August, 1971: Superboy #178

Encouraged by my previous purchase of an issue of Jimmy Olsen, I began trying some other comic books. One of those that followed in August, 1971 was this issue of Superboy.
Remember, I was a monster fan, not a comic book fan, so it was definitely the vampire bat angle on this terrific Neal Adams cover that attracted me, as well as some familiarity with the Superboy concept, thanks to his TV cartoon adventures from a few years earlier.
Although I was not, in general, interested in the humor comic books, at the age of 11 I still had plenty of appreciation for the lighter stuff, and I think the Superbaby story had more of an impact than the forgettable Super-Vampire Bat lead. I was fascinated by the range of "Superman Family" characters that evidently had their own comics--Superboy I'd heard of, but Superbaby?! Just how far did these superhero families extend, anyway? I didn't know...I had no comprehension of the shared universe of comic book characters, but I was soon to learn how far and wide the threads between characters and titles spread.
Also in this issue, I encountered, for the first time, the Legion of Super-Heroes, in a reprint story that featured the debut of "The Lone Wolf Legionnaire," a.k.a. Timberwolf. I don't remember being at all put off by the massive roster of the Legion, and I absolutely loved this "Timberwolf" character. He was kind of like a werewolf (appealing to my monster-loving nature) and he had a brownish-orange costume, which seemed unique to me, and he had a great code name.
The lead story in this issue was scripted by Leo Dorfman. He died a few years later, and so his work never made enough of an impact on me for me to form an impression of his talent. Bob Brown pencilled the Superboy story, and his name was one I soon became quick to recognize, as he drew several of the earliest comics I bought. Brown looked better in this, my initial impression, than he did in later comics I would sample, thanks to the inking of Murphy Anderson, whose polish here set the standard for me. It would be a little while before I really started paying serious attention to the art credits, and even longer for me to learn to spot inkers, but Anderson's lush work must have made some impression, as I've ever since felt very comforted by his linework. (The same three-man team did the Superbaby back-up strip.)