I remember being puzzled that of all of the Legion of Super-Heroes to get a solo series, Karate Kid was the first one. At the time I would have preferred maybe Ultra Boy or Chameleon Lad. Looking back, I realize that DC was trying to get in on the kung fu/karate craze so it makes more sense to me now.
I discovered Karate Kid when he teamed up with Batman in a Brave & the Bold issue. That story blew me away and led me to start reading Legion of Superheroes, just in time for the Great Darkness Saga! Yeah, the 1980s were the REAL Golden Age of comics in my book. And aint no one convincing me otherwise!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Anon, that the 1980's were an awesome decade for comics. But the best quote I ever read regarding the "real" Golden Age of comics was "The Golden Age of comics is when you are twelve." I don't remember who said it, but I agree. Nothing quite matches the comics that you read when you were that age. So for me, the Golden Age of comics was 1973-74....
ReplyDeleteKarate Kid had his own series?
ReplyDeleteAn unintentionally limited series, FLF. I think it never went past single-digits! But, the stories were great while they lasted. As for Chameleon BOY (lol)? I think he was too busy running the Espionage Squad to do any long-term time traveling back then. Last, but not least?
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU, ROSS! :-D
I have _so_ wanted to see some kind of Zen team-up, here, for the longest time. Thanks, for finally finding the perfect co-star for him.
This is Zen's 2nd appearance on the blog...
ReplyDeleteAnon #2: Fifteen issues, actually. KK quit the Legion and went to live in the 20th century for mysterious reasons. By the end of the series, we learned that it was a quest imposed on him by King Voxv of Orando, to prove himself worthy to marry Princess Projectra.
ReplyDeleteIn one issue, KK faced a villain called the "Gyro-Master." In the original script, the villain was the Top, but it was rewritten because the Top had just died in the Flash's comic.
Ingenious as ever, Ross!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered an Adam Strange/Human Torch (JS) team-up?
I've seen the "golden age of comics is when you were..." quote attributed to Roy Thomas. (Though I've heard it as 10. Or even 8.)
ReplyDeleteI have a few of KK's solo series. I believe its short run was due to the DC implosion. So many brief-lived experiments came to an abrupt end (Firestorm, Steel, Black Lightning...). It was a counterpoint to the DC Explosion.
Incidentally, Var Armorr's solo series made it to #15. Not too bad for the times, really. Especially since, as noted, he was by no means an obvious breakout star from the Legion.
So he did have a comic book series.
ReplyDeleteI believe I first heard "The Golden Age of ____" as the Golden Age of SCIENCE FICTION and it was attributed to Isaac Asimov.
@Anon: the pre-COIE Eighties were the late Silver Age of comics. And the first two decades after COIE were the True Bronze Age. Nuff (permanently) said!
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