Continued from this thread.

Pretty much the same as the last thread, only we've decided to slow the pace down to three stories a week in order to give more people a chance to participate and more time to comment on one anothers' reviews.

So, for roughly the next month, we'll be reading the stories in Archives #2. That includes Adventure 306-312, Jimmy Olsen 72, and Adventure 313-317.

Feel free to join us!

You might mention the issues covered for those of us who don't have the Archives. I just have the originals.

So I just reread this story on screen. It's the first time I've read a whole comic story that way. I've been scanning my Adventure collection and I'm up to Adv. 373.

The splash page of Adv. 306, The Legion of Substitute Heroes, is kind of humorous. Night Girl's legs are too short for her torso and Polar Boy is so tiny he looks like a midget.

It's kind of odd seeing such now well-known characters as Polar Boy, Night Girl, and Chlorophyl Kid showing up for a Legion tryout for the first time as unknown applicants.

I love the instant blankets that appear automatically when Polar Boy demonstrates his power. A beta version of the Legion's protective transuits that would appear much later, perhaps?

It cracks me up the way they used such perfect grammar back in these stories. Both Bouncing Boy and Night Girl say, "And I, too." instead of "me too" as most people would say colloquially.

Interesting that Mon-El is already so well known throughout the galaxy, having only left the Phantom Zone to become a Legionnaire the issue before. Night Girl's father says her strength is second only to his and Superboy's. Does that make her stronger than Supergirl? Or is this just another instance of her being overlooked in the Legionverse? I guess Ultra Boy doesn't have ultra strength yet at this time and Lone Wolf's scientist father hasn't given him his strength yet, so we don't know how they compare. Ironic that sunlight grants the super-cousins their strength, but robs Lydda of hers.

I love that Stone Boy's whole family dresses alike, as well as Polar Boy's whole community apparently. Why in the heck are they all wearing parkas in a desert?

It's a good thing Fire Lad was wearing a costume with flames all over it the day he got his powers! Made it easier for the gods to decide who to give flame breath to I'm sure!

I wonder who owns that mountain the Subs have laid claim to. Shirley, there's not a speck of unclaimed land left on Earth by the 30th century!

The plant men are said to be intelligent and they're obviously alive. So aren't the Subs committing murder by burning their seeds? They'll never get into the Legion that way!

Poor Stone Boy. Always moping about how useless he was. Makes you wonder how he got up the gumption to try out in the first place.

Finally on the last page! The SCIENCE Police!

There are 3 letters in the Smallville Mailsack relating to the Legion, all commenting on Lightning Lad's death. Two were in favor, one opposed. The last one wanted to know when we get to see how the Kents die. Bloodthirsty little tyke wasn't he?

So here we go: Archives #2! And kicking things off is my favorite of all the Silver Age Legion writers, Edmond Hamilton. We'll discuss Hamilton's many virtues as we go through the stories so I'll hold off on any broad commentary for now; however I will say that my favorite type of Hamilton story is "heroism from unlikely places" / "outsider finding his place in society" stories. Hamilton's emphasis on this type of story really helped the Legion as a franchise refine its identity.

With Forte, my favorite Legion artist, and Hamilton, my favorite Legion writer, this is going to be fun!

Hamilton's first story touches on hat I say above by introducing one of the great elements of the Silver Age Legion: the Legion of Substitute Heroes. To me they are the ultimate "losers and failures prove their heroism by sheer courage and determination". Nobody captures this better than Polar Boy, who Forte smartly depicts as small and in the vein of a "100 lbs weakling".

Even though by now he was basically washed up in Hollywood, I wonder if Mickey Rooney provided any inspiration for Brek?

The Avenue of the Super-Heroes! The Sun Boy statue was remade after all!

Note Brek says "a few people" on Tharr have developed this power--not everyone. Thus, my theory Olen Jor did not have ice powers, but Jan Jor did!

Night Girl appears as perhaps the most glamorous Forte girl yet! Simply beautiful and statuesque. And while her hair style is squarely appropriate for 1962-63, her chic airings and rather fashion forward costume are pretty great. But my favorite bit is the little owl and its funny eyes.

The other three Subs are even more likely to be rejected. Though he looks the most noble (and later shows it), Stone Boy's power is pretty weak. Meanwhile I'm amused the Legion thought Fire Lad might cause "accidental holocausts". And is this Gold K landing in front of him? Poor Chlor never had a chance with a piece of broccoli as his uniform emblem, even if his origin is a low key Swamp Thing type story.

Artificially evolved sea monsters?!! What in the name of Jurassic Park?!!

Good to see Colossal Boy being prolific this issue!

Are the Plant Men distant cousins of the Treemen of Arbo?

Hamilton really ups the tension as the story comes to a close. Things go wrong and the Subs seem hopelessly outmatched. Yet Polar Boy almost wills their success!

And the ending is great: they succeed but no one knows. Yet, they have not done this for accolades. They've done it to win back their self-respect and carve out a place in society for themselves. Truly a heroic tale!

Something else else I really like about the 2nd Archive in general, and we'll see the specifics of this, is that it tells too concurrent storylines throughout.

The first is the story of the Subs, as they are highly prolific throughout 1963 and 1964. Hamilton obviously had a lot to say on the subject and while he'd later showcase some other super-outcasts (Beast Boy, Lone Wolf, etc), he had a real affinity for the Subs.

The second story is what I'd refer to as the final steps to establish the "classic line-up". Over a series of issues now we'll get: Element Lad, Lightning Lass, Jimmy Olsen's Honorary Membership, Lightning Lad's resurrection, and then to cap it all off, they'll finally remember the forgotten Star Boy and return him to the team (and in the same story convert Ayla to Light Lass). Ultra Boy also emerged from the 2nd Archive with his classic power set. It's basically the final steps to get the classic Legion firmed up.

From there of course, there is a slow and steady series of tragedies until the great "restore everyone to their proper role" two-parter with Evillo (that also ropes in Dream Girl finally). But that story is wrapped up right in the middle of the "Shooter's 4" story arc and is a ways off.

Jim brought up the Subs HQ--I think we've speculated before that its the original JLA HQ!

Good idea. I added it to the first post!

Yay! Silver age Legiony goodness! I wish we could just pick up where Adv. 380 left off in a new ongoing series, similar to X-men First Class.

The kids and I always laugh at the Fire Lad costume bit.

I'll just wear a flame-motif costume in the trillion-to-one chance i get struck by a meteor that gives me fire-based powers of some sort. Oh cool, it happened. Hmmm, maybe I should have played the lotto instead.

Yes, the same thing happens in 2 issues with the flashback to Lightning Lad's origin. I think I"ll wear my lightning costume today just in case I get charged with lightning powers . . .

Can I post an image instead of a link? Or do I have to be a moderator?

You can post an image, but trying to post a page as if it were an image is never going to work, mod or otherwise!

My advice is just to attach it - save it, and upload it via the "Full Reply Screen" here.

Notice how Night Girl isn't a stalker in the first Subs story?

How do I attach an image? When I click on the insert image icon, it asks for a URL.

Ah! The light goes on! Thanks, Reboot.

Adventure 306

Yay! Edmond Hamilton arrives, and his first story is quite successful! Probably my favorite of the series so far!

*Gasp!* We're back in the 21st century! I thought they fixed this last issue...

As avid readers of my threads will remember, Hamilton seems to have re-used the name "Tharr" from an earlier Strange Adventures story where the super-hot world of "Thar" invaded Earth.

I love the flight attendant or whatever he is wishing Brek good luck. It's a great little detail that makes you think the entire planet must be rooting for the hometown kid.

Love the Avenue of the Super-Heroes, which expands from the Sun Boy statue a few issues back!

I also really like the idea that only a certain tribe on Polar Boy's planet has cold powers. It's kind of a neat contrast to the entire planets filled with powered people. Dawnstar would later have a similar "not unique but not shared by all her planet" origin.

This is the first issue in which flight belts are actually shown as something distinct from ordinary belts.

Night Girl lifting the Cosmic Boy statue reminds me of Magno Lad similarly lifting Cos's statue years later with a very different group of rejects.

I can't remember if it is Hamilton or Siegel who will later write Night Girl as if she had a full Kryptonian set of powers at night. Anyway, I definitely like the "reverse Kryptonian" nature of her powers being sapped by light rather than derived from it.

Sheesh! Kids these days! Wanting to stay out after dark instead of coming in and entering suspended animation as a stone statue when it's time!

Love Fire-Lad's fire-y looking hair so much more than its later depiction as actual fire.

Ral should have always kept referring to himself as The Chlorophyll Kid! It sounds so much cooler! And they really missed an opportunity by *not* drawing baby Ral in a cute little Chlorophyll onesie!

And the Subs! So much determination! Not sure how Fire Lad speaks his oath while using his power, but whatever...

Love the Subs secret cave HQ!

I believe this is the third time we've seen Gim wrestling something giant?

The Subs keep wanting to help, but aren't needed!

Those Plant-Men are actually pretty scary looking!

Stone Boy is already showing himself as the most self-sacrificing Sub! His bravado actually reminds me quite a bit of Ferro Lad later on.

Nice to see all of the Subs having a role to play in foiling the evil Plant Men plans. I'm not sure creating a massive populations explosion on a planet is the best way to prevent that planet from a tendency towards expansion, though. I guess the point is that they wrecked the equipment.

You'd think the Legionnaires would trace the robot-ships back to their point of origin and find out about the Plant Men as well, and wonder what happened.

Love the final panel of the Subs looking on as the Legionnaires bask in the adoration of the crowd at the parade! And how satisfied they are that they managed to finally save the world in secret!

Anyway, a lot to like about this issue, from the introduction of a new key element to the Legion mythology, to just watching the story of the Subs suffering rejection, then bravely trying to find a way to help, only to fail and fail before finally succeeding!

It's also amazing how well this story works with the Legionnaires as merely an element in the background rather than as the main focus of the story. It was kind of brave to try that at this early a phase in the Legion series.

It's also notable that we get the first reader-created Legion character in the form of Polar Boy this issue, thus helping to start the tradition of the Legion as a series with a very involved fandom. It's arguably the one series in comics where the fans have traditionally had the most involvement in shaping the direction of the series, and that largely begins here with Buddy LaVigne of Northbrook, Ill., and his suggestion of Polar Boy for a new Legionnaire!

It was Adv. 319 that gives Night Girl x-ray vision, EDE, but no other Kryptonian powers are mentioned. I LOVE having all these issues scanned and at my fingertips!

LMAO!

Or how about Titans Lair?

Wait ..... so he used to dress like that BEFORE he gained fire powers.

That's quite a coincidence.

and a bit eccentric.

That's OK. The only copies I have of most of these early stories are the Adventure Digest reprints. Talk about eyestrain!

It's actually a bit sad to read this first story of the Subs, in which they are so noble and self-sacrificing, and think about how they'll be objects of ridicule later. In this story, they just don't make the cut; the Legionnaires aren't insulting them or laughing at them. Still, it's life on the B-list, forever idolizing the A-list kids.

Polar Boy's personality was developed quite a bit by Hamilton; the other subs didn't stand out as much. Lydda's memorable because she's the only girl (and that beehive!) and Stone Boy is the classic guy who feels useless and proves not to be. Chlor and Fire Lad didn't seem distinctive, but for their powers.



If Brek had been drawn tall and older-looking, I don't know that his enthusiasm would have had the same effect. Here he's like the kid brother or the sidekick who wants to be like his heroes. His determination and success is all the more powerful for him being so small.



Really! There could be another untold tale of the Legion in which the Legionnaires learn the truth of who really saved Earth from that invasion.




She just hasn't openly admitted it! But she chose Cosmic Boy's statue to lift. Imagine if she had chosen Sun Boy's, we could have had an entirely different Legion!

Edmond Hamilton was certainly a much stronger writer than Jerry Siegel, at least as far as Legion stories are concerned. Hamilton's extensive career writing prose science fiction serves him well here, whereas Siegel's career pretty much began and ended with comics, IIRC.

"The Legion of Substitute Heroes" is built around a standard plot and shows how effective such a plot can be. We immediately like the protagonist (Polar Boy) and have an emotional attachment to him when he doesn't get what he wants (Legion membership). We root for him as he struggles to overcome obstacles (the Subs' declining morale and the Legion solving problems without their help), and we rejoice as he leads the Subs to victory at last! To top it all off, PB and the other Subs embody the finest quality of a Silver Age hero: they do not seek glory for themselves but rest content in knowing they made a difference.

The story is not perfect, of course. Others have pointed out the lapses in logic and the lazy depiction of Subs wearing their costumes before they got their powers. (It's either laziness or Mort or John felt readers were too stupid to recognize the heroes without their costumes.) For me, the biggest flaw is the tried-and-true method of having characters explain what the art is already depicting. On Page 10, Night has to tell us that her power returned when the sun set and that she's knocked the creature unconscious. I suppose the setting sun in two previous panels could be interpreted as a sunrise, and that a blow to the head could have killed or barely fazed the creature. Still, wouldn't it have been nice if Hamilton had trusted the artist to convey what needed to be conveyed? Or to express anything that needed to be expressed in a caption, which is not really "part" of the story?

And how many times does Stone Boy have to remind us how useless his power is? Dag, you weren't rejected by the Legion because of your power. They just didn't want a whiner on the team.

But a lot is accomplished here. It's hard to believe the story is only 14 pages long.

