Titans: Titans Together #1 is a chapter in the digital-first series Titans: Titans Together (Volume 1 (Digital)) with a cover date of June, 2020.
Synopsis for "History Lessons"
This story is reprinted from Titans Giant (Volume 2) #1.
Nightwing takes part in a mock combat against the Titans to test their fighting capabilities without the use of their powers. Raven however refuses to fight and he grabs Beast Boy, asking her if she'll do it when he dislocates his shoulder. Starfire tells him to stop, stating it's too extreme, while Garfield transforms into a gorilla, but he is thrown upon Starfire by Nightwing. Red Hood holds him at gunpoint and states it only has taser charges, but Dick reveals he was the one who took his live rounds after fooling him.
Dick chides Red Hood for talking about playing by the acceptable norms, stating their enemies won't and at the Titans are the only people keeping the world from being destroyed, which is why they need to be better. Raven gets ready to leave for her graduate museum presentation and asks if anyone's interested in going with her since she'll get extra credit for bringing in a guest. Raven tells them that the presentation will be hosted by Hausner, the assistant of Professor Kemple who has been missing for about a week, and that her department's been acting strange since they excavated a monolith from New Mexico.
All the Titans decide to accompany Raven to the museum presentation, but when Hausner unveils the slab, Raven realizes its form has changed from a plain slab to that of a human being. As Jason and Starfire view the statue from another floor, the latter notices it moving. Donna wraps the statue before it can grab Hausner and Dick tells Jason to follow him after he states that he had followed its orders, while also telling Beast Boy to grab Kemple after Raven notices she's inside it and is near death. Garfield finds that Kemple's life force has bsen drained by it and himself gets absorbed inside it.
Starfire starts unleashing her attacks on the statue despite Dick's opposition and he tells Donna to bring it down as well as try to convince Starfire to stop attacking. Raven tries to reach out to Beast Boy in her Soul-Self while Red Hood threatens Hausner to tell him what he knows about the statue. Starfire meanwhile refuses to restrain her attacks, revealing it knows the statue is called "The Ruin" and will destroy all life on Earth if not stopped. As Nightwing meets up with Red Hood, he learns from Hausner that the Ruin tried to make him merge with it but he gave Kemple to it instead as he was fearful. This made it take its current form.
Ruin wasn't satiated however and made Hausner organize the presentation so it could feed more. Hausner states that it was left on Earth a long time ago by aliens who fed on the horror of sentient life, but since no complex organisms existed they left it here to alert them in case it ever developed. Without any sentient being trapped in it, its just stone.
Nightwing tells Raven to reach out to Beast Boy and make him turn into something mindless. Garfield rejects it stating he'll lose any sense of self but Raven assures she'll help him turn back. After he does as Raven requested, Ruin expels him and Donna destroys it. Beast Boy turns back to his normal form with Raven's help and Donna states that being a Titan is about being with people who'll always watch their backs.
Appearing in "History Lessons"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Professor Kemple (Single appearance; dies) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- The Ruin (Destroyed)
- Professor Hausner
Other Characters:
- Amazons of Themyscira (Mentioned only)
- Batman (Mentioned only)
- Brother Blood (Mentioned only)
- Darkseid (Mentioned only)
- Deathstroke (Mentioned only)
- The Joker (Mentioned only)
- Rita Farr (Mentioned only)
- Trigon (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Batcave (Mentioned only)
- New Mexico (Mentioned only)
Items:
See Also
- Write your own review of this comic!
- Discuss Titans: Titans Together Vol 1 1 (Digital) on the forums
- Cover gallery for the Titans: Titans Together series