.
Must-Reads: In the Quick List, essential chapters are in bold; in the Full Reading Order and the Fallout section, story arcs/issues marked with a ✔ are essential reading.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue.
Chronology Error: The Superman story in Action Comics #513 actually takes place after Action Comics #514 – the two stories were printe din the wrong order by mistake.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- IN THE BEGINNING… (1977-1978) – The original Teen Titans disband
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- DC Comics Presents #26 [2/3]
- Action Comics #514 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Superman Family #203 [4/5]
- Superman Family #203 [5/5]
- New Teen Titans #1
- Superman Family #204 [4/5]
- New Teen Titans #2
- Superman Family #204 [5/5]
- Superman Family #205 [4/6]
- Superman Family #205 [5/6]
- Superman Family #205 [6/6]
- Superman Family #206 [4/5]
- Action Comics #513 [1/2]
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | DC Comics Presents #26 [2/3] Before he can help the NYPD stop terrorists who’ve taken control of STAR Labs in Manhattan, Robin (Dick Grayson) suddenly finds himself at a place called Titans Tower with a group of new Teen Titans! He recognises Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and the Doom Patrol’s Beast Boy (now calling himself Changeling), but Cyborg, Raven and Starfire are new to him. The team battle an other-dimensional entity when Robin snaps out of it the dream. He enters STAR Labs and faces the entity again, returning it through the portal it came from. After learning the scientist who caused the incident is Cyborg’s father, Robin regains his senses, meets Professor Silas Stone in real life and is told he saved the day. His hallucination appears to have been caused by Raven who was showing Robin his future! 1st appearance: Cyborg/Victor Stone (dream), Raven, Starfire/Koriand’r (dream), Silas Stone, Titans Tower (dream) New identity: Beast Boy/Garfield Logan as Changeling (dream) |
| Action Comics #514 [1/2] (tie-in) When trains are derailed, elevators go haywire and nuclear missiles launch on their own, Superman prevents nuclear war by sending the explosions back in time. The series of computer malfunctions prompts Superman to check his own computer in the Fortress of Solitude, only to find his own Kryptonian technology pitted against him. Despite being weakened by Kryptonite gas and attacked by deadly weapons, the Man of Steel confronts his true enemy, Brainiac, who’s using the Fortress’ computer to increase his intelligence by absorbing all data from the world’s computers. Superman takes the opportunity to alter Brainiac’s programming to make him ‘good’ rather than ‘evil’ and allows him to return to space. | |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [4/5] (p.1) Lois Lane gets a major tip off, but is gassed in the Daily Planet’s lift… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [5/5] (pp.1-4) Lois fails to meet Jimmy Olsen to follow up on that tip-off, so he looks into congressional confidante Al Diamond, himself. Jimmy overhears a kidnapping plot organised by Diamond’s campaign manager, Willis Ryan, and decides to warn Diamond… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [4/5] (pp.2-9) Lois has been kidnapped from the Daily Planet by the Extractor. Clark Kent senses Lois is missing but chooses to give her 24 hours to turn up. Having mined her memories, the Extractor orders one of his goons to dispose of Lois Lane. But the amnesiac Lois escapes and heads to Wyatt’s Cove where she meets diner-owner, widower Ted Wallach, who takes a shine to her… 1st appearance: Extractor/Otto Müller New identity: Lois Lane as ‘Lanie’ |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [5/5] (pp.4-8) Willis Ryan throws Jimmy Olsen off the scent, discrediting him and landing him in hot water with Inspector William Henderson and Perry White. |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #1 Princess Koriand’r escapes her Gordanian slaver masters and flees to Earth. Robin has been having the same nightmare about the alien entity facing his new Teen Titans every night for a week. Raven appears to him and the two of them convince Wonder Girl and Kid Flash to join. Changeling tags