I was impressed by this, as well. The Legionnaires effectively become supporting characters in their own series. This shows how rich the Legion's universe was, and how it lent itself to being filled out in all sorts of ways. Some writers, editors, and fans may feel that the Legion has always had too many characters, but stories such as this show how a large cast can be a strength.

I think it's the latter. They wanted to make sure the characters were recognized. They used to depict Clark sleeping in his glasses too. I remember a reader wrote in about it once and they replied, "not a mistake, but drawn on purpose so readers would recognize him". It's odd though, that Garth is depicted in his costume in the flashback, but Ayla is not depicted in the one that she wears at the end of the story, however, she does have the bouffant hairdo that she later sports, not long hair, as the story specified she previously had.

Yes, it was quite annoying the way every character had to explain what they were doing in every panel throughout the silver age, when it was usually obvious from the art. Element Lad: "I'll use my element-changing ability to change the poisonous kryptonite to harmless helium" or some such.

Sadly, the level of some readers' intelligence didn't improve even in the 1970s. S/LSH # 211 contained a flashback in which Star Boy (now wearing his black starfield costume) recounted how he was expelled from the Legion (then wearing his purple and white costume). A wily reader complained that the artist forgot to depict Star Boy in the flashback panel--apparently not realizing he'd changed costumes!

There will always be idiotic readers, but it's unfortunate that DC often chose to write down to their level.

See also characters always wearing basically the same outfit in their civilian identities.

At the end of the day, though, I'd take the heavy exposition of the Silver Age over some more modern comics where you are just left scratching your head as to what actually happened after you read them.

Were tree-men common in sci fi or comics in this era? I'm wondering if Hamilton had used them in a story or if he took the idea from the Tree Men of Abro.

The Tree Men of Arbro couldn't reproduce because of a lack of chlorophyll - now there's a hero task for Chlorophyll Kid. This story's tree men have suffered a massive population explosion. You've got to figure there was a big die-off from this; perhaps their entire race died off as well.

There's Marvel's Groot, who first appeared in 1960 and the Cotati (from the 1970s). Tolkein's Ents go back further, and there's a raft of talking trees in fairy tales. Apart from Groot, I don't recall any tree beings in contemporary comics.

Regarding the "never deviating from costumes" idea, which as Jim says extends to civilian ID's, there's some evidence this came from Mort himself, and was done on a editor by editor basis. One Superman artist (I can't remember which one anymore) recalled that they wanted to have some fun with various clothes the characters would wear--simply to alleviate boredom at times--but Mort believed younger readers would be thrown off.

Yet over in say, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan is shown wearing a different set of clothes every issue--indeed, that is part of the charm of his social life. When Marvel really got going, their characters constantly had different clothes. So I think it really comes back to Mort (and Jack Schiff did this too).

What's funny is this was definitely *not* a thing in the Golden Age!

Wasn't Thom even wearing his old purple shirt in that story? Hard to believe that reader couldn't figure out that the guy in the flashback with the big star on his chest was STAR Boy.

Hamilton had definitely used Plant Men previously. In the Interstellar Patrol series, Plant-Men come from Capella, for example.

And Thom even had the same haircut!

Do you mean, was Thom wearing his purple shirt during the present events of the story? No. The purple shirt appears in only one panel, as Thom recalls how Brainy "proved" Thom could have stopped Kenz Nuhor without killing him.

(I use "proved" in quotation marks because Brainy ignores the fact that being hit in the head with a heavy tree limb might still have resulted in Kenz's death. Brainy was just being a good prosecutor. He would have done well on "Law and Order.")

In the panel's caption, Thom (headshot only) says, "I should know! I once killed a man in self-defense . . . but Brainiac 5 proved I could have avoided it . . ." So, even if readers were thrown momentarily by the change in costumes, a preponderance of other information should have cleared things up.

Didn't Johns retcon things so that Star Boy received his starfield costume much sooner, like around the time that he was expelled? Maybe this was the justification.

There's a fine balance between too much exposition and not enough.

The Star Boy example I mentioned above illustrates, I think, how this balance can be achieved. The reader who complained notwithstanding, the scene does not have to explain that Star Boy changed costumes. It relies on the reader being able to interpret from other information that he's the same character. The scene also does not have to identify Brainiac 5 (who does not appear elsewhere in the story); the reader can infer that he's another Legionnaire or someone with the authority to expel Star Boy from the Legion.

(Though, if readers really needed confirmation of Brainy's identity, he is depicted on the cover banner and appears in the backup story, which, coincidental to our discussion, features the Subs!)

Jim Shooter, who wrote the story in question, appears to have trusted the reader's intelligence. This is much better than Legionnaires constantly referring to themselves and each other as "Legion member Mon-El" or saying, "I'm Matter-Eater Lad. I just joined the Legion so many of you may not know me yet. Please tell me what you already know and what new readers don't."

I don't know about the retcon. If so, it doesn't seem to make any sense.

I must be remembering a different story. There's some story starring Star Boy where he's hanging out in a cut-down purple shirt from his old costume and shorts, telling another Legionnaire his hard luck story.

^^That's LSH #306.

A few random comments about Adv. 306:

Kids in the future are so technologically advanced that they can dig out their own mountain headquarters, build a spaceship, and build a "Warning Wall" monitor system.

What did happen to the plant man kayoed by Night Girl? After he woke up, was he arrested? Did he get away? Did he discover he was the last of his race? There is definitely an untold story here.

Notice the spellings of some code names. In addition to "The Chlorophyll Kid," we've got Stoneboy and Sunboy each as one word. Anomalously, Fire-Lad is spelled with a hyphen.

If super-powers existed in the real world, I get the feeling they'd be on the level of the Subs', not the near-godlike abilities most Legionnaires exhibit. But think how useful it would be to make plants grow super-fast and to super-sizes. Ral could clean up as an organic farmer. And Brek would be much in demand for food storage, beverage cooling, and cryogenics. Even Dag could rent himself out as an undercover museum security guard. So, the Subs' problem wasn't that their powers weren't good enough. It's that they defined being heroes and helping people only in Legion terms.

That said, it's awfully convenient that the invading threat just happened to be one that could be thwarted by their particular powers. If the invaders were something other than plant men, earth would have been doomed.

Well, as we'll find out in the next Subs appearance, they're also pretty effective against invading lizard men, at least those that are vulnerable to cold.

Adv 306 or Where Conjure Lass would probably end up were the Legion real life and not in my fantasy world.

WHOA, what happened to Polar Boy's NECK on the first page?!! It looks like his head is balancing on a snowball! Or that he swallowed a tennis ball!

Man, the Legion should have hired someone else to design/carve their tribute statues. Because man do those suck.

Truthfully, i've always been confused as to why they'd reject Polar Boy. True, he didn't have THAT great of control over his abilities, but in this story he seems perfectly competent. And it's the 30th century! Surely the Legionnaires could find some way to protect themselves from the cold.

Lydda is really pretty in this issue. I wish I could get my hair to do that. XD

StoneBoy's power really IS absolutely useless in a combat situation. I mean, I guess with a little creativity you might be able to use it a bit...but really? NAAAAAH.

I've never understood why the Subs didn't just FORM THEIR OWN TEAM. I mean, sure, they can stand for the same ideals as the Legion, but if they're going to be a separate team anyway they may as well just call themselves something else!

Oh, Conjure. Stone Boy useless in a fight? Perhaps...

But in the real world, Stone Boy and a modestly intelligent engineer could be wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice.

Since Stone Boy's power violates the law of conservation of mass, that means that he could be a component of an actual operating Perpetual Motion Machine of the First Kind. And that means infinite free energy!

He can buy an army to fight for him.

In retrospect, you do kind of wonder why the Subs didn't think, "Crap! I didn't make it into the Legion. Hmm... let's try the Wanderers. After all, they admitted a guy with a blowgun!"

True. True. Not only that, but The Legion of Substitute Heroes is just TOO LONG A NAME. How do they expect people to remember that?!

Yeah, but that's like hiring the Flash to power a city from an exercise bike. Given an inertron bike & chain and some super-lubricant, it could be done and would supply more energy than any conventional means, but it would be the ultimate in drudge work for the guy doing it!

...super-lubricant.

God help me, I'm so immature.

Read up on Buckyballs, which potentially carry the greatest lubrication potential known to man!

Maybe they didn't want to do all that wandering.

The potential profits for KY just shot through the roof!

posted before reading the preceding reviews

Just read the Subs debut for the first time in quite awhile. Of course, I'd forgotten most of the details. I think the Silver Age Subs story I think of most is the slightly later one (in this Archive--too lazy to check!) where one of their number is offered membership in the LSH. But this one is actually really good, expecially in how the Subs end up contributing by defeating the greater threat without anyone ever knowing.

One thing I was surprised about is that Lydda's crush/obsession with Cos is not referenced in this story at all. I thought it was present from the start. Nt the case, though, suprisingly!

Also, it's apparent here that Brek is pretty darn short! In fact, in that opening splash panel, he looks very dwarfish in his proportions, especially compared to the other two subs in the picture. I wonder if Brek is younger than the other Subs or just shorter as originally envisioned? He never seemed terribly short as later drawn by Lightle and Laroque in the '80s. That would be interesting to cross-reference, though.....

Brek also got totally PUNKED by the Legion in his try-out, as far as I'm concerned! Sure looked like he was rejected just because he made them uncomfortable! Where'd the blankets come from?!?! Was Cham the blankets?!?! I can see why the others were rejected, but it seemed like Brek was because they didn't like what he did to them. Who knows...maybe they didn't think he was 'cool' enough for their club! Peer pressure's a bitch at that age is what I'm sayin'! Brek has always seemed competent enough with the control of his powers, so I've never understood why he was rejected and didn't get to join until so much later.

Stone Boy! I couldn't help but notice that his folks seemed to be able to talk and possibly move in their stony forms in the flashbacks, but Stone Boy never seemed to be able to until his TMK 'hypno-motion' upgrade. I'll be interested to see how he's portrayed in subsequent appearances.

Fire Lad and Chlorophyll Kid also seemed pretty competent, though it's hard to see their powers adding much to the Legion as presented. Still the LSH had a human beach ball and a guy who could eat anything so....

The selflessness of the Subs and their devotion to the heroes that rejected them was actually pretty touching. Can you imagine a modern story with rejects of the Titans or even the modern Legion being presented that way? They'd either go all crazy villain on everything or throw it in the faces of the team that rejected them, right? that's the Silver Age for you, and it's really kinda refreshing!

Anyhow, great story and unusual in how the Legion just have cameos in their own feature.

And, oh yeah, before you wonder how this could be a Lardy entry---nice rack on Lydda! But she's WAY out of any of the other Sub guys' leagues! No behind the scenes shenanigans in the Subs' cave, I'm afraid...

At some point, it was established that Polar Boy was indeed the youngest of the Subs.

Lightle and Laroque definitely drew Brek as short, though not nearly as short as in the debut.

I think it was later suggested that he was below the age limit for Legionnaires as a way of helping explain his rejection (though according to the reboot version he was just short for his age).

The Postboot had a nice compromise where some Legionnaires wore civilian clothes that were heavily based on their costumes.

I wonder how much more formidable Night Girl would have been if she'd had the full range of Kryptonian powers, or at least invulnerability and speed, to go along with her super strength.

Fire Lad's powers are also very similar to Sun Boy's. it's funny how lack of control was the main reason given for rejecting Fire Lad and Polar Boy, both of whom have powers fairly common on other super-teams (e.g. Fire when she was with the Global Guardians).

Another classic Legionnaire is introduced with Element Lad! Several things strike me at once when considering his earliest appearances. First, his button nose and generally youthful appearance. He just feels *younger* than a lot of other Legionnaires. And when I read about all those years fans in the 70's and 80's speculated he was gay, surely it was because of that costume!

Of course his immense power set makes him stick out. Though you can't help but feel no one quite realized how powerful he was until the Great Darkness Saga. But all of these things don't compare to the really unique thing about him: his brutal origin! It's perhaps the most tragic origin in Legion history, and one can't help but feel there is some inspiration from the Holocaust there.

So, Camera Eye makes the cover! Jeez. How pissed would Gim, Tenz and so many others be?

A remote city being looted by high tech pirates *is* a pretty scary thing. Roxxas is probably the best Legion villain thus far, and certainly the most ruthless. To think, he's had a relatively brief number of appearances and they're all pretty great stories.

The bottom of page 2 has the three panels in one Forte panel, which will be a recurring thing. The Forte thread in the Creators Forum goes on at length about them. It's an odd, yet strangely captivating method; three separate things are going on, each with a clear border.

Green Boy and Camera Eye are two of the most lame applicants ever. Score one for civil liberties though to disallow Camera Eye in the courts. I bet he became a Dominator spy.

Once again, Imra shows leadership and authority. She just rawks.

Those little one man cruisers are kind of cool. Why did we never see them again?

Floating cities on the water world of Verunna--a classic Hamilton idea! Love the ongoing world building.

Nice to see Gim fighting something non-giant! And nice fisticuffs Jan! I didn't remember this badassery.

There's actually a lot of Legionnaires in this story! At least 8! And each one uses their power, even with Sun Boy spot-welding Verunna as Cos holds it up.

And we get one of my favorite Forte panels of all, the ancient weird monuments from a lost race that look like odd crocodile people. It's such an eerie background that truly adds to the tension.

Whoa! Roxxas wasn't in on the butchering of Trom! He doesn't seem too upset about it, but it clearly wasn't his order.

