Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Karate Kid (the series) Re-Read Thread

Hmmph! I think Mrs. Gleichman deserves her own spin-off. That globe-zapping could have given her a super power.

This series is based in New York City, which strikes me as more of a Marvel location. DC had a large roster of fictional cities for their superheroes, but Val was placed in a real one. Were there any other DC superhero books with real life locations? I'd expect a struggling series to have a guest appearance by Supes or Batman, but maybe this isn't the same Earth... or Spiderman will show up.

It occurs to me that maybe Keith Giffen acquired his hatred of Val by having to read this series.

I swear I'm forgetting huge bits of Legion Lore all the time.



Not only that, I'd already forgotten Day had two kids. I thought it was just the one Nurse! The pills! Nurse!



I think so too. But he gets away with a heck of a lot in front of a room of armed police officers, while he's making up his mind I was wondering if the book would make him more of an anti hero later on. I'd hope not, as he's clearly killed plenty of people before Eddie met his accident.

In Karate Kid 8.5 we see the trial of Comet the Super Horse. Driven away from the Legion by Supergirl's lack of love for him, he takes up a job pulling a tourist carriage round central park. Until the accident... In "Proty for the Defence" will Prosecutor Beppo get a conviction in front of Barking Mad Judge Krypto? Will star witness Streaky bother to wake up to testify?



I feel cheated that Cosmic Boy and Lydda didn't stay with her when they came visiting the 20th century. Timberwolf needed all the help he could get in his mini series. A bit of Super Comic Timing a la Gleichman could only have helped.




I think Firestorm was New York, but that's a couple of years away yet.



We get a guest or two later I think? (vaguely remembering a cover) I think even the big guns realised there were some things even they couldn't save

I was reading Secret Society a little while ago, and it was nothing but guest stars. So, it's a lesson DC did learn. Not that it saved that book from the Implosion either.




Well, HWW has already pointed out the Jameson lift. Karate Kid has done a fair amount of bouncing up and down building walls too. Coincidence?




I wonder how peeved Shooter was about this series. It's mainly through these rereads that I've learned to appreciate the work he put into the character. To see him get his own series, just for it to be ...meh, must have stung.

Emily Geichman . . . Radio Lady!

The new Airwave!

Karate Kid # 9 (Aug. 1977)
“The Black Belt Contract”
Writer: Barry Jameson
Artists: Ric Estrada and Joe Staton
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Editor: Dennis O’Neil

The Cover: How’s this for memorable cover dialogue? “Never mind how you feel . . . I said kill him—or else!” (It’s spoken by Kade to Pulsar as the latter shoots an energy bolt at KK.) For some reason, I keep hearing Peter Frampton singing “Do You Feel Like We Do?”

The other notable cover aspect: Pulsar is Caucasian. Apparently black people are good enough for the inside of the comic, but not the cover. (However, he was black on last issue’s cover.)

Synopsis: At the waterfront (why is it always a waterfront?), Pulsar confronts his employer, Mr. Kade, who wants Pulsar’s next victim to be Karate Kid. Pulsar refuses—Val saved his life, after all—but Kade again produces the device and presses one button, causing Pulsar to have a simulated heart attack. Kade teases us with what will happen if he presses the second button—his threat being enough to ensure Pulsar’s continued cooperation as assassin.

Meanwhile, Val tries to negotiate a different sort of confrontation between Jeckie and Iris, who cattily argue over Val. (He’s not worth it, ladies!) The argument is interrupted by Pulsar, who attacks Val. As their fight spills out into the street, Val orders Jeckie to protect Iris. (Yeah, right.) After a prolonged struggle, Pulsar knocks Val unconscious.

In Val’s apartment, Jeckie and Iris hear the monitor globe beeping. When Jeckie switches it on, she is astonished to see her own father.

Pulsar takes Val to Mr. Kade’s secret office in the back of a posh restaurant, where Pulsar threatens to free Val unless Kade turns over the device that controls his life. But Kade has planned for this (all good mob bosses do), and reveals he has taken Pulsar’s wife, Liz, hostage. Pulsar surrenders, but Kade no longer has any use for him and orders an underling to konk him on the head.

Pulsar awakens next to Val in the restaurant’s microwave chamber, where Kade intends to cook them quicker than a side of beef. After the mob boss departs, Pulsar reveals his story: A congenital heart defect prevented him from seeking employment other than as mob lackey. After his heart gave out during a heist, he was operated on by “mob scientists” who gave him an “experimental atomic heart.” Not only does this heart enable him to channel energy through his staff, but it gives Kade a two-fold control over Pulsar: simulated heart attack and atomic bomb (hence the second button)—which also puts Day’s family at risk.

