DC Cybernetic Summer 2020

DC Cybernetic Summer 2020 (Sept 2020)
title: Summer Lovin'
writer: Liz Erickson
artist: Nik Virella
colorist: Romulo Fajardo, Jr
letterer: Ferran Delgado
editor: Katie Kubert
cover: Dan Mora & Tamra Bonvillain
reviewer: Sarcasm Kid

It’s been a weird time for Legion fans. The release of the Bendisboot has gotten mixed reactions from veteran Legion fans, who have complained about yet another continuity reboot starting everything over. DC seems to have recognized this, which would explain why they featured a Bronze Age-styled Legion tale in the From Beyond The Unknown 100-Page Giant, and this Silver Age-styled Legion story in DC Cybernetic Summer.

“Summer Lovin’” is written by DC editor Liz Erickson, with pencils and inks supplied by mah gurl Nik Virella. The Legion roster consists of Superboy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Brainiac 5. Liz and Nik have provided us a tale set during the Silver Age in both tone and appearance (beyond just the costumes).

Admittedly the story’s shorter and goes in a different direction than I expected, but it’s still charming and rather bittersweet in a way that is easy to swallow. I can’t say much more than that because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Superboy (v2) #50

The New Adventures of Superboy #50 (February 1984)
title: "Dial 'V' For Villain!"
writer: Paul Kupperberg
artist: Keith Giffen (pp 1-7, 39-40)
penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger (pp 8-38)
inker: Dave Hunt (pp 8-38)
letterer: John Costanza
colorist: Jerry Serpe
editor: Julius Schwartz
cover: Keith Giffen

reviewers: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage and Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board: 
Superboy; Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Element Lad, Star Boy, Wildfire

Guests:
Krypto; Pete Ross, Lana Lang, Bash, Lisa, Valerie; Ma and Pa Kent; Police Chief Parker

Opponents:
small-time hood with telekenesis powers named Nylor Truggs; Lex Luthor

Legion Cameos: Adventure Comics #205

Adventure Comics #205 (October 1954)
“The Journey of the Second Superboy”
Writer: Bill Finger
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Sy Barry
Editor: Mort Weisinger
Cover: Curt Swan & Sy Barry
Reviewer: Emsley "Ultra Fan" Wyatt

Guests: Ma and Pa Kent, Kral from Titan

Opponent(s): Kral from Titan?

Editor's Note: Here is another installment of the series of reviews we call "Legion Cameos." These are stories were the Legion or certain Legionnaires play a small but usually significant role in the proceedings. This time out we're going waaay back to before the Legion was even created. Read on!

As everyone here knows (or at least should) the first Legion story “The Legion of Super Heroes” appeared in Adventure Comics #247 published in April 1958.  So why am I reviewing a story published almost four years earlier?  Well, I kind of think of this story as, to steal a word coined by Isaac Asimov, the “Zeroth” Legion story.  You’ll see why as the story develops.

First, the cover:
So the Kents find another space rocket with another boy inside.  Wow, what a coincidence!

The first page is a full page “splash panel” showing Superboy and the boy from the cover flying through the sky.  Also, there’s some dialog that echoes the “Look. Up in the sky” opening narration of the 50’s Superman television series.  There’s also a narrative box cleverly disguised as a billboard on the roof of a building.  “Is SUPERBOY the only youngster who can fly?  Is he the only one on Earth with super-powers?  The answer—NO.  For out of trackless space comes a rocket, bearing another youngster with amazing powers—a youngster who combines his powers with SUPERBOY’S and helps him battle crime!  How did this all come about?  Read…The JOURNEY of the SECOND SUPERBOY!”

Karate Kid #13

Karate Kid #13 
"Tomorrow's Battle....Yesterday!"
script by Bob Rozakis
art by Juan Ortiz and Bob McLeod
lettered by Milt Snapinn
colored by Anthony Tollin
edited by Al Milgrom
cover by Rich Buckler (penciller) and Bob McLeod (inker)
cover date: Apr/May 1978
review by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
dedicated affectionately to Glenn "Continuity Kid" Walker

This issue picks up directly from where we ended last issue, which if you are paying attention means that poor old Karate Kid hasn't had a break in three issues! If you recall, *last* issue picked up directly from where #11 ended, and that was when Karate Kid time-bubbled himself back to 1977 and was promptly snatched up by Major Disaster and his secret ally! So Karate Kid's current adventure has been continuing for more than three issues without a break!