All in all, I think this is a great story. Readers could enjoy the "what is his superpower mystery?" or like me, just enjoy a strait forward great science fiction tale.

Interesting that Saturn Girl is chosen as the secret-keeper. Goes to show how well-regarded she is in terms of judgment, trustworthiness and reliability.

Adventure #306

It always cracks me up that Camera-Eye Kid makes the cover!

Still set in the 21st century, though I *believe* this is the last time.

We get challenged at the very beginning to guess Mystery Lad’s power.

Not sure I’m buying the superiority of those one man rocketships over Legion cruisers. Okay, so granted that they are somehow faster than the Legion ships, they can’t really carry much in the way of supplies, so they’re going to have to be stopping a lot at Space-McDonalds and stuff. Not to mention they’re not really going to be able carry much loot on these things (we later find out they have a “mother ship” to store it.) I definitely don’t think it makes them “the most powerful enemy we’ve ever confronted!”, as Cos says.

Cool planets this issue, from the dark world of Oranz, to the water world of Vuruna, to the unnamed world of alien statues.

I suspect poor Turns-Everything-Green Kid was really rejected for his habit of injecting random chemicals into himself! Not smart kids!

Camera-Eye Kid totally needed a better pitch! Okay, so his power might not be admissible in court, but still a living camera could come in handy on the Espionage Squad!

First appearance of Bizarro in the Legion!

This is the first story in which Invisible Kid plays a significant role. Two character traits displayed: his suspicious nature and his tendency to act behind the other Legionnaires’ backs.

Who needs Dawnstar when Saturn Girl can apparently track the pirates via telepathy!

Funny how Colossal Boy just seems to randomly show up in two panels of this story.

I wonder how often Lyle forgets to make himself visible?

Mystery Lad’s power isn’t invulnerability, as Bouncing Boy suspects!

Love “vanished civilization” planets!

Mystery Lad’s power isn’t super-strength, as Brainiac Five suspects!

Another trap by Roxxas! But Mystery Lad saves the day by vaporizing an asteroid!

But Mystery Lad’s power isn’t heat vision, as… er… Sun Boy (?) suspects!

So Mystery Lad is the one the pirates are looking for, and he’s decided to surrender to them!

And we get his origin, in a kind of oddly placed flashback. That toddler changing the lamp post to gold scene always creeps me out. Can you imagine what a toddler with that power would really be like? No wonder there’s only “a few” people on this planet! If the pirates' ships are so superior to all other ships, then how exactly did Jan get away from them? Or did he steal one of their ships? Maybe the pirates weren't using the one-man ships at that point, and adopted them after Jan escaped in one?

Anyway, note that Roxxas himself didn't murder the Trommites, and actually scolds his lackeys for doing so! And yet, it is Roxxas rather than Bob the Lackey who is later consumed with guilt for his deeds!

Poor Jan Arrah sacrifices himself so the pirates can’t use his might power! But wait… he’s still alive, thanks to Invisible Kid who has followed him and saved him!

It's hard to read this story without thinking about our own poster Mystery Lad, who has suggested that this tale fits into the standard Adventure Era pattern of love stories in which a character is believed bad, but a single Legionnaire believes in them and a single Legionnaire defies the rest of the group by proving their innocence (see Phantom Girl/Ultra Boy; Vi/Duplicate Boy; Light Lass/Timber Wolf; Star Boy/Dream Girl). Of course, the difference here is that Lyle follows Jan not because he believe in him, but because he is suspicious of him, but still, it's an interesting take on the story.

Re-reading it, it's a decent story, but not really one of my faves. I can't really put my finger on anything that doesn't work, except maybe Cos's over-hyping the villains, but it still feels like a slight let down after last issue. Maybe the problem is that the point-of-view character isn't as well-established as it should be. Maybe more focus on Lyle from the beginning would've made it stronger? (Since obviously the story can't be told from Jan's point of view). I don't know.

I suspect following this story, Green Boy has an intense hatred for yellow and red fauna!

Eryk, good point about if this story was from Lyle's viewpoint at the start. That certainly would have made it stronger.

I also couldn't help think of the Lyle / Jan romance theory here. It's something to watch throughout the run! Especially as we determine when lovesick Jan, like poor Luornu, accepts he'll never get his dreamboat when Condo arrives!

Adv. 307 is what Adv. 305 could have been. It's odd that we've got two stories built upon the same premise so close together: A new hero mystifies the Legion with nature of his power and his secret intentions.

But the stakes here are much higher. The Legion must stop Roxxas, but they're shorthanded. So they have to rely on an untested applicant (a theme that will appear again, years later, with Timber Wolf, Chemical King, Dawnstar, and others). "Mystery Lad" keeps them guessing about his power, and even Saturn Girl, who's taken into his confidence, begins to doubt his motives.

This is, from a story telling point of view, the best tale so far. Hamilton weaves separate strands--the space pirates, the suspicions over Jan, Jan's conflict over leaving the Legion "forever"--into a seamless whole. It all comes together when we find the horrific truth about Jan's origin. Here we learn that Jan had perfectly logical reasons for keeping his power a secret--he was the "object" the pirates were after.

Having written a Young Adult novel, one of the things I struggled with was whether or not depicting certain events is inappropriate for young readers. In my story, a terrorist blows up a plane, but that's nothing compared to what poor Jan goes through. The slaughter of his race reflects the very real fears kids in 1963 had over the Cold War. (This story was published a few months after the Cuban Missile Crisis.) Kids know what's going on in the world, and they know there is much to be afraid of. Stories such as Adv. 307 help young readers deal with such fears by not ignoring them. They assure readers that, even when the unthinkable happens, good can still win.

(Years later, by the way, Jim Shooter would cite the relative lack of drama over the demise of Jan's world as a source behind the amped up depiction of Dark Phoenix's destruction of a planet in X-Men. Shooter's interpretation of this story, however, was incorrect. We don't *see* Jan's reaction to the murder of his parents and world, but we don't have to. He behaves in a very mature, very soldier-like manner as he "surrenders" to the pirates and then sacrifices himself to destroy their ship. This feels much more real than the angst heroes would later wallow in while facing other tragedies.)

This is the first time Invisible Kid really has anything to do in the series, and he is used well here.

Hamilton even throws in a science lesson by having objects change color as Jan transmutes them. (Unfortunately, the reprint I'm reading is in black and white.)

This story rocks on every front! It appeals to kids by featuring the cool one-man space vehicles and the mystery over Jan's power. It appeals to adults by featuring real villains--ruthless and cunning--as well as allusions to real world fears. And it introduces us all to a new hero we can sympathize with and root for.

She was also the leader at this point, though this isn't made clear in this or other recent stories.

Interesting tidbit from the lettercol to this issue:

In response to a reader happy about Mon-El being released from the Phantom Zone and requesting he be featured in more stories:

"MON-EL will be very active in future Legionnaire stories. As a clue, we'll reveal that he will shortly become romantically involved with one of the Legion's pretty girl members."

I wonder what the heck that is referring to?

Blok fans disagree.

Adventure #307

-Boy, they sure aren't drawn like teenagers! Look at Lyle! He looks like he's at least in his late 20's.

-Brainiac 5's uniform always looks like a sweatsuit to me in these old issues. I guess he wanted to be comfortable while saving the world.

-People were always being called "wily" back in the day. I want to be referred to as "wily" at least once in my life.

-Um...Cosmic Boy....is it really a good idea to announce WHERE Invisible Kid is going to BE? I mean, that sort of defeats the whole element of surprise thing.

-Boy, it sure was easy for people to "close their minds" to Imra back then! She's definitely gotten a power boost in the past few decades.

-Waitaminute. "Our suits are made of chemical compounds and not elements..." I'm no chemistry whiz, but that doesn't make much sense. Chemical compounds, by definition, are made of chemical elements. So...why wouldn't Jan be able to...*CONFUSED*

-Lyle was actually PRETTY CLEVER in this issue! And, as a self-proclaimed Lyle fangirl, I will now have a nice fangirl flail.

*FLAILS EVERYWHERE*

I'm thinking if was Luornu, but that got changed when her crush on Superboy was used instead?

Or I guess Tinya is a candidate before that got scrapped for Jo to fit the story where he's on the run. But that's a year off, at least.

I demand to see evidence such a group exists!

(J/k, I'm a Blok fan)

In some ways, though the very idea that she can just randomly pick up the thoughts of particular people in a far off region of space and use that to track them also seems like massively more powerful than she's usually portrayed.



Apparently this was the early attempt at limiting his power. He could only effect elements when they weren't bonded in compounds. Later writers pretty much ignored this limitation, until he could basically turn any substance into any other.

It's basically those two and Vi as potential partners, since I assume Saturn Girl and Supergirl are out. I thought there might be a Supergirl story in which Mon-El makes an appearance that it might be referring to, but I'm not familiar with any.

Hm. Neither am I. If it was a Phantom Zone appearance in the 20th century that would make sense but I can't see them giving her two romantic interests in the Legions time.

It sounds like there was a loose plan that got scrapped. So since nothing would throw a Vi plan, it seems it has to be Luornu or Tinya.

Very interesting. Nice catch Eryk!

I'm in favor of it being a Vi plan that got derailed when Ayla showed up

A Tinya-Lar romance might actually have been interesting, given Tinya's ability to enter the Phantom Zone.

They were also later the winners of the Legion Popularity Contest which was the predecessor of the Legion Elections!

I supposed we had to have Camera Eye Boy on the cover as an excuse to get Superboy on there, even though he doesn't even appear in the story. Super-buttinsky Lad.

Cosmic Boy is just suspicious of Mystery Lad because he doesn't like him muscling in on his pink territory.

Why couldn't Jan have just grabbed one of the handy space helmets that were hanging right there as the crooks were escaping?

It's a bit far-fetched that Lyle was able to slip away from the others, or approach the mother ship without being seen. After all, he couldn't make his suit or speedster invisible.

Convenient that the Legion suddenly has rayguns to shoot out the rockets on Roxxas's men's ships.

I wonder why they changed Jan's costume from this one? I do like his later one much better though.

Re Brainy's sweatsuit, certainly seems appropriate for him! Substance and practicality over style!

Saturn Girl's telepathy certainly seems like one of those powers whose applications can be tweaked to suit a story. Like creating realistic illusions (hello fake Tinya in Legion Lost).

I couldn't help thinking his trunks look like a diaper.

Yet another untold story: how did Camera Eye Boy see this battle between Superboy & Bizarro? Can he see wherever he wills, even into the past and possibly the future? I think the Legion may have been far too hasty in giving him the boot.




Tinya's Phantom Zone capability would make her an ideal candidate for understanding Lar. Maybe there will be future letter column hints as to what didn't happen with the Mon-el romance.




This does seem to be the most cohesive tale yet, with a minimum of goofy kid stuff. It strikes me as one of the few early stories that could be very contemporary, with minor adjustments to dialogue and art.



I hadn't thought of it before, but there could well have been more than a few disasters caused by inexperienced Trommian toddlers.

That scene reminded me of one of the Terry Pratchett novels in which there's a city whose inhabitants regard gold as entirely useless, since it's such a soft metal.

If the inhabitants of Trom had gone out into the galaxy, they could have messed up a lot of economies!

Exactly! Me too!

One can assume this is the same Bizarro who later founds the Legion of Stupor-Bizarros... though exactly where that Bizarro comes from is indeed an untold story!

I demand a Bizarro Legion of 3 Worlds miniseries to explore all the different Bizarro Legions that have existed!

A few other comments about Adv. 307 before we move on to the introduction of Lightning Lass:

-- The name Trom is never mentioned. Jan only calls it "my native world."

-- Some logic and credibility problems have been pointed out by others, but, for me, the biggest strain on believability is that the Legion relies on an untested and untrained applicant to help them out! Just one story ago, Brainiac 5 turned down an offer from Polar Boy because the Legion didn't want "to risk the lives of untrained volunteers." I guess volunteers become more expendable when you're desperate.

-- Saturn Girl drops in a line about "maybe someday we'll find a way to bring Lightning Lad back to life, too" in a rather clunky bit of foreshadowing. Jan, after all, wasn't really dead. Maybe Imra's just an eternal optimist.

-- I've been mulling over Eryk's point that there is no clear point-of-view character, and he's right. However, I think Hamilton saw the Legionnaires as a collective protagonist, and that's why we see members sometimes popping in and out of stories without having been established as being present (e.g., Colossal Boy in this story, Supergirl in the next). So, if one sees "the Legion" as the viewpoint character, the story perhaps makes more sense.

-- Related to the above, one of Hamilton's weaknesses as a writer is that most of the Legionnaires are interchangeable as far as their personalities go. They serve the needs of the plot but express little individuality. (Siegel, at least, had Imra and Chuck come across as distinct individuals.) Lyle, in this story, is a rare exception.

Even so, I still think Adv. 307 is hands down the best story we've read so far.

written prior to reading the other comments on the issue...

I always thought Jan looked a little on the plump side in his earliest appearances. He wasn't Chuck Taine-plump, but just slightly trending toward heavy. This is highlighted by the cherub-like way his face was drawn.

I think that this is a good thing. Varying body images are always welcome, and this was pretty forward (and still sadly fairly rare in modern super-hero comics) for a Silver Age team book. In addition to chunky Chuck and big-eater Tenzil, we now have baby-fat Jan.