While Pulsar tells his story, Val figures a way to break out of the microwave chamber. The pair then battle Kade and his lackeys; Kade presses the second button, activating the atomic bomb in Pulsar’s heart, and tries to flee. Val catches up with him, defeats Kade, and deactivates the button.

Reunited with his wife, Pulsar surrenders to the police for the murders he has committed. Val returns to his apartment, where he, Jeckie, and Iris receive another transmission from King Voxv, who warns that the planet Orando is doomed before the monitor globe cuts out again. Val realizes he will have to return to the future “even if it means giving up everything I came to the past to achieve.”

Thoughts: Forget about this Val Armorr guy; it’s Pulsar I want to read more about. The reluctant villain demonstrates more ingenuity, sympathy, and humanity than the titular character has in nine issues. It took guts for him to go up against Kade, considering what’s at stake. Benjamin Day also doesn’t kill Val outright: He defeats Val in a fight for the purpose of using him as a bargaining chip. Considering Val’s martial arts expertise, this was quite a gamble.

Pulsar has something in common with Master Hand from issue # 4: Both had a disability which prevented them from being a normal part of society. Yet in spite of this, Benjamin Day married and fathered two kids (whether his marriage occurred before or after his atomic heart transplant is not revealed). Unlike Master Hand, Day just wants to live an ordinary life. The price of that life, however, is service to Mr. Kade.

All of this gives me a lot of reason to care about Day. This storyline is really more his than Val’s. It’s just a shame it wasn’t Pulsar who was able to win the day (completing his heroic arc)—instead he must rely on the titular character to do what titular characters must do.

However, the part of this story I enjoyed the most was the arguing between Iris and Jeckie—even though it puts neither of them in the best of light. Their catty comments are amusing (Jeckie: “Though personally, I don’t consider the study of primitives a particularly fascinating hobby!” Iris: “As far as I’m concerned, sister, if looks mean anything—you’re dead already!”).

What’s harder to believe is why a trained Legionnaire would stand idly by while Pulsar attacks Val, even though the latter tells her to do so—or why she would wait for hours in his apartment for him to return.

But at least things move along at a nice clip in this story, and there are several twists and turns which keep it interesting—not least of which is the promise that next issue we will find out the real reason Val came into the past in the first place.

Letter’s Page Round-up: There are two positive letters, one each from Larry Cummings of Oil City, PA, and Sam Stahl of Pasadena, TX, and one negative letter from Mike White in Mackinaw, IL. Cummings points out that “Val is obviously not one of those martial-arts masters who is highly introspective, esoteric, and (dare I say it) inscrutable. He is . . . still basically a normal youth . . . sometimes stubborn and hot-tempered, but who is highly idealistic, as youth is wont to be. He’s a person I can relate to because of these qualities.”

White, on the other hand, says the series “has become increasingly dumb since issue #3. For one thing, the villains have become less and less believable.” Both White and Stahl take Gyro-Master to task for wearing a beanie.

Stahl likens Gyro-Master to the old Flash foe, The Top. In his editorial reply, Cary Burkett reveals that issue #6 was originally plotted with the Top in mind because "Jameson" was unaware that the villain was deceased.

On the Waterfront inspiration? Mobsters running the docks? Good question.



Today, Jeckie and Iris would resolve their differences, become a couple and leave Val on the waterfront.



This is a great turn of events. Over-protective Dad leaves Jeckie in the dark. I wonder if she gave him an earful when she got back to Orando, or just acted the dutiful princess.



Pulsar/Day is very interesting, with a compelling and unusual backstory. Nevertheless, it appears that he didn't appear in any later DC Comics, except for a May 1983 Brave & Bold with Batman/Karate Kid.



Nothing like a good catfight over a man!

Re: the letters - reaction to that beanie shows that readers had some aesthetic sense!

Karate Kid #9

I realise Pulsar is hoping to take Val to his employers alive. But his inability to stun Val with an Atomic Weapon leads to some very over long combat scenes that pad out the issue.

Water channelling seems to be a hidden power in this world. We had Val riding a wave in an underwater base. Now we have Pulsar using a burst pipe with precision accuracy. Heck, he even explains it to Val while it’s all happening. Almost as if the writer and artist didn’t collaborate too much.

But it could have been worse. At least the fight didn’t take up the whole issue. With Val finally captured by his weakness of plumbing, Pulsar takes him to the mob who gave him his powers.

I can understand the mob’s proprietary feelings over Pulsar. Transforming a guy from near death to atomically powered must have taken a lot of money. Unless they had be sitting with an atomic heart and related weaponry, wondering what to do with it for ages, when Pulsar had his heart attack.

