#dc special: the return of donna troy

[daily-cassie-sandsmark]

[vechter]

free churro, bojack horseman // titans (1999) #21 // perihelion: a history of touch, franny choi // titans (2008) #23 // justice league of america (2006) #2 // in defense of loving him, clementine von radics // wonder woman (1987) #165 // dc special: the return of donna troy (2005) #3 // titans/young justice: graduation day (2003) #2 // unknown // batman chronicles (1995) #7 // the summer palace, succession // titans/young justice: graduation day (2003) #3 // achilles come down, gang of youths // titans/young justice: graduation day (2003) #3 // lighthousekeeping, jeanette winterson // dc special: the return of donna troy (2005) #2-3 // titans (2008) #23 // the nation's saddest love poems, sam j. grudgings // titans (2008) #23 // infinite crisis (2005) #1 // justice league: the rise of arsenal (2010) #2-3 // writing prompts for the broken-hearted, eden robinson // titans (2008) #23 // art by christopher troise // outsiders (2003) annual // aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe, benjamin alire sáenz

dick grayson + donna troy + roy harper + being absolutely insane about each other (inspired by @dukethvmas's text post)

[nightmareinfloral]

Jericho- Where to Read?

Joseph William Wilson (Jericho) is the youngest son of Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) and Adeline Kane. Beneath the cut is a complete list of Joey’s major appearances updated as of January 2024. Most important issues are in bold.

The 1980s:

Tales of the Teen Titans (1984) 42-44, Annual 3, 45-48, 50-52, 56-57, 58

The New Teen Titans (1984) 1-2, 3-5

Crisis on infinite Earths (1985) 3-5, 9, 11

Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985) 11

The New Teen Titans (1984) 6-10, Annual 1, 11-13, 14-15

The Omega Men (1983) 34-35

The New Teen Titans (1984) 16-17, 18, 22, 24-31

Action Comics (1938) 584

Teen Titans Spotlight (1986) 3-6

Secret Origins (1986) 13

History of the DC Universe (1986) 2

The New Teen Titans (1984) 33-34

Blue Beetle (1986) 11-14

The New Teen Titans (1984) 35-37, Annual 3, 39-49, Annual 4

The New Titans (1988) 50-55

Secret Origins (1986) Annual 3

The New Titans (1988) Annual 5, 57-59

Batman (1940) 440

The New Titans (1988) 60-61

Secret Origins (1986) 46

The New Titans (1988) 62-63

The 1990s:

The New Titans (1988) 64-67

Hawk & Dove (1989) 11-12

The New Titans (1988) 68-69

Who’s Who in the DC Universe (1990) 1

The New Titans (1988) Annual 6

Wonder Woman (1987) 47, 49

The New Titans (1988) 71, 75-79, Annual 7, 80-85. 86

Deathstroke the Terminator (1991) 1-7, 9, 11, Annual 1

Showcase ‘93 (1993) 2

Batman Shadow of the Bat (1992) 34

Deathstroke (1991) 48

JLA/Titans (1998) 1

Nightwing Secret Files and Origins (1999) 1

The Titans (1999) 10

The 2000s:

The Titans (1999) 25, 46

Teen Titans (2003) 2

Batman Gotham Knights (2000) 44

Teen Titans (2003) 3-5, 7-8

Avengers/JLA (2003) 4

Teen Titans (2003) 9, 11-12, 21

Nightwing (1995) 106

DC Special The Return of Donna Troy (2005) 1

Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files and Origins (2005) 1

Teen Titans (2003) 33, 39-47, 52

Countdown to Final Crisis (2007) 36

DC Universe: Last Will and Testament (2008) 1

DC Universe Decisions (2008) 3-4

Titans (2008) 6-12

Teen Titans (2003) Annual 1, 69

Vigilante (2008) 5

Teen Titans (2003) 70

Titans (2008) 13

Vigilante (2008) 6

Teen Titans (2003) 77-78

The 2010s:

DC Universe Legacies (2010) 5

Titans (2008) 37-38, Annual 1

Deathstroke (2011) 0, 13, 19-20

New Teen Titans: Games (2011)

Deathstroke (2014) 2-6, 17-20

Convergence New Teen Titans (2015) 1-2

Deathstroke: Rebirth (2016) 1

Deathstroke (2016) 1-3, 6-10, 12-16, 18

Teen Titans (2016) 8

Deathstroke (2016) 19

Teen Titans The Lazarus Contract Special (2017) 1

Deathstroke (2016) 20-25

DC Holiday Special (2017) 1

Deathstroke (2016) 26-27, Annual 1, 28 -32, 34-50

The 2020s:

Dark Knights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe (2020) 1

Batman Black and White (2020) 5

Deathstroke Inc. (2021) 1, 5, 7

Future State Gotham (2021) 12

Tales of the Titans (2023) 2

Thank you to @jerichogender for helping me compile!

[lexi7654]

Reading list #1: Lian Harper (aka: Shoes/Cheshire Cat)

A list of every appearance of Lian Harper. The daughter of Roy Harper and Jade Nguyen. She first appeared in the 80s and has recently made a come back as Cheshire Cat in Gotham!!

Pre-Flashpoint

New Teen Titans (1984): #21

Action Comics (1938): #615, 618, 627-631, 634, 636-637, 639 (Stories: tracks of a killer, the Cheshire Contract, Rocks and Hard Places, Exiles)

Secret Origins (1986): #38

Green Arrow (1988): #75

Batman Plus: Arsenal (1997)

Teen Titans (1996): #20

Arsenal (1998): #1-4

The Titans (1999): #1

The Titans: Secret Files and Origins (1999): #1

The Titans (1999): #5-7, 9-10, 13, 17-19, 21-27, 30-32, 34-35, 37, 39

Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files & Origins (2003) (story: Who Was Donna Troy?)

