Friday, May 4, 2007

DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #1 - Apr. 1980

DC was so gung-ho about their new digests that they decided to start a second title less than six months after the first. In terms of content, they would be indistinguishable, and with even the titles being so similar I can imagine what a headache it must have been for news vendors to order the two different titles and keep it all straight ("I can't keep all this comic book crap straight! I have to order more Slim-Jims!").

As we'll see later on, the Legion of Super-Heroes were huge digest stars--they racked up nearly as many appearances as Superman! I guess DC felt so sure of them that they were chosen to headline this premiere issue.

Stories include:
"The Legion of Super-Heroes" by Otto Binder and Al Plastino (their first appearance from Adventure Comics #247) 
"The Rogue Legionnaire" by Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, and George Klein
"The Legion of Substitute Heroes" by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte (who must have had a stiff drink in hand to get through it)
 
• Plus the three-part "The Fatal Five!" by Shooter, Swan, and Klein, which is the famous story where Ferro Lad sacrifices himself to save the universe!

...and, like a lot of the digests, topped off with some nice, bright front and back covers by Dick Giordano. What an amazing resource it must have been, to have someone like Giordano on staff to knock out a cover now and again!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This isn't really about the digest, but man Cosmic Boy's 70s outfit has to take the cake as worst Super Hero outfit ever. No offense to Mike Grell or the late, great Dave Cockrum (I'm assuming one of them designed it) but how does that even work? Is it electric tape he just sticks to his sides?

Not that his original outfit seen below is much better. Pink?

At least they made it purple post-Crisis.

Chris