Clearly it’s a mob with pretensions. Kade has a front business to conduct operations form. Something else else that looks legitimate, but where he can plan in secret. Except that he can’t help but have armed ACME super villain goons going back and forth from the place, ruining all that cover.

Kade also does a nice side line in hostage taking and death traps. It’s his way of showing Pulsar how it should be done. Look how easily Kade’s goon knocks Pulsar out. If Pulsar had done that to Val, it would have saved us all those pages at the start. Val doesn’t bother to warn Pulsar, despite there clearly being something amiss, about the whole hostage thing.

Val is a superb martial artist. He can also identify the weak spots in things and break them better than Green Arrow in a Justice League induction issue. So, seeing him in a confined space, but with his legs free, doesn’t worry me too much. Even if it’s a particularly icky death trap.

ASIDE: Don’t try this at home with a Karate Kid action figure and your microwave.

It’s tense, but Val should get clear. The only thing that could possibly stop him is a huge info dump from his fellow captive, with a complete origin story! Get some timing Pulsar!

The two manage to get free, but Kade activates his device. It works on two stages. Judging by this book, both stages work extremely slowly allowing for plenty of time to be beaten.

The first stage affects Pulsar’s heart. The second turns Pulsar into an atomic weapon. Because Kade thinks that a quiet exit is to alert every law enforcement agency on the planet at an address that can be easily tied to him. I take back everything I said about him. I thought stage two was going to be something that directly affected his family, rather than having them just be one of the thousands of deaths.

The villains crumble quite badly with both Val and Pulsar free. Val captures Kade with a pole vault up some stairs, rather than just using his energy weapon to just shoot the villain. It’s not as though it kills anyone, as we was from all those opening pages.

Elsewhere in the issue, we get some decent remarks from Jeckie and Iris.

“…and he’s going to stay my boyfriend a thousand years after you’re dead!” gave me a laugh.

But Iris has been moved from villain attractor to bystander now that Jeckie is involved. The main plot no longer needs her at all. She’s been badly let down by the first creative team not really bothering to see if Val was already in a relationship.

Jeckie sees that her father has been behind Val’s tasks in the 20th century, but is now is some kind of trouble back on Orando.

In summary, there’s some okay structure to the book. The reprise of the Pulsar/ Kade relationship at the start sets up Pulsar’s actions throughout. The Jeckie/ Iris meeting keeps them in the apartment where the monitor globe will move the plot forward next issue. Even the fights are short enough to move us from Val’s apartment to the villain’s HQ (and eatery), but long enough to pad out the issue as required.

I’m surprised that DC didn’t think of a Pulsar book as part of the DC Explosion. I can see them looking at a street level, ex-convict black man with terrible dialogue stereotype as their Power Man analogue. Even more Marvellous, is that his power comes with the flaw of being a walking atomic bomb every time he gets heartburn. Who better to be part of an Explosion? Perhaps Pulsar needed a Taskmaster or a Deathstroke to be out there, to show some more of his potential.

I think we can all learn from Pulsar’s wife. She’s taken the news of her husband being a murderer, and huge cancer risk, extremely well.

I wish there had been a KK action figure back them--or any Legion action figures.




Val couldn't use the staff as an energy weapon since the energy was generated by Pulsar's atomic heart.




Coming soon: Projectra and Jacobs: Two female detectives, one from the future and one from the present, who solve crimes while trading barbs with each other over the man they love.



True Love. What every man wants.

I had forgotten that Pulsar reappears in that B&B issue. I'll have to dig it out when the time comes.

But..but...the staff was still all glowy...rats...

Karate Kid # 10 (Oct. 1977)
“Death-Duel on Orando”
Writer: Barry Jameson
Artists: Ric Estrada and Joe Staton
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Story Editor: Dennis O’Neil

Synopsis: Val and Jeckie arrive on Orando via the latter’s time bubble and are immediately attacked by Asian warriors with futuristic weapons—neither the warriors’ appearance nor weapons are typical of Orando, we are reminded. While Val fights the warriors, Jeckie discovers her illusion power doesn’t work, and she is kidnapped by some of the warriors.

She is taken to her father’s throne room, where she finds Val’s old enemy, Sadaharu (from S/LSH 210) sitting on the throne. Sadaharu, who proclaims himself the new Black Dragon, invaded Orando and neutralized her people’s illusion powers (!). His purpose: to lure Val there in another bid for revenge against the son of his former master, the original Black Dragon.

