A Valorous Letter, Read but Unheeded

Category: Letters pages
Last article published: 11 May 2016
This is the 6th post under this label

I've talked about the very few (and very lame) letters I've had printed in comics' letters pages back in the day, but my thanks to the Grand Poomba of the Legion of Super-Bloggers, Little Russell Burbage, for spotting one I'd completely forgotten in Valor #14 (reacting to #10). Here we go:
I'm repeating someone else's sentiment, but I think it needed to be said again and again. Basically, look, we get that Valor is about a young hero coming into his own, but he's never gonna come into his own if he's perpetually saddled with guest-stars who steal all his thunder. They say they hear me, but has anything changed since issue 10? No! It's even gotten worse!

Like, I was right that Mark Waid brought some excitement to the book, but that was mostly by making it tie into what was happening with the Legion of Super-Heroes!
In fact, the last couple issues of the book will have done away with Young Valor completely and just be a bonus book for the LSH during Zero Hour. But never mind the Legion, we're in the present day, and so...
Right. Some version of the Justice League, with several big guns. They've got to be in it too. Oh, and they need to save Valor's bacon, because that's part of what's been going on for more than a year - Lar Gand getting OWNED every issue.
And getting the Legion and JLA to show up in your solo title would normally be enough, but look who else crashes the party:
Okay, Superman, we know you're a big deal, geez. Can't this kid have a solo book that is ACTUALLY a solo book?

Ironically, it won't happen until Superman goes to New Krypton and leaves him in charge of "Superman". I was shouting at the ocean on this one.

Comments

Tony Laplume said…
It’s weird, because although I wasn’t a regular reader, I always enjoyed Valor. I don’t think it could hurt a character who sort of by definition was a generic superhero (created to replace Superboy but otherwise very little to distinguish himself) to constantly play off of other characters. It would be interesting to revisit to see if he was “a guest-star in his own series.” My instinct tells me it could be read in more than one way. As the rare Legionnaire to have a solo series (ever?), that was kind of by definition a hook, not to mention the interpretation of his character anyone approaching from his origin would have had. I mean, there was already another Superboy, with his own series, and this was an era drenched in teen characters with their own titles. Anyway...
Siskoid said…
The other Legionnaire who got their own title was Karate Kid. A couple others had mini-series, but of we're thinking monthly only.