Who Drew It Better? Tales vs. Baxter #16-19

By Siskoid and Russell
Continuing our comparison of the covers to the Baxter version of The Legion (volume 3) and their reprints approximately one year later in Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The stories were exactly the same, but each issue had a brand new cover. So we go back to the age-old question: Who drew the better cover?

LSH Cover to Cover 8: 1969~1973

We're back with another installment of our never-ending (?) feature on all of the comic-book cover appearances of The Legion in chronological order.

Last time, we ended in the Spring of 1969, as the Legion was unceremoniously dropped from Adventure Comics. And they didn't just lose their cover spot, they lost the book itself! In one of the saddest times in Legion history, Superman Group Editor Mort Weisinger gave the lead in Adventure to the Maid of Might, Supergirl as he shuffled our cast of 20-plus characters into a back-up feature in Action Comics! This led to our favorite Future Heroes to not being featured on a cover on a regular basis for THREE DRY YEARS.

(Moment of silence.)

Superboy, the Legion, and the Value of Money

I don't know why I had to have it but I did. Superboy #185 was that comic that mesmerized me on the magazine shelves of Anning's 5 & 10 waaay back in the summer of 1972. One hundred pages from cover to cover (no ads!) and only fifty cents. Superboy was holding aloft amazing weights with images of grand adventure on them, as a multitude of young heroes watched. I just had to have that 100-Page Super Spectacular, but I was going to have to pay for it.

The Legion of Super-Heroes v1

As we here at Legion of Super-Bloggers have finished our reviews of the third volume of Legion of Super-Heroes and gear up to start profiling the second volume, we thought we should stop and talk about the unheralded and often forgotten FIRST volume of that title...

Keeping up to date with the Legion

    Full 12-month calendars in their own right issued by comic book companies are nothing new these days, even if some may appear to be only released at the publisher’s whim. But as recently as the dawn of the 70s, such items were non-existent, appearing only occasionally as novelty pieces within the pages of comic books.

   The first DC Comics calendar which has any sort of Legion connection appeared in DC COMICS’ LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION C-34 (Christmas With The Super-Heroes), which featured a standard 12-month listing of dates for 1975, embellished on the periphery with images of various DC characters, including the Legion. This Murphy Anderson illustration was also used on the covers of the four-issue LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES series, which reprinted various stories from the ADVENTURE COMICS era.

Duo Damsel & Bouncing Boy's Anniversary

According to Superboy/Legion #200, Duo Damsel married (will marry?) Bouncing Boy on October 28, 2973.

News: Legion Items in DC's November 2014 Solicits

Unfortunately, November 2014 will mark the 15th consecutive month since DC last published a monthly Legion of Super-Heroes book. However, there is something for Legion fans to rejoice over in DC's November 2014 advanced solicits. We will get the fifth volume of the black and white reprint DC Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super-Heroes arriving in comic shops on Christmas Eve, with a gorgeous cover by the late, great Nick Cardy! Just in time to fill that last minute gift idea on your Christmas list!

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL. 5 TP
Written by CARY BATES, JIM SHOOTER and PAUL LEVITZ
Art by DAVE COCKRUM, MIKE GRELL and others
Cover by NICK CARDY
On sale DECEMBER 24 • 520 pg, B&W, $19.99 US
These 1970s stories reestablished the Legion’s popularity and introduced new heroes Timber Wolf, Karate Kid and Wildfire. Collects SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #193, 195, 197-220 and KARATE KID #1.

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!!!