Val doesn’t disappoint. He shows up and fights the Black Dragon’s warriors and the Black Dragon himself. The battle ends when the villain grabs a futuristic machine gun and points it at Val. Our hero survives by appealing to the Black Dragon’s sense of honor (good thing all Japanese villains have one—see Master Hand). They arrange to settle their differences in a duel. As an added prize, the Black Dragon announces that the victor will also win Princess Projectra.

Jeckie and her father are taken to a prison chamber, where the good king reveals the reasons for Val’s 20th century exile: to “demonstrate courage and nobility under such adverse conditions” that he would be acceptable to marry Projectra. Jeckie is taken aback to learn that all this time she was angry with Val for living in the past, he was doing so for her.

Val and Sadaharu carry out their duel on top of an icy grotto that periodically freezes over from the pit of liquid oxygen below. As they fight, someone tips over a fiery brazier, destroying the bridge that links the grotto to the mainland and trapping the two combatants. Never fear, though: Jeckie has used her feminine wiles to trick a guard and escape, and has summoned the Legion. They arrive to take care of Sadaharu’s goons while Val convinces the villain that, by working together, they can escape from the grotto.

Jeckie figures out that her father’s vizier, who was secretly in love with Jeckie, had tipped over the brazier. While all the villains are taken into custody, King Voxv tells Val he must return to the 20th century because, even though he’s proved his worth to marry Jeckie, they had an agreement. Jeckie mentions Iris and asks Val if he’s in love. Val responds by kissing Jeckie and telling the princess he is indeed in love—with her.

Thoughts: As a Legion fan, the detail which threw me out of the story was Sadaharu’s statement that he had neutralized the illusion powers of Jeckie and her people. Gee, I thought only Jeckie had such powers! And it’s never explained how Sadaharu, a gang boss, had the means to neutralize anyone’s powers or take over an entire planet. This sort of lazy writing and editing typifies this story—a by-the-books yawn-fest with few surprises and a thin plot drawn out by lots of martial arts action.

Even the Legion’s guest appearance—so ballyhooed on the cover—takes all of two panels. For the record, the Legionnaires who show up to save the day are Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Superboy, and Phantom Girl, though only Garth has a line of dialogue.

At least we learn why Val has been living in the 20th century. It’s a daring revelation since it in effect removes Iris from the running as a serious love interest for Val and sets in motion Val’s future direction as a character. However, it also undermines the entire premise of his solo series. Having proved his worth to marry Jeckie, there’s no reason for him to remain in the past—except he and Voxv had “an agreement.” So, we get to milk out this story line for a little longer.

Lettercol Roundup: Editorial responder Cary Burkett seems to enjoy pitting fans against each other on the debate of whether or not the series is any good. Mike W. Barr and Rod McLaughlin kicked off the discussion back in issue # 8, and each of the four letter writers here weigh in, one reader agreeing with Barr, one agreeing with McLaughlin, one disagreeing with both, and one agreeing with both.

Some comments:

“In short, [KK]’s downright entertaining, and sadly, that is something very rare in comics today.” – Jim Mason, San Francisco, CA.

“How, though, can anyone seriously read a book containing lines like ‘. . . it’s not nice to punch out the good guy!’ This, unfortunately, is a typical example of the quality of writing found in KK.” – Paul Emrath, Milwaukee, WI.

“I have yet to see a suitable storyline that was up to the Master of Martial Arts’ abilities. So far, he has tangled with a bunch of looneys that he would have put out for the count in no time in the 30th century. But here it takes him almost an entire story!” – Brian D. Scott, Minneapolis, MN.

“Take the secondary cast. (I’m tempted to say ‘please’, but I’ll refrain.) Of the three people introduced so far, two are nothing more than comic relief. Iris Jacobs has potential, though so far she has been kept in the background. But Commissioner Banner and Mrs. Geichman, with their over-used characterizations, have to go.” – William Nutt, Dover, NJ.

New solo series: The Adventures of Iris Jacobs: Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride.

The reason for Val going to the 20th century has taken a long time to reveal. I wonder if more/better hints could have been given before this issue. Since Orando was depicted as a medieval world with a bit of tech, it would be more of a challenge for Val to live there as a peasant than in the 20th century - which probably wouldn't sustain any sort of solo series, so we got what we got.

Why is Orando so easy to conquer by one or a few villains? I take it that no explanation was given for how Sadaharu neutralized the powers (which Orandans suddenly acquired ). Annoying!

It looks like the readers are losing faith, based on the letters.

I'd buy it.



True. There was a particular challenge involved in giving Val sufficient reason to go to the 20th century and stay there for an extended period of time. I wish they'd stuck with the original reason--his feeling out of place on a team in which everyone but him has a genuine super-power.