Outsiders (2003): 11, 17-19

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy (2005): #2

Justice League of America (2006) #1, 12, 17

Green Arrow and Black Canary (2009): #25 (story: Bedtime Stories)

Titans (2008): #19

Justice League: Cry for Justice

Rise and Fall (Crossover storyline)

Convergence: Titans (2015): 1-2

Infinite Frontier

Catwoman (2018): 25-28, 30-32

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (2021): (Story: Masks)

Catwoman (2018): 35-38, 50

Detective Comics (2016): 1069-1070, 1077-1079

Green Arrow (2023)

[zahri-melitor]

I am thinking again about how much 'timelines don't exist, canon isn't real, the comics don't keep track so why should I' annoys me, and it's like:-

Generally this is not true, if you're talking about a particular timeline. Pre-Crisis from the Bronze Age onwards is largely coherent, taken as a whole. Post-Crisis is pretty coherent. New 52's problems largely relate to 'what happened prior to #1' more than outright timeline contradictions in the stories between 2011-2016. Rebirth and Infinite Frontier has become more difficult, given that titles reference each other less frequently, but within a title it remains coherent.

Many of the most bumpy timeline issues are when you transition from one canon to another (particularly with regards to titles that got away with running 'across' the reboot, such as NTT or Batwoman or Batman Inc). That's an artefact of reboots giving some titles special leeway as the retcons happened.

What people are usually complaining about is 'something got retconned' rather than 'the books don't know what order events happened in'. Situations like 'explain Donna Troy's backstory' doesn't have a timeline issue; it has a retcon issue in that she now has multiple mutually exclusive backstories to deal with the fact that NTT was allowed to run across COIE while Diana got rebooted, and so on.

There are in fact situations with timeline issues but usually those are in regards to 'untangle the order events happened in during an Event' not big periods of time. Explaining the order of events in Batman RIP and Final Crisis is something that has timeline issues, in terms of 'when did Bruce disappear from Gotham in respect of Final Crisis' and 'when did Talia arrive with Damian' and so on. However, there's no issues with the relationship of 'did these events happen before or after Batman RIP and Final Crisis'. That in itself is clear. Trying to put DC One Million issues in order is a timeline issue. Whether a story took place before or after DC One Million is mostly a case of looking at the issue number.

And adding all of this up: the reason I tend not to have a lot of respect for 'teeheehee DC doesn't care about canon so why should I' in a fic is that whenever people just decide to ignore things and make three things that happened in three separate decades happen simultaneously, they ALSO don't bother to spend any time looking at how this changed events. You know what? I don't care if you want to make Tim 14 for when Jason returns to Gotham. Go right ahead. But if you're going to do that, can you acknowledge you're writing a canon divergence AU and at least GESTURE to which events that ACTUALLY happened when Tim was 14 just got derailed because Jason is back. (Like Underworld Unleashed. You want even more angst/chaos from Bruce? Have Jason turn back up in Gotham immediately after UU)

[fantastic-nonsense]

I have a fun [citation needed] hypothetical for you. Say you have been granted the authority to make FIVE editorial directives for DC comics that will be followed for at least the next five years. What are you demanding?

No company events.

No major events with ten thousand tie-in comics.

No big crossover events.

No big gimmick events.

No event comics.

Okay, I kid, but only slightly. I'm actually going cheat slightly and give you five plus an extra one that needs a bit more explanation:

No company-wide crossover events or gimmick events that derail major ongoing stories in individual books shall be made. If an event comic is published, any tie-ins will be published separately from the character's ongoing/mini (for reference: like the Blackest Night tie-in specials).

Institute a lore consistency team within the Archives department. Mandate that every single creative team MUST read and utilize a character/story bible before writing any scripts. The scripts will be looked over by a member of the lore team as well as the book editor before being approved for publication.

The Young Justice generation is finally allowed to grow up and, where necessary, get new hero names. In particular, Tim Drake finally gets to age and stop being Robin. He picks 'Blackbird' as his new name, gets a cool new red-and-black costume, and stars in a rebooted Young Justice book alongside his friends.

Barbara Gordon has to formally retire from the Batgirl role and become Oracle full time again. This is handled in a way that is respectful of her character and her disability. Cassandra Cain will be Batgirl full-time again while Stephanie Brown goes back to Spoiler; Cass gets a Batgirl solo ongoing while Steph would join a rebooted Gotham Knights team book that includes her, Kate, Helena, Luke Fox, and Jean-Paul Valley.

Wonder Woman's established lore is acknowledged, respected, and re-emphasized. Diana is a clay baby again, Cassie is Zeus's daughter again, The Return of Donna Troy is acknowledged as the definitive explanation of Donna's multiple-choice backstory (while the fire origin stays the definitive origin), Artemis gets her original origin back, etc. Full acceptance of the Rucka Rebirth retcon to reset Diana's origins and childhood back to the post-Crisis status quo. No references to the Zeus origin or the New 52 Amazons are allowed to be made except in context of Rucka's "it was a lie" explanation.

In priority order, those editorial mandates probably fall out to be something like 2>1>5>3 and 4 in a tie; 3 and 4 are kinda interchangable since they collectively would fix a wide swath of what's wrong with the Bat books right now.

My "extra" mandate would be that writers must utilize existing characters where possible for their stories. No new "major" heroes are to be introduced unless a writer can prove that a book needs a new character to fill an identified gap. Prioritization should go to a) characters who used to be used on a regular basis in a given book but have not been seen in 10+ years and b) characters introduced within the past 5-7 years.

I'd want this one for two reasons: one, there's a ton of pre-existing characters who used to be staple or regularly recurring characters who have failed to get regular appearances since 2011, for a variety of reasons. Forcing writers to use them instead of creating new characters would allow DC to rebuild some continuity, bring back old favorites, and provide closure to lingering storylines that were cut short or never followed up on. Two, there's a hell of a lot of new characters have been introduced and discarded without actually building them out properly the last few years. I would honestly only put this one in place for around 3 years...long enough to force DC to actually flesh out the underutilized newbies and provide some closure and new beginnings for some old favorites.

