It might be getting colder outside, but inside Titans Tower, things are heating up! Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks the Spot brings together your favorite Titans with young heroes in training. And with the return of Titans this week on HBO Max, there’s never been a better weekend to cozy up with the Teen Titans and escape to a school we all wish we could attend.

To properly enroll in Titans Academy, you’re going to need to get your paperwork in (reading) order. These are the comics that comprise Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1:

  • Teen Titans Academy #1
  • Teen Titans Academy #2
  • Suicide Squad #3
  • Teen Titans Academy #3
  • Teen Titans Academy #4
  • Teen Titans Academy #5
  • Teen Titans Academy 2021 Yearbook #1

You can find all of these comics on DC UNIVERSE INFINTE. Now, it’s time to get to class!


The Premise:

The Teen Titans are ready for their next mission: mentoring a new generation of superheroes! The old school Titans open up the tower to teach and train teens with unusual abilities. Headmistress Starfire and fellow faculty Nightwing, Raven, Donna Troy, Beast Boy and Cyborg have faced countless dangers, but they’ve never encountered anything like running the newly branded Roy Harper Titans Academy.

When the Titans discover someone at the school has put on the mask of Red X, Nightwing’s old persona and someone longtime DC fans will remember from the Teen Titans animated series, they’ll have to uncover their identity before Red X’s dark plans come to fruition—or will the students figure it out first?


Let’s Talk Talent:

Tim Sheridan teams up with artists including Rafa Sandoval, Steve Lieber and more for the first arc of the series. Sheridan recently adapted Batman: The Long Halloween into a stunning animated film starring Jensen Ackles and Josh Duhamel. His admiration for the Bat-Family shows in both the two-part feature and this inventive new comic book series.

The story that plays out in X Marks the Spot includes the core Teen Titans Academy title one crossover issue of Suicide Squad and a special annual issue, and each artist who contributes adds their own personality to both the compelling students and iconic teachers. Sandoval, who penciled the main series, is a DC veteran who has worked on books such as Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns, The Flash and Catwoman. He’s currently working on the new Black Adam solo series.


A Few Reasons to Read:

  • Each student at Titans Academy has a story to tell. Almost all of them, with notable exceptions like Billy Batson, are new to the DC Universe. This book is their first big adventure and it’s a doozy. There’s Alinta, the Speed Force-powered sprinter with prosthetic legs; Stitch, a mystically animated doll with enough personality to star in their own miniseries; and the mysterious Matt Price, who has Kryptonian-like powers but a past that’s unknown, even to himself. I must know more about all of them.
     
  • Task Force X has a banger of a crossover in this first arc. Peacemaker and Amanda Waller butt heads more than ever during a mission to the Titans Tower. This Squad lineup is also intriguing, with Connor Kent, Culebra and Nocturna in the rotation. The crossover issue just might inspire you to dive into the 2021 Suicide Squad series for your next weekend reading escape.

  • The original Teen Titans are here to remind you why they’re some of your favorite superheroes. Not only is it great seeing iconic Titans like Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Donna Troy together again, but some of them even get together again. (Yes, I’m talking about Nightwing and Starfire.) Plus, Cyborg gets put in charge of teaching Home Ec. How can you resist checking that out?
     
  • The Bat Pack. Yes, I already mentioned the students, but this trio is so entertaining, they’re on the list twice. Chupacabra, Bratgirl and Megabat describe themselves as “junior nihilist detectives,” which is basically all you need to know about them. Oh, you want more details? The three orphans are from Gotham, where they admired and studied Batman’s every move. Read their origin stories in Teen Titans Academy.


Why It’s Worth Your Time:

Beast Boy and Cyborg wrangling classes as teachers is just part of the fun. Teen Titans Academy introduces fresh new faces to the DC Universe with a wealth of potential, both as superheroes and as characters—and each one has so much potential. If you miss the early days of the Teen Titans, or you’re just a fan of teenaged superheroes in general, make Teen Titans Academy your next Weekend Escape.
 

Teen Titans Academy Vol. 1: X Marks the Spot is now available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Kelly Knox writes about all-ages comics and animation for DC.com and her writing can also be seen on IGN, Nerdist and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk superheroes, comics and pop culture.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Kelly Knox and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros.