What Comic Books Have You Read Today?

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Report what comic books you have read today--and tell us a little something about it while you're here!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I'm pretty sure this is the volume that overlaps with the Zap Goes the Legion DC Finest. 

You'd know that better than I, but yes, "Zap Goes the Legion" appears in Action Comics #386.

Those Action Comics shorts were wild! Focusing on just a couple of characters, and sometimes a little grittier than other Legion stories.

According to former Legion editor KC Carlson (who wrote the introduction to v9), "Suddenly, the  twenty six characters who were active members of the Legion were forced into stories of ten to twelve pages. Most stories focused on two or three characters. Occasionally there would be five members. Only once in the Action run did the entire membership appear -- only to discuss the fact that they had too many members. Most of the characters were lucky to appear ticked away in the background."

Wasn't Matter-Eater Lad's dad a gambling addict?

That's "The Hapless Hero" (from Action Comics #381). According to Carlson, the story is "probably not too far from author Jim Shooter's real life, where he was forced to earn a living at a very early age in order to support his own family. And he did it, in part, by writing this very story." Sadly, the reduction in pages led to a reduction in his paycheck, forcing him to leave comics for several years.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

SIX OF US #1:

A beloved cast member of a hit ensemble sitcom dies under mysterious circumstances, sending shockwaves through Hollywood and revealing the secrets, betrayals, and desires lurking beneath the glittering facade. As the surviving cast members confront their past; old rivalries and hidden truths emerge and the line between life and performance begins to blur.

I found it a bit distracting trying to keep track of which character/actor was a roman a clef version of which character/actor from Friends when I should have been concentrating on learning the character/actors' names. But that my problem; don't let it put you off.

BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE: DYNAMIC DUOS #2: 

Six of Us #1 was my "Pick of the Week" this week, but if it wasn't, B&R: Year One "DD" #2 would have been.

[The Baron]

Challenges of Doom: Spider-Man #1
Sonic the Hedgehog X Godzilla #2

[Jeff of Earth-J]

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES v10:

By 1972, the Legion of Super-Heroes had been dying a slow death as an occasional backup series in Superboy, drawn by George Tuska because no other artist wanted the assignment. Then, in walks Dave Cockrum. Back in May of this year (see p.748 of this discussion), I began my current LSH re-read with Superboy (Starring the Legion of super-Heroes) #197. I followed archive v10 (the Cockrum volume) with v11 (the Grell volume), before skipping ahead a bit to All-New Collectors' Edition C-55 (p.751 on June 30) and then going back to  Adventure Comics #320 (p.752, July 14). Now I am back to the point I started and must decide whether to re-read v10-11 so soon after reading them the last time, or skip ahead to v12.

Although I count Superboy (& the LSH) #197 as my "first" Legion story (non-reprint, anyway), I didn't start regularly collecting the series until some years later. By that time, Legion election loomed large in the mythos, both in-story and in the letters pages. At some point, the readers began picking the leaders. My question is this: when did that  tradition begin? Legion leadership changes from time-to-time in the stories I have been reading, but the "Archive" editions don't reprint the letters. The election is not really even a story point until Superboy #190. If anyone reading this could shine a light on this matter I'd appreciate it.

[Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas]

Apparently the first leadership election goes back to Adventure Comics #304.

https://comicsarcheology.com/index.php/2020/07/26/adventure-comics-...

Readers began to decide the results as of #364. (Edited to add: actually, I jumped the gun; this issue published a letter suggesting that idea, though).

https://comicsarcheology.com/index.php/2021/02/07/adventure-comics-...

Apparently Superboy got the most (reader) votes for Superboy #225's election (in 1977 IIRC), but an in-story reason was found not to give him the role.  Presumably because Paul Levitz found more story potential in having Wildfire leading.

https://comicsarcheology.com/index.php/2021/09/08/superboy-and-the-...

I think there were just five fan-based election votes:

1. Superboy #225 (March 1977) - Superboy won the most votes, but Wildfire was elected leader.
2. Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #247 (January 1979) - Lightning Lad, with Element Lad as deputy
3. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #291 (September 1982) - Dream Girl. Ultra Boy was the deputy, but resigned soon in favor of Element Lad.
4. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #306-310 (Dec 1983-Apr 1984) - Element Lad.  Dream Girl was implicitly the deputy.
5. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 3) #12 (July 1985) - Element Lad again.  Brainiac 5 is the runner-up and implicitly the deputy.

[Richard Willis]

I didn't follow the LSH for very long, but I think the main reason for Superboy not being the leader is that he was only there occasionally, not permanently.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Thanks, guys (especially Luis).

