I FINALLY read LSH 268 -- the infamous Doctor Mayavale story.

And...

I LOVED it!

So you like Ike, Stu?

He always spoke fondly of you on this board

What STU, are you trying to get yourself banned again?

It didn't work for me, but I'm glad it spoke to someone!

IMHO, when you combine a weak story with "later" Ditko art, it just isn't a very compelling book. And Mayavale himself was just a freaky dude to begin with...

There was a thread here on good things about the Dr. Mayavale issue - Durlan proverbs (in Durlan!), Nura in bondage, the concept of a reincarnating villain, a few others. What did you love about it Stu?

What I really liked was the fine line it tread between being serious and being self-consciously cheesy.

The Legionnaires' involvement was pretty straightforward, and the discussion of reincarnation was a notch above the comic book norm, yet I can't imagine that the character design of the good doctor wasn't meant to evoke a giggle or two, as well as lines like the following:

"And Doctor Mayavale laughs for a full hour..."

Another bonus is the old-school ads.

Who knew that Richie Rich's family got rich because Richie's dad sold Grit as a boy...?

Ah, I'm glad you liked my story, my old friend!

And there's nothing like a good laugh to shake the cobwebs outta one's mind!

An hour of laughter a day keeps the Doctor in play, I always say!

Another bonus -- learning about some of the non-terran forms of martial arts mastered by Karate Kid, including Arcturian sli-tiia... and Venusian txrxvrx...

And, of course, Dream Girl demonstrating some good ol' fashioned Naltorian ass-kicking...

Wheeling mists... >sniff<