[blackbatcass]

hii linden! i kinda needed some help

so, i wanna read some comics based on:

donna troy, cass cain and wally west

but i have literally noo idea where to start 😭 ofc ik the basics but i was hoping you could suggest something?? thank you so much if you do and have a wonderful day!

yeah i gotchu!! those are literally my besties lol i can definitely give you some recs. i'm not sure what you'd consider to be the basics so i'll just include all the big stuff to be thorough

donna troy:

first rec is always new teen titans as you probably would have guessed lol. it is a very long and arduous undertaking though so some more specific recs would be vol. 1 #38, #50, vol. 2 #18-21, #50-55.

i've gone into more detail on her appearances in darkstars, green lantern etc but honestly though they are important to understand the status quo & what was going on with her, i don't think they're very good comics to just read for donna. my next rec would probably be wonder woman (1987) #126-136, which is a VERY important arc for her. it goes into more detail on her origin, reconnects her to the amazons & diana, and i believe is where she officially passes on the wonder girl mantle to cassie. and she appears frequently throughout the rest of that wonder woman run after the arc if you want to continue on!

titans (1999) is another big one, beloved beloved comic. lots of good donna content.

titans/young justice: graduation day #1-3 YIKES! unfortunately pivotal to her story lol

dc special: the return of donna troy look. i know I gush about this comic like it's my full time job. but honest to god i adore it to pieces, it's a love letter to donna and her history and it's one of my favorite comics of all time despite only being 4 issues. begging everyone on the planet to read it rn

cass cain:

cass was famously introduced in batman: no man's land! now that event is very very long so it might seem tempting to skip straight to bg 2000 but i'm here to tell you to not do that. if nothing else it is PIVOTAL that you read her introduction issues (mark of cain pts 1 & 2), batman #567 and detective comics #734. probably the coolest most metal introduction of any comics character in history, it's that good. if you're interested in cass's role in nml but not the whole thing, here's a list of her appearances:

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #57

Batman Chronicles #18

Batman #569

Detective Comics #738

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #124

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #92

Detective Comics #739

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #93

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #60-61

Detective Comics #741

i think nml is essential reading for cass and it makes me sad that a lot of people skip it.

next is, of course, batgirl (2000). it's her character bible it's god's (kelley puckett's) gift to mankind it's maybe the best comic ever written. what more can i say

she's also a fixture in gotham knights! cass was a part of most batfamily events in the early 2000s, ex. officer down, joker's last laugh, war games, bruce wayne: murderer? and bruce wayne: fugitive. it's pretty easy to find them since they mostly cross over with her batgirl run.

detective comics #790 is only one issue but it's. ough.

aaaaand then we get into the evil cass arc stuff which just sucks and isn't worth it. she's pretty much written out of the story for a while, other than red robin #17 & #25.

she does show up as black bat in gates of gotham! i really enjoy that story, and it's only 5 issues.

that gets us to new52. i would completely disregard her rebirth and batgirls appearances honestly. she is a part of the current birds of prey ongoing! and while i am not kelly thompson's biggest fan i do think she gets a lot of cool moments and for the most part she's done right.

she is also featured sporadically throughout ram v's gotham nocturne storyline (it started way back in detective comics #1062 if you want to read the whole arc, it's VERY good). i have to give a special shoutout to #1084, which has a backup story that's focused on cass and it legitamately blew my mind. like i couldn't believe my eyes when i was reading it, maybe it's because cass has been done so dirty over the years that anything makes me happy but to get a cass-centric story featuring shiva that cares about her as a character in 2024 was crazy 2 me i will rave about it forever. thank you alex paknadel.

wally west:

the good news is my wally reclist is WAY less complicated. as is predictable for me, pretty much the only wally rec I have is flash volume 2 (1987). it is for all intents and purposes The Story of Wally West tm. it's his character bible it follows him throughout nearly a decade of his life. because it's so long my specific rec would be to read waid's run on it, from #62-142. if you want more context to his life at the time you can start earlier in the comic, i think #31 is a good jumping on point if you want to experience some messner-loebs but not too much messner-loebs lmfao.

he's featured in titans (1999) until about issue #20, iirc. wally is just fated to quit titans teams lol. there is some good stuff with him up until that point though!

that is honestly about all i got until you get to more modern flash comics. after rebirth he's reintroduced in flash vol. 5, and #768-800 is the jeremy adams run.

he's also the main focus in si spurrier's flash vol. 6! aka the current flash ongoing. which... as i have often said, i am a big fan of.

AND THAT’S MY LIST!!! i hope it helped you out at least a little lol!

[allovesthings]

Donna and Dick comic recs

@tired-teddybear asked me to do one and here it is:

New Teen titans (1980):

This was my first introduction to theirs friendship.

Specifically Issue 14: where Dick is the first (and only) to realize that Donna is not okay after seperating for a few days.

Issue 16: which is Kory centric but Donna and Dick spent almost the entire comic together investigating.

Issue 21: This is the arc that introduce Brother blood and I would suggest also reading 22, it's also very good (although it is not really Donna and Dick centric just Dick centric). The arc is really good in general

Issue 29: Donna tries to talk to Dick and have a heart to heart, It's cute but also Dick is being stubborn and punishing himself but we love drama and trauma so (it's also a brother blood thing). Also I think Roy makes his first appearance in the New titans run and it's fun.

Issue 38: my beloved or Who is Donna Troy ? This one is probably one of the best Donna and Dick issue out there, . it is centered around Dick using his detective skills to figure out who Donna's family are. It's a fun mystery but the center of it all is just theirs friendship and this is is THE issue I would recommend for Dick and Donna's friendship.

