The Legion Of Super-Heroes

My early association with comics is inextricably tied to the Legion or Super-Heroes. For years, I had this image in my head of a comic cover from my childhood. It featured a giant character dressed in green and yellow, who I discovered was called Colossal Boy. Once I was old enough to go to comic shops and conventions I searched for it. I originally thought it was Adventure Comics 341, which featured Colossal Boy smashing a couple of futuristic tanks, but the story didn't seem familiar. I eventually found out it was Jimmy Olsen 77, whose cover showed Jimmy somehow having obtained Colossal Boy's powers and costume. Next it was Jimmy Olsen 140, which reprinted "The World of Doomed Olsens". All of the doomed Olsens turned out to be (spoilers!) members of the Legion dressed up as Jimmy. I didn't know anything about the Legion at this point, but I sure wanted to know more about them. But my comics buying opportunities at the time were limited to whenever I could catch my mom or dad in a good mood during trips to the grocery store or drug store. That all changed the summer after fourth grade. We had moved to a new town that year, and during the summer my best friend Jeff and I would take Red Cross swimming lessons at the local high school pool. Jeff's mom would walk us home, and she would let us get a candy bar at the Rex-All drug store afterwards. During one of those trips, I found the comics rack, and on that comic rack was a copy of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 197, featuring a beautiful Nick Cardy cover with a whole squadron of super-people on it. I was immediately enthralled, and I begged Jeff's mom to let me get the comic instead of the candy bar, but she refused. But I would not be stymied! As soon as I got home, I ran up to my room, got twenty cents out of my bank and ran back to the store and bought it. As beautiful as that cover was, the insides were even better, because they featured the work of an artist named Dave Cockrum. He created such a beautiful futuristic world that I was immediately hooked, and I started haunting the drug store, waiting for the new issues to come out. I still have that copy of 197, and I was fortunated to get it signed by Dave Cockrum at a Mid-Ohio Con many years later. So welcome to my Legion gallery.

There are 27 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

Next »

Switch View to By Most Recent Post

There are 27 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

Next »

Switch View to By Most Recent Post