If you're just now joining us in the time stream, though, Karate Kid has somehow found himself back in Superboy's Smallville. Although he is confused about the whys and wherefores, he believes that he is facing off against a fake Superboy. As the victim of Major Disaster's manipulations more times than we care to count, the Kid thinks that the Superboy he faced last issue and is currently wrestling with when this issue opens is either a. a robot or b. a replica of some sort. (What, no thought that he might be an alternate universe Superboy?) Suddenly added to the mix: a Legion of Super-Heroes mission team who does not recognize Karate Kid as a member! He therefore thinks that they, too, are fakes. And that is all you need to know....!

Karate Kid #12

Karate Kid #12 
"The 'Time' of Your Death!"
script by Bob Rozakis
art by Juan Ortiz and Bob McLeod
lettered by Milt Snapinn
colored by Anthony Tollin
edited by Al Milgrom
cover by Rich Buckler (penciller) and Jack Abel (inker)
cover date: Feb/March 1978
review by Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage
dedicated affectionately to Glenn "Continuity Kid" Walker

Well even though this issue starts, literally one moment after the end of last issue, we are in a very different 1977 New York City, folks. Not only do we have a new cover logo (did you notice?) but we have a brand new creative team. New writer Bob Rozakis kicks the story off with a bang, and new artists Juan Ortiz and Bob McLeod hand in a more-than-capable job. The cover this time is by Rich Buckler, who was doing a lot of DC covers at around this time.

Clearly DC was trying to sell this book as a super-hero book and not as a karate or kung-fu tie-in. And you know what? It worked, because this is the first issue of Karate Kid that I actually bought off the stands!  I got it because of the Legion and because of the art inside.

TOS: Adventure Comics #378

Adventure Comics #378 (March 1969)
title: "Twelve Hours To Live!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
penciller: Win Mortimer
inker: Jack Abel
letterer: Joe Letterese
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Neal Adams
reviewer:  Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board: 
Brainiac 5, Duo Damsel, Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, Superboy

Opponent:
Death, unknown would-be assassin; the Fatal Five

TOS: Adventure Comics #370

Adventure Comics #370 (July 1968)

title: "The Devil's Jury!"

writer and layouts: Jim Shooter

artist: Curt Swan

inker: Jack Abel

letterers: Joe Letterese (splash page only) and Ben Oda

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Curt Swan and George Roussos

letterer: Gaspar Saladino

reviewers: Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol

Mission Monitor Board: 

Duo Damsel, Mon-El, Shadow Lass, and Superboy

Cameos:

Dream Girl, Insect Queen, Invisible Kid, Princes Projectra, 

Ultra Boy, The White Witch

Opponent:

Mordru the Merciless!

TOS: Adventure Comics #369

Adventure Comics #369 (June 1968)

title: "Mordru the Merciless!"

writer and layouts: Jim Shooter

penciller: Curt Swan

inkers: Curt Swan (page 1) and Jack Abel

letterers: Gaspar Saldino (page 1) and Charlotte Jetter

cover: Neal Adams

reviewer: Jason "Anachronistic Kid" Knol

Mission Monitor Board: 

Duo Damsel, Mon-El, Shadow Lass and Superboy, plus a few flashback cameos.

Opponent:

Mordru the Merciless!

This Neal Adams cover kicks everything off with his trademark sense of action. The powerful hands of the mysterious, magical Mordru burst out through a massive vault door. How often do we see Superboy taken aback with such shock? Mon-El definitively cries "We're dead!" in response to the wizard's hands appearing so suddenly. This immediately feels like it's going to be an action-packed adventure of an issue!