along too. Raven recruits cyborg Victor Stone into the new Teen Titans, who then head to the United Nations Plaza to fend off the reptilian alien Gordanians. Raven and the Gordanians locate Starfire who’s being cared for by Grant Wilson and Carol Sladky’s in Grant’s apartment after crashing on Earth. The Titans save Koriand’r from the Gordanians. While Grant Wilson angrily observes the Titans – blaming them for the destruction of his home – he’s offered help by his friends in the HIVE! 1st appearance: Cyborg (actual appearance), Princess Koriand’r (actual appearance) New identity: Beast Boy as Changeling (actual appearance) |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [4/5] (pp.9-12) Two days after he losing track of Lois, the Extractor tracks her down. She’s now going by ‘Lanie’ and living happily with Ted. The Extractor sends armed goons to retrieve her, so Ted holds them off to allow Lanie to escape. But the Extractor is still tracking her! |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [4/5] (pp.1-3) ‘Lanie’ loses the goons chasing her and gets on a bus to Wyoming. The Extractor is reprimanded by his masters for losing her… |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #2 (pp.1-12) The HIVE test the mercenary Deathstroke while secretly scanning him to emulate his abilities. Days after forming, the Titans are staying at Carol Sladky’s new apartment. Starfire defends Carol from Grant Wilson when he becomes aggressive. After stopping robots from a heist at the docks, Starfire learns English by kissing Robin. Elsewhere, the HIVE upgrade Grant Wilson with Deathstroke’s abilities. In another dimension, Raven is refused forgiveness by an unseen presence… 1st appearance: Deathstroke the Terminator/Slade Wilson, Trigon (in shadow) New identity: Princess Korinand’r as Starfire (actual appearance) Acronym revealed: HIVE stands for Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Eliminations |
| ✔ | Superman Family #203 [5/5] (pp.9-12) Jimmy Olsen conducts his own investigation and gets a warning to Al Diamond who thanks him. Little does Jimmy know that Diamond had planned the kidnapping in the first place… |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #2 (pp.13-24) A day after the docks mission, the Titans relax at the pool in Changeling’s mansion in East Hampton. At STAR Labs, Grant Wilson attacks Cyborg as Ravager. Deathstroke arrives, defeats Cyborg and takes Ravager. But Ravager refuses to accept Deathstroke’s suggestion that the powers the HIVE gave him will kill him. The Titans catch up with Ravager who receives unexpected assistance from Deathstroke. Ravager relies too heavily on his powers and rapidly ages to death. Deathstroke blames the Titans for Grant’s death and carries him away. Raven appears and announces the threat she foresaw is drawing closer… New identity: Grant Wilson as Ravager |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [5/5] (pp.1-5) Jimmy Olsen’s informant on the Al Diamond story is shot dead in Suicide Slum. When the goons target Jimmy in a department store, but he fights them off… |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #2 (p.25) Carol Sladky visits Grant Wilson’s grave, the day after his death. The unmasked Deathstroke watches from a distance, talking to his assistant William Wintergreen about how much Grant had taken after Deathstroke… “like father like son”. 1st appearance: William Randolph Wintergreen |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [4/5] (pp.3-7) Superman wonders where Lois Lane is as she’s now been missing for eight days. In Wyoming, ‘Lanie’ smashes her tracking bracelet. She gets a ride to a memory research clinic in Dakota… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [5/5] (pp.6-11) After a night’s sleep, Jimmy Olsen investigates Willis Ryan’s background and begins to suspect Al Diamond of being involved in his own kidnapping. He’s soon caught snooping in Al Diamond’s offices by Diamond and Ryan. They force him into a junkyard car-crusher, but he escapes through the empty engine block and returns to his apartment to find his Superman memorabilia destroyed… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [4/5] (pp.7-9) In Dakota, the research scientist taps into Lanie’s memories and projects an image of the