YMMV / The Death of Lightning Lad

• Harsher in Hindsight: In issue #305, Antennae Boy, an applicant for Legionnaire, can pick up radio broadcasts from anywhere and anywhen on Earth. As showing off his power, he picks up a news bulletin stating John F. Kennedy has been re-elected president of U.S. In real life, Kennedy would not even serve one full term because he was murdered only eleven months after that issue came out.
• I Knew It!: After reading Adventure Comics #304 (January, 1963), astute Legion readers guessed that Lightning Lad would not stay dead because an adult Garth Ranzz previously popped up in Action Comics #289 (June, 1962).
• Older Than They Think: If you ask someone who the first superhero to die and come back to life is, many will cite Jean Grey in The Dark Phoenix Saga. However, this storyline predates The Dark Phoenix Saga by 19 years.
• Once Original, Now Common: One of the main heroes dying and remaining dead for a long time before being revived was shocking and surprising in 1963.
• Signature Scene: The cover of Adventure Comics #312, wherein six Legionnaires volunteer to exchange their lives for Lightning Lad's, is one of the most memorables of the Legion of Super-Heroes' history.
• Unintentional Period Piece: The story presumes that John F. Kennedy will be re-elected for a second term less than one year before his murder.

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