Of course, later Jan would be beefy like all the other males (except the gradually rarely seen Chuck and especially Tenzil), and the human Legion males would gradually look like all the males on all the other super teams. The females would vary somewhat with some petite and athletic ladies offsetting the stauesque ones a little. Not so much the males, though. *sigh*

I think it's little touches like this that may have, at least subconsciously, helped a lot of young males in the early sixties become fans of this crazy little super hero club from the future. I guess, now, any young 'uns who gravitate to comic books now, do so the virtual softcore pornographic imagery, these days. Not much to relate to for Frankie Fatty.

So what's the deal with the dead alligator world, anyway? One of those throwaway concepts that made the Legion great. Any book these days would probably spend a year-long story arc on that planet, eh?

Will catch up on latest comments later today...

Adventure #308

Lightning Lass joins though we don't learn all that much about her. What we do get is another solid story that (A) shows the anxieties of Dirk and Cos as Garth possibly returns to life but may not be able to stay a Legionnaire and more importantly, (B) a fantastic sci-fi mystery with the Legionnaires shown going on a pretty complex mission!

This story is another play on the classic bit of a Legionnaire joining (or rejoining) and then a other Legionnaire being suspicious. Here , Dirk is at trying to help "him"; later he's the one who revealed all is not what it seems.

- once again Cos and Dirk are major lead characters here, with Chuck and Cham as the major supporting players.

- Bouncing Boy's "deep emotion"...chubby kids are always so sentimental!

- both Superboy and Supergirl are in the background this issue. Interesting! It's odd to keep seeing them in strait cameo territory during the early Adventure run. There's actually a lot of cameos here: Lyle, Vi, etc. 11 Legionnaires show up!

- Hypo interrogation? The bleeding hearts must not like that!

- Really like the creativity Hamilton uses for Dirk's powers here. That type of thinking helped make the X-Men popular.

- an equally awesome debut of Proty I! I forgot that happened here! They are very tied into the Ranzz's early on.

- more references to Thar(r)!! Lets refine our theory: Olen Jor, the hypnotist, stole the living paintings from Tharr and gave them to the Pyramid Men, which started his crime spree.

- classic 3 in 1 Forte panel on page 7!

- the Master of the Thieves Planet is a pretty awesome sci-fi villain. Why haven't we talked about it more? Another villain who should have returned!

- love the quick thinking of Cham for the escape! The henchman serving them food sure is ugly--and later we get to see Chuck give him a beating! In fact its cool to see all of the criminals we've seen called back for two panels.

- what a change from boy to girl! My own personal theory was Forte believed this twin was a boy, as Garth's first origin depicted him with another boy--perhaps it was even Mekt. But later on, or perhaps via miscommunication between Mort, Ed and John, it was determined a girl would be a better fit for the Legion.

- nice cameo of the Legion ladies to induct Ayla! And more foreshadowing for the return of Lightning Lad!

It's also funny to note, keeping in mind the "Garth is Proty" story, is that a story called "The Return of Lightning Lad" introduces Proty!

Adv. 308, "The Return of Lightning Lad," is a "sweet" story that doesn't quite work for me. It's sweet because it focuses on the friendship of the Legionnaires, specifically between Sun Boy and Lightning Lad, and the concerns they have about their teammate losing his power. But it doesn't work because it's based upon the shakiest of premises. There's an almost sitcom-like quality in how the Legionnaires assume the revived Lightning Lad no longer has powers and how Sun Boy proceeds upon that assumption, going to great lengths to cover for his friend. The plot of this story would be better suited for a comedy than a "straight" super-hero tale.

Furthermore, I get the feeling that Hamilton reached the end of this story and realized it was anticlimactic to reveal that Lightning Lad had powers all along (not to mention that it made the other Legionnaires look bad), so he had to come up with some other surprise ending. The surprise? Lightning Lad is really a girl!

I never quite understood why Ayla would take her dead brother's place in his coffin (Eww!) and wait for the Legionnaires to discover her. She must have known she couldn't maintain the disguise forever! What would happen when Saturn Girl shows up and does a mindscan on "Garth"? (Conveniently, Saturn Girl and Mon-El are both sent away early on.)

Furthermore (another furthermore!), the return of Lightning Lad becomes a secondary plot to the Thieves World storyline, which feels almost like a separate story. Here, at least, Hamilton is more successful. It is indeed clever how Cham and Proty win the Legionnaires' freedom, and all sorts of weird and wonderful aliens and alien animals are introduced. The Thieves World Master is basically a redone Brain-Globe of Rambat, but he's a formidable foe who immediately sees through the Legionnaires' ruse. (I guess the Legionnaires aren't well known in this part of the galaxy, so they can pretend to be thieves while still wearing their famous costumes.) If Hamilton had focused on the Legion's mission to Thieves World and forgotten about the (non) return of Lightning Lad, this story would have worked so much better.

Because of all this story accomplishes--introducing Ayla, introducing Proty, focusing on the Legionnaires' friendship--it's a story I want to like but cannot. It relies on what critics call an "idiot plot" (if the characters stop acting like idiots, the story is over) and ultimately cheats the reader by revealing the title of the story to be a lie.

Thinking this morning about the Element Lad story and how the name of his homeworld wasn't mentioned, I thought tangentially about what a weird, random name "Trom" is. Then, for some reason, I spelled it backwards in my head and realized "Trom" is "Mort" (as in Mort Weisinger) backwards! I have little doubt that this has probably been a known thing in Legion fandom (and probably here somewhere), but it was a cool moment for me. I thought I'd share in case anyone else hadn't noticed.

Wow! That's certainly new to me. Now I'm wondering when the name "Trom" actually was first introduced.

"Mort" is also French for "death," which certainly fits Trom.

By the way, since Saturn Girl and Mon-El leave on a mission, it leaves me speculating that Imra was to be his romantic partner. We take it for granted that the Legion creators intended for Imra and Garth to always be together, but perhaps they were playing around with other ideas.

Besides, even if Imra was destined to marry Garth, that doesn't mean she didn't date other boys!

For the record, a Mon-el appearance with Supergirl (May 1962), but no hint of romance.

Yet another promise, this time from Kara, to free Mon from the Phantom Zone. The Super-cousins really dropped the ball on that one!

I think it's clear that "Trom" came from one or both of these sources. It's hard not to gravitate toward the Weisinger explanation, though, considering his impact on the Superman family and the Legion.

Hm. I asked Paul Levitz on FB. He doesn't know!

Apparently "trom" also means "heavy/serious/grave" in various Celtic languages as well.

That's an idea that would explain why there are no clues to this final reveal in the entire story. In that sense, it's very different from the Element Lad tale; while we might not guess what his power and motivations are, everything in the story led up to the explanation.

I'm still baffled to this day as to how Sun Boy noticed the lack of a tan on Ayla's neck and her lack of an adam's apple, but nobody noticed her voice was different (surely Ayla and Garth would have different voices!) or her different body (surely Garth would have had less boobies and more muscle?!). And if Ayla had access to technology that would have changed her voice and body enough, couldn't she have changed her skin tone and faked an adam's apple?

"Use your super-power of lightning to stun that charging beast, Lightning Lad!" By the time Chuck said all of that they could've been monster fodder.

Interesting that Lightning Lad aspires to become a member of the Legion with his new power, a group which he hasn't founded yet.

A surprising 1 panel cameo by Supergirl in this issue.

Forte's animals were always pretty laughable. Gee, a lightning beast MUST have a spark plug on top of its head. The green autom guards are pretty hokey too. They look like walking garbage cans.

I wish Ayla would've given Sun Boy Buttinsky a mild zap and told him to save his own bacon.

This issue's letter column is the first mention of Star Boy's "detached service" in response to reader Herman Cummings, asking whatever happened to him.

Adventure 308

So we get another story that introduces a new Legionnaire, with a similar plot of the Legionnaires concerned about the new member (though they don't realized that the member is new in this story). It's hard not to compare it to the previous issue, thought they are very different sorts of stories. While Element Lad's introduction is all about the epic space pirate plot, with the "mystery" of the new Legionnaire tied into it, this story focuses much more on characterization and the Legion's mission of uncovering the location of the Thieves' World takes a back seat to that. While the Legionnaires were largely treated as interchangeable in the last issue, in this one we get to see differing reactions to the dramatic event of Lightning Lad's return, reactions that fit in nicely with the character's previous and subsequent portrayals. That said, the story suffers from several major plot holes.

--I've never particularly cared for the Legion Flag design.

--The disadvantage of having a telepath on the team is that it makes these mystery stories harder to do. As with the Marvel Lad tale, Imra is conveniently written out by sending her off on a mission at the beginning (as opposed to letting her in on the secret, which was last issue's strategy). It's a bit of a shame, since her reaction to Lightning Lad's return would be the most interesting to see. Of course, since this is only a teaser for the real return, we'll get to see her play a major role when LL comes back for real.

--This story basically features Chameleon Boy, Bouncing Boy, Cosmic Boy, and Sun Boy, with random cameos from Vi, Superboy, and Supergirl, and Brainiac Five showing up halfway through and not really doing much.

--Draping the new flag over the coffin... but... he's alive!

--So, Sun Boy realizes that this Lightning Lad is an imposter from the very beginning (nice of them to even show him looking at the back of Garth's neck as he revives), and so has good reason to suspect that this "Lightning Lad" has no powers, but it's Cosmic Boy who first brings up the possibility (on a really flimsy line of reasoning).

--Sun Boy would certainly know that losing one's power and membership would break one's heart, because it happened to him!

--By the way, wouldn't the amnesia itself be enough to ground LL from any missions?

--Yet another recounting of the origin of Lightning Lad!

--I kind of wish the artwork had done a better job of depicting the ambiguity as to whether Lightning Lad's power was working. It's not so bad in the first sequence, where the ambiguity is as to whether the lightning is coming from Garth or the thunderstorm, but the second sequence with the ambiguity as to whether Garth or Dirk disables the thieves' ship could have been much better done, imo.

--Hydra Men! Vegan Living Tops, Sirian Phantom Beasts (er... if they are phantoms, why couldn't they get out of the cage?)!

--And last but not least... Proty! I love how Chameleon Boy seems to be having such a good time in this story, particularly with his new found pet. It's nice to have a character who just really enjoys the use of his power, and the whole aspect of being a Legionnaire!

--A Planet hidden by an invisibility shield!

--The Pyramid Men of Altair! (Actually, Dirk is mistaken. While they look kind of like Pyramid-Men of Altair, they are actually Cone-Men of Draconis! ;))

--Slightly amusing story: I was actually reading something about Canopus a couple of months back, and the idea that Canopus was inhabited by a race of ant-people suddenly flashed into my head... it actually took me a couple of days to remember that the Ant-Men of Canopus were from the Legion!

--Okay, so it's amazing that the Legionnaires think that they can just land on the Thieves' Planet and simply pass themselves off as crooks. Aren't they widely known throughout many galaxies, as has been established over and over again in previous stories?

--Er... so what exactly happens to the Master of the Thieves' World (who is totally in need of a cool name to be a more memorable character) once "Garth" blasts him with his lightning bolts? It looks like he deflates like a balloon or something.

--I wish Forte had done a better job with the artwork of making it more plausible that this "Lightning Lad" was really a girl in disguise the whole time, and not had such a sudden transition between the very masculine Lightning Lad and the very feminine Lightning Lass in the last panel. As much as I like lots of aspects of Forte's weird art style, I definitely don't think he helps this story out.

--So, it's interesting that while Ayla is added to the flashback scene on Korbal, there's no mention of Mekt (even though he's in the original version of it). I suspect this is to avoid reminding readers of the Adult Legion in which Lightning Lad is alive, so as to avoid reminding even more readers that his return is inevitable. Though it could also lead to the bizarre theory the Lightning Lord was, in reality, Garth's male-impersonating sister all along!

--One of the big problems with the story is that it's not really clear why Ayla decides to impersonate her brother rather than applying for the Legion on her own to begin with. It just seems kind of ill-motivated to me. (See also last issue, where it doesn't seem clear to me why Jan has to keep his powers/origin secret from his fellow Legionnaires. Why not trust them all to keep the secret, rather than just Saturn Girl?)

--What drives this story, it seems to me, is the differing reactions of Cosmic Boy and Sun Boy to Lightning Lad's apparent return. We have Cosmic Boy once again as the very much by-the-book, stick-to-the-rules authority figure, while the much more relaxed Sun Boy is willing to give "Garth" a break, even with him realizing from the very beginning that it's not really Garth at all. (I assume that he knew, form his close friendship with Garth, that he had a twin sister, which was how he deduced the imposter's identity!). This also echoes back nicely to Sun Boy's own experience at having been banned from the Legion for powerlessness. One definitely wonders why Sun Boy doesn't confront "Lightning Lad" with his knowledge sooner, though.

So, an imperfect story, but it definitely has its positive qualities. No threat to the first Subs story as my favorite in this Archive so far, however!

The voice-thing is a problem with pretty much every Silver Age impersonation story, however. Even accepting that Tom Tanner looks likes Clark Kent, are we supposed to accept that he has exactly the same voice as well? I think the assumption is that, since comics were a visual medium, these sorts of problems could basically be ignored, but they arise all the time if you read these stories with that in mind.

You've got to love how MW (or whoever wrote these responses) just completely fudged the issue with the whole "that's a very important story that we're going to tell in the future!" response, when it's pretty obvious what was actually going on was "Oh Crap! I completely forgot about that character!"

Re the Element Lad story, in the panel where Jan destroys the ship, the pirates say their suits weren't affected because they were made of chemical compounds.