Extractor. He’s recognised as Dr Otto Müller… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [4/5] (pp.10-12) ‘Lanie’ gets a plane to Metropolis and confronts Müller, demanding her memories back. The Extractor’s machine that stores the memories he steals is destroyed in the conflict. ‘Lanie’ flees the building but falls unconscious! |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [4/6] (p.1) ‘Lanie’ wakes up outside the smoking ruins of the Extractor’s hideout, five hours after the explosion… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #204 [5/5] (pp.11-12) Jimmy Olsen disguises himself as Al Diamond and convinces Diamond’s assistant, Jenny Davis, to retrieve the incriminating papers from his office safe! |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [5/6] (pp.1-2) Jenny returns with the papers but, when he leaves, Jenny senses something off about ‘Al Diamond’… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [4/6] (pp.1-3) Having walked 20 miles to Chicago, ‘Lanie’ investigates her own disappearance and finds out she’s reporter Lois Lane. An old friend recognises Lois and loans her the air fare to get back to Metropolis… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [5/6] (pp.2-3) Jimmy reports his findings to Inspector Henderson and then heads off in search of proof that’ll incriminate Diamond… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [4/6] (pp.3-4) Arriving in Metropolis for the first time in two weeks, Lois Lane somehow remembers where her apartment is and searches it for notes on the story that led to her kidnapping. Lois’s informant, Barney, asks to meet her at the Majesty Hotel, but she doesn’t realise Willis Ryan has coerced Barney into setting a trap for her… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [5/6] (p.4) Jimmy scales the outside of the Majesty Hotel, but he’s spotted by Willis Ryan… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [4/6] (pp.4-6) After a decent sleep, Lois arrives at the Majesty Hotel and meets Barney, but both of them are held at gunpoint by Al Diamond. Lois disarms Diamond and makes a run for it. |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [5/6] (pp.5-6) Jimmy heads through a window to evade capture. Beating off some goons, he rushes up the stairs towards Diamond’s office… |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [4/6] (p.6) / Superman Family #205 [5/6] (p.6) Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen open the same door in the Majesty Hotel and come face-to-face with each other! |
| ✔ | Superman Family #205 [6/6] Lois doesn’t recognise Jimmy due to her memory loss. Dodging her attack, Jimmy shows Lois his ID. They head back to the Daily Planet but Lois’s memories aren’t returning. Diamond realises someone was impersonating him. Willis Ryan reports in to his masters – shrouded figures called the HIVE – who order Ryan to kill Diamond. Lois and Jimmy are soon stolen away by Ryan and taken to the secret (but massively obvious and very literal) HIVE Central. Lois and Jimmy free themselves, so Ryan shoots the Extractor and flees in a custom jet. The HIVE detonate their HIVE Central HQ along with Willis Ryan, unaware that Lois and Jimmy have already escaped. Lois sneakily hangs onto Jimmy Olsen’s watch so that she can summon Superman for a secret meeting of her own. 1st appearance: HIVE |
| ✔ | Superman Family #206 [4/5] Superman flies Lois Lane to the Fortress of Solitude to help her regain her memories, though it’s still a mess after the recent fight with Brainiac. Superman hooks Lois up to a machine that finds the memories she lost and restores them. Brainiac’s recent tampering with the computer causes a moment’s distress, but Lois soon wakes, fully restored. Superman flies Lois to Ted Wallach in Wyatt’s Cove where she confirms who she really is and tells Ted how she helped put the men who killed his wife behind bars. |
| ✔ | Action Comics #513 [1/2] Years after the Man of Steel hurled Superman Island into space, it returns to Earth. The HIVE learn the secret of the huge carved rock and destroy Superman Island, raining Kryptonite down on Metropolis. A flying craft sucks up all the Kryptonite, as well as Lois Lane. Superman tracks the radiation trail to another HIVE base in the Caribbean. Superman is hit by a Kryptonite missile but is saved by the alien Krell who have made a home aboard Superman Island. Superman rescues Lois, destroys the HIVE base and hurls Superman Island back into space. |
