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Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super-Heroes #5
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 5
This latest Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes title collects adventures of the 30th century team originally published in the 1970s. These stories reestablished the Legion's popularity and introduced new heroes including Timber Wolf, Karate Kid and Wildfire. Includes artwork by The Uncanny X-Men co-creator Dave Cockrum and Warlord creator Mike Grell.
Collects SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #193, 195, 197-220 and KARATE KID #1.
Collects SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #193, 195, 197-220 and KARATE KID #1.
520 pages, Paperback
First published December 30, 2014
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42 people want to read
About the author
Cary Bates
704 books13 followersCary Bates (born 1948) is an American comic book, animation, television and film writer. He is best known for his work on The Flash and Superman.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 19, 2022
4.5 Stars
This was by far my favorite volume. We have Dave Cockrum and Mike Grell doing the art with Cary Bates and Jim Shooter handling the writing. I had forgotten just how good Dave Cockrum was, especially back then, as this was just prior to his groundbreaking work on the X-Men. This was also early Grell art prior to his breakout on Warlord and later Jon Sable and Green Arrow.
The stories were more mature, the characters were much sexier with hotter costumes, and overall at this point the series was ahead of its time.
This was by far my favorite volume. We have Dave Cockrum and Mike Grell doing the art with Cary Bates and Jim Shooter handling the writing. I had forgotten just how good Dave Cockrum was, especially back then, as this was just prior to his groundbreaking work on the X-Men. This was also early Grell art prior to his breakout on Warlord and later Jon Sable and Green Arrow.
The stories were more mature, the characters were much sexier with hotter costumes, and overall at this point the series was ahead of its time.
March 29, 2018
The teenage superhero team from the 30th century with weird powers returns to form in this quality volume, as co-starring with Superboy in his magazine allows them to go on ambitious, issue length, adventures.
Very nice art work from Mike Grell and especially Dave Cockrum, very dynamic and unique looks at superhero action. And two of the best DC writers in their prime. Jim Shooter likes to challenge the Legion with ambitious villainy. Cary Bates likes to write surreal, quasi-silly adventures about heroes put in unique spots and lots of irony and stuff. I prefer Bates on memorability, but both write solid, clean stuff.
There's the novelty of "Karate Kid #1", as the team member who knows "all types of martial arts" and with super chops time travels to the 20th century to start his own series (which didn't really happen). A slightly lower dip in quality, but it's a unique fun adventure that makes you think "this could've worked as a solo title" with the high flying karate spots.
The only knock is that the stories have some repetition. The Legion has some space threat either on Earth or on a distant planet, usually the team is split up, there's a big twist, etc.
But judging each issue individually, I think there's plenty of entertainment, surprises, likable characters, and fun and varied super powered action (the benefit of having like 30 different members with all powers).
This volume might not be for certain eras of comic book fans, but I think the attention to storytelling detail makes it surprisingly modern, and worth at least a passing consideration.
5/5
Very nice art work from Mike Grell and especially Dave Cockrum, very dynamic and unique looks at superhero action. And two of the best DC writers in their prime. Jim Shooter likes to challenge the Legion with ambitious villainy. Cary Bates likes to write surreal, quasi-silly adventures about heroes put in unique spots and lots of irony and stuff. I prefer Bates on memorability, but both write solid, clean stuff.
There's the novelty of "Karate Kid #1", as the team member who knows "all types of martial arts" and with super chops time travels to the 20th century to start his own series (which didn't really happen). A slightly lower dip in quality, but it's a unique fun adventure that makes you think "this could've worked as a solo title" with the high flying karate spots.
The only knock is that the stories have some repetition. The Legion has some space threat either on Earth or on a distant planet, usually the team is split up, there's a big twist, etc.
But judging each issue individually, I think there's plenty of entertainment, surprises, likable characters, and fun and varied super powered action (the benefit of having like 30 different members with all powers).
This volume might not be for certain eras of comic book fans, but I think the attention to storytelling detail makes it surprisingly modern, and worth at least a passing consideration.
