Warning: contains potential spoilers for New Titans #36!
DC’s Titans just unveiled their coolest headquarters to date. Since the team’s founding in the 1960s, the various Titans’ rosters have had a place to call their own. In fact, some of the bases of operations used by the Titans have become as iconic as other popular DC headquarters, such as the Hall of Justice or the Watchtower.
The Titans, after the Justice League and the Justice Society, are one of DC Comics’ most popular teams. Beginning as the Teen Titans, and consisting at first of kid sidekicks, they would in time become a top-tier team. The Teen Titans really took off in the early 1980s, under the stewardship of writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez. Intended to be competition for Marvel’s wildly popular Uncanny X-Men, The New Teen Titans became a hit in its own right, thanks to its characterizations and dynamic art. Today, it is remembered as the golden era in Titans’ history.
And it was around this time that the Teen Titans acquired what has, to date, their most iconic base: Titans Tower. Resembling a giant “T” and based on the West Coast, Titans Tower became as iconic as the team itself. Since the Wolfman/Perez era ended, the Titans have changed headquarters a handful of times, but now in a preview for New Titans #36, the team gets their snazziest base yet, and it has deep ties to DC history.
Behold the Titans’ New Base of Operations: Mount Titans!
Mount Titans Has Ties to the Justice League
New Titans #36 is written by Tate Brombal with art by Marcus To. The preview’s cover heralds the arrival of Mount Titans, the new base of operations for Nightwing and his team. The base seems to have it all, including a meeting room and a holographic training simulator, which Batgirl takes advantage of in the preview. Mount Titans also has extensive medical facilities, as well as labs and diagnostic rooms.
Perhaps the coolest thing about Mount Titans is its location: Happy Harbor.
Perhaps the coolest thing about Mount Titans is its location: Happy Harbor. Long-time DC fans will recognize the name: it was the first headquarters for the Justice League, and now it is being repurposed to help Nightwing, Starfire and Cyborg train the next generation of heroes. Nightwing quips that the “Justice League” name has yet to be taken off the facility as the preview ends.
The Titans’ New Headquarters is Perfect for the Team
The Titans, in whatever form they take, are pillars of the DC Universe. While the kid sidekick concept was already old when The Teen Titans premiered, it nevertheless took it to a whole different level. The Teen Titans idea proved that the kids were already worthy of fighting alongside the Justice League, and it makes sense that many of them now stand shoulder to shoulder with their former mentors. The Titans were a training ground for future heroes.
The Justice League’s former base at Happy Harbor was also prominent in the Young Justice cartoon.
Giving the Titans the Justice League’s first headquarters is the perfect acknowledgment of DC’s past. While the Justice League had long abandoned the base at Happy Harbor, it still became an iconic location. It never fell completely into disrepair, and other teams even used it before the New Titans moved back in. When the League set their headquarters in Happy Harbor up, they were still new on the scene, and learning how to be heroes. In essence, DC has brought the Titans full circle with their awesome new headquarters.
New Titans #36 is on sale June 17 from DC Comics!