Tales of the Teen Titans #44(cover July 1984, arrived on shelves on March 20, 1984, 75¢) — chapter entitled “The Judas Contract Book 3: There Shall Come a Reckoning”, Marv Wolfman on screenplay, George Pérez on drawing, DC Comics. Two difficulties await you: the title of the series has changed during dialing, and the booklet exists in three prints, including a Canadian edition.
This file brings together two obstacles that are rarely encountered together. The first is the name of the publication, which is not what you would expect. The second is due to the fact that the booklet belongs to a story whose fame exceeds that of the character himself.
Both can be resolved by knowing the right guidelines, but they waste time — and sometimes money — for anyone who ignores them.
A series that changed its name
This is the point that confuses most buyers, and there is nothing intuitive about it.
The publication where this character was born did not always carry the title it displays on this issue. It began at the very beginning of the 1980s under another title, and its numbering continued without interruption after the name change.
An issue numbered 44 in a series presented as starting in 1984: this apparent anomaly is precisely the trace of the renaming. The numbering comes from the previous publication, the title comes from the new name.
To complicate matters, the publisher launched in parallel a publication bearing the old name. Two very similar titles therefore coexisted, with different numbering and distinct contents.
The practical consequence is direct:a search based on the name of the series is not enough. You have to look for the exact title accompanied by the number, and check the cover date on the photo. Nothing prevents an honest seller from innocently making a wrong publication.
A beginning inside a great story
The second point is worth understanding before buying, because it affects the price.
This booklet is not an ordinary issue where a character changes costume. It is the third chapter of a long story, which has remained famous well beyond the circle of fans of this character, and regularly cited among its publisher's peaks for the decade.
This results in a particular situation:two audiences are arguing over this booklet on grounds that have the slightest connection. Some seek the birth of an identity; the others, an obligatory link in a whole that they want to complete.
This double solicitation supports the price permanently, without depending on the character's current events. It also explains why neighboring issues – other chapters of the same story – trade significantly above what an ordinary issue of the same series would be worth.
A piece of advice that follows from this observation: if you are aiming for this booklet, look at the price of the chapters surrounding it. A bundle covering the entire story often costs little more than the single, sought-after issue purchased in isolation.
One last point on this double request: it makes the booklet difficult to find on sale. When two communities monitor the same listings, opportunities go quickly and sellers know it.
Wolfman and Pérez
Marv Wolfman to the scenario, George Perez to the drawing: this association defined an entire decade of its publisher, and it is largely responsible for the fame of this story.
Pérez works in a density that still astonishes today. Its pages have a number of boxes much higher than the current average, its backgrounds are populated, and each character in a group remains identifiable by their silhouette. This graphic generosity explains part of the prestige of these issues.
Wolfman, for his part, had installed a narrative model on this series that would become a school: a team of young people whose personal concerns occupy as much space as the confrontations. The character that interests us is the main beneficiary of this approach — it is she who makes his emancipation credible.
Three prints, including one Canadian
Three versions of this booklet appear in the catalog, and the difference between them weighs on the price.
The first two correspond to the usual distribution circuits of the time:newsagents on one side, the specialized bookstores on the other. They are separated using the printed frame in the upper left corner.
Stay there Canadian version, which betrays its price expressed in the country's currency. This type of drawing deserves an explanation, because it is often misunderstood.
This is neither a reprint nor a fake, but an official print intended for a neighboring market, printed in significantly smaller quantities since this market is smaller. These copies therefore circulate little, and they interest a clientele of specialists who seek them for themselves.
The reflex remains the same:ask for a clear shot of the corner bearing the price and barcode. Nothing else will tell you what you are buying.
The context of 1984
Placing this booklet in its time sheds light on its current status.
We then find ourselves at a tipping point in American publishing: the major series begin to address an older readership, the plots stretch over several issues, and the consequences become lasting rather than reversible.
This evolution can be read directly in the story that concerns us. It is not an autonomous episode but a chapter in the middle of a long construction, with betrayals prepared from afar and damage that will not be erased.
For the collector, this period presents an appreciable material advantage: printing processes and the quality of paper progress significantly compared to previous decades. A copy properly stored since 1984 often presents much better than a comic from 1968 having experienced the same treatment.
What this identity change represents
A word on what is really at stake in this booklet, because this explains its scope.
