The best Beast Boy (Garfield Logan) comics begin with Doom Patrol #99 and #100 (1965), where Arnold Drake creates the character and tells his origin, then Tales of the New Teen Titans #3 (1982), which explains why he is called Changeling at that point. Continue with the Beast Boy miniseries (2000) and Teen Titans #13 to 15 (2004), and save Kami Garcia's graphic novels for a lighter read.
Garfield Logan is a green teenager who turns into animals, but his bibliography mostly tells something else: a boy marked early by the loss of his parents. He goes from the Doom Patrol to the Teen Titans, changes his name, takes it back, and serves as the heart of several generations of teams. Knowing which name he goes by in a given story saves a lot of confusion in both reading and buying.
As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issue numbers, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected panels or dialogue.
His first appearance
The character is born in Doom Patrol #99, dated November 1965, in a story titled "The Beast Boy." The issue credits Arnold Drake on script and Bob Brown on art. Gar Logan is a green-skinned teenager there, presented as a supporting character of the Doom Patrol. The origin story follows in Doom Patrol #100 (December 1965), "The Fantastic Origin of Beast-Boy," written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Bruno Premiani.
Watch out for the name overlap: another character named Beast Boy, from the Legion of Super-Heroes, appears in September 1964 in Adventure Comics #324. He is a separate character from Garfield Logan, and you should not look for him in the stories of this guide. To read Gar, you have no need for the period single issue; the stories below exist in trade paperback.
1: Doom Patrol #99 and 100, Arnold Drake with Bob Brown then Bruno Premiani (1965)
These two issues, from November and December 1965, set up everything that will define Gar. He grew up in Africa with scientist parents, an illness called Sakutia nearly killed him, and his father turned him into a green monkey to save him; the green skin, hair, and eyes stayed with him, along with the power to shapeshift. His guardian, Nicholas Galtry, covets the inheritance, and the Doom Patrol foils his plan. Rita Farr and Steve Dayton, who become his adoptive parents, then open the door of the team to him.
The read is for Silver Age fans who want to see Beast Boy before the Titans. The tone is that of a 1960s team adventure, wordier than modern stories, and the young hero is still only a partner of the Doom Patrol. To place that team, our ranking of the best Doom Patrol runs details its major periods. Look for these two issues in a trade paperback devoted to the Doom Patrol of that era rather than as an isolated single issue.
2: Tales of the New Teen Titans #3, Marv Wolfman and George Pérez (1982)
"Changeling," in August 1982, is credited to Marv Wolfman on script, George Pérez on layouts, and Gene Day on inks. Gar tells the other Titans about his past there: his television career, his friend Jillian, and an episode where he was held for ransom. It is in this context that the name change becomes clear.
Since October 1980, in the insert bound into DC Comics Presents #26 that launches the New Teen Titans, Gar has been calling himself Changeling. He had kept the name Beast Boy until the Titans West team of 1977. The read is for readers who want to understand this move from one name to the other, and it takes one evening. It can be read without knowing the other issues, but it has more flavor after the beginnings of The New Teen Titans.
3: Beast Boy, Geoff Johns and Ben Raab with Justiniano (2000)
A four-issue miniseries, from January to April 2000, whose chapters are titled "Nobody's Hero," "A Face of Mistaken Identity," "Gemini," and "Beast War." Geoff Johns and Ben Raab write, Justiniano draws, with Chris Ivy on inks. This is the story where Garfield gives up the name Changeling to take back that of Beast Boy, which makes it an identity turning point for the character.
It is for anyone who wants to follow Gar on his own, outside the Titans' ranks, and it requires only a general knowledge of the team. It reads in one go in one evening. Justiniano's art gives a more nervous tone than that of the 1980s, and the story helps explain why the name Beast Boy is the one that dominates afterward. It is harder to find than the big trade paperbacks: check the collected editions before hunting single issues.
4: Teen Titans #13 to 15, Geoff Johns and Tom Grummett (2004)
In the third Teen Titans series, the "Beast Boys and Girls" arc fills the issues of September, October, and November 2004. Geoff Johns writes, Tom Grummett draws, and Lary Stucker inks. The story brings back the Sakutia illness: children in San Francisco turn into green animals, Gar becomes human again, then regains his powers by injecting himself with the virus, and a former colleague of his parents, Dr. Register, turns out to be a carrier of the disease.
This is the Beast Boy story in the modern team: the character's origin becomes the engine of a present-day plot. It is for the reader who wants Gar as the star of a monthly series, with a team dimension that stays readable. The read goes better after the 1982 entry in order to understand the references, and the series' trade paperbacks include the arc. Our page on Geoff Johns shows where this run fits in his bibliography.