In my revisionist daydreams, I see a way of redoing this story line so Superboy & the Legion leads up to Val feeling out of sorts. Perhaps others undermine his abilities in a crucial battle. Perhaps Jeckie unintentionally does so. (She's a princess; she's got a have a haughty streak somewhere.)

Such lack of self-confidence may seem out of place with how Val has been depicted in the past, but a young person's self-image changes constantly. If done right, the series could have ended on a high note with Val realizing he doesn't need to prove himself or, in a less predictable fashion, learning that the 30th century needs him and that's where he needs to be.



Orando: the Poland of the 30th century--conquerable and partitionable. (Apologies to any Polish fans. )

I suppose in some ways, it does make sense: a planet of low technology would be easy pickings for more advanced societies. Also, if the ruling classes were intent on preserving their culture to the point of refusing to ask for help or upgrade to modern methods of defense, they might have unwittingly doomed their world. (Downton Abbey, which I've also mentioned in the Archives Review thread, provided vivid illustrations of this, albeit not in a war setting. The aristocrats who turned their backs on modernization ended up losing their fortunes and family estates.)

No, there is no explanation for how an earth gang boss acquired the means to neutralize super-powers or take over an entire planet.

Karate Kid # 11 (Dec. 1977)
“Disasters of Yesteryear”
Story: Jack C. Harris
Art: Ric Estrada
Additional material by Barry Jameson
Editor: Dennis O’Neil

Synopsis: Returning to the 20th century in a time bubble, Val encounters turbulence in the time stream. When he arrives in New York, he finds it deserted—except for cavemen! He fights them off and circles around the block to return to his time bubble, only to collide with a wall made to look like the city.

An unseen tormentor causes an earthquake to occur, and Val rescues a caveman, whom he nicknames “Ugly.” Ugly accompanies Val as he uncovers machinery beneath the streets of the fake New York. Val realizes he is in the prehistoric past in the testing ground belonging to his one-time enemy, Major Disaster. The major reveals himself and tries to escape in a time ship. Ugly picks Val up and tosses him onto the time ship, where Val kayos the villain.

As they arrive in the 20th century, Val turns Major Disaster over to the police and encounters Iris as he returns to his apartment. When Val says he is happy to have a friend like Iris, she bursts into tears and leaves.

Thoughts: So, the “Jameson” era comes to an ignominious end. According to the letters page, Harris scripted this issue over Jameson’s plot (hence the “additional material”). The difference is barely noticeable.

The issue accomplishes its modest aims: It returns Val to the 20th century by way of the distant past. This filler issue marks time between writers and achieves nothing of significance. The only interesting aspect is Ugly, the loyal caveman. I almost wish he and Iris had spun off into their own series: Iris & Ugly: The Unappreciated Sidekicks.

Val behaves like a typical action hero: all fight and no thought. When he jumped into the machinery and demolished it, I thought he was darned lucky the thing didn’t explode. Also, in another demonstration of his super-human karate capabilities, he punches holes in the façade of the fake World Trade Center and climbs his way to the top. So much for a guy without a super-power.

Major Disaster also defies any pretense of believability. He keeps an elaborate testing ground in the distant past made out to look like NYC. He also has the means to detect Val’s time traveling and to redirect his journey. Yet he is defeated by a single kick to the jaw aboard his own time ship. That’s the thing about major super-villains: They are omnipotent until the plot needs them to be otherwise.

As for Iris . . . the blurb promises a “new” Iris Jacobs for next issue. I can hardly wait.

Cheeky In-Joke Department: One of the fake buildings Val runs past is the Warner Communications building.

Letter’s Page Roundup: James F. Mills of Wadesboro, NC, praises issue # 9, suggests Val join the Teen Titans, and guesses that Jameson is really Jack C. Harris, which Burkett denies.

Linda Oberlin of Burlingame, CA, complains that KK is not living up to its full potential: “You could do so much with [Val’s] being out of place, in the past, the strangeness of our way of life to him, and the loneliness he must feel being away from The Legion.” Linda also “can’t reconcile Iris’ existence in Val’s love life.” As she points out, Val was willing to die for Jeckie back in Superboy 209.

David Hayes of College Park, MD, gives a step-by-step explanation of how he deduced Val’s real reason for coming to the 20th century: to prove his worthiness to marry Jeckie. But that’s old news to us now.

The letters page ends with Burkett announcing that the new regular KK writer will be Paul Levitz—which does not come to pass. In the Legion Outpost interview I mentioned previously, Bob Rozakis reveals that Levitz chose to take on a different project, allowing Rozakis to guide us through the final stages of KK’s shelf life.

"Ugly"? Where are his manners? And coming from a time filled with peculiar-looking sentients. Iris and Ugly could have become a Beauty and the Beast tale.