Tale of new Titans:

Issue 42: The beginning of the Judas contract (I mean honestly the whole arc is just really good in general), they have some really cute moments.

Issue 50: sigh...the wedding. On one hand, I just don't like who she is getting married to but it's worth it for the Dick and Donna moments, he is the one to walk her down the aisle <3. It's very good.

New teen titans vol 2:

Issues 18-19: if you want angst and drama, that's the one. They are fighting on this one.It's sad but you know, we love angst and drama.

Issue 32: This is genuinely one of my favorite. The titans are having fun. It's fun and I love it (also there is a murder mystery..sort of but I don't care, it's so fun)

Issue 36: One hand you've got the weird Raven doesn't understand her feeling and her crush on Dick is about to spill on him due to powers, On the other , Donna and Dick are having fun together training at the begining of the issue and Dick almost dies.

Wonder Woman vol 2 (1987): issue 164-168 Gods of Gotham:

Honestly the entire arc is fun if you want to see some of the Gotham villain being godified and a team up between the Batfam and the Wonderfam of the time.

But especially issues 165/167/168. Dick and Donna come together and just stay together almost the entire time and it's just fun.

JLA/Titans:

Okay listen, this is the perfect story if you want to understand the difference the JLA and the titans. It's great for both of them

Issue 3: It's so sad yet so good. Poor Donna.

Titans (1999):

There are some things around original Titans happening in this run that I didn't like but I think this is one of the best comic if you want to see the relationship between all of the fab five (also not Donna and Dick related but Roy is just so great in this, I love him so much).

Issue 15 (my beloved): The Fab five are stuck on an island and it's great for both the entire group and for Donna not being able to resist meeting a certain someone of Dick's past (It's great, I love it so much).

Issue 25: Who is Troia: Donna centric with time travel shenanigans. Older Dick taking the time to reminds Donna of her strength. We love to see it. 10 Out of 10.

(honorable mention:11,28-29 where the titans sort of becomes guardians to a bunch a superpowered children).

Titans secret files (2): The titans decided to show up in Bludhaven and make fun of Dick and in the middle of that, both of them get a heart to heart and it's great (plus a hug <3 )

Batman Chronicle 7:

Since it's several stories, the Dick and Donna one start at page 21. They are hanging out, out of costume, they are great and we get another hug.

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation day and Dc special: the return of Donna Troy:

Those two should probably be read together. What happens to Donna in the end of Graduation Day really mark the beginning of a terrible period of time for Dick both because of that (see Outsiders) and for other reasons (Devin Grayson) the dc special is an important sequel to that. However, I will say,in my opinion, if you are reading for Dick and Donna the return of Donna Troy might be a bit of a disappointment because while the two other of Donna's relationships that were emphasized in Graduation Days (Cassie and Roy) were followed through, I felt like Dick was a bit relegated back to the group.

Titans (2008):

I haven't read it because it seems to be a bit of a..mess and Dick leave 10 issues in. I know there are some Donna and Dick moments though ?

JLA v2:

Donna and Dick are co-leading the Justice League as Batman and Troia. It's great, they are great and really competent and I kinda love it.

Issue 41: Donna meets Damian with Dick. It's so fun, she is so amused, I love it.

Issue 60: The end of that era. It's a good goodbye that isn't a goodbye because it's Donna and Dick (but also it is a goodbye, this is right before New 52 when Donna doesn't exist for a long time and Dick has no friends)

Titans hunt:

reuniting of the fab five, Bumblebee and Lilith. They are paired together with Garth from beginning to end and are mostly fighting side by side. It's great

Titans rebirth (2016):

I actually didn't like the run and had to stop when the team is dismantled for the first time by the Justice League. It feels too impersonal for the Titans. That said: There are 2 issues that are good:

Titans Annual 1: Which is another compare and contrast between the Titans and the Justice League done well (it isn't Donna and Dick centric but it's good and I thought I would still mention it)

The Titans special: It has a really sweet Donna and Dick moment as he is trying to recruit her into a new Titan run (that said they made Donna says that Wally was her best friend to Dick's face and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive it for that)

Batman/Superman: World Finest:

honestly I just recommend this run in general, it's the only one I'm currently following and the arc is great but it's not really Donna and Dick centric, the Teen Titans are in it in issues 8 and Donna is worried about Dick and it's really great.

World Finest: Teen Titan (the spin off).

I'm a bit divised on that, I think it's fun and has a really good take on Batman's relationship with Dick. I like the foil between Dick and Roy but it feels a bit tone deaf when it comes to the case, also stop making Donna kiss one of the boy that isn't Roy on theirs team. I'm begging you. That said, Donna and Dick are kinda the confident of the other with Donna being the one who will calls out somone else if they go too far and Dick motherhenning when he learn what Donna has beeen doing.

Convergence: Teen Titans:

If you are mad about the ending of the New Titans (1989), then you are going to love that, Kori and Dick are married and the Titans have to protect theirs New York and Dick fucked up but also get to hold hand with Donna and that's a plus for me

(Also, please read convergence Titans just for the fix-it of it all even if Dick isn't in it.It's great, Roy got Lian back we love to see it)

I think I forgot some, if you have more, feel free to ad to this

[alvindraperzzz]

DC Special: Return of Donna Troy #2 // Teen Titans (2003) Annual #1

Cassie canonically keeps scrapbooks. It’s unclear if she always did it, or if she was inspired by Donna’s photo albums, but I like to headcanon that she started making them as a way to commemorate Donna, and it eventually became a hobby she genuinely enjoyed.

