Karate Kid #12

Karate Kid #12, published by DC Comics in 1978, serves as a notable installment in the short-lived series focusing on Val Armorr, a character originally introduced in the Legion of Super-Heroes. By the late 1970s, DC sought to capitalize on the rising cultural fascination with martial arts, spinning off the character into his own title. This issue continues the series' attempt to ground a superhero narrative within the aesthetic of a classic martial arts adventure, set against the backdrop of the 31st century.

The issue features the creative work of writer David Michelinie and artist Ric Estrada, who maintained the series' established visual language characterized by kinetic action sequences and traditional comic book storytelling. While the Karate Kid series was ultimately brief, it remains a distinct curiosity for collectors of 1970s DC lore, marking a period when the publisher actively experimented with blending genre-specific themes like kung fu with their established science fiction continuity.