Karate Kid #1

Karate Kid #1, published by DC Comics in March 1976, marked the first solo title for the character Val Armorr. Originally created by Jim Shooter and Jim Mooney in 1966 for the Legion of Super-Heroes, the character was elevated to lead his own limited series during a period when DC was diversifying its roster to capitalize on the rising popularity of martial arts cinema in American culture. The series sought to translate the character's futuristic, high-stakes science fiction environment into a grounded adventure format that highlighted his hand-to-hand combat prowess.

The series was written by Bob Rozakis and illustrated by Ric Estrada. In designing the book, the creative team aimed to blend the established 30th-century aesthetic of the Legion with the gritty, focused tropes of contemporary martial arts stories. While the series was relatively short-lived, it is remembered by collectors for its attempt to frame a classic superhero archetype through the lens of a discipline-focused combatant, serving as a distinct stylistic bridge between the Silver Age and the more experimental tones of late 1970s comics.