- What about it, readers? If you think we should accept Beast Boy as a member, drop a letter in the Teen Titans mailbag!
- — Robin
Teen Titans #6 is an issue of the series Teen Titans (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1966. It was published on September 20, 1966.
Synopsis for "The Fifth Titan"
The Beast Boy once more makes an attempt to try and convince the Doom Patrol that he is worthy of their membership by using his shape-changing powers to try and trip them up. All he succeeds in doing is annoying the Patrol members who once more reject his request for membership with the group. Since he has once more been rejected by the Doom Patrol, Beast Boy decides instead to try and get membership with the Teen Titans, sending out a message to the group to meet with him.
Revealing his identity as Gar Logan, Beast Boy explains to them that the Doom Patrol has refused him membership because he cannot get his guardians consent to join the group and hopes the Titans will take him him. Robin regretfully informs him that the Teen Titans also operate in the same fashion and that he'd still need parental permission to get into the group. Once more rejected, Gar calls himself a freak and angrily flees the scene. Later he comes across a truck owned by animal trainer Baltzer the Beast Master, who's hit bad times and cannot afford to buy decent animals. Hoping to make use of his powers, Beast Boy reveals himself to Baltzer who agrees to make him part of his show.
As expected, with Beast Boy a member of the circus Baltzer's act becomes a hit and Beast Boy gains the recognition he craves. However, things are not all well at the circus as Baltzer is less than on the level and has his mystic Vorna hypnotize Beast Boy into becoming a rare Albino Baboon that has mesmerism powers and is able to put the entire audience into their thrall and allow the circus to steal all their possessions. They then send out the crowd to loot the nearby town for them before restoring Gar back to normal, Gar has no memory of the incident and Baltzer exploits the boys feelings of acceptance.
Meanwhile, the Teen Titans are called in to deal with the hypnotized masses and learn that they are under a hypnotic spell. Snapping the crowd out of it, they note that the circus troupe which Beast Boy has joined up with is in town and find it a little convenient. Disguising themselves as acrobats known as the Masked Mazeppas and get hired by Baltzer who is none-the-wiser that they are really the Teen Titans in disguise. When Baltzer and Vorna try the same attempt the Titans hide in an safe used by an escape artist so that they are immune to its effects. However, Baltzer, having grown suspicious of the Titans overhears them and traps them in the safe and commands Beast Boy to toss the safe into a pool of water.
However, the Titans manage to get free when Kid Flash vibrates through the wall of the safe with Aqualad who breaks open the safe so that Wonder Girl and Robin can escape. Baltzer and Vorna send the hypnotized Beast Boy against the Teen Titans. Baltzer inadvertently brings about his own defeat when he tries to enter the fight. Launching himself out of a cannon and spinning torches in his hands, the spinning flames snaps Gar out of his hypnosis and he easily captures Baltzer and Vorna, who are fail to command the audience to forget what happened and they are turned over to the police.
Afterwards, the Titans realize that Gar was exploited because nobody accepted him and debate on if they should wave the parental consent clause in their membership, however instead of making a decision the Teen Titans appeal to the readers and ask them to write in and make the decision for them.
Appearing in "The Fifth Titan"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Baltzer
- Nicholas Galtry (Mentioned only)
- Vorna
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 1.
- Beast Boy and the Doom Patrol appeared last in Doom Patrol #106. They appear next in Doom Patrol #107.
- Beast Boy and the Teen Titans were both present at the wedding of Elasti-Girl and Mento in Doom Patrol #104, but there was no indication that they met or spoke at the time.
Trivia
- Beast Boy turns into a hybrid gorilla/snake creature in this issue, which is not something he was normally known to do up to this point. In New Teen Titans #15, however, it is clarified that he can turn into hybrid or imaginary creatures when he loses control of his emotions, as when he was mind-controlled in this issue.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Teen Titans Recommended Reading
- Teen Titans (Volume 1)
- New Teen Titans (Volume 1)
- Tales of the Teen Titans (Volume 1): #41-58
- New Teen Titans (Volume 2)/New Titans (Volume 1)
- Team Titans (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans (Volume 2)
- JLA/Titans (Volume 1)
- Titans (Volume 1)
- Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans (Volume 3)
- Titans (Volume 2)
- Blackest Night: Titans (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans (Volume 4)
- Teen Titans (Volume 5)
- Convergence: New Teen Titans (Volume 1)
- Convergence: Titans (Volume 1)
- Titans (Volume 3)
- Teen Titans (Volume 6)
- Teen Titans Academy (Volume 1)
- Titans (Volume 4)
- World's Finest: Teen Titans (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans: Year One (Volume 1)
- Teen Titans Go! (Volume 1)
- The New Teen Titans: Games (Volume )