New Teen Titans #2 (1980): Deathstroke's First Appearance and Why This DC Bronze Key Is Moving

There's a short list of comic book villains who transcend their original title and become genuinely iconic — characters who outlive the creative team that invented them, cross over into other media, and drive collector demand decades after their debut. Deathstroke the Terminator is on that list. And his first appearance is New Teen Titans #2, published by DC Comics in December 1980.

Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Slade Wilson debuted as the contracted assassin hunting the Titans through the course of what became the definitive Teen Titans story arc of the Bronze Age. The character never left. He's anchored story arcs across the DC universe for four decades, appeared in the Arrowverse, and headlined his own film in 2023.

The Key Facts

Issue: New Teen Titans #2 · Publisher: DC Comics · Cover date: December 1980 · Key: First full appearance of Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson) · Creative team: Marv Wolfman (writer), George Pérez (art)

Note that New Teen Titans #1 introduced the new team — Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg alongside the returning Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy — but Deathstroke does not appear in that issue. #2 is the unambiguous first full appearance, with no cameo or first-appearance debate to navigate.

The CGC Census Picture

New Teen Titans #2 is a Bronze Age book from 1980, which means surviving copies in true high grade are genuinely scarce. Direct edition copies from this era were handled by collectors who actually read them — not bagged and boarded from the day of purchase. The CGC 9.8 population reflects that scarcity.

The census population at 9.8 is thin relative to the book's cultural footprint. Unlike copper or modern age keys where thousands of 9.8 copies exist, Bronze Age 9.8s are genuinely difficult to find — and when they do appear at that grade, they carry a meaningful premium over 9.6. That scarcity dynamic is part of what makes the 9.8 floor for this book worth watching.

What Drives the Floor

Film and TV exposure. Every time Deathstroke appears in a major project, collectors who haven't tracked the book before start searching for it. New Teen Titans #2 is the unambiguous first-appearance answer to that search — there's no "first cameo" debate redirecting buyers elsewhere.

Wolfman/Pérez Bronze Age premium. The Wolfman-Pérez New Teen Titans run is widely regarded as one of the best comic runs of the 1980s. That creative pedigree adds collector value beyond the key-issue status alone. NTT books from this era carry a "run" premium that solo villain-first-appearance books from lesser runs don't.

True Bronze Age scarcity. Unlike Copper Age keys from 1984–1993 where print runs were enormous and 9.8 populations can number in the hundreds or thousands, Bronze Age books from 1980 are genuinely scarce at high grade. Supply doesn't flood the market when the floor moves.

Tracking It on 98 Ticker

Add New Teen Titans 2 1980 to your Watch List to pull the current CGC 9.8 BIN floor from active eBay listings. Because this is a Bronze Age book with a thin 9.8 population, the listing pool can be small — sometimes only one or two active BIN options at a time — which means the floor can move meaningfully when those listings sell or are repriced.

Setting a target price alert is particularly useful here: when a 9.8 copy hits the market at an atypical price (an estate sale, a seller who doesn't know what they have), the window to act is short. The alert catches it; the floor check confirms it.