KARATE KID #12 (1978)
by Bob Rozakis & Juan Ortiz
cover by Rich Buckler
We’re in the endgame now: after 11 issues of insanity by Michelinie & Estrada, we now begin the Rozakis & Ortiz era. Just 4 issues, plus a couple of epilogues on different series.
Will Rozakis manage to salvage Karate Kid’s reputation?
Well it begins with Karate Kid being teleported by a weird energy beam, so who knows?
Since he’s disappeared, after being rejected last issue Iris decides that if she’s not going to be a love interest she might as well look for the plot on her own.
Jumping ahead in the story a little bit, she’s volunteering at S.T.A.R. Labs for… something we’re not going to discover this time.
“Meanwhile”, Karate Kid discovers that he’s in Smallville during… are you kidding me!?
Another earthquake AGAIN!?!?
Karate Kid wonders if Major Disaster is behind this… which makes sense as he was behind BOTH previous earthquakes he fought… but no, the source is actually Superboy!
This might feel random… and it kind of is… but if you’re trying to get Karate Kid back to basics, having him fight Superboy makes sense since it was literally the first thing we saw him do in his first appearance.
This time it’s not a friendly match, though, because this Superboy doesn’t recognize Karate Kid.
This is the bare minimum, but you have no idea how refreshing it is to see a COMPETENT Karate Kid again!!!
There’s still enough silliness to go around, of course.
Behold: Karate Kid’s advanced martial art of throwing rocks!
If this was the Kid from the previous issues, he would’ve just run away immediately. This one at the very least has the good grace to use lead to confuse Superboy.
Not that it matters much, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.
All jokes aside, THIS is the Karate Kid I remember from Legion stories.
Step 1: make Superboy angry
Step 2: grab his cape
Step 3: ???
Karate Kid lands in a barn that he discovers is fake, leading him to deduce that this entire thing is a scheme by Major Disaster.
And he’s half right!
He’s also right about the town being fake and not the real Smallville… and that’s because this is a fake town that Superboy built himself! WTF!?
Sounds legit. At least enough to bury the hatchet.
OR IS IT?
And so we end with the cliffhanger of Karate Kid fighting Superboy… while the 1960s Legion shows up!
Historical significance: 2/10
Believe it or not, Iris going to S.T.A.R. Labs is the most significant scene.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Spoiler alert: Superboy is telling the truth, he really DID build an entire second Smallville to study earthquakes!
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
Karate Kid is still making too many stupid decisions in order for the plot to happen, but dammit if this isn’t leagues better than the previous 11 issues combined!!!