Teen Titans/Outsiders: Secret Files and Origins (2003)

[thequiver]

Who is Roy Harper? - A Reading Guide

Roy Harper is a DC Comics legacy character introduced in the Golden Age as the protégé/son of Green Arrow (Oliver Queen). Roy was the original Speedy and had an extremely close relationship with his adoptive father Oliver Queen throughout the Golden and Silver Ages. In 1971, DC released the "Snowbirds Don't Fly" storyline in response to Nixon's announced War on Drugs. This storyline was a PSA designed to show what not to do when a loved one (particularly a young adult child) is struggling with addiction. This story would change the trajectory of Roy's story and cemented his role as a recovered addict, a part of his character that has unfortunately come to be his defining quality rather than being part of his larger story. Roy is a single father to Lian Harper (his daughter with the assassin Jade Nguyen/Cheshire), and has a sibling bond with family members Connor Hawke, Mia Dearden, and Emiko Queen. Roy's origins have always been connected to America's Indigenous Peoples and later comics have cemented their role in his life with his having been adopted by the Diné/Navajo as a young child before being adopted by Ollie in his teenaged years. Roy has had multiple mantles over the years, from Speedy, to Arsenal, to joining the Justice League of America as Red Arrow - but in every iteration is he the very image of a hero.

Reading list (with totally legal links) under the cut!

This reading list begins in the Golden Age and will take you through Pre-52 comics, and then end with the Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Super Spectacular! New 52 is left out because that is not Roy Harper, and Rebirth and more current comics are being left out for a lot of reasons that I won't list here.

If multiple issues are listed for one run at a time, only the first issue will be linked, the assumption is that you will be able to navigate to the following issues from there.

Golden Age:

More Fun Comics #78, 81-82, 89, 91-92

World's Finest Comics #7, 57, 70

Adventure Comics #121, 133, 137, 151, 155, 164, 166, 179, 184, 189, 196

Silver Age and Beyond:

Adventure Comics #233

World's Finest Comics #88

Adventure Comics #246, 256, 260-263

Teen Titans Vol 1 #4, 11, 19-43

The next story on this list is "Snowbirds Don't Fly" - it is HEAVILY RECOMMENDED to read the above stories BEFORE reading Snowbirds as they should be considered required context for the storyline as they are the context the story is building from. Don't be a Judd Winick- do your reading kids.

Green Lantern Vol 2 #85-86

Action Comics #436

Teen Titans Vol 1 #44-52

Green Lantern Vol 2 #100

Teen Titans Vol 1 #53

World's Finest Vol 1 #251

Best of DC #18

New Teen Titans Vol 1 #27, 29-32

Tales of the Teen Titans #50

New Teen Titans Vol 2 #19-21

Action Comics Vol 1 #613-618, 627-634, 636-640

Secret Origins Vol 2 #38

New Titans Vol 1 #60-69, 97

Green Arrow Vol 2 #75

New Titans Vol 1 #99-114

Showcase '94 #7

New Titans Vol 1 #0, 115-130, Annual #11

Green Arrow Vol 2 #97-101 * these issues should be read with the understanding that the writer, Chuck Dixon, is a vocal hater of Oliver Queen and did his best to ruin the character's image before and during the character's death as soon as he took over the run

Showcase '95 #8

Batman + Arsenal #1

JLA/Titans Vol 1 #1-3

Arsenal #1-4

The Titans Vol 1 #1-50 Annual #1

Green Arrow Vol 3 #1-15*, 16-21 - *(most Roy centered issues are 1, 5-6, and 8-9)

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3

Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files/Origins Vol 1 (2003)

Outsiders Vol 3 #1-33

Green Arrow Vol 3 #32, 44-50

DC Special Return of Donna Troy #1-4

Outsiders Vol 3 #44-46, Annual #1

Justice League of America Vol 2 #1-31

Titans Vol 2 #1-14, 17-19

Justice League: Cry for Justice

[bluejaysandblackbats]

The Flames That Burn The Brightest

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans (Fab Five), Arrowfam

Summary: Donna Troy is working as a teacher at a high school, and to her surprise, she comes face-to-face with an old flame who just so happens to be the new guidance counselor.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Jade Nguyen, Lian Harper, Garth of Shayeris, Dick Grayson, Wally West

Relationship(s): Past DonnaRoy, Past CheshRoy

Additional Tags: Teachers AU, No Powers AU, Donna Troy-centric, Platonic Soulmates Dick & Donna, Parent Roy Harper, Lovers to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Fluff, Reunions

Chapter One: Sunlight (Donna's POV)

Roy arranged flowers in my hair for a picture once. He leaned over me, chuckling as he worked. His wheezy laugh was grating to most, but it made me smile. Actually, it made me laugh. “Roy, please don’t make a d—.”

“Lay still, you’re gonna mess it up… And stop breathing on me. It tickles,” Roy warned me as he wheeze-laughed. And no, it wasn’t asthma. It was more—. It was a snicker. A raspy snicker. He smelled great. It was probably the best he ever smelled since I knew him. Notes of something baked and sweet complemented by a smoky wood. I pulled his shirt to my nose, and he leaned backward on his knees. Smiling. His mouth formed cute parenthetical folds on freckled canvas. Roy was sunlight.

“Roy, we’ve been here an hour—.”

“I’m almost done. Trust the process,” Roy whispered. His voice seemed more serious at that point. “Donna, you said you already set your Polaroid—?”

“You’re done?” I asked. He nodded and stood over me with his camera. “How do I look?”

“Like a goddess,” Roy whispered, and I felt my cheeks redden as I shut my eyes. Roy snapped three pictures before kneeling beside me and removing the flowers. “Do you have a brush?”

I laughed and shook the rest of the flowers out of my hair as I sat up. “Roy, you’re stalling. Let me see—.” He held them to his chest, protecting them from me. “What? What is it?”

“Donna, if you don’t like them, would it be weird if I kept them anyway?” Roy asked. I gently pried the pictures from his hands, and the flowers spelled out I-L-Y in my hair. I looked at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

I laid my head on his shoulder. I was speechless, and he didn’t expect anything, but I wish I said something that day in the field. Roy was like that. He loved and never expected to be loved back. That’s what made him special to me. I could never say what I wanted to, but he didn’t force me to try. Roy pressed kisses to the side of my face and my neck. “Roy,” I whispered.