5/5
February 26, 2015
A blast from the 70's with Cary Bates and Jim Shooter doing the writing chores the art starts with fan favourite (of the time) Dave Cockrum and ends with almost the complete run (save 4 issues) of Mike Grell. I bought this because a) I have a fondness for the Legion of Super-Heroes, with all their wacky powers and costumes and b) I loved Mike Grell. these are my first comics and I loved his art then and I love it now. I don't know if he gets enough credit for how sharp his art was and how it compares to the masters of the day Neal Adams, George Perez, John Byrne to name a few. His art looks great in Black and white and he had his style down right from the start.
What about the stories? Well most of issues had two stories so the stories are very short. Therefore very little character growth compared to later issues (but this was typical of the time). So much so, all the characters seem to blend together aside form their powers. But even with that working against the authors they churned out some very fun stories well above the average shlock of the times. To prove that point they were nice enough to include issue one (only issue?) of Karate Kid which they hoped to use in the kung fu craze (weird how KK looked more and more like Bruce Lee as the issues progressed). It was written by future Legion writer Paul Levitz and it stunk. Helping to show how much better the Legion stories were. They weren't deep but they were fun and often had clever twists in them. Levitz was MUCH better when he wrote the Legion with Keith Giffen in the 80's.
Overall, this was just as good as I remembered these issues were. Maybe not as memorable as the X-Men or the New Teen Titans, but for their time they were almost as good IMO. If they had just developed the personalities of the characters a bit more they would would be perfect.
What about the stories? Well most of issues had two stories so the stories are very short. Therefore very little character growth compared to later issues (but this was typical of the time). So much so, all the characters seem to blend together aside form their powers. But even with that working against the authors they churned out some very fun stories well above the average shlock of the times. To prove that point they were nice enough to include issue one (only issue?) of Karate Kid which they hoped to use in the kung fu craze (weird how KK looked more and more like Bruce Lee as the issues progressed). It was written by future Legion writer Paul Levitz and it stunk. Helping to show how much better the Legion stories were. They weren't deep but they were fun and often had clever twists in them. Levitz was MUCH better when he wrote the Legion with Keith Giffen in the 80's.
Overall, this was just as good as I remembered these issues were. Maybe not as memorable as the X-Men or the New Teen Titans, but for their time they were almost as good IMO. If they had just developed the personalities of the characters a bit more they would would be perfect.
January 25, 2025
From ‘73 to ‘76, this is the relaunched Legion. It continues to grow out of Silver Age trappings (though even its last issue has a silver age gimmick) and build a self-sustaining mythos.
It is weird to start this book with Cockrum but realize by the end he’s been on X-Men for a year. Mike Grell is the rest of the book as Bates and Shooter share writing duties.
Wildfire arrives.
This continues to be fun as it builds to the stretch where it was DC’s bestselling title (confession: I don’t know precisely when that is, but it is somewhere between now and Crisis)
There’s also a single issue of the Karate Kid series which brings a certain Paul Levitz on the scene. The art is oddball, but it is exciting to see Levitz get his first bit on Legion.
It is weird to start this book with Cockrum but realize by the end he’s been on X-Men for a year. Mike Grell is the rest of the book as Bates and Shooter share writing duties.
Wildfire arrives.
This continues to be fun as it builds to the stretch where it was DC’s bestselling title (confession: I don’t know precisely when that is, but it is somewhere between now and Crisis)
There’s also a single issue of the Karate Kid series which brings a certain Paul Levitz on the scene. The art is oddball, but it is exciting to see Levitz get his first bit on Legion.
December 25, 2014
"Cool Up", Legionnaires! The spacey seventies are here at last in gloriously inexpensive black and white. Includes the groovy first appearances of Wildfire, Tyroc, Porcupine Pete, Laurel Kent, and the ever-endurable Infectious Lass.
Plus you get the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel and even the startling events of issue 203. Check it out, chums!
Plus you get the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel and even the startling events of issue 203. Check it out, chums!
January 23, 2017
Mike Grell and Dave Cockrum were in their respective primes while drawing the Legion, and it shows.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews