Karate Kid #5

The Legion of Super-Heroes' martial arts master takes center stage in this 1976 DC adventure, with a cover by Ernie Chua and Mike Grell that puts Karate Kid mid-flying-kick, connecting square with a blond-haired adversary identified by the cover copy as Commander Blud — surrounded by a swarm of rifle-toting soldiers in a gritty urban setting. The cover's speech balloon warns that stopping Blud today is nothing less than a matter of saving the future itself, lending the action real urgency. "The Tomorrow Thief" promises exactly the kind of time-spanning, high-stakes combat that makes Karate Kid one of DC's most distinct solo titles of the era.