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A Beginner’s Guide To ‘Raven’
The Reveal This Week
We had another winner this week! The first person to guess correctly this week was @Longbox_Entertainment from TikTok! He was the first to submit the correct answer of Raven.
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Character Bio
Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. She made her first comic book appearance in DC Comics Presents #26 back in 1980.
Raven, aka. Rachel Roth, was born to a human mother, and a demon lord named Trigon. So needless to say her family situation is a bit, chaotic. Constantly being torn between good and evil, Raven proves unwilling give in to her father’s demonic influence. Instead she trains nonstop in order to be able to control her emotions and master her mystic arts. Her father’s presence, however, is a constant looming threat to her and anyone she is close to.
Later on in life she approaches the Justice League for assistance in starting her new life as a hero. Unfortunately for Raven, they deny her plea for help on the advice of Zatanna, who could sense her half demon lineage. Out of desperation, she manages to reform the Teen Titans as the New Teen Titans with fellow founding members Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy (who at the time was known as Changeling in the comics). Together they were eventually able to seal away Trigon within an interdimensional prison, which he would periodically escape from in order to torment his daughter again and again.
As a person, Raven is reserved and distant. She keeps secrets, even from her closest friends and allies. Her trust is hard earned and her emotions are only shown to a very select few. For those she does open up to, they have a fiercely protective and extremely powerful friend for life. In some cases even longer than that.
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Reading Recommendations
Number 1
This first recommendation is where it all starts. Taking place just after Raven’s debut, ‘The New Teen Titans’ run began back in 1980 and lasted until 1984.
Together with the rest of the team, Raven has rebuilt the Teen Titans as the New Teen Titans. Together they not only defeat Raven’s father Trigon, but also help each other learn how to navigate the world as young people becoming their own heroes for the first time.
The run was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and to this day is touted by fans as one of the best Teen Titans stories ever written. With this being the first story line involving Raven, it’s one of those comic book runs that may be long, but it’s well worth the time to read.
Number 2
Next up we have a solo run simply titled, ‘Raven’ from 2016. Created by Raven’s co-creator Marv Wolfman and artist Alisson Borges, the story takes place between Teen Titans #24, and Teen Titans: Rebirth #1. For those unaware, this basically makes this run a sort of bridge that brings Raven out of the New 52 and into the Rebirth Era of DC Comics.
In the series, Raven is taking a break from the super hero gig. While on her own, she decided to move to San Francisco and live with her aunt, in order to, of all things, attend high school. She is on a personal journey to explore and understand her human side, when that journey is stalled by the random disappearance of a classmate. Now she has to be a hero again, but can she face this new terror without her team to back her up?
‘Raven’ is a short series that explores “who” Raven is, after so many stories of trying to decide “what” Raven is. Is she human? Is she a demon? At the end of the day, only Raven can make that choice.
Number 3
The last recommendation is a bit different. Created by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, ‘Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven’ came out in 2021 and was an instant best seller.
The story begins only days after Raven has recovered her memories, trapped her father Trigon inside an amulet, felt true heartbreak for the very first time. Her top priority, however, is to find a way to destroy her father for good. Garfield Logan (Beast Boy) is still getting used to his new shape changing abilities. He struggles to control his powers, and they sometimes manifest on their own. To top it off, his parents know about his powers and never told him.
In order to find answers, Raven and Beast Boy set out together to find the one person they know of who seems to always have the answers to everything. Slade Wilson. Their relationship grows and blossoms along their journey, even though both try to hide their feelings at first.
An amazing coming of age romance story, ‘Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven’ is a must read for any fan.
Can You Guess The Next Character?
This is ‘Who’s That Comic Character?’, the series where I give you a silhouette of a comic book character, and you try to figure out who it is! The video is posted to all major social media platforms, so no matter your preferred app, you can find this series!
Rules Of The Game
- You only get one guess per person
- Check comment sections to ensure your guess has not already been taken by another player. Only the FIRST person with the right answer on each platform will get the shoutout
- Be specific with your guess! For example: If you guess “Green Lantern” you need to specify WHICH Green Lantern you mean. Hal Jordan? Alan Scott? John Stewart? Be Specific
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So always take a good long look at the silhouette provided, because they can get very tricky. The first person on any given platform to guess the character correctly, gets a shout out in the reveal video and the article that goes with it!
Good luck everyone, and as always Be Safe, Be Kind, and Take It Easy!