“You’ve gotta go away… I know you do, but I want you to know I’ll wait for you if you want me to,” Roy whispered.

It felt selfish to make him wait for me, but I couldn’t look at him and tell him to go. I couldn’t speak. I wish I could’ve said something, but my throat ached. I kissed him, and I think he knew. “Let me keep one picture,” Roy whispered. I nodded, and Roy returned to my cheeks and neck. I craned into his touch but could feel his pain through my flesh. It hurt, but I needed him close. I pulled him in by his shirt, and he shook his head. “Wait… Wait, I’m shaking.” Roy pulled away from me, and I turned to him. I reached to touch his arm, and he stood up. “Let me take you home before I say something dumb—.”

“You can say whatever you want, Roy. I won’t get mad,” I whispered as he took my hand and helped me stand. “Roy? Please?”

“I want ya to go. I do. Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t wanna—. I wanna—. Come on, let me take you home,” Roy sighed. He seemed irritated. Not with me, but the temperature between us changed. “You’ve got packing to do, Princess.”

His smile disappeared, and I held onto his hand, desperately squeezing for the warmth and safety it offered only moments ago. I held onto him like a child holding onto a teddy bear. “Roy, are you mad at me?” I asked.

“No, I could never—. I’m a little mixed up right now, but I’ll be okay. This is your big moment, Donna, and I’ve got a present for you back at your place,” Roy whispered, “I’m sorry… I’m gonna miss you a ton. I guess-. It didn’t feel real until today.”

He opened the door for me, and we stared at each other for a while. I wanted him to ask me to stay. I know that sounds cliche, but I hoped he would at least try. Or hell—. I don’t know. I wish he would’ve asked to go with me. We drove to my place in silence, and when I got to the door, I wanted to say everything I’d held inside—. “Surprise!” they yelled. I backed into Roy, and he offered a gentle push toward our friends.

Dick punched Roy’s shoulder. “Hey, chump, what took you so long?” Dick half-joked. Roy forced a smile.

“I had to take a quick detour to spend time with my favorite girl,” Roy replied as he slipped into the crowd. Everyone seemed so happy for me, but I couldn’t help but feel lonely.

The night droned on, and I slipped into my bedroom for a break before running into Roy. He sat on my bed with a gift box on his lap. “Roy—.”

“I know you don’t like people in your room, but I’m—. I thought you’d make an exception this one time,” Roy smiled as he gave me the box. I carefully unwrapped my gift and smiled. A plush lamb in a replica of my first drama class costume. I held it close to my chest. “I know we’re a little old for that stuff, but I—.”

I embraced him, and then there was silence. Then there was longing. Then there were lips… My lips against his warm, peach-fuzzy cheeks. Then there were lips. His lips against mine. And his scent was sweet and smoky, luring me in. I kissed his neck, and he laughed his wheezy laugh. “Donna, the party—.”

“Will you stay until after they’re gone?” I interrupted. He lifted my chin with his knuckle.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of free time with Ollie gone, so I don’t mind waiting around tonight,” Roy grinned. We partied that night, and after everyone left, Roy curled up in my bed and reached for me.

We were quiet. It was so quiet it scared us when the bed made a noise… or Roy bumped into the wall. He was gentle. “This is goodbye, isn’t it?” Roy whispered afterward. I frowned. “Maybe one day it’ll be hello again… But we’ll always be friends, right?”

“Nothing will change that,” I replied. Roy was sunlight. Far too bright to look at. Hot to the touch. He cried that night. He waited until he thought I was asleep, but I heard him. I didn’t speak because I didn’t want to hurt his pride. Still, I wish he would’ve come with me. I wondered if we would’ve stayed together if he’d simply asked to come along. I would’ve said yes. I would’ve done anything to make space for him there.

[daily-cassie-sandsmark]

[vechter]

jla/titans (1998) #3 // the kids aren't alright, fall out boy // new teen titans (1984) #19 // tales of the teen titans (1984) #59 // outsiders (2003) #16 // outsiders (2003) #1 // stand by me (1986) // titans/young justice: graduation day (2003) #3 // unknown // dc special: the return of donna troy (2005) #2 // titans (1999) #1 // nightwing (2016) #90 // titans (2016) #15 // ivy, frank ocean // teen titans (1996) #12 // titans (2008) #15 // batman chronicles (1995) #7 // outsiders (2003) #11 // a working list of things i will never tell you, jon sands // flash (1987) #210 // flash (1987) #214 // nightwing secret files and origins (1999) #1 // the firm, john grisham // jla/titans (1998) #3

dick + core titans (donna, garth, roy, wally)

[roy-dcm2]

Countdown to Infinite Crisis (Reading Order)

I love DC Comics, and despite being an unpopular opinion, I love the build up and aftermath of Infinite Crisis, because that was the era when I started reading. Frankly, I can't believe we're reaching the 20th anniversary of the event, soon.

While single character / author runs are what are usually lauded in most comics circles, I believe the sprawling epic events (when done well) are a unique charm of Superhero comics that a reader should experience.

What I hope to accomplish is by giving you my recommended reading order, it'll add more texture to the event as a whole.

Part 01 - Count Down to Infinite Crisis

So it all starts with the special issue "Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1" where the Blue Beetle - Ted Kord is investigating who has been stealing money from Kord Industries. In the end, the Blue Beetle is assassinated and his death is a catalyst for nearly everything that follows.

Part 02 - The OMAC Project

(This is the weirdest reading order in my entire collection)

The OMAC Project #1-6 directly follows up the death of Blue Beetle as Batman investigates the death of Ted Kord, but also searches for who has gained control of the Spy Satellite he build Brother Eye. Turns out it was taken over by a government agency called Checkmate, and is controlled by a former JLA ally, Maxwell Lord. At the climax, Max uses mind control powers to set Superman against his two friends, and it ends with Wonder Woman killing Maxwell Lord.