I'm pretty sure in later stories, Jan was able to transmute compounds as well by affecting their component elements. In one of the last Action Comics issues of the silver age era, Jan transmuted artificial humans into lodestone, water, tissue paper...

Yeah, it will be interesting to see when exactly that limitation was first ditched. I'm pretty sure Hamilton references it several times, but Siegel seems to ignore it, for example, when he has baby Jan turn the Time Trapper's ship (or whatever it is) into candy.

The funniest of these may actually be the JFK disguises himself as Clark Kent scene, which is hilarious once you imagine Clark speaking with JFK's Boston accent!

I guess we can chalk this up to writer inconsistency, unlike with other power-ups which read as a character becoming more skilled at their powers through practice/time!



Well, everyone knows Superboy has the power of super-accents too!

Superboy's not in the story, but I just noticed that Mon-El is mistakenly shown loading the animals on the Legion's ship.

Superboy is in two panels of the coffin scene. We see him thinking "It's appropriate that electric bolts from a perpetual device will crash above Lightning Lad for all eternity!"

I hadn't noticed Mon-El. My theory is that these random appearances are other Antareans! And the Legion is too choked up by the return of Lightning Lad to notice them!

Awful nice of Mon to come back from his mission with Saturn Girl to pitch in (if indeed it was a mission).

Either that or he's trying to hide, perhaps looking for some way to bump off "Lightning Lad" before Imra learns he's returned to life.

Right you are. How did I miss that?

The Legion of Super-Monsters

Minor detail: first instance of the roll call on the opening page.

Jungle King tries out for Legion membership, fails to control the dangerous borlat and simmers with resentment over his rejection. To retaliate, he assembles his own legion of fantastic beasts and embarks on a life of crime. Alas, he too pays the price for rejecting (and underestimating) a gas creature who wanted to join his dastardly group.

This story is rich in goofy silver age elements. It opens with the Legionnaires all taking a course in "tenth-order equations of the fourth dimension", whether in a spaceship, standing guard by the side of a mountain or in their clubhouse. Even Brainy is attending the telecast lecture: he's not quite the genius he'll become later in the series, unless he's just there for laughs.

Members' whereabouts are shown on a crazy map of the universe (with Violet looking eternally worried), then it's time for more try-outs. Rainbow Girl doesn't make the team (we don't learn why), then it's up to Jungle King (long hair! Tarzan tiger/borlat suit!), who also fails.

Sun Boy acts like the leader throughout this story. Maybe there was an unreported election?

Hamilton and Forte devote a fair bit of the story to describing the various monster beasts who will be on Jungle King's team. Ridiculous, but charming.

We see Barakian Living Money, which is a larger version of the Venturan Walking Money of later years.

There's Sky City, built on a pedestal far above the smog of the planet. If you can't fix the problem, avoid it, I guess. The residents live dangerously, peering over the fenceless edge of their city's platform.

The backgrounds in space are filled with a variety of colourful planets and moons.

The world of giant flowers is Jungle King's next target (now he's calling himself Monster Master).

Bouncing Boy screws up, fulfilling Sun Boy's assessment that "he's jolly and we like him, but bouncing won't conquer those might monsters!" Of course, Chuck proved him wrong in the end.

The Legionnaires choose lots to determine who will take on the Earthquake Beast - there's no assessment of whose powers are best suited to the task. Selection by chance seems to play a big part in early Legion activities.

I really wonder why Saturn Girl wasn't selected to mentally control the beasts, as she had done in previous stories. This time, however, Brainy declares that it's too risky a mission for a girl. Tut! Saturn Girl isn't just any girl! Nevertheless, she uncharacteristically accepts it without comment. No doubt the untold story has her getting revenge later on Brainy for that idiotic comment.

The gas creature has a wonderful evil leer on his face as he stalks and finally vaporizes Jungle King.

Just as the Legion underestimated Bouncing Boy, so did Jungle King underestimate the gas creature.

Is Jungle King/Monster Master really dead? Could he have been found and contained in a suit like Wildfire?

Adventure #309

This is a classic case of a story making me think of Legion World. I never gave Jungle King more than a second thought before, but he eventually started reminding me directly of Lash, Dean, Teeds and the rest of LW.

This is a classic Hamilton tale of rejection--perhaps his most common theme with the Legion--but unlike some others it ends in tragedy, which certainly makes it stand out.

Love the usage of a Roll Call in the opening splash and great to see the Legion use the classic Golden Age trope. I think by now the JLA was already doing something similar.

I see for the first time that Rainbow Girl's planet is not given, but in the prior panel, Imra mentions Xolnar. Some later writer must have either went ahead connecting the two, or simply misremembered.

This issue really gives Forte a chance to have fun designing monsters. Jim already mentioned Forte's tendency to be a little obvious in his designs, but considering the age range of readers, I think its kind of brilliant in its simplicity.

Jungle King's tryouts for his super monsters is definitely on the nose in terms of story subtlety but it works for me. His rejections lay out the irony to come at story's end.

Barakian Living Money!!!

Er, the Omnibeast spaceship mix up was definitely a screw up.

Love Sun Boy leading the charge into battle. He remains one of the most heroic Legionnaires.

The Legion's first defeat! Surely they will be better for it!

I didn't realize this is the long story yet--16 pages! They're getting close to full length now.

"He's jolly and we like him, but super-bouncing wont conquer those mighty monsters!". Poor Chuck and other rotund kids!

I guess no one realized Imra could probably end this thing in like 2 seconds?

Releasing Omnibeast so it goes home and they can follow is a pretty big risk! One of those "so far fetched it has to work"'plans.

The least said about "too risky for a girl" the better. If Imra had stepped in earlier this debacle would have been over days ago and they could all enjoy a big sandwich and a few silver ales.

It all wraps up a little too neatly and there's no need for Hamilton to spoon feed it in the final panel.

All in all, not bad. Certainly full of holes and mistakes but there is definitely a clearer purpose and pacing to the story.

Did Rainbow Girl make any appearances between that issue and Johns's issues?

Adventure #309

--The cover blurb on this issue, introducing "The Legion of Super-Monsters", is highly reminiscent of the cover blurb a few issues back introducing "The Legion of Substitute-Heroes". It's pretty clear to me that they were trying to replicate the success of the Subs with this story.

--I believe the Super-Monsters are all adaptations of reader-suggested characters, as is Rainbow Girl, and maybe Jungle King himself.

--Jungle King is the first "rejected applicant turns evil" in Legion history, a theme that will occur again and again.

--The Legion are given the lead, two-part story in this issue, which shows how massively successful they are becoming.

--First use of the Roll Call! No doubt to avoid the randomly appearing Legionnaires problem of the past couple of issues.

--Mon-El, Ultra Boy, and Colossal Boy are featured in the Roll Call, although their appearance in the story is limited to brief shots of them as they listen to the famous science professor on the first page!

--Love the Science Professor! So, that planet Gim's on? Do they have a giant tv sticking out of a rock there, or what?

--The second appearance of the Mission Monitor Board!

--You know Dirk is totally planning on seeing Rainbow Girl later!

--Jungle King is given powers by his animal trainer/scientist father! Another Legion trope! (Used previously with Night Girl...)

--Monster World! A planet full of weird, dangerous creatures!

--Classic Silver Age bizarreness in the scene where Jungle-King uses the lures to attract super-monsters!

--The space bank! Barakian Living Money! Altharian liquid money! Another trope originated!

--The Sky City of Korr! Korr would later be reused both 5YL and in the reboot as a hideout for Roxxas and the Scavenger!

--Interesting that the Legionnaires save the city not by the use of their super-powers, but simply by tying a cable to the back of their space ship! Kind of a rare sort of scene in Legion history!

--If I remember correctly from the Chris KL-99 thread, the World of Giant Flowers seems to have been reused from one of those stories!

--This is, I believe, the first reference to the fact that Cham doesn't gain the powers of whatever he disguises himself as! (Though this is applied inconsistently).

--Bouncing Boy goofs up, ruining the trap! Cham gets caught! Bouncing Boy redeems himself!

--Jungle King is defeated by one of the Super-Monsters he rejected! While there's something to be said for the ironic twist, it would've been nice if Bouncing Boy had played a more direct role in defeating him, thus helping to establish why he was really Legion material and Jungle King wasn't.

--The ending feels massively rushed.

--The "drawing lots" scene is completely insane, not only because they eliminate the one member whose powers are most suited to take down the monsters because she's a girl, but Sun Boy suggesting that Chuck should "let one of us go" after Chuck wins the draw is pretty crazy as well. However unsuited Chuck's power may have been, he's got to be at least as qualified as Brainy!

--So, this story is actually pretty successful up until the last two pages, where it feels like Hamilton just ran out of room and had to finish things up in a hurry. In retrospect, the scene of Cham infiltrating the super-monsters probably should have been cut down to give more space for the conclusion.

--Hamilton is a fine form this issue with the crazy sci-fi concepts!

Not really.

She appears in one panel this issue, though nothing about her powers/origins are revealed.

Adventure #340's "Bits of Legionnaire Business" feature includes a reader suggested character of "Rainbow Girl" who has the power to separate herself into four different forms, each a different color and with a different power. It's not unknown for the reader's suggestion of a character to appear in Bits after they've already made an appearance in the series, it would be for the suggestion to appear that much later than the character, which seems to indicate the reader-suggestion was not the actual source of the character.

The next we see of her is her entry in Who's Who in the LSH in the 80s, where we learn that she has pheromone powers and is from Xolnar, and has since married a sugar daddy.

After that, she is next used by Johns as part of the Legion of Subs, and given a connection to the Green Lantern "emotional spectrum" stuff.

I fully expect when she shows up again in twenty years, she'll have another set of completely different powers!

It strikes me that there's plenty of room left open for his return ("I was defeated when the gas creature I rejected turned me into vapor, but fortunately the effect was only temporary!") and I have no doubt that at least the concept of the Legion of Super-Monsters was planned to be re-used.

And funny enough the planet Xolnar has a bigger part in LSH history during TMK as that is where a major battle takes place between the UP Militia and the Khunds, which results in the deaths of Nightwind and Power Boy.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Rainbow Girl doesn't appear at all in this story.

As Eryk points out, the 16 page lead feature is a pretty big deal and shows how successful the Legion was becoming. It certainly helps that every single issue introduces at least one new character and several new ideas. You can feel the excitement as you read through the Archives.

I'm curious, and I'm sure its easy enough to check. When the Legion eventually has a "full length novel", is that when Superboy resumes his place as a lead character with the Legion? As a kind of compromise: the Legion gets the whole issue but Superboy has to be included? This way Mort can hedge his bets.

My absolute favorite Legion story--not just for the Silver Age, but for all of their history--is in the next Archive, "The Mutiny of the Legionnaires". That is a full length Legion story with no Superboy or Supergirl, though it's so good that I never realized it until the 2nd or 3rd time I read it.

^ so I checked and its not quite the case, though in a way it is. The Legion's stories hereafter range from 17 to 19 pages, and so they are clearly dominating the comic. Superboy returns pretty soon after this story and perhaps that is the compromise I mentioned.

I notice the Superboy stories during this time, when it was taking a backseat to the Legion, include a series of Superbaby stories (which were always shorter in nature).

Also of note this issue:

--Brainiac Five appears in the Superboy story, and helps pull an elaborate ruse on a crook to protect his secret identity!

--Reader Peter C. Cotter of Birmingham, MI, suggests selling small statues of the Legionnaires similar to those possessed by Superboy and Supergirl!

--Jeff Baker of Fort Worth, TX, casts the Legion movie!

Also...and forgive me for posting a bunch of times in a row...Adventure #309 includes a great appearance by Brainiac 5 in the Superboy story! I think this is the first time Brainy pulls the "Legionnaire backwards in time to help out a Super cameo save at the end" bit in a Superboy story rather than a Supergirl one.

They're clearly really good pals in the sequence.

^ Man, that Ester is cool. Great minds and all that...

Yeah, I can't think of any references at all to Rainbow Girl in the 5YL series, though Xolnar is made a pretty big deal, as the site of the U.P. militia academy and a valuable strategic asset in the war between the U.P. and the Khunds.

I meant to mention his "time belt" in this story!

I haven't reread this issue yet, but one thing I think is odd is that Jungle King's father is named Dez-Nu, so presumably JK is Dez-Nu Jr. or Watz-Nu or some such, but in Adv. 324, his brother's name is Marden King, which would lead us to think JK's last name was actually King. Also, Marden King Shirley looks old enough to be JK's father, not his brother, considering that JK had to be a teenager to apply for Legion membership. I suppose Dez-Nu could've been short for Dez-Nu King, but it seems unlikely. That would seem to indicate that Marden King should've been Mar-Den King or something. But I digress Lad.

Perhaps Marden King anglacized... er... terracized his name after moving to Earth?

We've seen a lot of Saturn Girl so far, but not much activity from the other girls. It could be an attitude of "exciting and dangerous missions are too risky for girls" or the writers just don't know what to do with female superheroes. It's strange since Supergirl was supposedly very popular.

I don't suppose there was any serious writing about comic books in the early 1960s (apart from Dr. Werthram style criticism), especially by burgeoning feminists, which would give some perspective to this.

Hamilton is on record as saying that he always found Triplicate Girl difficult to use.

Violet is probably the second most used female Legionnaire at this point.

Night Girl is pretty prominent in the Subs appearances, however.

We'll be getting to the Satan Girl story next week, but even in that I believe Supergirl is the only girl who has a really prominent role as doing something other than getting sick.

