Comic Title: Adventure Comics #503
Publisher: DC (DC Comics Inc.)
Address: 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: September 1983
On Sale Date: June 2, 1983 Newsstand Date June 2, 1983
Source: Comic Reader, #211

Newsstand Date June 2, 1983
Source: Amazing Heroes, #26

Shipping Date May 10, 1983
Source: Comic Reader, #211

Shipping Date May 10, 1983
Source: Amazing Heroes, #26

Shipping Date May 10, 1983
Source: Comics Journal, #82

Copyright Date May 10, 1983
Source: Library of Congress, Copyright Office 1983
DC publication dates beyond April 1981 listed by the LoC
represent shipping dates NOT newsstand sale dates

Frequency: Monthly
Cover Price: $1.25
Page Count: 96
Editor: Nicola Cuti

See Also: The Guide to DC Giants

Title: (The Story of the Newsboy Legion)
Pages: 13

Feature(s):
Newsboy Legion (of Earth-2)

Writer/Penciller: Jack Kirby
Writer/Inker: Joe Simon

Reprinted From:
Star Spangled Comics #7 (1942)

Feature Character(s)

• Newsboy Legion (first appearance; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)
• Gabby (first appearance; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)
• Scrapper (first appearance; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)
• Big Words (first appearance; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)
• Tommy (first appearance; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)

Supporting Character(s)

• Guardian (Jim Harper; origin and first appearance; also appears in All-Star Squadron Annual #1 between page 4 panels 2 and 3; last appearance in All-Star Squadron Annual #1; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #8)

Villain(s)

• Frankie the Fence, Chips Carder, and their men (no further appearances)
• A gang of kidnappers (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• An unnamed police sergeant (no further appearances)
• Judge Collins (no further appearances)

Comments:
The Guardian teams with several members of the All-Star Squadron in All-Star Squadron Annual #1 in between panels 2 and 3 on page 4 of this story. His origin is told in this story and further expanded upon in flashback in All-Star Squadron Annual #1.

Synopsis:
After patroling his beat on Suicide Slum, rookie cop Jim Harper is beaten by thugs. Anxious for retribution, Harper dons a costume, shield, and crash helmet and pursues the thugs. The crooks call him a super-hero, but he prefers to be called the Guardian.

The next day, Harper rounds up four boy hooligans and arrests them. The judge wants to send them to reform school, but Harper wants to make a difference for them, so he agrees to become their guardian.

The boys continue on their path toward crime, until Frankie the Fence uses them as a distraction to commit and robbery and a man is killed. The boys help the Guardian stop Frankie and his boss, Chips Carder. Later the boys suspect the Guardian is Jim Harper.