Speaking of which, never has the fan interaction been so integral to comic books than in the annual membership voting of The Legion Of Super-Heroes! It seems odd now that they're nothing but a Golden Age curio, but for a while the superhero team from the 30th century was one of DC's top-tier books, often co-starring a time travelling young Superman. One of the hearty perennials of the Legion Of Super-Heroes was their regular renewal of their line-up, each year holding auditions for new young heroes to join their team. And like, this actually did happen every year. Like it was being told in real time or something. Every year an issue would be put aside to X-Factor: Legion Edition. The craziest part was that, after reading 24 pages of Matter-Eater Lad and Arm-Fall-Off-Boy (both real characters and real members of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, in case you were in any doubt as to the book's tone), fans then had to write in to vote which of the prospective new members became part of the team. And unlike that Wolverine debacle, it actually stuck.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
