Bring on the Bad Guys: Kravik and DIABLO

Real name: Kravik 

First appearance: Teen Titans I#4 (July-Aug. 1966)

Abilities: Olympic level runner/terrorist organization 

Worst act: Attempted murder

Created by: Bob Haney (script), Nick Cardy (pencils/inks), and Stan Starkman (letters)

Bit of an odd one here, at least in terms of story. Seems this is billed as a secret tale, in that it wasn't reveled until now, but the series is only four issues in, so it's not like they would be reveling that much. From a story perspective I suppose this takes place before Brave and the Bold I#60. We do finally see Speedy formerly join. 

The Titans have a two part mission. First, they get contacted by Ted Bradley. His son David is both an Olympic hopeful and he's missing. The second part comes from Uncle Sam as it seems the ruthless terrorist organization DIABLO wants to ruin the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.

They solve the first part easy enough, as it seems David is simply hiding out from his father. He wants to run though but he's so scared of his old man, specifically what his dad would do if he lost, that he doesn't want to run. They get David to run in a disguise. 

They also get captured by DIABLO agents and Speedy gets tricked into nearly killing them, but thankfully David manages to outrun Kravik (agent disguised as a runner) and stop Speedy.  

Bring on the Bad Guys: Ding-Dong Daddy Dowd

 Real name: "Ding-Dong Daddy" Dowd

First appearance: Teen Titans I#3 (May-June 1966)

Abilities: Hep slang and mechanics baby!

Worst act: Attempted murder, theft, and convincing kids to drop out of school

Quote: "Coolest titans! Little Wonder Chick may have old Ding-Dong down for the count-but you laddios can't stop my gas pump pulverizer!"

Created by: Bob Haney (script), Nick Cardy (pencils/inks), and Stan Starkman (letters)

Man, if you thought the teenage caveman was odd, Haney topped himself with this one. Also tempted to have him as 22nd special but you'll have to wait until then. 

We open with Batman dealing with a souped up hot rod busting through a jewelry store. The car manages to outrace the Batmobile, no mean feat that. Robin, now looking like an actual teenager, is summoned along with the rest of the Titans to Washington, DC.

The Dept. of Education has called the Titans there due to a serious problem-dropping out. The small burg of Harrison especially as a serious problem with kids dropping out of high school, so it is ordered that the Titans investigate. 

The team arrives in their custom helicopter and check out where the teens have been going since they're not in school. None other than the shop of the Go-Man the Ding-Dong Daddy!

Not a drug reference shockingly enough. No, the Ding-Dong Daddy's deal is cars and fast ones too. He hires the kids right out of school and gives them paying jobs. Cars like the kind that robbed that store, eh? Naturally Ding-Dong is up to no good and the team manages to stop him

Utterly insane and wonderful. We have another team gets invited to solve a problem, but it just goes in such a direction you almost get whiplash. Ding-Dong is also such a delight you can almost ignore the utterly bizarre slang he spouts. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Akkuru

Real name: Akkuru

First appearance: Teen Titans I#2 (Mar-April 1966)

Abilities: Superhuman strength 

Worst act: Attempted murder

Quote: "Roaaarrrrr!"

Created by: Bob Haney (script), Nick Cardy (pencils/inks), and Stan Starkman (letters)

Here in #2 we see the Titans relaxing in their secret HQ. They're chilling and answering fanmail, which begs the question of how secret this place is supposed to be. Although these aren't all letters from fans, no, they also have requests for help. 

And boy is their latest one a doozy. Seems a young lad from Smedleyville has a problem. No, he doesn't need a date or dealing with acne. He's being stalked by a caveman. 

An old enemy in fact. Yeah, seems the lad in question is actually a caveboy, frozen in ice alongside the giant that terrorrized his tribe until they both got frozen deep in the mountains. Garn, as he calls himself, got thawed out first and was found by a kindly farmer. 

Garn managed to grasp modern English and norms pretty quick, even enrolling in the local school and getting a girlfriend. When Akkuru thaws out, however, all that modern society jazz doesn't do much against a giant with an axe. 

The town folk, especially, as they want to blame Akkuru's rampages on Garn. Despite the fact that he is clearly not a giant. The Teen Titans arrive to the rescue though and during the course of the fight Akkuru is killed when he falls into a river. 

Garn must have taken that wanting to be normal thing to heart because this was the last anyone saw of him. 

Utterly insane and plot twists coming from ever field. In other words a perfect Haney yarn. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: Don Mantanzas

Real name: Don Mantanzas

First appearance: Teen Titans I#1 (Jan-Feb 1966)

Abilities: Can control a giant robot

Worst act: Attempted murder, mass destruction 

Quote: "...and I would have destroyed you all if ze Teen Titans hadn't interfered!"

