Customer Reviews

Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Vol. 9 (DC Archive Editions)

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This collection reprints the final adventures of the Legion of Super-Heroes before the the serial's temporary demise in 1970. It includes stories from ADVENTURE COMICS Nos. 377-380 (Feb.-May 1969) and from ACTION COMICS Nos. 378-387 (July 1969-April 1970) and 389-392 (June-Sept. 1970). These stories are written by Jim Shooter, E. Nelson Bridwell, or Cary Bates, and all but one feature art by Win Mortimer (Curt Swan was artist for ACTION No. 384). The foreword by K. C. Carlson addresses some of the problems that faced the Legion at the time and explains why these do not represent their best adventures. However, Carlson notes that some do deserve some praise because their stories were actually ground-breaking. Shooter's "The Forbidden Fruit" in ACTION No. 378 (July 1969) treats the problems of of substance abuse, while his "The Hapless Hero" in ACTION No. 381 (Oct. 1969) features some of the problems concerning lower class families. Taken together, these seem in line with DC's contemporary concerns to be socially relevant.

I thought that this was an average collection, but it is a keeper because it shows the end of the first era of the Legion of Super-Heroes. After the tales in this book, the Legion was stuck with backup stories and reprints for several years. Many of the creators who made the Legion so popular left. Jim Shooter stopped regularly writing and worst of all, Curt Swan stopped. It is an important book, and I suggest you buy it if you have the first 8 volumes.