The character had existed since the early 1940s, in the role of a young assistant. This role had aged: it locked the character in a subordinate position from which four decades of publication had not succeeded in extricating him.
Taking on a new identity solves this problem in one fell swoop. It's not a change of costume, it's a change of Status: the character ceases to be defined by his relationship to someone else.
This gesture became a school. It paved the way for a practice that has become commonplace — making a secondary character evolve into autonomy rather than replacing or abandoning them — and it remains the most successful example of this approach.
For the collector, this scope explains the strength of demand. The booklet not only documents a career stage: it marks a moment when editorial habits changed.
The cover and its conservation challenge
A word about the image, because it poses an evaluation problem that clean covers do not pose.
The drawing of this period is extremely dense: populated backgrounds, numerous characters, details everywhere. This graphic richness produces an unexpected side effect — it hides wear.
On a cover made of plain solids, the slightest friction is immediately visible. On a cover saturated with patterns, comparable wear blends into the background and only becomes apparent upon close inspection.
Two practical consequences. For the buyer: never rely on the general impression given by a thumbnail, and ask for a photo taken at an angle under low lighting. For the good faith seller: your copy may be in worse condition than you think, and an overly optimistic description will expose you to returns.
This is an unusual case: the quality of the drawing complicates the collector's task here.
What to look at
The 1984 comics call for specific controls.
The upper left corner. To look at first: it reveals the circuit, therefore the market to refer to.
The printed price. Seventy-five cents for the American versions, a different amount in Canadian dollars for the third.
The quality of the paper. This period marks a transition towards better quality papers. The browning is less advanced than in 1968, but a poorly stored copy may nevertheless have yellowed edges.
The back fold, the four corners. Usage checks, under oblique lighting. Pérez's heavily loaded covers hide wear better than plain solids — check rather than relying on the general impression.
Finally, a remark on the reprints and collections. This story has been republished a considerable number of times, in various formats, and some of these editions repeat the original cover. Tight framing is enough to sow doubt. The cover price and the dimensions of the booklet immediately remove the ambiguity - you still have to remember to request them.
Where to start
Three approaches, depending on the objective.
The booklet alone. In the version that fits your budget. Simple objective, but which deprives you of the narrative context.
The full story. All the chapters of the long story of which this issue is a part. This is the route I prefer: minimal additional cost, reading in one piece, and this is what most buyers in this segment are aiming for.
Personal series. The character obtained his own titles from the mid-1990s. They are abundant, very affordable, and allow you to discover him in his completed form without spending any money.
The amounts are processed in ourvalue analysis; reading side, see ourrecommended series.
What Buyers Ask
Tales of the Teen Titans #44, cover dated July 1984 and available on newsstands from March 20, 1984, for 75 cents. The chapter is titled “The Judas Contract Book 3: There Shall Come a Reckoning”, with Marv Wolfman writing the script and George Pérez drawing, at DC Comics.
Because the publication changed its name while retaining its numbering. It began at the very beginning of the 1980s under another title, and the clock continued without interruption. The publisher even launched a title bearing the old name in parallel: two very similar publications coexisted, with different numbering and content.
Look for the exact title followed by the number, and check the cover date directly on the image, not in the description. A search based on the name of the series alone is not enough here, and nothing prevents an honest seller from innocently getting the title wrong.
An official print intended for the Canadian market, recognizable by its price denominated in the local currency. Neither reprint nor fake: simply a version printed in significantly smaller quantities, this market being smaller. These copies therefore circulate little and interest a clientele of specialists who seek them for themselves.
Because of the density of the drawing. The covers of this period are saturated with details and populous backgrounds, so that a rubbing that would be obvious on a plain solid color blends into the decor. Never rely on the general impression of a thumbnail: ask for a photo taken at an angle under raking lighting.
Because two audiences covet it for unrelated reasons. Those who follow the character see his birth under a new identity; those who follow the long story of which it is the third chapter see it as an indispensable piece. This double solicitation supports the price permanently, regardless of any current events.
Much better than a comic from previous decades. Printing processes and paper quality progressed significantly during this period: a copy correctly stored since 1984 is often in much better condition than a 1968 issue having experienced the same treatment. Browning exists, but it mainly concerns poorly preserved examples.
Often, yes. Neighboring chapters are already trading above an ordinary issue of the series, and a complete set is often trading at a level very close to that of the single issue. You gain the narrative context, which is sorely lacking when you read the chapter alone.
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