| Must Read | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #3 (1981) The new headquarters for the Teen Titans – Titans Tower, as seen in Robin’s dream – makes its true debut; it’s revealed Silas Stone is dying, though he decides not to tell his son, Cyborg. | |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #4-6 (1981) Raven is revealed to have played a heavy hand in the formation of the Teen Titans to oppose a deadly demonic foe, her father Trigon. | |
| ✔ | New Teen TItans #7 (1981) Silas Stone is confirmed as Cyborg’s father; it’s revealed that interdimensional experiments carried out by Silas Stone at STAR Labs brought an interdimensional being to Earth, resulting in the death of his wife Elinore Stone and seriously injuring his son Victor Stone; Silas saved Victor by turning him into Cyborg – a procedure that saves his life; Silas reveals he built Titans Tower by way of an aopology to his son and that he’s dying of cancer; Cyborg forgives his father and remains with him as he passes. | |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #8-10 (1981) The Teen Titans next clash with the HIVE who hire Deathstroke again; Deathstroke turns against the HIVE when the Teen Titans ruin his reputation. | |
| ✔ | Action Comics #526 (1981) The HIVE weaponise their stolen Kryptonite against Superman, but he quickly despatches them to deal with a larger threat. | |
| Action Comics #528-530 (1982) The reformed Brainiac turns to Superman for help in defending Earth from a doomsday device of his own creation, the Planet-Eater; Brainiac soon returns to his evil ways. | ||
| ✔ | Tales of the Teen Titans #1-4 (1982) Cyborg, Raven, Changeling and Starfire’s origins are fully expanded. | |
| ✔ | New Teen Titans #22-23 (1982) The Gordanians return to Earth and attempt to claim Starfire, allying with Starfire’s evil sister Blackfire. | |
| New Teen Titans #30 (1983) Terra becomes the New Teen Titans first recruit. | ||
| New Teen Titans #38 (1984) Wonder Girl’s origin is revealed (though it’s constantly reworked in the years that follow). | WHO IS DONNA TROY? | |
| New Teen Titans #39 (1984) Wally West finally gets around to quitting his Kid Flash identity so he can return to his studies; Dick Grayson gives up his Robin identity to consider a new one that highlights his role as the Titans’ leader, rather than Batman‘s sidekick. | BAPTISM OF BLOOD! | |
| ✔ | Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44 (1984) Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3 (1984) Deathstoke’s other son Joseph Wilson (aka Jericho) makes his debut; Robin takes on a new identity as Nightwing; Deathstroke is revealed to have planted a mole among the Teen Titans; Deathstroke’s ally, the Jackal (Bill Walsh), makes his debut. | THE JUDAS CONTRACT |
| ✔ | Tales of the Teen Titans #45-47 (1984) The Teen Titans have their climactic battle with this incarnation of the HIVE. | |
| New Teen Titans #1 (1984) Deathstroke’s son Jericho joins the Teen Titans. | ||
| ✔ | Deathstroke the Terminator #1-4 (1991) A new Ravager comes gunning for Deathstroke; it’s revealed the Jackal has taken on the identity, though he doesn’t get to keep it for long. | |
| Deathstroke the Terminator #15 (1992) Deathstroke’s daughter Rose Wilson makes her debut. | TOTAL CHAOS | |
| New Titans #100 (1993) Nightwing and Starfire are married, though it’s fairly short-lived. | THE DARKENING | |
| Deathstroke the Hunted #0 (1994) A new Ravager (Wade LaFarge) emerges, seeking revenge on Deathstroke. | THE HUNTED | |
| ✔ | The TItans #1 (1999) A new incarnation is revealed to have formed, with Deathstroke’s ex-wife Adeline Kane as a core member. | |
| Beast Boy #1 (2000) Changeling returns to his Beast Boy identity. | BEAST WARS | |
| ✔ | Teen Titans #8 (2004) Rose Wilson becomes the new Ravager. | FAMILY LOST |
| Collected Edition Title | Include… |
| New Teen Titans vol.1 New Teen TItans Archives vol.1 New Teen Titans Omnibus vol.1 | DC Comics Presents #26 [part] New Teen Titans #1-2 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2024
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