Tag: Princess Projectra

Boy oh boy do we have an action packed issue today. 

AND a new villain? 

This book is shaping up and becoming something special indeedy. 

But wait! There’s more?!

You betcha! I also uncover the not-so mystery of Barry Jameson…while also giving you a nice reading recommendation? 

That’s right! And you just have to read to find out and also to see how many exclamation points and question marks I can make. 

EEEEEEYAHHH!

The Rage of Yesterdays Lost

Panic in the 30th Century, as the valiant Legion of Super-Heroes battles a chromium-steel nightmare that even their combined super-talents seem powerless to destroy!

Lightning Lad pushes Princess Projector to the side and hurls one of his death-bolts, squarely hitting the monster. But it is no use. The monster simply absorbs it just like all the others’ powers.

Except for one.

For a sudden blur of black-and-white appears and the robot attempts to whirl in self-defense, but it is in vain. Because Val Armorr—Karate Kid swiftly delivers a high flying side-kick, kicking the robot’s head steadily off its shoulders.

With the Raider Robot out of commission, Princess Projectra points out that the Legion still needs Val. This is a good example because the robot was equipped to detect and nullify all their super-powers. Brainiac 5 jumps in with the affirmative, reminding all that since Karate Kid’s powers are not really super, they had a chance.

Val turns and looks at his friends with a grimace. It is true, and because he does not have super-powers he exiled himself to the 20th Century. Perhaps a powerless Legionnaire would have more use during a time when every other man and woman on the street was not a hero. And since this is the case, his fellow Legionnaires would not mind if they send him back. 

Mon-El looks at his friends and agrees. If that is what he wants then he can oblige. And Mon presses the Time-Projector sending our Karate Kid back to 20th Century New York City.

But Val does not have any time to gather his thoughts as he sees a hysterical crowd and hears the sirens that lead to the trouble, to PS 38, the school where his friend Iris works.

He asks a hot dog vendor for the score, and he replies that terrorists have taken over the school, and took one teacher and a classful of kids hostage. And as if to answer Karate Kid’s next question, a school window shatters, revealing Master Hand, who sports a large sword and a metal hook for hands. 

Master Hand demands that all western trade and influence in the orient be removed within one month, or the streets of every major American city will flow red with blood. And to make sure they know he is not jesting, he thrusts Iris to the window, showing her panic and terror.

The sight of Iris propels Karate Kid into action, but as he makes his way to the building he is restrained by a group of officers who tell him that no one gets past the barricade. They have orders.

Karate Kid does as well, orders from the heart. And he quickly maneuvers his way through the group of officers, delivering mighty punches, elbows, and kicks in the process.

But just before he can make another chance to save Iris, he is halted once more, but this time by Police Commissioner Banner, who warns him that he is interfering in official police business. And if he interferes anymore, he will find himself in a jail cell.

Karate Kid relents and walks away. For now.

Meanwhile, Iris pleads for the safety of her students, reminding Master Hand that they are only children. Master Hand laughs at her plea and mocks her for speaking of the innocence of her own people, when they are responsible for the corruption of an entire culture.

But what do you mean Master Hand? Let him tell you…

“You see, I am a Samurai! A member of a warrior aristocracy as old as Japan itself! Only a cruel jest of nature robbed me of that heritage when I was born without hands!”

“Oh, the government provided me with demeaning hooks, and training enough to wiled a rubber stamp—but the glories of birthright were lost to me!”

“Ironically, however, it was that same cruel fate that proved my greatest fortune as well—for it gave me time to think, to observe. And as I watched, I saw the corruptive influence of western culture slowly rise, tearing at the very foundations that once made Japan the Empire Supreme!”

“Naturally my reaction to this observation was anger, but there was nothing I could do, until one day, a revelation burst upon me! The spirits of my ancestors appeared before my eyes, and I suddenly knew that the responsibility for restoring Japan to her previous state of purity—was mine!”

“Dutifully, I replaced meaningless hook with ancestral sword—and swore to bring that blade the honor it deserved.” 

“Which is why I have come here—to begin a crusade for dignity, for justice!”