The other girls don't really play a big part again until the Jimmy Olsen story I think. And only then in a 60's "girly" way and as a group.

Yet another Bouncing Boy proves his worth story. He was actually featured pretty prominently in the early days, before they ditched him. They refer to him as being jolly, but do we ever actually see him making a joke? He always seemed very serious to me in his earliest appearances.

Why didn't JK just land in Sky City instead of below it? Seems like it would've been easier to extort them. He must've had to yell REALLY loud to threaten them from way down there. And how did they even see him thru the smog?

I wonder if they have a Sky High School.

Again, Forte's animals are quite laughable. Reflector Beast looks like a hippo with solar panels.

Maybe Colossal Boy was commandeering a drive-in movie screen for his lessons.

I don't see any lefties among the Legionnaires. Hmmph. Right-handed super-oppressors.

He's always drawn with a big smile on his face when he's inflated. The joy of bouncing, I guess. However, he is portrayed as pretty serious throughout his Legion life, certainly not the joke-cracking guy that Tenzil would become in 5YL.

In comic books, even today, if you're fat you're jolly, stupid and/or evil. There aren't many exceptions. Chuck is pretty much the only character in the Legionverse who's fat and smart and heroic.

Another bit that's fairly common is the character who gets his power from his father's experiments. Night Girl, Jungle King; most recently, Chemical Kid comes to mind. And we think dads who want their kids to be major league sports stars are bad!

Adventure #309

-That bird has a rocket in place of it's butt. A ROCKET.

-Um...does Brainiac 5 really need lessons like the other Legionnaires? I mean, he's the smartest person in the galaxy. Surely he should be in his lab somewhere.

-"I dazed him with radiance." Seriously, I'm using that line on my next date. I DAZED HIM WITH RADIANCE.

-THEY TIED A ROPE AROUND THE CITY TO SAVE IT. Not a tractor beam. Not any kind of crazy technology. A ROPE. I love it.

-How is a big dinosaur-looking thing that makes earthquakes "formidable"? What, they can't trap it or catch it or tranquilize it?

-Oh, now Dyrk is DAZZLING with his radiance! Good lord, the first date material never ends.

-Okay, last issue Imra could sense people from across the galaxy, but in this issue she can't even sense people from a couple miles away. SHODDY POWER YOU HAVE THERE, IMRA.

-Ahhhh, the "too risky a mission for a girl" nonsense, huh? It makes my heart glad to see how much things have changed since this was written.

-THAT GAS CREATURE IS CREEPY. Look at its creepy ass grin!

-Brainy had a time belt!? Hell, that's better than a time bubble! Why doesn't he have that now? It's neat!

These old stories are a hoot. I want my own earthquake monster.

Among the girls, I think it was Phantom Girl who was least used during the early days! Besides the Ultra Boy story where he's thought of as a criminal, I can't really think of any major appearances she's had.

If one ignores several obvious and laughable logic problems, as noted above, "The Legion of Super Monsters" is a fairly competent story, albeit one full of missed opportunities. Why, for example, do we not see Jungle King go on a rant after being rejected? Why are we simply told that he does so? Why are Mon-El, Ultra Boy and Colossal Boy listed in the roll call when they have nothing better to do than go to school? Wouldn't they have been the most interesting Legionnaires to use in battle against something called the "The Legion of Super Monsters"?

I sense that Hamilton wanted to write a straight science fiction story here, perhaps one he had adapted from elsewhere, as he pays little attention to the notion that these guys have super-powers that can be useful in battling villains such as Jungle King. When he does have the Legionnaires use their powers, it's to show how ineffective they are (Sun boy's brilliance being reflected back on the team, Bouncing Boy bouncing too high, etc.).

But at least Hamilton introduces a real super-villain with clear motivation and the capacity to do serious damage.

The theme of rejection and/or misjudging others also carries through the story very well and probably left an indelible impression on young readers. It's good that Chuck is treated much the same as Jungle King by the other Legionnaires, yet he responds in a much more positive and less self-serving fashion. There is good contrast between the "positive" and "negative" ways to handle rejection.

This story is definitely a product of the time in which it was written. The attitudes of the Legionnaires reflect the attitudes of '50s and '60s movies and television shows: The heroic, masculine Sun Boy is portrayed as the leader, Saturn Girl (who is actually the leader) takes a back seat, and the jolly fat guy screws up. But at least Chuck gets to redeem himself at the end, suggesting, I suppose, that there is hope for us all, even if we're not thin, heroic, masculine types.

Jungle King's demise, like Element Lad's origin, also seems very "dark" or at least very honest for the times. Over in Batman, the Joker commits multiple crimes but always survives to bedevil Batman again. Luthor, Brainiac, and all the classic villains always get away with their crimes, inconvenienced only by a few months (at most) in prison. But in the Legion's corner of the universe, bad things happen--even to villains. While JK's demise may have deprived the Legion of a worthy member of its rogues gallery, I applaud Hamilton and Weisinger for not being too terribly interested in building a Legion rogues gallery. Their stories always seemed to be about much more than endless super-hero battles.

"The Legion of Super Monsters," for example, works on a thematic level about misjudging others, even if the execution of the tale leaves a lot to be desired.

Phantom Girl doesn't even appear in the panel, in Adv. 308, in which the girl Legionnaires welcome Lightning Lass into their ranks. I suspect Mort and company simply had too many Legionnaires to keep track of.

The assumption in some of these stories seems to be that any Legionnaire could handle any emergency--unless they were fat or a girl, perhaps.

This reminds me of Superboy # 199, in which Jeckie complains that the Legionnaires who are present--herself, Dreamy, Cham, Star Boy, and Brainy--aren't powerful enough to stop Tyr's gunhand. Brainy rebukes her by reminding her that not every Legionnaire is a powerhouse, but that no Legionnaire gives up. (Brainy's attitude has changed since Adv. 309; perhaps Imra's revenge involved some sort of mental reconditioning.)

It's telling that Sun Boy, Brainy, and Cham all have the confidence to believe they can handle the earthquake beast, whichever of them would have been selected.

In the future, left-handedness will be cured, along with homosexuality, baldness, and girls going on dangerous missions, apparently.

Maybe, but there's also a certain amount of realism in the seemingly random lineup. One wouldn't expect exactly those Legionnaires whose powers are most suited to fight the Legion of Super-Monsters to be the ones on duty when the LSM shows up.

The more I look at it, the drawing lots plan makes absolutely no sense.

So, the idea is that they can't land the ship, for fear the Earthquake Beast would destroy it, so Sun Boy suggests they send in a single member to capture Monster Master.

Okay, even granted that they couldn't park the spaceship a few miles off and fly in, it seems to me that at most this would only require that they leave one member in the ship to fly it while the rest go and take out the Earthquake beast.

Really well said. The effort to put story first over other concerns is definitely worthy of applause.

True, but why list them in the roll call at all?

Doing so misleads the reader into thinking they're going to play an active role in the story.

Also, Lone/Timber Wolf.

PG was also the only girl (besides Supergirl) not shown on the covers of 311 and 313. Even Night Girl beats her out on 313.

Hmm... interesting that PG will eventually be voted the most popular among the girl Legionnaires, despite having been so rarely used!

People love to root for the underdog.

The Doom of the Super-Heroes

It's hard to muster much enthusiasm for this story, despite several interesting elements. I'm just not a fan of Mr. Mxyzptlyk and don't like these "everybody's dead, but not really" stories, with an all too easy ending.

Hamilton was probably ordered to do something with Mr. Mxy.

I do like the way Hamilton opens up stories with the Legionnaires taking care of everyday business before the big mission or problem develops.

The masked man wears a mask that will grace Ferro Lad in a future story.

Mon-el has some odd hair-thing going on. Maybe this was his version of the Superboy curl. Fortunately, it didn't last.

Sun Boy is acting more leader-like than Saturn Girl, once again. Maybe Legion leadership was too dangerous for a girl!

Brainy is starting to act a little more brainy, and is assisted by Saturn Girl.

Various Legionnaires get panel time, but are quickly eliminated from the action.

Brainy knocks out Saturn Girl, starting a great (if sporadic) tradition of Legionnaires hitting one another.

Lightning Lass uses her power aside Sun Boy a couple of times. Saturn Girl is the most prominent female throughout the story, even though she mostly just stands around.

The Mt. Rushmore of Space is sort of funny. I wonder if somebody ever named all the figures.

What was the purpose of the storm outside Legion HQ? Just to set the tone that something ominous was about to happen?

Would kids reading this story have figured the deaths were all a ruse?

Adventure #310

“The Doom of the Super-Heroes” is the first story in which the Legion is pitted against overwhelming odds, with a villain powerful enough to take down the entire team. Mordu is really the ultimate example of this sort of villain for the Legion, and this tale can kind of be seen as a prototype Mordru story (even featuring what is effectively an alternate reality, something that will play a role in future key Mordru stories!).

--Hey, there’s Star Boy in the splash panel!

--The Legion is seriously in need of some support staff, so they don’t have to do their own cleaning of rocket tubes and stuff!

--A mysterious raider with super-magnetic powers, such as only Cosmic Boy has? Er… couldn’t he be another inhabitant of Braal?

--Another character in a lead mask? And now he can duplicate the powers of all the Legionnaires?

--Apparently, in the enlightened 30th century, they aren’t beyond laughing at people (at least crooks) for being really short.

--Quit commenting on him being a midget, and use your penetra-vision, which can see through lead, Ultra Doofus!

--Too late! Ultra Boy is killed by a freezing ray! Er… isn’t that exactly how Lightning Lad was killed? So how come there’s no hope for U-Boy, while every issue you guys are going on and on about finding a way to restore Lightning Lad to life?

--Love the ominous thunderstorm over the Clubhouse panel!

--Er… if the Doll People are really as short as Vi and Cham become, I’m pretty sure the Mask Man wasn’t one of them. He’d be huge on Doll World!

--Violet dead! And now Cham! Imra saved by a punch from Brainiac Five!

--The “Mount Rushmore of Space” is easily this issue’s winner for “Most awesome concept”.

--Crap! There’s too many Legionnaires to write death scenes for each of them! Let’s just kill off Triplicate Girl, Phantom Girl, Element Lad, and… er… whoever else I'm forgetting by having one of spaceships crash!

--The Legion goes from pursuing the Mask Man to fleeing from him, to make their last stand on an uninhabited world.

--They really should’ve gone to Throon if they wanted a really impressive defensive citadel!

--Colossal Boy actually gets the most memorable death scene of the issue, sacrificing himself to save Lightning Lass.

--Cosmic Boy killed as well! And then Brainy and Imra (nice to see her assisting in Brainy’s inventing!)

--Note that Sun Boy and Bouncing Boy aren’t actually killed, but just kind of disappear, leaving only Superboy, Mon-El, Lightning Lass, and Invisible Kid. Wait, scratch Lightning Lass, Invisible Kid, and Mon-El!

--And Superboy figures out the villain’s identity! And then he uses a clever double ruse to trick “Mxyzptlk V” (I’d forgotten that name is actually used for this character!) into returning to his own dimension and reversing all of the effects of his magic, undoing the whole story!

--This story was apparently really popular among the readers, at least judging from the letters printed as a response to it.

--I have mixed feelings about it. It’s another story that feels like it’s way too big for the space allotted, hence the numerous off-panel deaths. It’s far darker than the typical “Mxyzptlk” story, which is a little jarring. And, of course, with the massive death and the treating of characters as canon fodder as commonplace in contemporary stories, this isn't really the kind of thing one turns to the Adventure Era in the hopes of reading about.

Still, it’s historically important as a prototype for later stories, even if those later stories are generally better done/more interesting.

Adventure #310

"Mask Man" continues to trend of "something in the iron mask" battling protagonists that was pervasive in comics for the last decade and a half, while also essentially being Mr. Mxyptlk versus the Legion (with a twist), which had to happen sooner or later. Mxy has never been my favorite enemy for Superman though he can work brilliantly when in the hands of the right writer and when played for laughs.

Here, with Legionnaires actually dying this story definitely isn't being played for laughs. On the one had its deadly serious and on the other it's inherently silly. I think that kind of hurts it a bit.

The opening splash is a great glimpse at almost the full membership of the Legion! Finally: Star Boy!! But, he only appears on the splash and not in story, much like next issue he only appears on the cover and not in story. I wonder if they couldn't remember / find his first appearance? Or realizing he was a duplicate of Mon-El, they were still figuring out what to do with him (and would, in the last story of the Archive).

I love seeing the Legionnaires doing chores and upkeep. A glimpse into their daily routine that shows its hard work and not all glamorous.

The Legion fighting Mask Man is the longest action sequence so far! It's actually a bit refreshing.

A storm brewing over the clubhouse on page 5! We haven't seen that trope yet in the Legion, right?

Wow, Brainy was sure ready to sock Imra when needed! Repressed anger towards strong willed blondes?

That looks like Braino among the Mt Rushmore of Space!

On the opening splash of the second part, Mon-El is moving so fast at super speed that he appears twice!

Colossal Boy's first noble death! And the only one that I like! His saving Ayla surely must be what inspired T&M to have him hit on her in the Legionnaires series.

Moving around a couple of moons to get Mxy to say his name backwards might be extreme but hey, if you succeed, its all reversed anyway, right? And if not, screw it, what's wrong with a little cosmic mass destruction?