Really a disappointment, given that Val was a lot more than this in the 30th century. I'm finding Major Disaster quite boring, and I'm just reading your summaries.

Could dinosaurs have made this story better? And where was Kamandi?



I'm surprised they didn't bring in the Titans. Or will they, at some point?



Maybe she should have been writing the series.

To be fair, Val derived Ugly's name from the latter's dialogue, which consisted of words like "ullga," "umbwa," and "unooglo."





I doubt dinosaurs would have salvaged anything. And Kamandi's from the future (relative to the 20th century), IIRC.

You're right re: Kamandi. I was just thinking about his caveman look, forgot about the whole premise.

It was a forgettable premise.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me, so here's an early review:

Karate Kid # 12 (Feb. 1978)
“The ‘Time’ of Your Death”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciller: Juan Ortiz
Inker: Bob McLeod
Letterer: M. Snappin
Colorist: A. Tollin
Editor: Al Milgrom

Synopsis: One second after Iris turns her back on Val, a ray beam from nowhere zaps him and transports him back through time once again. He lands in 1950s/60s Smallville, which, like the NYC testing ground last issue, is completely deserted—except for one occupant: Superboy. Val is stunned to see the Teen of Steel causing earthquakes to destroy the town, so he tries to intervene. Superboy claims not to recognize Val, and the inevitable fight breaks out.

In the present day, Iris decides to prove her worth to Val by abandoning her teaching career and volunteering for a special project created by STAR Labs.

In Smallville, we learn that Major Disaster (who has somehow escaped from police custody) and an unseen partner are behind Karate Kid’s current predicament, which they have engineered to keep Val off balance and from discovering their “scheme.”

Val continues to duke it out with Superboy until the latter explains it’s not really Smallville he’s trashing, but a mock-up of the town he created at the behest of SRA (STAR Labs’ precursor) to test the effects of an earthquake on a small town. Val doesn’t buy it, however, and suckers Superboy with a handshake in order to maneuver him into a hold. Val reasons that the real Superboy would have recognized him.

Just then, several Legionnaires (Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, Colossal Boy, Chameleon Boy, and Sun Boy) show up decked out in their Adventure-era costumes. They claim they don’t recognize Val either and order him to release Superboy before they “take [Val] apart!”

Thoughts: So, the short-lived second phase of Karate Kid’s series begins with an entirely new creative team and even a new cover logo. The shift from martial arts action to straight super-hero stories was intentional, as Rozakis explained in the Legion Outpost interview, and he begins with the tried and true approach of Val fighting a fellow hero (and Legion teammate), Superboy.

The twist is that neither Superboy nor the Legionnaires recognize Val. Any long-time fan would figure out immediately that these Legionnaires come from a time before they met Karate Kid—which provides an interesting and thoughtful aspect to the whole time travel business. It also opens up a myriad of possibilities, since Val is in a position to tell them what lies in their future. Could he warn them of the deaths of Triplicate Girl, Ferro Lad, and Invisible Kid? Should he?

Alas, the story never delves into such possibilities--if I remember subsequent issues correctly.

What’s offered here is a standard but well-paced super-hero battle. Despite the razor thin plot, the action scenes are well executed—particularly the sequence of Val ripping off Superboy’s cape and trying to wrap him in it, only for Superboy to spin very fast and throw Val for a loop. Make no mistake: Val is outclassed in the power department and struggles to hold his own in the fight. The story evokes Val’s first fight with Superboy back in Adv. 346—it’s a shame he doesn’t mention it.

What’s harder to believe is that Val does not accept Superboy’s explanation simply because the latter fails to recognize him. Val was certainly used to time travel by now; surely, the thought must have occurred to him that Superboy hadn’t met him yet.

Likewise, the Val vs. Legion cliffhanger is set up in such a way that, if these heroes would just talk to one another, there would be no fight. But such is the nature of idiot plots.

The art is similar to Estrada’s, but better rendered in most places—particularly the faces. There is a lovely shot of Iris at the bottom of Page 9.

(However, Iris loses my last vestiges of respect for her. Anybody who would abandon teaching because she “needs a challenge . . . something that isn’t an easy job, a snap anybody could do” apparently didn’t put much effort into teaching to begin with! The kids are lucky to be rid of her.)

As an extra touch, Rozakis introduces a couple of “Karate Kid’s Interplanetary Fighting Techniques”—one panel each in which he stops the action to take us step-by-step through some of Val’s moves. It’s a nice idea, but Val’s techniques are really just ordinary moves, as Rozakis admitted to the Legion Outpost. The “arm-rifle” technique is simply Val throwing a softball.