In the middle of the OMAC Project, (between issues 3/4) you should stop and read the Superman : Sacrifice storyline. This gives us the point of view of Superman. We get to see that Max had been giving him visions of Lois dying. This story can be found in Superman #219, Action Comics #829, Adventures of Superman #642, and Wonder Woman #219) Sacrifice illustrates just how important Lois is to Superman, and I believe it can make you more sympathetic for Kal-L during Infinite Crisis.

Finally, after The OMAC Project #6, you should read the aftermath of both events in Wonder Woman: Missions End. Diana tries to deal with the repercussions of her actions. Now, suddenly, the whole world is turning against her over the death of Maxwell Lord. This story is found in Wonder Woman #220 - #221.

(You should also read Adventures of Superman #643 for a nicer cap to the story)

When you read it like this, it really inflates The OMAC Project as the event that really did tear the Trinity apart.

Part 03 The Day of Vengeance

The Day of Vengeance #1-6 are pretty straight forward. The Spectre goes on a rampage to destroy all Magic in the DCU, and so a new magical team The Shadow Pact band together to TRY stop him. These events carry over into Infinite Crisis itself.

Part 04 The Rann-Thanagar War

The Rann-Thanagar War is mostly about a Cult on Thanagar that is trying to destroy the universe, meanwhile there is tension between the forces of Rann and Thanagar that don't fully explode into open war until the end of the mini series. You can find the main story in The Rann-Thanagar War #1-6.

After the mini-series, my recommend reading is The Outsiders : Crisis Intervention. This plot is a bit of a tie-in for all other events. At first, the Outsiders are dealing with the aftermath of The Spectre, then part of the team goes into space to help Donna Troy, and finally the other half of the team clashes with the Secret Society of Supervillains. You can read it in The Outsiders #29-33.

I like it as a spotlight on Roy Harper, Arsenal. He's dealing with what kind of hero he wants to be. Grace his teammate says he's not a dark vigilante like Nightwing, like Batman. Roy is a swashbuckling Hero, like Green Arrow. This is great when you know Roy ends up joining the Justice League after Infinite Crisis.

(BTW, the Return of Donna Troy is also a tie-in, but it is terribly boring. Just read this Crisis Intervention to get the lowdown on Donna Troy's part in all this.)

Part 05 Green Lantern Corps - Recharge

This is also taking place in the aftermath of The Rann-Thanagar War, but it is removed enough that I count it as separate. Since the war in space is steadily expanding in the background, the Green Lantern Corps is looking for new members. It's a great look at the other Green Lanterns that had been pushed aside by the return of Hal Jordan. You can read this in the mini-series Green Lantern Corps : Recharge #1-6.

Part 06 Villains United

This is following up on the aftermath of Identity Crisis. The villains created a secret society to take revenge on the heroes for altering people's minds. However, there's a secret group of villains that are united against the Secret Society. You can read the main story in Villains United #1-6

And you can see some follow up in Birds of Prey : Perfect Pitch, where the Calculator has set his mind to capturing Oracle, and it ends with a rematch between Black Canary and Deathstroke. It's a great spotlight for the team (And Gail Simone's writing.) You can read the story in Birds of Prey #86-90

Part 07 JSA Classified : Power Trip

Also known as "Power Girl : Power Trip"

This is a storyline from the JSA Classified books that serves to highlight Power Girl's confusing origin as she is plagued by illusions of people claiming to know the truth. And it ends leading directly into Infinite Crisis #2. You can read this storyline in JSA Classified #1-4.

Part 08 JLA Crisis of Confidence

Finally, the dark secret of the JLA comes back to destroy the team. Long ago, the inner circle of the JLA used magic to alter villains memories. Those villains are back for revenge, and while the heroes do ultimately come out victorious, the JLA disbands in disgrace. But it also ends with the destruction of the JLA moon base, which leads directly into the first issue of Infinite Crisis. This story is found in JLA #115 - 119

When you take it all in, you understand how monumental the event was. The villains are united just as the JLA community could not be more broken. Then the main event of Infinite Crisis is pretty epic, too.

I love this era, and I wish more people would learn to embrace it.

[cocoabubbelle]

Unpopular Opinion:

I like Bruce Wayne/Batman and all, but I can’t help but roll my eyes whenever DC does some alternative continuities and of all the heroes that become more antagonistic, he comes out unscathed and is one of the most irrevocably good guys that has to take it upon himself to fight his former friends/associates/family.

(Spoilers under the cut.)

Earth 2? That’s mostly Thomas Wayne junior after the first crisis.

The Batman who Laughs? That’s pretty much The Joker injecting a portion of himself into Bruce’s brain and overriding/mutating his personality.

Justice Lords? I don’t know much about their comic versions if they have one, but in the JSL Animated Series, the Batman of that world was the one who redeemed himself and turned against his team mates.

Injustice? Batman will always be the good one and always do the right thing even if he was the one who killed the Joker in a what if scenario because he is humble enough to accept his punishment and even the good Superman he recruits admits could have done the same thing as his world’s Superman and yadda yadda yadda.

DC vs Vampires? They seriously made Batman the only one of the golden trio that never got turned, the one who is trusted to figure out the solution to combat the vampires, and made Dick Grayson/Nightwing the King of the Vampires??

The CW version if the DCU? That Batman only showed up once for all I know, and was a failed attempt to criticize Zack Snyder’s take on the SC universe.

White Knight? Batman was only seen as the antagonist for barely the first few issues before teaming up with Jack Napier to take down the bigger threat, was the hero again when Joker returned, and is currently still a good guy (I don’t hate it, but I feel the role reversal of Batman and Joker’s usual dynamic could have been explored more.)