With his backstory over, Iris remarks that there will be quite a few parents who will ask her to explain justice.

Later that evening, a police observation helicopter makes its way over the building with a long figure hanging on its underside. The figure? Karate Kid! He releases his grip and with efficiency, lands on top of Iris’ building. 

Believing surprise is on his side, he is immediately disappointed as a group of armed thugs reveal themselves.They taunt Karate Kid and believe their only problem is deciding, which one of them will deliver the death blow.

Lucky for us Karate Kid is quite generous, because he helps them narrow down their choices, by taking two of them out effortlessly. The remaining four surround Val in silence, perhaps now a bit more weary of their opponent. And weary they should be because numbers are not on their side. One engages but Val delivers a solid side kick to the gut. He then turns with a two handed slice to the other. Squaring up in the middle of the remaining two, he hits them both, bringing them to the ground. Karate Kid doesn’t take the time to admire his work but continues his journey to find Iris and the children.

Several levels below we find Master Hand telling Iris that their time is up. But rudely he is interrupted by Karate Kid who crashes through the overhead window. He dodges a sweep of the sword from Master Hand and delivers a fierce kick to his midriff.

Val tells Iris to grab the kids and get out. But her reply is that it is impossible. The children are held at gunpoint. 

Master Hand laughs and despite Karate Kid’s obvious “Asian” heritage, he still disappoints him. He would think it is obvious that his cause is noble and that he fights for honor.

Val disagrees. There is little honor is murdering women and children. Karate Kid challenges Master Hand to a fight, one on one. Master Hand pauses to consider but quickly agrees. A fight it will be, but one…to the death.

Master Hand warns his henchmen to honor the outcome of the battle. Without wasting time he swings his sword and Val manages to dodge it just in time, and delivers a kick of his own. Master Hand quickly recovers and swings his hooked hand while following with another slice with his sword. Val dodges it again just in time but Master Hand draws first blood. 

Val sees a set of weights and grabs the barbell, using it as a staff to block Master Hand’s incoming thrusts.

The conflict continues—a chudan slash, a bo-jitsu block, a kendo thrust—as the two silent combatants clash with seemingly equal skills. But that equality is illusion—for where one battles with the frenzy of madness, the other counters with discipline, with concentration. And it is this difference that ultimately etches the thin line between defeat and victory. 

And after Master Hand’s last attempt at a sword thrust, Karate Kid uses the barbell as leverage and kicks him with both feet, crashing him against the wall. 

Master Hand looks at Karate Kid and admits defeat. There is only one thing left to do. Iris screams at Val that he’s going to take his own life. Val leaps toward Master Hand’s sword as he kneels to plunge it in his own body, and delivers a ferocious kick, hits the sword, breaking the blade squarely off his hand. 

Master Hand is furious, why would he rob him of his honor? He has nothing left to live for. But Val says it is not true. Because even in this day and age, he finds it hard to consider life “nothing.” 

Later, Master Hand and his henchmen are taken into police custody, a furious Police Commissioner Banner appears and points his finger straight at Karate Kid, He warned him not to mess get involved and now he’s under ar—

But before the Commissioner can finish his sentence he is interrupted by Perkins, Special Agent for the Governor’s Office. The governor has been watching this affair closely and he is authorized to present Val with a certificate as a token of their gratitude. The certificate? Honorary status of Special Police Officer in the State of New York—answerable only to the governor!

With pride Val holds the certificate in one hand, and with his other arm around Iris leaves a steaming Commissioner behind.

Next: The Time Thief! The mysterious Monitor! And War on the Streets of New York!

Creative Team

This was a very fun and action packed issue. Seeing the Legion of Super-Heroes again in the very beginning was a welcome sight and also explained how Karate Kid is able to move between the two time periods. Also it did reinforce the premise of him not having super-powers and his need to find himself and get his head on straight. And the only way for him to do that is to continue to be a man out of his time. 

Michelinie also expanded the core cast of characters a bit with the introduction of Commissioner Banner. I do wonder if we will see him again and if he will be that antagonist that is trying to trap our hero, but is foiled every issue.

