The Teen Titans are taking a step out of DC’s comfort zone to weigh in on the newest controversy surrounding the beloved Harry Potter series and author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments on gender. As the comic book industry steps into a new and turbulent time, companies have taken different and varied responses to the continuously changing social landscape. While companies like Marvel have made efforts to respond to current events, DC has traditionally taken a step back and maintained a level of separation between the comic book world and the real life problems and issues experienced by their readers.

Teen Titans Academy #1 , written by Tim Sheridan with art by Rafa Sandoval, offers readers a glimpse at the newly created school created by Nightwing, Starfire, and the other now-older Teen Titans. The school has hand-picked and matriculated students with unique sets of powers, but who also have the “wits, [the] work ethic, and, above all, [the] strength of character” to become the world’s new heroes. It’s the Teen Titans, however, who might be learning a thing or two from their new, young students.

Related: Marvel's Version of Harry Potter is So, So Much Deadlier

While introducing his first class, Nightwing jokingly welcomes his students to Defense Against the Dark Arts. The uncomfortable silence that follows has Nightwing dismissing the joke on the assumption that the room of teenagers are too young to understand the reference to the extremely popular franchise. The students, however, disagree. “We understand the reference,” they explain. “We just think nowadays it’s problematic and best ignored.”

The line is likely in reference to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s recent comments regarding gender and transgender people. In 2020, Rowling received criticism for her statements regarding sexual identity when she tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, a British tax expert who was fired from her position after posting exclusionary tweets regarding transgender individuals and athletes. Local newspapers quoted Forstater as stating that “there are two sexes” and “it is impossible to change sex,” opinions that Rowling later echoed in her own tweet when she expressed dismay at Forstater losing her job for stating “sex is real.”

The comments aren’t the first time Rowling and her work have come under scrutiny, with many longtime fans pointing out the lack of diversity and, occasionally, inherent racism in her books. Asian readers have called attention to love interest Cho Chang’s name and it’s resemblance to the way some mock Asian languages and names. Other readers have pointed out the lack of diversity in Rowling’s book, and the dismissive way that some of the characters of color are treated, pointing to such examples as how Harry and Ron treat Padma and Parvati Patil as if they are the last people anyone would want to take to the Yule Ball.

While conversation around the staying power and cultural impact of the Harry Potter series will likely continue for as long as the books remain in the public zeitgeist, it’s unusual to see DC comment on anything quite so topical. While some may feel that DC may be overstepping, the fact remains that by having young people in their comments react in a way that reflects its younger generation of readers and the strong opinions that they have around the media they value and consume. While DC may have avoided touching on the topic of J.K. Rowling in the past, the commentary in Teen Titans Academy, brief as it is, is a welcome addition and highlights the concerns and experiences of a new generation of readers and heroes.

Next: Fantastic Beasts 3: Why Warner Bros Had To Rescue Sequels From J.K. Rowling