Adv. 310:

It's getting really tiring to read all the pointless exposition in these stories. The Legionnaires remind Superboy they can't fly like him so they have to use their anti-grav belts. But just a few panels previous, Saturn Girl and Brainy are shown working on the anti-grav belts! We all know kids are stupid and they can't put two and two together, or run to Mom and ask, "What does this mean?" Right?

The plot of this story builds suspense and moves along at a fast clip largely because Hamilton borrowed it from virtually every murder mystery ever written. Someone is out to get the Legionnaires and, despite their best efforts, they cannot stop their teammates from being killed. Finally, it's just down to Superboy (natch!), who figures out the mystery, saves the day, and all is as it was. The end.

The aspects I like best about this story are that it features more than a handful of Legionnaires (and Sun Boy doesn't hog all the panel time), Superboy's friendship with Mon-El plays a key role, and some of the deaths are at least plausible if not heroic: Vi and Cham ambushed on Doll World, an entire spaceship of Legionnaires crashing into an asteroid, and, of course, Gim's heroic sacrifice. Hamilton gives several Legionnaires quality panel time, which shows, I think, that he's finally growing comfortable with the series and willing to take risks.

But, yes, other aspects of this story are (literally) laughable. Mask Man's vendetta against the Legion begins because a crowd of onlookers make fun of him? I liked Jungle King's rejectee-gone-bad motivation better.

For all the deaths that occur in this story, the Legionnaires don't react in believable ways. In Element Lad's origin, by contrast, Jan had some time to process the demise of his race before joining the Legion and going after Roxxas. His soldier-like behavior makes sense in that story. But no one in the Legion cries out, mourns, and sinks into despair after watching the slaughter of their comrades. (Saturn Girl does have a brief moment of doubt, but it's quickly dispelled, and Lightning Lass sheds tears over Colossal Boy. Note that it's the girls who are emotional.)

It would take Hamilton awhile to get this sort of emotional reaction right. By the time of the demise of Triplicate Girl's third Body (Adv. 341), the Legionnaires are behaving in more realistic ways.

We have to take it on faith that Superboy figures out Mask Man's identity from flimsy evidence. No one else can bring in elements from other dimensions? It has to be magic?

I, too, am not fond of Mxyzptlk, but here I think the big reveal works because it's so unexpected. As Eryk notes, this is a darker version of Mxy--a magical imp who is out to kill instead of merely play pranks. So he fits in with other "dark" elements of the Legion series so far, such as the destruction of Trom and Jungle King's demise. The only real question this story raises for me is why didn't Mxy V return to bedevil the Legion again? Nothing, apparently, would have prevented him from doing so.

(Not that I'd want him to return, mind you.)

Two asides: This is the first story since Adv. 300 in which Superboy has played an important role (excluding the Superboy robot in 302). It's admirable that Weisinger and company spent a considerable amount of time establishing the Legion as an independent series rather than relegating them to sidekicks from the start.

Also, Paul Levitz once wrote that this was the first Legion story he ever read and, to paraphrase, it scared the bejesus out of him. Perhaps that explains the Great Darkness Saga, the Legion Conspiracy, et al.

Hmm... PL does seem quite fond of the tact of pitting the Legion against nigh-omnipotent bad guys that basically mop the floor with them until being defeated by an improbable tactic...

The thing that really cracks me up about this story is that this magical character who, among other magical things, can give himself the powers of the entire Legion, yet he uses wooden stilts and a really ugly lead mask to disguise himself. Hello? You're magical. Change your dang appearance already. At the very least he could've used Chameleon Boy's power, or even Invisible Kid's. He could've even used Colossal Boy's power to be taller.

It was an adult writing this story, right?

If using the stilts, why not lead-line the rest of his costume to prevent Superboy from realizing that he was using them?

Clearly he wanted to be caught in order to have an excuse to go on a rampage.

Adventure #310

I've really been enjoying looking back at these old issues, but I wouldn't want to re-read this one. As tired as I am of seeing characters killed off needlessly in present-day comics, reading this issue just sort of makes me sad. Even though they came back to life, it didn't make 15 pages of people going "oh no, I'm dying" any better. Didn't like it.

I guess for the time it was sort of clever...but eh, this issue wasn't my style.

It occurs to me re-reading the stories from this period how much they've basically milked the death of Lightning Lad, and, in a way, I suspect this story was basically another attempt to do that. If killing one member generated a lot of buzz, then surely killing the whole team will generate even more buzz. And, of course, just as everyone will return to life by the end of this story, so will Lightning Lad soon be back from the dead.

Is there an instance of writers killing off an entire team before the Doom Patrol were executed in their last issue?

This story is very "Ten Little Indians". It could've been a prototype for the Dr. Regulus story. Too bad we didn't get a rhyme out of it.

I think what I find annoying and even offensive about some of these stories is that they talk down to the reader. This, in some ways, is the antithesis of the Legion, or at least the Legion as I came to know them in the early '70s. There is much good yet to come; however, it seems like we have to go through a lot of dregs to get there.

This story freaked my kids out completely. When we went through the first time, I normally only read one chapter a night, but in this case made an exception so they wouldn't go a day thinking over half the team was just executed.

Wonder if that had to do with her story where she supports Ultra Boy through his being accused! She was lovestruck but also crafty, and she didn't act all bossy like some accuse Saturn Girl of doing.

For fun, some contemporary reaction (from the Adv. 313 lettercol):

"'Doom of the Super-Heroes' was one of the best Legion of Super-Heroes stories to have appeared so far. The Mask Man proved to be a truly great foe. The sudden death of Ultra Boy was an unexpected twist, and immediately provoked the thought that the Legion would immediately go on to avenge the death of their newly lost member and defeat the Mask Man. But no, the plot took a different turn. Bing, bing, bing... the Legionnaires dropped like flies! Then I began to suspect that something was fishy. After all, you wouldn't be killing off ALL your top characters. I finally realized it had to be Mr. Mxyzptlk or a dream after eight or nine of the super-heroes had bitten the dust. The ending was quite good. Superboy was at his best; the imp at his gloating worst. It was the best Mxyzptlk story ever. Thanks."

--Tom Jones, Aberdeen, MD, whom the editor says is usually "one of our most severe critics".


"'The Doom of the Super-Heroes' was a great, remarkable story. The suspense kept building to a terrific climax, and the surprise ending exploded like a bombshell."

--Betty Shaw, Dallas, TX

"Ha ha! I've finally done it! Don't try to squirm out of it! I found a mistake in the story, 'The Doom of the Super-Heroes'. The villain, the Mask Man, said he would kill the Super-Heroes, one by one. Then, at the end of the story, he said that Superboy was the only survivor. How could this be? When in the story were Bouncing Boy and Sun Boy killed? If you can show me any place in the story which shows these two being knocked off, I'll eat my hat. Other than that goof, the story was excellent."

--Gary Arnold, Camarillo, CA.

"The story, 'Doom of the Super-Heroes', was fabulous. There was just so much action and mystery seeing the Legion picked off one by one and desperately fighting to the last. The Legion should have their own book. I think they're better than any other club of heroes because most of them just have one unique power and are not so unbeatable. Another thing I like is that you don't put each member in every single story. If you did, it would get too crowded and cheapen the quality of the stories. All I can say is that I hope the Legion of Super-Heroes stay in business until it really is the 30th century!"

Gregory Kerekes, Holloway, NY.

The Masked Man story was somehow horrifyingly potent for me. I first read it as a pre-teen, and it stuck to me - that anyone could watch more than a dozen of their friends die horribly in short order and not crack? Goodness!

So Sun Boy and Bouncing Boy just disappear. Ugh. Element Lad, Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl continue to get little panel time - but good for Colossal Boy on dying a hero (thank goodness he got better).

And the Masked Man makes the classic mistake of gloating too much and toying with his prey, instead of outright killing them. Hoo boy!

It's after midnight and I can't sleep, so here's my review of Adv. 311.

The Subs seem closer to Hamilton's heart than the regular Legion as he gives them more interesting (and logical) stories, develops their personalities better, and uses their powers more creatively than he does with the Legionnaires. The Subs, after all, were Hamilton's first creation for this series, and their lineup is smaller and more easily defined. It's hard to lose track of characters when you have only five to deal with.

In "The War Between the Substitute Heroes and the Legionnaires," the Subs try to pitch in while the Legion is away on a mission only to be rebuffed harshly when their heroes return. How harsh? The Legion orders the Subs to disband and, when they fail to comply, the "heroes" send a vortex machine (which looks a lot like the vortex beast rejected by Jungle King in 309) to wreck the Subs' headquarters. Bad Legionnaires.

Polar Boy declares war on the Legion and moves the Subs' headquarters to an abandoned city underneath the surface of the moon (amazing how there are always abandoned cities on the moon in comics). Eventually, the Subs deduce that the Legionnaires were lured into a trap and are being impersonated by an alien race which is after earth's minerals. These aliens just happen to be sensitive to cold, which enables Polar Boy to save the say. The Subs boot the defeated aliens back to their home world and rescue the real Legionnaires with the latter being none the wiser.

A somewhat better and more competent version of the Subs' first appearance in 306, this story makes good use of the expanded page count. It's a very involved story, with many obstacles put in the Subs' way and the stakes becoming increasingly higher. Night Girl shines a character--she's much more interesting than any of the female Legionnaires, even Saturn Girl, at this point in the series. Not only does Lydda get to use her strength to fend off giant machines, she also exercises her own initiative by sneaking away from the Subs and appealing to "Cosmic Boy" to get the other "Legionnaires" to back off. Though her gambit fails, she comes off as a strong and independent character.

There are still a few logic problems, of course. How Polar Boy deduced from the "Legionnaires'" harsh treatment of the Subs that the former were "plotting to conquer the earth" is unclear. And that must be some kick off for Night Girl to propel herself all the way from the moon--and back--assisted only by her flight belt. One must remember, of course, that this tale was published six years before Neil Armstrong's one small step, so most people probably had little inkling how far the moon really was from earth. Even so, one would expect a professional science fiction writer like Hamilton to have a clue.

It's mighty convenient that the villains in these stories give up so easily after a single defeat. Why the Subs didn't tell the Legionnaires or the Science Police about the Zyzans so earth could guard against future invasions from them remains a mystery. At least the Subs' humility allows them to prolong the secret of their existence for a few more stories.

Although a few cringeworthy bits of dialogue are evident--such as Night Girl reminding everyone that the reason she's called Night Girl is because she loses her power in sunlight (p. 3)--needless exposition is kept to a refreshing minimum. In fact, Hamilton does a fine job of using exposition to accomplish other purposes, such as Polar Boy's deduction that his power is useless against a machine created to withstand frigid space (p.4) or his scolding Stone Boy when the latter uses his power to fall asleep on duty (p. 3).

While not a classic story for the ages, Adv. 311 is a competent and fully realized tale--one of the better offerings so far.

Adventure #311

I love how the first four Subs stories naturally flow, with each subsequent appearance being a natural story point from the last. Here, for example, we see the inevitable Legion discovering their existence bit, though this one is a fake out! Just like in the original appearance this story plays ok an intense fear that all kids have. The Subs stories are among the best in the whole Silver Age, and their saga is pretty compelling.

The opening splash again shows Dirk among the founders and leadership. The core crew in the second archive really seems to be Dirk, Chuck, Imra, Brainy with Cos, Vi and Cham as the next prolific tier.

Cos seems taller than the other Legionnaires, just as Lydda is taller than all the boy Subs. Certainly, that's on purpose! A statuesque woman needs a tall strapping man! Speaking of which I've always fond her affection for Cos really sweet an romantic--probably because I wanted my own Lydda when I was a teen! (Flash forward after a few "girl liking me" have gone wrong...and I'm content just as I am!)

The Legionnaires are so mean, especially Dirk, that's its hard to read! Luckily I know the ending already. I'm ready for the Subs to go all TMK ass-kicking on them!

Another lost civilization! The statues look too similar to the last--they must be the same! There is a great untold story here.

Polar Boy continues to shine with his optimism and belief in the Legion. As does Night Girl of course, who is the real star in this story.

All in all, another great story IMO. One of the best in the last string of issues.

Adventure 311

So, we get the second Substitute-Hero story, which in some ways revisits much of the same territory as the first, though the “War between the Legions” aspect pushes the theme of rejection and trying to prove their worth to another level.

--Another Star Boy appearance on the cover! However, missing are Phantom Girl, Matter-Eater Lad, Mon-el, and Supergirl!

--Gifts from other worlds! Not sure a mirror that shows you what you will look like as you age would necessarily be the most popular of gifts, though! Native species of Hyrnak apparently have some freaky crazy reproduction going on as well!

--Here we have Night Girl in full stalker mode!

--Stone Boy falls asleep on the job! Fortunately his expertise in minerology comes in useful!

--It’s nice to think that Earth in the 30th century will still have precious ores that aliens will want to steal rather us having used them all up ourselves!

--Even fake Sun Boy seems like he’s the leader!

--Those fake Legionnaires are almost as mean as the real ones!

--Hmm… I wonder if those fish-lizard aliens from the Moon ever hung out with the alligator aliens from the Mystery Lad story a few issues back?

--Sheesh! Way to go, Night Girl! Your stalkerish crush just revealed the location of the Substitute-Heroes to the Legion!

--That’s some pretty awesome sculpting in a hurry on that Stone Boy statue!

--Those Zyzanian disguise-illusion devices are pretty high tech! The Legion won’t use those until 5YL!

--Polar Boy saves the day!

--And, so, the Substitutes remain secret for the time being.