Letter’s Page Roundup: Nathan Chapman of Bastrop, LA, praises KK # 10 as the best issue “by far (and I do mean BY FAR)” and asks for more such issues so he can buy them out of enjoyment, “not because I feel obligated to you guys at DC.” (A true fan, that Nathan: Buying stuff he didn’t like.)

Snapper Estes of Jackson, MS, also praises # 10 as the “best issue yet” and asks that Iris not be dropped in favor of Jeckie. He says that Iris “was the only supporting character I liked . . . Perhaps you could still build something between them.”

Bill Keller of Jacksonville, TX, criticizes the book for two errors in #10: Jeckie should be the only Orandoan with the power of illusion, and the back of Lightning Lad’s costume was wrong.

Did sales improve with the turn to super-hero stories? Maybe it was too late to revive the series at this point. I expect a lot of readers were happy to see the LSH, even if it wasn't much of a story.

Iris abandoning teaching because it's too easy - that must have raised some hackles! The writers could have rephrased it to be less insulting to teachers, just express her frustration with her life. Going to volunteer for a STAR Labs project promises something ominous and readers who like Iris should be led to buy the next issue and find out.

I have the feeling this issue could have been a more credible story with some tweaks.

I'd have to re-read the Outpost interview to be sure, but I think the book was struggling at this point.

Fans were certainly not happy with the book, judging by the letter's page.

Given the very young intended audience, I can see why the comment about teachers may have been deemed a throwaway line. I certainly didn't think anything of it at the time. (And, let's face it, being a teacher would be less exciting than being a super-hero or whatever Iris had in mind.) It's only in the context of what I now do for a living that I view Iris's comment in a very different light. Teaching is NOT something anyone can do--at least not well.

Yes, it's good that they are finally giving Iris something proactive to do--something bound to make readers come back. I just wish she had done so for some reason which would allow her to maintain a shred of self respect. Doing so just to please Val says little of her self-worth or her judgment.

Karate Kid # 13 (April 1978)
“Tomorrow’s Battle . . . Yesterday!”
Writer: Bob Rozakis
Penciler: Juan Ortiz
Inker: Bob McLeod
Letterer: M. Snappin
Colorist: A. Tollin
Editor: Allen Milgrom

Synopsis: As the Legionnaires attack, Val uses Superboy as a shield and spins him like a top into the others. KK holds his own against the Legionnaires, whom he thinks are also frauds, until Sun Boy and Cosmic create a metal chamber to ensnare him. Saturn Girl performs a mind scan and learns that Val is telling the truth: He really is a Legionnaire but comes from their future.

While Val and the others try to piece together what’s going on, they are observed by Major Disaster and his new partner, an old JLA villain called the Lord of Time. The villains have hatched some multi-faceted plan (which they never reveal to us) and keep the Legionnaires busy by staging three remote disasters: a hail of boulders in Midvale, a tornado of fire in Metropolis, and volcano of water in Smallville.

The Legionnaires split into teams: Superboy and Cosmic Boy repel the boulders (and here we find out just how stretchable Supes’ cape can be when he uses it to protect the entire town!), Lightning Lad and Chameleon Boy douse the tornado of fire (though Garth doesn’t do much but come up with the plan), and Sun Boy and Colossal Boy plug the volcano (their teamwork actually proves to be the most believable resolution, given their abilities). Saturn Girl accompanies Karate Kid in search of Major Disaster, whom Val has figured out to be behind these disasters.

In the present day, a STAR Labs doctor injects Iris with a “hydrocarbon serum” to test if human bodies can adapt to increasing pollution rates. Iris goes to sleep pining for Val and is unknowingly struck by an energy beam which activates the serum.

In the past, Val and Saturn Girl locate the villains. Val easily defeats them and destroys their disaster-producing machinery. But the Lord of Time has a back-up plan. He presses a device which sends the Legionnaires back to their own time (conveniently without any memory of this encounter) and also sends Val back to 1977. He and Major Disaster vanish before Superboy can capture them.

Val arrives on the streets of NYC just in time to see a diamond-like female creature fighting it out with the police. Val recognizes the creature as Iris.

Thoughts: In summarizing the plot, I’ve come to realize it isn’t bad. It’s fairly standard for super-hero team-ups of that time, though the flaccid execution prevents it from being effective. The plot is drawn out and padded with panels of characters standing around and explaining things—for example, a full-page spread of Superboy telling us about the three disasters and a panel of Lightning Lad announcing the teams, which is unnecessary as we see the Legionnaires split off into different directions. The latter is a good example of the writer not trusting the artist, I think.