Legion Cameos: Helping Superboy Out

Editor's Note: Here is another installment of what we call "Legion Cameos." These are stories where the Legion or certain Legionnaires play a small but usually significant role in the proceedings. This time Bits Boy looks at a few times his future pals stopped by Smallville to help him out....

As the Legion started to gain popularity after its first appearance in Adventure Comics #247, editor Mort Weisinger cleverly promoted the group by featuring cameos of the team or individual Legionnaires within the Superman family titles that he was in charge of.

So it wouldn't be unusual to see them pop up in Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Superman, Action Comics, Adventure Comics, or World's Finest, usually in one- or two-panel cameos that served little other than to alert unknowing fans of this band of super-powered teens from the future.

But sometimes the Legionnaires who appeared did more than merely guest-star. Often looking back through their time monitors, the Legion would spot either Superboy/Superman, Lois, or Jimmy in a spot of bother, and take it upon themselves to go back in time to lend a helping hand. Like they didn't already know how things would work out, as it would have been history to them!

One of the earliest issues in which a Legionnaire played a big role was Superboy #86 (“The Army of Living Kryptonite Men!”), with Lightning Lad aiding Superboy after he was lured into a trap on an asteroid, fighting a group of Luthor's animated Kryptonite Men. After confronting the electric warrior, Luthor learns of the existence of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

This story has been reprinted many times over the years. It's always included in any set of chronological releases of Legion-related publications, whether it's the form of digests, Showcases, Archives, or Omnibuses. Yet, strangely enough, there have been many other stories in which the Legionnaires played similar roles that have are not reprinted in the same way; some have never been reprinted. We look at four of those today.

TOS: Adventure Comics #355

Adventure Comics #355 (April 1967)
title: "The War of the Legions!"
writer and layouts: Jim Shooter
penciller: Curt Swan
inker: George Klein
letterer: Milton Snappin
editor: Mort Weisinger
cover: Curt Swan, George Klein, and Ira Schnapp
reviewer: Mike "Nostalgic Kid" Lane

Mission Monitor Board:
Brainiac 5, Cosmic Man, Element Man, Polar Man, Saturn Woman, Superman

Opponents:
The Legion of Super-Villains - Beauty Blaze, Cosmic King, Echo, Lightning Lord, Saturn Queen,

TOS: Superboy #125

Superboy #125 (December 1965)
title: "The Sacrifice of Kid Psycho"

writer: Otto Binder

artist: George Papp

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Curt Swan & George Klein

Special Guest Reviewer: Emsley Wyatt

Mission Monitor Board:  
Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Saturn Girl, Lighting Lad, Sun Boy, Brainiac 5

Opponents: 
Generic gangsters, cruel war

Editor's Note: Recently I made a tongue-in-cheek comment about the quality of this story, and whether we really needed to include it in our Original Series reviews. Ultra Fan Emsley Wyatt contacted us and argued for its inclusion. When we challenged him to write the review himself, he stepped up and actually reviewed it for us! We hereby grant you Legion of Super-Blogger Reservist status, Emsley, for writing above and beyond the call of duty!  Take it away! 

TOS: Superboy #124

Superboy #124 (October 1965)
title: "The Insect Queen of Smallville!"

writer: Otto Binder

artist: George Papp

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Curt Swan & George Klein

reviewers: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage and Michael "Nostalgic Kid"Lane

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy, future Legion Reservist Insect Queen

Summary: 
Lana Lang acquires a special alien ring which grants her abilities of various insects.

DC Archive Sampler (2004)

Look at this comic cover!
I found it at a Half-Priced Bookstore about a year ago.
It was in a bag, taped up and protected. I'm not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but when I come across books I have never seen before....we all do it, don't we? I mean, that's what covers are for, right?

Would YOU have bought it?

