Superboy Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes # 210 "The Lair of the Black Dragon"

Before I get into the recap of this story I will like to tell a story that I should of told at the begining of the post for the first story of this issue. I have my older brother Tim to thank for my love of these stories, when I was 10 I started collecting comics, and stayed mostly with Superman, and Batman, but the Summer I turned 11 my brother who is a year older then we was working for a relative or neighbor, I can't remember. He used a little of the money he earned and bought me a bag full of comics books. In the bag as best I can remember was an issue of the Amazing Spider-Man, a few Marvel team ups, a Marvel two-in one starring the thing and issue 210, 211, and 212 of Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes. Now I might of seen the Legion before in a reprint but I fell in love with the team with these stories. These were the issues I first seen back stories on the Karate Kid and Element Lad. The first time I seen my favorite Legion uniform (the member was PP but I was 2 young to apprieated at the time.) A member quit, and we got a back up starring of all people Night Girl. Great Issue and these molded me into the Legion fan I am today. So thank you Tim you started me on quite the trip. Now on to our story.

"The Lair of the Black Dragon" Art by: Mike Grell and Story by Jim Shooter.

 

 

Karate Kid out for a stroll on the syways above metropolis is attaced by 4 martial art using men, he takes three of them out noting that they were highly skilled. Going after the last one who seems to be the leader his punch was parried, a feat that was rarley done. The man whos name is Sadahru tells him this was a test to prove that he was Val Armorr the famed Karate Kid and that he was not overrated. Sadahru explains to Val that he needs his help to kill a man. Val turns him down and refers Sadahru to the fatal five. Sadahru is looking for revenge for the murder of his best friend Val's father. Val never new his father and was shocked that Sadahru did. Sadahru and his friends say they will avenge his father's death even if the Karate Kid will not. Hours later Val wearing a spify hat and coat is following Sasahru to the metroplis core tube terminal, a transit system that travels straight threw the earth. Some time Later they arrive in a remote mountainous area in Japan.. Where Sadahru and his crew come upon a large dome made out of Nullitorn and one of the thugs says that their quarry is inside. Their foe chosed his hideout well, Nullitron is imperious to energy blasts..even power drill rays, Sadahru says even he can not crack it. 

  Waiting to night fall Karate kid goes up to the dome, this is why Sadahru needed him, to crack the dome. The kid was not about to kill anyone  but figures if he can get in without tipping anyone off he might get the lowdown on this setup. Val examines the dome and found that the wall was broken once before and repaired, he then prepares to try and hit the weak spot, knowing that the nullitron deads sound and he will not be overheard.

He his welcome to the Lair of the Black Dragon he is greeted by the last person he expected, the man who raised him and trained him in the art of Super-Karate, his Sensei. Sensei tells Val that Sadaharu did not lie he is the one who killed his father. The dome was his stronhold and after his death Sensei took it over and repaired to use as his own last refuge. Sensei then tells Val the story of when He was a young super hero, His arch enemy was the brutal Black Dragon.. Kirau Nezumi.. whose skillrivaled the Sensei's own but his villainy was unsurpassed. Over the years they had many encounters, the last being in the very lair they were now standing. Sensi broke in and they had a life or death battle and it was the Black Dragon who perised. After the battle he learned the Black Dragon was the farther of an infant son, the Karate Kid. He tells him how he raised him and trained Val to be a hero to atone for his father's crimes. He also tells Val that he gave him his mother's madien name of Armorr. Val's Mother was Valentna Armorr an american who died shortly after Val's birth. As the Sensei tells the story Sadaharu and his men enter the lair. Sadaharu tells Val that he was taught by the Black Dragon and after his death he inherited the Black Dragon's organization. Sadaharu says that he searched for Val but the Sensei kept him hidden. Years later he discovered Sensei in tokyo and Sensei then fled to the mighty fortress that he stole from the Black Dragon. He also tells Val that he was easily duped into opening the fortress for him and now nothing can stop him from avenging his master. Val stands against Sadaharu and his 5 men, using his skilll speed and raw corage he triumps and knocks out Sadaharu and his men. Val tells his old Sensei that the Black Dragon gave him life but the Sensei gave him ideals and moral values, mad him a fource for good and in all the ways important he was his true Father.

Bits of Legionarrie Business:

Roll Call:

•  Karate Kid (Val Armorr

1st App:

•  Sadaharu
• Sensei
• Black Dragon (flash back)

Notes:

Page 1:

•  Karate Kid attacked by four thugs.

Page 2:

•  Sadaharu blocks the kids punch.

Page 3:

•  Metropolis core tube is the shaft that Supergirl tunneled way back when she first joined the Legion.
• Karate Kid thinks that a hat and cape is a good disguise.

Page 6:

•  Sensei has a portait of Val's mother that he never showed him.

Jim Shooter wrote a great Origin for Karate Kid, the first one he had ever had, which make sense since Shooter created the charater back during his first run on the book. Grell has Karate Kid looking more asian in this appearence, I believe that DC was trying to take advantage of the martial craze that was going through pop culture. In this book I counted 4 seperate ads for Martial art training. I am not going out on a limb saying that this is one of my favorite Jim Shooter Stories and my favorite Karate Kid Story.

 

Next time: Member Profile on... come on you can guess it.

 

 

 

Yes the Karate Kid.