Created by: Bob Haney (script) and Nicholas Peter Carady (art)

With this we see the Teen Titans in their own series at last. This premier adventure shows the Titans being summoned to Washington, DC. Why? Seems the Peace Corps have run into problems in the small island of Xochatan. They're trying to build a small dam and a school, but giant statue is making that hard. 

Yeah, giant statue. Investigating they lose the statue but get attacked by a living bulldozer. They manage to stop the dozer from killing but when the dam is finished the nearby waters rise. The waters reach a hidden pyramid and cause the ancient beast gods come to life and attack. 

The team manages to fight and stop them and the culprit is revealed. Yeah, it's none other than Don Mantanzas! Local land owner and guy who was upset about the dam being built.  How did he go about building a giant state in the shape of a conquistador? You got me. 

A bit goofy, but not nearly as insane as Haney's other work. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Phony Flips

Real names: Unrevelaed 

First appearance: Showcase#59 (November-December 1965)

Abilities: Motorcycling, surfing, and baton twirling 

Worst act: Identity theft, theft 

Quote: "Man the cool beat is what we like!"

Created by: Bob Haney (script) and Nicholas Peter Cardy (pencils)

Not quite in their own series, this time the Teen Titans moved over the Showcase, the offical tryout book for new series. 

This time out the Titans are summoned by the teens of Clarkston. The job? Proving the Flips innocent. Yes, the Flips, those groovy rockers who incorporate motorcycles, surfing, and gymnastics in their songs. Seems everytime they have a show someplace gets ripped off and in a style incorporating motocycles, surfing, and/or gymnastics. 

Naturally the teens of Clarkston can't beleive their musical idols are a bunch of crooks so the call goes out. The Titans manage to prove the band innocent and take down the crooks. 

Pretty good and Haney hits all the marks. 

Bring on the Bad Guys: The Separated Man

 Real name: Jake Trask

First appearance: Brave and the Bold#60 (June-July 1965)

Abilities: Giant, able to separate himself 

Worst act: Identity theft 

Created by: Bob Haney (script) and Bruno Premiani (art)

Now properly known as the Teen Titans and sporting Wonder Girl as a member, the Titans are summoned to Midville. Why? Because giant body parts are messing with the 'teen mayor for a day' program. 

Yup. 

Seems this is like the return of the character, as the giant once menaced the town before. The current teen mayor's father, Professor Brian Holmes, created the Separated Man by accident thus, the team thinks they are dealing with a transformed scientist at least until the professor shows up and they learn that the Separated Man is in fact the professor's old cellmate who decided to steal the professor's formula and turn himself into a giant who can throw bits of himself at people.  

And he gets taken out by the Beatles' I Wanna Hold Your Hand'. 

Comics everybody!

Bring on the Bad Guys: Mr. Twister

Real name: Brom Stikk

First appearance: Brave and the Bold#54 (June-July 1964)

Abilities: Weather controlling magic stick

Worst act: Kidnapping 

Quote: "So!...the famous Robin resists my power!"

Created by: Bob Haney (story), Bruno Premiani (pencils), and Sheldon Moldoff (inks)

Back in 2022 but this time I figured we'd take a look at some Silver Age shenanigans. This time we'll be taking a look at the foes of the Teen Titans. 

Now technically Mr. Twister isn't the Teen Titans first foe as this issue was a simple team-up between Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad but from him everything flows so he is included for completion's sake.

Back in Colonial times, a group of settlers wanted to develop the area known as Hatton Corners. The land's owner, Jacob Stikk, would allow them for the rent of one feather from the American passenger pigeon. If they failed to provide said feather they would forfeit the use of one of their youths for the term of one year. 

Yeah, one feather or they make a teenager a slave. The people accepted and thus the payment was carried out. At least until 1913 when the passenger pigeon died out, but the Stikk family had too so no harm, right?

Yeah, until 1964 when Brom Stikk shows up in full regalia and demands the back payment. When the people of Hatton Corners rightfully point out how impossible this is, Stikk takes the payment by kidnapping all the teens in town and forcing them to build a cyclone shaped temple on his private island. 

Thankfully Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad happened to be there and mount a rescue. 

Wow. Right out of the gate and you know things are weird when a scruffy dude in a tricornered hat and a magic stick kidnaps teens because he didn't get a pigeon feather. Mr. Twister would later get a makeup and become the Gargoyle but that will be recounted later. Honestly this is pretty much what Haney was all about. Utterly insane concepts and lingo no human has ever spoken.