#1

 Deathstroke the Terminator



First appearance: New Teen Titans #2 ( 1980)
Creators: Marve Wolfman/ George Perez
Series covered :Deathstroke the Terminator 1-60 ( 1991)
Series Team: Marv Wolfman/ Stece Irwin/ Wille Blyberg





This character has fascinated me since his first appearance in NTT #2. Created by a super soldier serum in the army, he was DC’s equivalent to Captain America but with definite sociopathic tendencies. He has layers to his character that make the book compelling and a tragic path that always seems to hurt and sometimes kill his own family members . Make no mistake, he's an assassin , so he’s in no way a good guy , but his code to always back his country is refreshing. I appreciate that he was the field commander to the DC heroes when there was a major crossover in the Superman titles called “Panic in the sky.” The 1991 series follows his personal adventures and wisely stays away from the hitman side of his life in order to make him a more sympathetic figure, but he does get called into other books as a mercenary for the money highlighting his criminal side. He infamously had a key role in the DC mini series Identity Crisis , where he takes on the Justice League and defends Dr. Light. He’s very impressive wherever he appears.

His first appearance in New Teen Titans #2  highlights how formidable he is.

I suspect that he was missing because he was way overexposed. 

Also, you aren't unlikeable. You're okay in my book. 

..and you made fun of me for Force Works

1. The Legion of Super-Heroes
If I HAVE to pick a run or an era it's the Baxter series in the mid 80's, 1 - 62 or so, Paul Levitz and Steve Lightle and Greg LaRocque.

I've probably written about this before, my first encounter with the LOSHs was in an Australian b+w reprint called Super-Heroes. I remember swapping with a classmate (who also became a lifelong fan) and being blown away by the art and then the story (The Infinite Man).
Around that same time I was lucky enough to start finding the American issues in the bookshops here, a rarity in the late 70s early 80s. I came in as Pat Broderick gave way to a relative unknown Keith Giffen and within 6 months or so the Great Darkness Saga.

The Baxter series really blew me away, while I missed Giffen this young upstart Lightle had the goods and then they killed off Karate Kid, one of the greatest stories in comics IMHO.

Most other eras are pretty cool TBH from the simplicity of the foundational Adventure, the maturing Cockrum/Grell years, through the 5 years later and other reboot volumes.
However it will always be Levitz and Lightle(and Giffen of course) who delivered MY Legion.

Day 12 - Legion of Super-Heroes

First appearance - Adventure #247
Specific run - no. Though I am primarily a fan of the Paul Levitz era, today we're considering the whole expansive Legion universe as one big series.



A group of superpowered kids from the future, who came back to meet their hero Superboy. Sure, why not. Ideas like that were all over the place in Silver Age DC. But something about this idea resonated with the readers, and they kept being brought back. Each appearance seemed to feature new members, or more information about the Legion and their era. Until finally the group got their own series.

And what a ride it's been since then. At least 7 series of their own, not counting their runs in Adventure or backing up Superboy or Supergirl, not counting spin-offs of their own like Legionnaires or Legion Lost. For a while there, the Legion was one of DC's best sellers, even having 2 series running at the same time.

And for most of its run, the book was good, often great. The world-building (literally) was vast, giving us a whole universe to play in. And the team stayed fresh throughout. Members came and went, got married, died. There was a vibrant, organic sense to the series. It was real, growing and changing in a way most super-heroes aren't allowed to do.

The stories could range from conflicts among the team to interstellar war, from alien conquerors and monsters to super-villains. And the characters. From old favorites like Lightning Lad and Mon-el through Stone Boy and Tyroc to newer favorites like Andromeda and Comet Queen, the inventiveness and variety was unmatched in any comic universe.



The Legion inspired a loyalty among its fans that was almost cult-like. Readers early on were encouraged to participate by voting for the team's leaders. Fanzines sprung up. Back in the heyday of APAs, most were general interest. It was rare to find a whole APA devoted to one character or series. The Legion had two. (And if you don't know what an APA is, think something like this forum, but on paper. Or just google it already.) Interlac had members like Jim Shooter, Dave Cockrum, Paul Levitz and Mark Waid. And I made it to the waitlist for both it and Klordny.

Yes, my loyalty was shaken by the first continuity 'fix' after the Crisis. It seemed to me that the Legion was the one book which least needed to be fixed. And there have been many, many reboots and retcons since. I do think something was lost when we were told that the Legion we'd been following for so long was replaced by some other version. If I had to pick one particular Legion run, it would be the wonderful Paul Levitz years. But ultimately, change has always been a key part of the Legion's appeal. So I've learned to accept it. Because even with the names and history changed, whether it's grimandgritty or lighter in tone, it's still the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Long Live the Legion!

1. New Love

Much the same reasons DubipR cited for his entry on Lubas Comics and Stories. When I first tbought of this pick I was going to list it as "Fritz and Petra" - until I checked and remembered there was no actual series by tbat name. But New Love was one of the first L&R spin-offs after the end of the original series and did feel like a new direction with Fritz, Petra, and Venus as the focus.