One of the benefits of being taken under the Warner Brothers wing in 1968 was that suddenly new avenues of exposure opened up for DC Comics. Pocket Books, wall posters... even calendars eventually became available to the comic buying public as never before. For three years in the late seventies, beginning in 1976 and ending in 1978, Warner Books produced calendars featuring DC's most popular characters. Whereas the man on the street might not have known who the group of teenagers from the 30th Century were, Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was, at that time, one of DC's best-selling comics, and so their inclusion in the calendars was a natural choice.

At the time of the first calendar, Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes was one of DC's best-selling comics, and so it led off the year with a Neal Adams image of every current Legionnaire flying into action. So popular was the image that it was used a year later as the cover of a Tempo pocket book, albeit in a slightly edited form. Founding member Lightning Lad was shown proudly carrying the Legion banner, and Superboy smiled and waved to the audience. Adams had previously drawn the Legionnaires on the covers of Adventure Comics in the 1960s, but an image of the then newly redesigned Legion by the artist is rare.

1977 brought a change in the Legion's entry as they were given a large poster in the center of the calendar, but no month within. In a very Planet of the Apes inspired piece, the Legionnaires are shown battling the Fatal Five in the ruins of the Statue of Liberty, with Karate Kid (who then had his own comic) featured prominently in the center. A cropped version of the same image was also used as the back cover, with the various Legionnaires spouting dialogue pertaining to the calendar itself. While Colossal Boy may have had such lines as, "Back off, Evil-Doer! You will not stop the world from buying the 1977 Super DC Calendar with a dynamic free poster featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes!", Wildfire was reduced to saying, "ISBN 0-486-87383-2," and other such clerical lines. The popularity of the Legion as a feature may be inferred from it's prominent place in both the center and on the back cover of the calendar, areas usually reserved for the publisher's most popular characters.

1978 saw a reversal in fortune for the Legionnaires as they occupied the month of December. Again, Karate Kid, the only Legionnaire other than Superboy and Supergirl to hold his own title (at the time) was featured prominently, and the fact that he was currently living in the 20th Century was incorporated into the "plot" of the month. Each month that year told a story, and in December the Legion of Super-Heroes visited their detached member in the 20th Century to experience a 20th Century Christmas. While in the then-present, Toyman decided to unleash "pandemonium" in a department store only two days before Christmas, a time which (the calendar notes) is a "madhouse."

1979 saw no calendar, and neither did 1980. The reasons why Warner Books suddenly decided to discontinue their super-hero calendar line are unknown, but the assumption may be made that poor sales were the deciding factor. In any event, all three calendars have become collector's items, and may periodically be seen on ebay.

For more information on the above DC Calendars, visit the following Bob Rozakis' column at silverbulletcomics.com.