"Tredgar"? I must admit I've never met a guy named "Tredgar."

I've decided to reread the "Cockrum & Grell volumes" so I'll save the article on #225 until I get back to that point.

 I don't think fan elections would fly in the era of "Boaty McBoatface." 

The writing was already on the wall in the fan-fixed election of Polar Boy as leader.

[Captain Comics]

I don't think I finished Planet Comics. I have them all, but as you say, it's hard to say which I've read and which I haven't because they're so repetitive. I might have done, though. I vaguely remember that one series was pulled out as a separate, and I definitely read that. 

Currently I'm plowing through Classic Science Fiction Vols. 7-8. Vol. 7 is Basil Wolverton's "Space Patrol" and "Spacehawk," and I know I've read the Spacehawk stuff before (not sure about Space Patrol). My enthusiasm for Wolverton has decreased slightly after reading his bio and discovering that he only did the SF because it paid better than what he really wanted to do, which were lame comedy shorts like Powerhouse Pepper. What a waste of talent. But he's still amazing on the SF, especially at rendering, all self-taught. I recognize some of his techniques (cross-hatching, pointillism, Zip-A-Tone), but sometimes I have no name for the effects he creates. 

Vol. 8 is "Lance Lewis, Space Detective," from Startling Comics. There's some other filler in the back I haven't gotten to yet and haven't looked up, so as to have a surprise. (It might be the only part I enjoy.) The Lance Lewis stuff is the usual cliched drek, where each planet in the solar system has its own unique race (of badly drawn aliens), they all seem to be in perpetual syzygy ("Passing Mars! Next stop Jupiter!")  and a heroic white space cop and his loyal girlfriend keep the peace. What's remarkable about these stories are the Alex Schomburg covers. They're fully painted, deliberate throwbacks to pulp fiction and are real treasures. Theoretically that's Lance and his gf Marna, but she's a brunette and doesn't dress like that (the strip would actually benefit from some cheesecake, or anything, really), so Schomburg is taking some artistic license.

I've got two more Classic Sci-Fi volumes in house. Vol. 9 is another Wolverton, which I imagine finishes his ouevre. I don't know what it's in the tenth; as I said above, sometimes the surprise in discovering the content is the only enjoyment I'll get, so I save it! When I finish that one I'll have caught up with Classic Sci-Fi for now. There are still stacks of other PS Artbooks to get to, so I won't be idle.

I also read:

1. Next Level: One-Shot: Read in places like an exercise in marketing. Like Tom Cruise's The Mummy, more interested in setting up future projects than telling me a story that's fun on its own.
2. Doom Patrol #1: Interesting. May pick up the trade.
3. Teen Titans #1: Glad to see I was wrong about the premise, and that mostly existing characters are in use. I sheepishly admit, however, to not being very interested in tweenagers and teenagers no matter who well they're done. It's a solid book, just not one aimed at sexagenarians like me. I hope it does well with its intended market.
4. Batman #11 Facsimile Edition: Sawright.
5. JSA #23: I'll have more to say elsewhere. Interesting art.
6. Archie #1 (Oni Press): Rather good. I just don't know if there's a market for straightforward teen hi-jinks any more. If reviews continue to be good, I'll get the trade.
7. Absolute Wonder Woman #23: Still taking big swings with world-building.
8. Legion of Super-Heroes #1: A solid launch. Most Legion reboots don't provide a convincing case for the why of the team, but this one does. And let's face it, a post-Silver Age Legion is going to logically revolve around Brainiac 5, and this one doesn't pretend otherwise.
9. Catacomb of Torment #14: I hope to say more elsewhere.
10. Absolute Superman #23: My enthusiasm has dimmed considerably. At this point it's the comic book equivalent of an SNL sketch that's gone on too long. He's an Eleseworlds character who has solved the central conflicts that set him apart from the original, and is now redundant. 
11. Fantastic Four #16: Another well-done done-in-one, where the FF accidentally break the prime directive (no, they don't call it that) on an alien planet, but the interference causes problems, and every fix for the problems makes it worse, necessitating another, even-worse fix. A nice puzzle, some philosophical debate and a satisfying finish.
12. Marvel Arts' "The Super Hero's Journey": I know Jeff loves this. I need to see it through his eyes, as I found it kinda meh. What did I miss?

[The Baron]

I'm reasonably certain that the robot on the lefthand cover was the inspiration for Bender from Futurama.

[JD DeLuzio]

Either that, or the artist for Startling Comics did a little time-traveling!