TOS: Superboy #117

Superboy #117 (Dec 1964)
title: "Superboy and the Five Legion Traitors"

writer: Jerry Siegel
penciller: Curt Swan
inker: George Klein

editor: Mort Weisinger

cover: Curt Swan & Sheldon Moldoff

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy, Invisible Kid, Brainiac 5, Element Lad (sort of)

Opponents: 
plot contrivances

TOS: Superboy #98

Superboy #98 (July, 1962)
title: The Boy With Ultra-Powers
writer: Jerry Siegel
penciller: Curt Swan
inker: George Klein
cover: Curt Swan & George Klein
editor: Mort Weisinger

Mission Monitor Board: 
Superboy, Ultra Boy

Guests:
Lana Lang, Pete Ross, Marla Latham, Krypto, Pa Kent, Ma Kent (sort of)

Opponents:
Legion Initiation Test, heart attacks

Summary: 
Ultra Boy and Legion advisor Marla arrive in Smallville. Ultra Boy's initiation into the Legion hinges on his being able to find out Superboy's secret identity. At the same time, Pete Ross is concerned about the diary he keeps, where he admits that he knows Superboy's real identity. When Pete goes to the bank to lock up his diary in a safe deposit box, he is accidentally trapped in the vault. Ultra Boy reveals himself to Superboy and working together, they save Pete.

TOS: Adventure Comics #290 Point-Counterpoint

featuring
The Legion of Super Bloggers Point-Counterpoint Review of
Adventure Comics #290 (November, 1961)
title: The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero!
writer: Robert Bernstein (?)
artist: George Papp
letterer: Milton Snapinn
cover: Curt Swan & Stan Kaye
editor: Mort Weisinger

Mission Monitor Board: 
Superboy, Sun Boy, cameos of Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy, Phantom Girl, Cosmic Boy

Guests:
Ma Kent, Lana Lang, Krypto, Police Chief Parker

Opponents:
Clark Kent lookalike Tom Tanner, Sun Boy impersonator, Cyclops robot

Synopsis:
Sun Boy comes back to Smallville to work with Superboy in re-assembling a dangerous criminal weapon. At the same time, a runaway from the state reform school who resembles Clark Kent arrives in Smallville and impersonates him as Superboy is busy with Sun Boy. Sun Boy turns out to be an imposter, as well, and the two imposter plot-lines come together in a surprising way.

TOS: Adventure Comics #282 Group Review

featuring
The Legion of Super Bloggers Round-Table Discussion on
Adventure Comics #282 (March, 1961)
title: Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes
writer: Otto Binder
artist: George Papp
cover: Curt Swan and Stan Kaye
editor: Mort Weisinger

Mission Monitor Board: 
Superboy, Star Boy; cameos by Chameleon Boy, Lighting Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy

Guests:
Lana Lang, her parents, Pa Kent, Star Boy's girl-friend Zynthia

Opponents:
jealousy, a ferocious Parakat

Synopsis:
Lana Lang happens to meet Star Boy while the Legionnaire is on a mission to the past and tricks him into bringing her into the future to try to make Superboy jealous.

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #282

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #282 (Dec 1981)
title: "If Answers There Be..."

plotter: Roy Thomas

writer: Paul Levitz
penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Bruce Patterson

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Mike W. Barr
cover: Dick Giordano

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Lightning Lad, Karate Kid, Blok, Dawnstar, Phantom Girl, Superboy, Ultra Boy

Guests: 
Lana Lang as Insect Queen, Reflecto

Opponents: 
The Time Trapper, Dirigible Dictator

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #281

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #281 (Nov 1981)
title: "Madness Is The Molecule Master"

plotter: Roy Thomas

writer: Paul Levitz
penciller: Steve Ditko
inker: Bruce Patterson

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Mike W. Barr
cover: George Perez/Bruce Patterson

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Superboy/Ultra Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, Karate Kid, Dawnstar, Blok

Guests: 
Lana Lang

Opponents: 
Time Trapper, Molecule Master

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #280

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #280 (Oct, 1981)
title: "O! Call Back Yesterday!"

writer: Roy Thomas

penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Bruce Patterson

letterer: Ben Oda
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Mike W. Barr
cover: George Perez

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Phantom Girl, Karate Kid, Dawnstar, Blok, Superboy/Ultra Boy; Mon-El, Element Lad, Colossal Boy, Wildfire, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon Boy; cameo appearances by all other members except Dream Girl

Guests: 
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy

Opponents: 
Grimbor, the Time Trapper