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5: Teen Titans: Beast Boy, Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo (2020)
Published in September 2020, this book is written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo. Gar Logan is seventeen there and takes on a series of dangerous challenges to be accepted by the group of popular students. It is the follow-up to the graphic novel devoted to Raven by the same creators.
It is for a teen audience and for anyone looking for a standalone story, with no single issues to catch up on. The tone is contemporary and the read takes one sitting. It does not replace the classic stories, but it works as an independent version of the character, which shows what today's creators take from him: humor, loneliness, and the need to belong to a group.
6: Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven, Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo (2021)
Third volume of the graphic novel series by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, after the ones devoted to Raven and then to Beast Boy, it came out in 2021. Gar and Raven cross paths in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a love story for young adults.
This book is for the reader who has already gone through the two previous ones, or for anyone interested in the couple the two characters form. It reads on its own, but it makes the most sense after the ones from 2019 and 2020. For fans of classic comics, it is a side read that adds nothing to main continuity.
7: Titans: Beast World, Tom Taylor with Ivan Reis and Danny Miki (2023-2024)
This event, published from November 2023 to January 2024, is written by Tom Taylor with Ivan Reis and Danny Miki on art and inks. Beast Boy is its central figure: he takes on a gigantic form to face the Necrostar, but his spores spread over Earth and turn its inhabitants into wild beasts. Doctor Hate then erases his memory, and the story mixes personal drama with a global crisis.
This is the recent read for anyone who wants to see Gar at the heart of a DC event, after following him in his more intimate stories. The whole is rounded out by several tie-in issues in other series; the main series is enough to follow the story, and the main series' trade paperback is the best starting point for readers who want to avoid the hunt for tie-ins.
Where to start based on your profile
If you like a character's beginnings, read Doom Patrol #99 and #100 then Tales of the New Teen Titans #3: they lay out the origin and the name change. If you want to see him as the star of a modern series, move on to Teen Titans #13 to 15, then to the 2000 miniseries to understand the return to the Beast Boy name. Our Teen Titans reading guide helps you pick the order depending on the period that appeals to you.
If you are looking for an accessible read for a teenager, pick the 2020 graphic novel by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, then the 2021 one if he liked it. If you want a recent event, read Titans: Beast World. If you come from the animated series, our comparison with the comics shows what the screen borrows from the books.
The key issues to know
The starting landmark is Doom Patrol #99 (November 1965), the first appearance of Garfield Logan, followed by #100 (December 1965) for the origin. Teen Titans #50 (October 1977) launches the Titans West team, where Gar is recruited. DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) presents him under the name Changeling, and Tales of the New Teen Titans #3 (August 1982) explains the context. Beast Boy #1 (January 2000) marks the return to the original name, and Teen Titans vol. 3 #13 (September 2004) opens "Beast Boys and Girls." Finally, Titans: Beast World #1 (cover date January 2024) launches the event.
Before buying a landmark, ask what it brings to Gar, whether it is the first printing or a reprint, then compare several completed sales. For a 1965 single issue, scarcity and condition come first, and the question of restoration arises. For a 2004 or 2023 issue, printed in large numbers, it is the condition of the copy that counts; read the story first in trade paperback, and the single issue can wait.
Frequently asked questions
In Doom Patrol #99, dated November 1965, in the story "The Beast Boy." Arnold Drake writes it and the issue credits Bob Brown on art. His origin follows in Doom Patrol #100, in December 1965. Do not confuse him with the Legion of Super-Heroes Beast Boy, who appeared in 1964.
He carries that name from the insert in DC Comics Presents #26, in October 1980, which launches the New Teen Titans. The issue Tales of the New Teen Titans #3 (August 1982), by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, looks back on his past. He takes the Beast Boy name back in the 2000 miniseries.
No. The modern stories, from Teen Titans #13 to 15 to Kami Garcia's graphic novels, can be read without the Doom Patrol. It remains useful for understanding the character's origin and his adoptive parents, which Doom Patrol #99 and #100 tell in 1965.
They present themselves as standalone stories for young adults, written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Gabriel Picolo: Teen Titans: Raven in 2019, Teen Titans: Beast Boy in 2020, and Beast Boy Loves Raven in 2021. Read them as an independent version of the character, with no prerequisites.
Titans: Beast World, published from November 2023 to January 2024, written by Tom Taylor with Ivan Reis and Danny Miki. Beast Boy is its central figure. It is the most recent read to see Gar at the heart of an event.
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