The Dark Knights of Steel? This one I will let slide on its thin ice since the “Kal-El” who stabbed Bruce was later revealed to be a white martian scout or something. I don’t want to suspect the writers intending the Els to be the antagonists but backtracking and introducing the White martians when reception to yet another antagonistic Superman was negative — and who knows? Maybe they purposely played into that to make the reveal over the actual antagonists more interesting—, but still.

In my opinion, Zack Snyder’s versions of the Trinity was the most successful of introducing a Bruce Wayne/Batman who could be seen as a well-meaning antagonist who was —and later recognized— that he was wrong. (and redeemed himself later too.)

Wonder Woman also gets some of this special treatment at times (most of her Superwomen counter parts are shifted to Lois Lane or Donna Troy, and even Mary Marvel at some point; in the animated adaptation of Injustice, she has reservations from the start and later turns against Superman despite heavily influencing him in the games and comics.)

Why is Superman usually the go-to for making/twisting a genuinely good, idealistic and upright hero who would never abandon his morals into an easily influenced powerhouse who totally will sacrifice/ditch his moral compass when given the opportunity? Some may excuse some of these iterations as being placed with the wrong setting and people who raised him in story, but that could easily work for Diana of Themyscira and Bruce Wayne too if given the opportunity. With the latter two, usually they still develop into the recognizable heroes we know and love, while at best Clark is manipulated and misguided and at worst he willingly embraces his newfound villainy.

Bruce Wayne/Batman is not better than Clark Kent/Superman. Neither is Wonder Woman.

In my eyes, and from what I can tell from most of the golden/silver/bronze age of the comic book era, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman’s character arcs and story development lead them to be seen as EQUALS. Hence their most popular dynamic as a TRIO.

Is Superman arguably the most powerful one? Yes. Is Wonder Woman arguably the most skilled in combat? Yes. Is Batman arguably the most intelligent one? Yes. Do they all have strong convictions and morals? Yes. Do they ALL have weaknesses and the capacity to have momentary lapses of judgement? Yes. Do they all stand strong as both individuals and united teammates? Yes.

Am I saying that the Beware the Superman trope is an overused one? Yes and no. Yes I am sick of it popping up almost everywhere in most western media. No, I don’t think it is without potential to be used as an actually useful plot device/character arc, especially if it extends beyond the “Superman” character template and applies to all manner of superheroes.

That’s just my opinion though.

[linkspooky]

Hiya! I love Donna Troy and want to know more about her but don't know what comics to read or shows to watch. Can you recommend anything? Also, I too am team cyborg needs to be back on teen titans lol

Okay, so it is a bit difficult to reccomend Donna Troy stories because she tends to be a supporting character in others arcs but you probably don't want to hear me say "Just read ALL OF NEW TEEN TITANS" and you'll get it.

Here are my reccomendations for individual storylines.

#1 Who is Donna Troy? New Teen Titans #38

This is the chapter that made me love Donna, it is very different from most comic book story arcs it's heavily noir, and it tells a much more down to earth story. This is also the Donna Troy backstory I like to go with when interpreting her character. The other origin stories are all dumb, she is best when she's just some girl that Diana rescued from a fire and brought to live on Themyscra. Donna's entire character is she's just kind of normal... BUT THAT'S INTERESTING when everyone else in the friend group is insane.

#2 New Teen Titans 18-21 HOMECOMING

Homecoming story arc, this demonstrates number one a lot of the personal flaws of Donna's character. Dick leaves Donna in charge of the Teen Titans and Donna is bad at it, the team falls apart under her leadership because she can't manage her personal life. At the same time this points out the flaws in Dick and Donna's relationship, Dick expects her to be perfect, Donna is not.

Donna has what I call "Second oldest daughter syndrome" everyone expects her to be Diana, but she is not, she is not as strong and selfless as Diana but she tries to live up to that anyway (ironically, I think Cassie is actually a lot more like DIana in terms of self confidence she just has a meaner edge to her). Donna's biggest recurring story arc is how much other people's opinions on her influence her because she always tries way too hard to conform to other people's expectations and suffers herself because of it.

3. Darkstars 1-38

The Donna gets divorced and flies around in space with Kyle Rayner her rebound guy, Era. Once again an arc that focuses on the humanity of Donna Troy and the faults underneath her good girl image, her marriage falls apart (like wow the marriage of a 35 year old college professor and a 20 year old wasn't exactly healthy, surprise surprise), Donna became a mother way too early and she has no idea how to balance being a superhero and raising a kid. This arc also has like, the most horribly tragic consequences for Donna's character I don't want to spoil it.

2. Titans (1999) #1-50

If you want a Teen Titans run more focused on Roy Harper, and the fab five while throwing new members on the team this is for you. I say Donna is usually a supporting character but this series Donna and Roy are essentially the most major characters (there's a lot of Garth too!!!). Donna's story arc especially early on in the comic follows on what I find compelling about Donna's character in that she is so focused on living up to the Donna that everyone else sees she's completely lost sight of herself.

5. DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy

This is Donna's only solo, and it's basically a tribute not only to everything Donna Troy has been as a character so far, but also all of the connections she has made with other characters, including the Teen Titans, and the wondergirls. If you want a short comic about who Donna is, and what she means to the people around her this is the one! Though I would reccomend reading this last because otherwise you'll have no idea what past events they are referring to. This was also DC's attempt to just kind of move past Donna's weird backstory problem and focus back in on who Donna Troy is as a person, because Donna's greatest character trait is the connections she makes to the people around her.

Also the only adaptation Donna ever appears in is Titans the live action series on HBOmax where she is fantastic and I highly recommend her it adapts the best part of her character as baby sitter extraordinaire and her relationship with Dick. Without the backstory bullshit. If you want a taste of her character I would watch that first.