TALES OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #342

Cover shows good color and gloss with sharp corners; minor edge wear visible along the bottom left border and a faint crease near the lower spine area. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are apparent, though the book is in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment of spine stress. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #342 belongs to the second phase of DC's two-tier Legion experiment, in which the deluxe Baxter-paper Legion of Super-Heroes was reprinted on newsstand paper roughly a year behind the original. This issue reprints Legion of Super-Heroes (1984 series) #17, "A New Beginning," written by Paul Levitz with art by Greg LaRocque and Larry Mahlstedt, the chapter that reset the team's roster and status quo following the Crisis-era reshuffling and that carries a retelling of the Legion's origin along with a Legionnaires' Fact File. The draw for most buyers is the Steve Lightle cover, which arranges the entire mid-1980s lineup — Sensor Girl, Quislet, Tellus, Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Blok and the rest — into a single group composition, and stands among the better-remembered images from his Legion tenure.