KK’s battle with the Legionnaires, like his fight with Superboy last issue, is predicated on his belief that they are impostors and on the fact that they haven’t met him yet. But if KK would stop and think for a fraction of a second, he might realize that they are wearing the old Adventure costumes for a reason—and not because the mysterious villain was sloppy.

The fight itself is well choreographed and makes good use of KK’s status as an action hero. It is particular nice to see two Legionnaires (Cos and Sun Boy) work as a team to bring KK down.

Once the Legionnaires separate into teams, the story feels drawn out and clichéd. Rozakis has to give all of these heroes something to do, but what they do mostly lacks imagination or drama. They merely take up space until we get to the resolution.

And the resolution itself? Once again, Val destroys a bunch of equipment without bothering to understand what it does or if destroying it will make things worse. It would serve him right if Major Disaster blurted out, “You fool! You’ve just launched a hundred disasters and now there’s no way to shut them off!”

Once again, the villains are all powerful when they need to be. The Lord of Time, who for unknown reasons had kidnapped the Legionnaires out of their own time, now sends them home with no memory of this episode. Like most such crossovers, nothing is accomplished, we learn nothing new about our characters, and none of it matters.

The art is painful to look at. Bob McLeod is a dynamic and competent inker, but Ortiz doesn’t give him much to work with. Cosmic Boy’s face is horridly rendered as a jut-jawed hero stereotype and, whenever Val needs to express surprise or strain, he looks like he’s about to go into hysterics.

The shot of Val destroying Major Disaster’s machinery is wretched. Val’s arms look like they are about to fly off his body. What's with that grimace? Does he have stomach cramps?

The art also suffers from a number of gaffes and awkward character poses. There appear to be two Vals in panel 3 of Page 3 and two Superboys in the last panel of Page 6. Also, why is the police officer on the last page looking so frightened at the reader? Is the reader more terrifying than Diamondeth?

The story ends like every other issue has begun or ended: With our hero merely stumbling into another crisis—this one involving his lovelorn friend, Iris.

So, as KK’s solo series winds down, I find myself not regretting that it was cancelled so soon but surprised that it lasted this long. Val is tossed from one action plot to another. No attempt at character development or world building is made. While Val’s personality remains fairly consistent as a hot-head who is quick to action, we learn nothing new about him and he comes across as greatly simplified from the more complex personality depicted in previous Legion stories.

Letters Page Roundup: The five correspondents this time appear to be very young, as they dispense with the pointed criticisms of previous issues and make more mundane comments.

Shawn Williams of Baton Rouge, LA, says KK is his favorite Legionnaire and comic; Shawn also demands that Iris get rid of her “200-mile-long glasses” and not meddle in KK’s life anymore.

Randy Walker of Grand Prairie, TX, points out the error of Jeckie’s people having illusion powers, to which Rozakis (who provides the editorial comments) suggests that Jeckie had created an illusion that all of her people had illusion powers. Sure, Bob, sure.

Ted P. Skimmer of Pittstown, OK, is “really mad” about the change in creative teams. Rozakis replies that a decision was made to move the book away from martial arts action and more into super-hero action and asks to be given a chance.

Bob Barnes of Hempstead, NY, asks where Major Disaster got the capability to travel through time, which gives Rozakis a chance to plug this issue’s inclusion of the Lord of Time.

Arthur Johnson of Chester, MO, complains that KK has not met any present-day super-heroes, even though he lives in NYC—as do Wonder Woman and Man-Bat. Rozakis says that Robin will be appearing next issue and the possibility of a KK/Man-Bat team-up has been discussed either for this title or for Batman Family.

You just know this is not going to work out. I guess she's lucky she wasn't turned into a blob of oil. Regardless, the reason for the research is interesting for the time.



I have to ask, was she that recognizable? Same hairdo?



This really does do Val a disservice, much as Ultra Boy has often been portrayed as all brawn, no brains. Val's extensive martial arts training should have made him more thoughtful and observant.



Too bad. It could have been one of those stories with creative displays of teamwork, which do happen occasionally.



Too bad the art is so awful as well. That would hamper even a good story. Maybe it's not the reader, but the critics that are more terrifying than Diamondeth.

"Diamondeth" always made me think somebody was lisping rather than evoking death by diamonds.



I wonder if this is an indication that older, more critical readers have lost interest. They may still be buying as Legion completists, or hoping for a turnaround, but can't be bothered to write.

If I had a scanner which was compatible with my computer, I'd scan in the shot of Iris as Diamondeth. I wouldn't have recognized her if Val hadn't told us who she is. Maybe he recognized the mole on the back of her neck or something.

"Diamond-death"? I'd never thought of it that way before. I thought it was an attempt to create a feminine name, like Lilith. However, I like your theory better!