Thread:N8THGR852/@comment-33038864-20170905225904/@comment-27892537-20170907014541

Considering you said you would like to read about Dick and how he founded the Titans. Well, the best way to do that would be to start at the beginning of the Titan mythos. As you may know, Dick as Robin is a founder of the Teen Titans, along with Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad (Garth), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), and Speedy (Roy Harper). However, I do have to note that the Titans' beginnings were published in the 1960s. That means the stories are told in the storytelling style that comics used back then. That style is very different than modern comics' style. So, while I think it is fun to read the beginnings, you have to keep in mind that if you're primarily used to modern comics (let's say comics from the 1980s and up), then the original Teen Titans series will be a little different. That is not to say that you won't like it. I just don't want you to go in expecting one thing and be disappointed because it isn't that thing you expect. If you can handle stories that are resolved in a single issue and are a touch cheesy, then you should be reasonably fine. If you watched the old Teen Titans animated television series, you'll remember that most of those episodes had stories that were resolved in one episode. The original comics worked similarly (and thus, that is why we call such story types "episodic."

The original Teen Titans series ran for 53 issues. Additionally, it was predicated by the team's founding in a Brave and the Bold issue or two. If you want to read about the Titans in chronological order, you're in luck. There are some collected works for that. If you want to buy less collections, you can buy the larger ones -- called omnibuses -- which have about 30 or so (actually a few more than 30) collected into a single hardcover binding. The original Teen Titans series (all 53 issues of the main title plus important issues they are featured in) is collected into two omnibuses. The first one is Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus. The second is Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus. I will post links to these for their Amazon pages lower down, so look for them.

To give you some additional context about the original Teen Titans comic run, I personally divide the run into what I call three different "waves." The first wave contains issues 1-24, which make up the "teeny bopper" type of stories. These stories were fairly cheesy but fairly fun as well. This wave features the five founding members (although not all five are present at the same time). During the "second wave," a new creative team decides to give the stories a little bit of a darker tone. This wave adds a few new members as well: Hawk (Hank Hall), Dove (Don Hall), Lilith (Lilith Clay), Mal Duncan, and Gnarrk (John Gnarrk). In this wave, the Teen Titans function as a rotational party, with each story having a different assortment of these ten members going on a mission. The second wave is made up of issues 25-43. After 43, Teen Titans stops being printed for about three years. Then, it is revived and continued at issue #44. As such, the "third wave" begins with this revival, so it makes up issues 44-53 (up to the end of the series). This wave has yet another different tone to it. The revival starts with Mal Duncan adopting a superhero identity for the first time (becoming Guardian), and he convinces the five founding members to reform the Teen Titans with him. This wave also adds Bumblebee (Karen Beecher) and Joker's Daughter / Harlequin (Duela Dent) to the Titans roster. At the end of the series, for the last three issues, a second branch, labeled "Titans West" is made up of formerly active Titans Lilith, Hawk, Dove, and Gnarrk, in addition to three new members: Bat-Girl (Bette Kane), Golden Eagle (Charley Parker), and Beast Boy (Gar Logan). So, essentially, the third wave added five young heroes to Titan membership status. Additionally, Aquagirl (Tula) works alongside the Titans a couple of times and is retrospectively considered an honorary Titan.

Teen Titan: The Silver Age Omnibus collects The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 issues 54, 60, 83; Showcase Vol 1 issues 59 and 75; Teen Titans Vol 1 issues 1-24; and Hawk and Dove Vol 1 issues 1-6. So, as you can see (if you've been reading this whole thing), this first trade collects the origins and the "first wave" of the original title. https://www.amazon.com/Teen-Titans-Silver-Age-Omnibus/dp/1401267564/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504747926&sr=8-1&keywords=teen+titans+the+silver+age

Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus collects Teen Titans Vol 1 25-53; The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 issues 94, 102, and 149; and Batman Family Vol 1 issues 6, 8, and 9. This collects the second and third "waves." https://www.amazon.com/Teen-Titans-Bronze-Age-Omnibus/dp/1401270751/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1401270751&pd_rd_r=4NMZW2XDABBXN79JRR1R&pd_rd_w=4PmvR&pd_rd_wg=LEh5d&psc=1&refRID=4NMZW2XDABBXN79JRR1R

If you were to get these two omnibuses, you would have the entirety of the original Teen Titans series, which consistently features Robin (Dick Grayson).

Omnibuses can be expensive if you do not have too much income. If you're young and don't have a job, maybe you can ask your parents to get you one of these omnibuses for your Christmas (or your birthday, whichever comes closer). If you're old enough and have the income, I'd advise you to get these.

Of course, because they're slightly expensive, even if you have the money, I understand there is a chance you may be a little hesitant to go out and spend that much money on something you're not completely sure you'd like. If that's the case, DC is publishing trade paperbacks for these old issues as well. The first trade volume comes out later this year, and it collects about half of the Silver Age Omnibus. It's only around $30, as opposed to the Silver Age Omnibus' $60, which makes sense (half the issues for half the price). If you just wanted to test the waters and read strictly the origins of the Teen Titans and Dick's relationship with them, you could just buy that first trade. However, I still implore you to give the whole original run a read. I mean, if you're going to start something, I believe it's a good idea to finish it. But that's just my thoughts on the matter. I'll post the link to that trade here. https://www.amazon.com/Teen-Titans-Silver-Age-Vol/dp/1401275087/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504747926&sr=8-2&keywords=teen+titans+the+silver+age