But what really made this issue shine was Ric Estrada and Joe Staton. They brought so much movement and style to Karate Kid that his flips, fight moves, and running around New York City is a joy to look at. They continue to be the perfect pair for the book.

But again we have to ask, where is this book going? I do like how we’re getting new villains from the creative team to spice up Val’s world, but the book is falling into the villain of the month trope. I want to see some high stakes and a bit more insight into Val and Iris’ relationship and not to mention Iris herself. She’s a very interesting character so I do hope we can see more of her and her development. 

But I’m also quite happy for the moment and the book has just the right amount of action, with colorful villains, and a great writing and art team that it is a worthy addition to the Legion of Super-Heroes. 

Karate Comments

We have three letters in this issue’s Karate Kid. Let’s roll up our sleeves because it’s time to get something cleared up once and for all. 

The first letter is from Scott Gibson who asks about the potential conflict between Princess Projectra, who is Val’s lady companion. The editor teases a meeting between the two that will occur in issue #7 or #8. So there’s something fun to look forward to.

Bruce Parrello delivers the second letter and I do like his because he takes a dig at the creative team for including the United Nations as a point of interest for Major Disaster. Which takes you out of it if you think destroying the United Nations is going to make the world stop. The UN didn’t have a lot of power in 1976 and it doesn’t have a lot of power now. So that was funny.

However, he then praises the book and and ends on something interesting:

“If David Michelinie can continue in the same vein, Karate Kid will be a welcome addition to the DC lineup.”

To which the editor replies:

“Unfortunately, David got sidetracked on his way to this mag, but we think Barry’s doing a fine job of filling in. As for the location to which David was sidetracked, we suggest you watch the newsstands for two new DC mags: Starfire, on sale now, and a new sensational new science-fiction series that David is currently developing for release late this summer.”

Okay. I’ve just about had it. Barry Jameson is David Michelinie and why they keep pretending he is not is mind boggling. So, I decided to crack the ole knuckles, put on my dusty sleuth hat, and did some Google Searching. I found this interesting article from CBR that gives a great explanation on what is going on. And it actually affects this book directly.

Long story short, Barry Jameson was created by David Michelinie with the intention of having Paul Levitz help him write the book. As we know Levitz wrote the first issue but because he was quite young at the time, the higher-ups wanted him off the book and brought on Michelinie. Michelinie wrote the second book based on a plot by Levitz and decided to use the pseudonym Barry Jameson so they could continue writing it together.

However that ended up not occurring but Michelinie continued to use Barry Jameson for the rest of the book. So there you go. Mystery solved!

But what is also amusing is that DC gave Jameson a sendoff in The Secret Society of Super-Villains #12 that was obviously tongue in cheek. And to make it more interesting, I quite recently just finished collecting and reading that series so here’s the snapshot from my own copy (CBR also included one of their own in their article above).

And for a final plug, I can’t recommend The Secret Society of Super-Villains enough. It’s a quirky little book that ended up being a bit difficult to collect because it weaved in and out of Super-Team and had it’s own special. And the order was wacky plus it just ends at issue #12. Plus it’s all about Captain Comet which is why I decided to collect it in the first place. For your convenience I have included the reading order below, making my pain your gain:

• The Secret Society of Super-Villains #’s 1-6
• DC Special #27
• The Secret Society of Super-Villains #’s 7-9
• Super-Team Family #13
• The Secret Society of Super-Villains #10
• The Secret Society of Super-Villains Special (DC Special Series #6)
• Super-Team Family #14
• The Secret Society of Super-Villains #11
• The Secret Society of Super-Villains #12

Super-Karate Hour

Our Super-Karate Hour moment is right in the beginning. When the Legion of Super-Heroes were down for the count and not able to take down that evil robot. Karate Kid literally flies in with a side kick and knocks the robot’s head off. It was a glorious panel, expertly depicted by our friends Ric Estrada and Joe Staton. I hope you enjoyed it because I sure did.

And that’s it for this week’s write up fellow Karate fans! Until next time and as my fellow Missourian Bob Rodi liked to say…

KEEP KICKIN’!