This issue is perfectly enjoyable, but it just feels like a bit of a retread of ideas we’ve already seen. I guess it’s meant as a bit of a fakeout for the next appearance, when the Legion finds out about the Subs for real. And it’s not quite as smooth as the first Substitute Heroes story. Fire Lad, in particular, doesn’t seem to do anything in this one, and Stone Boy’s biggest contribution to the story is a statue of him being eaten to fool the bad guys.

One random idea I thought of in bed last night after writing that review...

I wonder if Night Girl could have been the planned "romantic involvement" for Mon-El? Then, for whatever reason (perhaps as simple as the fact that Mon-El wouldn't work in this story), that crush was transferred to Cosmic Boy?

Also of note... the lettercol for this issue is entirely dedicated to comments on the ongoing "Lightning Lad" plot including samples of three of the "hundreds" of letters received pointing out that Lightning Man's appearances in the Adult Legion stories means he has to be resurrected! The editor points out that this will happen next issue, but that someone else will have to sacrifice their life to save him!

Interestingly enough, Adv. 311 is one of the few if not the only stories during this period that does not reference Lightning Lad's death, unless I missed a reference somewhere.

A lot of these stories based on fakery! I didn't realize how much fake death and deception there was in these Archive stories.



That could be why she showed no interest in Cos in the first Subs story. But why Cosmic Boy and not Sun Boy became the target of her obsession, inquiring minds want to know.

I had to laugh when I noticed her pose, confronting Sun Boy who starts saying "And furthermore..." Perhaps he was at a loss for words standing before Lydda with her hands on her hips and her bust jutting out. And those tears when she talks to Cosmic Boy! In a romance comic, he would have kissed her. No doubt that's why she removed her helmet .



They really are pretty intense stories, especially this one with the supposed Legionnaires acting like such creeps. (That the Subs didn't immediately suspect these "Legionnaires" suggests that the Legionnaires had behaved that way in the past.)

It could have been a great series of stories if the Legion never discovered the Subs, if they remained secretive, saving the Legion over and over again, mysteriously. The Subs could even have had secret identities! Rokk could go out with Lydda and never even know she was Night Girl.




Agreed. We're certainly compiling a lot of untold stories - probably enough for an entire new run of Legion comics. There's also the untold story of Cosmic Boy's pink helmet which Lydda acquired, but lost civilizations are more interesting.



She really is outstanding. Too bad she was consigned pretty much to the background. You have to wonder why she didn't become leader of the Subs. That Cosmic Boy obsession possibly weakened her will over time.

Ebon-thread teen attributes alien rogue with sweetness, heh.

I think the 1:1 transmutation has been the power set for most of Jan's tenure on the team, I.e. he can turn gold into lead, but he can't turn water into peanut butter cups.

Team Camera-Eye Kid with Antennea Boy and you've got a pretty powerful multi-dimensional spy team capable of ease dropping across all time and space.

If recruited by the SPs, they might make for a good buddy-cop comic to boot!

Obviously, Camera Eye procured a time-ship to travel back to 20th-century Smallville, in imitation of Ultra Boy's membership application, in order to impress the Legionnaires.

Unfortunately, due to the heavy regulation of time travel... well, that's why we've never seen him again.

The Legion started as the backup feature, with stories averaging 12-13 pages, although 306 had 14, while 304 and 308 each had 11.

My notes have this story in issue 309 as 17 pages, and it is when the Legion swapped places with Superboy, taking over the lead feature while the Boy of Steel was relegated to back-up status. However, new Superboy tales at this abbreviated length would only last another six issues.

The first full-length Legion tale was issue 316. That was a 19-page story, with four pages of "Powers and Origins" filing out the book.

With issue 317, the Superboy back-ups were reprints, sometimes credits as "A Hall of Fame Classic."

My notes show the lead legion stories of this period averaged 17 pages, although it got as low as 14 with issue 328 and as high as 19 with 339.

It was not until Jim Shooter came on board that that the Superboy reprints were jettisoned and each issue features a single full-length Legion tale, as 23 pages.

As an addendum, while the full-length Legion tales in Adventure was usually 23 pages, there were a handful of 22 and 24 pagers, while Mordru's debut in issue 370 merited 25.

The exceptions were issue 355, which finished off the Adult Legion story with 12 pages and rounded out the book with 12 new pages of Lana joining the team. Then, issue 356 had a 13-page lead backed by a Superboy reprint, albeit the one from issue 282, featuring Star Boy's debut, so Lana got top-billing in two consecutive back-up tales.

The only other split issue was 371, which gave cover status to a back-up Superboy, albeit with the Legion pasted into a couple of panels, while the lead feature, the initial installment of the Tarik the Mute storyline, merited a mere 11 pages.

Also Timber Wolf and, to a certain degree, Sun Boy.

Adventure Comcis 311

1:1 One of the weird anomalies of early Legion stories is the ever-variable size of the clubhouse. Here, it looks barely big enough to fit the three members standing in front of it, never mind the entire team. Note also that, in many of these early tales, the clubhouse appears set it a rural, almost pastoral setting.

On the topic of mini-Brek, while his height in these early tales was once justified with the explanation of his being younger than his teammates, a better explanation might be that his people evolved a short stature as a means to conserve heat. Perhaps, among Tharrinians, Brek would be a towering Alpha male at five feet tall?

I imagine the pointy red thing in the lower left of the panel is one of the drilling machines built later, at about the time this scene is set, but we never see anything exactly like it. I wonder how many kids in 1963 looked at that and wondered, "Now what the hell is that supposed to be."

2:1 Of course, there were no contact lenses in 1963 (I'm pretty sure), so, it would have made sense to those kids that the time-mirror went ahead and added a pair of glasses to Imra's aged reflection.

2:2 Xalla... Hyrnak... Has anyone ever made a list of all the words named in Legion stories?

Note how Forte went ahead and drew what looks like a tiny dragon gestating at the top of the Hyrnakian plant. I'm surprised the plant doesn't topple over it looks so top-heavy. Still, for me, that plant has always held a real, don't-get-it-wet-or-feed-it-after-midnight vibe.

2:3 Is that a space sector or a serial number?

2:4 That mountain looks like it took about three minutes to draw AND ink. I can readily imagine the colorist looking at that panel and wondering, "Now what the hell am I expected to do with this?!"

2:5 You have to wonder who the nameplates are for? Okay, I know, the reader, but still...

3:2 You could be barking up the wrong tree, Night Girl. Even his helmet is pink!

3:5 Too bad Stone Boy's "knowledge of minerals" was never again used as a plot point.

I find it odd that Hamilton never bothers to specify precisely what minerals, or, later in the story, ores, the Zyzans are after.

In 4:1 Polar Boy "can't see any way" to cut the digger's power when examining its underbelly. But peeking up top in 4:5, look! A couple of power cables just randomly running outside the machine's armored shell!

5:1 "The design of this machine is so strange and different." For example, just look at ALL those vacuum tubes!!

5:4 Maybe it's me, but Fire-Lad looks like he's sporting kind of a chub here. Stone Boy, meanwhile, looks as it he's about to go back into hibernation.

7:3-8:2 While Red Tornado's body was used to house Wildfire's life force, his Tornado Champion soul was sent to destroy the Subs...

8:4 You can tell by the teenage-tiny words that this panel was simply shot down from the cover. Oh, also, it's Swan swapped in for Forte. I can't think of another example where the cover of a comic was reprinted as a panel of the story.

I don't know what the original looks like, but Stone Boy is miscolored green in yhis panel of the archives.

9:2 That is one funky-looking moon. Also, I wasn't aware the moon had moons of its own.

10:1-2 The moon once had conditions that allowed stalagmites to form. Now you know!

10:3 While Stone Boy knows minerals, it's Fire-Lad who's the authority in ancient lunar races of alligator people who, we must admit, built quite a city without the benefit of an opposable thumb.

11:1-2 Night Girl can jump from the moon to the Earth and back again! Forget Hulk, Night Girl is strongest one there is!!

Also, while I'm no Niribu conspiracy nut, I do continue to be alarmed at the number of large objects, Saturn in particular, hanging out between the Earth and the moon.

12:5-14:2 Interesting that while the Subs apparently needs space suits on the moon, which isn't nearly as populatied as one would think a thousand years from now, the Legionnaires get by find with just air helmets. Only later would transuits be developed to keep characters recognizable in every panel.

13:3 The pigeon-billed ferret-a-pillar machine is nearly as variable in size as the Legion clubhouse.

14:5 I have the believe that if, at their tryouts, Brek and Dag had demonstrated their power to recarve and paint stone statues to meticulous detail at super-speed, somehow adding a glass helmet to boot, they'd've both made the team and now they'd be the ones making disparaging comments at sorry-ass Subs.

15:2 if you look closely, you can see where Forte forgot to erase the guidelines on his vanishing point.

16:5 Wait, Brek is from a hot world, too. Shouldn't he have knocked himself out with this trick?

17:1 I'm not sure what information this landscape is trying to convey, other than that the Subs' space cruiser really wants for a cadalidic converter. Did Polar Boy freeze the entire Moon? What are those wavy lines, the ice melting? And holy Niribu, those planets sure are closing in!

Okay, that's all I've got. How long should I want to post thoughts on issue 312?

Check out this thread for the reading schedule. It's pretty much 3 stories a week (M-W-F) at this point, but that could vary depending on how people find the pace.



Especially in 5YL, when the Subs were upgraded to competent adversaries of the Dominion. I don't even recall Stone Boy being in the 5YL stories (although according the the Help File, he was).

All the planets from silver age LSH stories were listed in Amazing World of DC comics (Nov. 1975) on pages 46-48.

RE: the Legion not needing spacesuits on the moon. Those were actually illusions cast by the Zyzanians, so maybe they just got sloppy. Theoretically they would've been wearing spacesuits under the illusions.

The Legion Help File also contains a useful list of planets used in the Legion books.

I just did an OCR scan of the planets from Amazing World:


EXTRATERRESTRIAL BODIES OF THE 30th CENTURY

Welcome to the Thirtieth Century! As tourists from the past, we know that you know little, if anything, of the various spots around the Universe that you shouldn't miss on your visit here. We have prepared a list of many planets, star systems, and other heaven Iy bodies which you can Use to select or avoid places to visit. Make sure to bring your camera. You won't want to be without photos of these exotic places to show friends!

ALKOZ: Make sure you have plenty of this world's glass coins! Spending is bound to be heavy.

ALTAIR: The one-eyed, orange pyramid men who inhabit this star-system will be glad to make you feel welcome.

AMARTA: See Winath.

ANGTU: This planet, with its poisonous, thick atmosphere, no longer exists, so don't sign up for any phoney tours there. Mano, its last native, destroyed his home world.

ANKAR: A dark world with no sun, this planet's animals have radar eyes. Be sure to bring a flashlight!

ANTARES: The Proteans hail from this sun system .

ARBRO: Inhabited by a race of tree men. Its sun has weakened to such a degree that its solar rays don't create chlorophyll for these people any more, and a spray is being developed to save them.

ARION: An artificial sun created by Zaxton Regulus.

BASKH: Watch out for many youngsters. The people were rendered barren for a while and all their children died, but several years ago they again became fertile, so most of the children are around the same age.

BGZTL: Bgztl occupies the same space as Earth, but in the Fourth Dimension. Phantom Girl is from this planet.

BISMOLL: Bring a bag lunch if you're visiting here. Over the eons, microbes made all food poisonous. Through evolution, its inhabitants can now eat anything. Visit Capital City, home of Bismoll's president. Tenzil Kem, Matter-Eater Lad of the LSH, is a favorite son, and we wouldn't be surprised if, as an adult, he is raised to some position of political power on Bismoll.

BRAAL: Living metal monsters prowl this planet; so don't go exploring without a native, all of whom have magnetic power to combat the beasts. You might bring a magnet to play Magno-Ball, a local sport like ping-pong, played magnetically with iron balls. Exhibitions of the native Ku-jui, a fighting technique similar to karate and jui-jitsu are worth seeing. Cosmic Boy is from this planet.

BRANDE'S ESTATE Definitely off-limits, this small planet is owned by R.J. Brande, and is guarded by sentinel satellites.

BROGG: Don't let rumors of dangerous monsters keep you off this planet. It seemed that there were creatures there until Mon-EI discovered they were illusions of space pirates to keep their loot hidden there safe from explorers and tourists. It's been removed, so don't go looking for the bounty.

CANOPUS: If you don't like bugs, skip it. An ant race populates this star-system.

CARGG: If you see what appear to be lots of triplets, don't be surprised. This planet's triple sun has given its inhabitants the ability to split into three people. It's considered bad luck there to triplicate three times in one day.

COLU: If you have an inferiority complex, here's another planet for you to skip. Home of Brainiac 5, all its inhabitants are geniuses by our standards. Its history is recounted in Brainiac 5's biography. If attending a birthday party, custom calls for a toast of Kono juice from ivory chalices. The planet is also known as Yod.

CRAGGOK: A small, out-of-the-way world similar to feudal England. They don't take too kindly to tourists.

DAXAM: Be especially careful not to bring any lead to this planet, as it can cause irreparable damage to all its inhabitants. Similar to ancient Krypton in size, sun and culture, biophysics is the major concern of scientists on this planet.

DELTWAN: Vine trees and diamond cliffs stud this planet. Don't steal any, though; customs are tight.

DOLL WORLD: Home of tiny people, there are two cities, both of which are in Middle Ages culture.

DOMINION: A confederation of worlds that once warred against the United Planets. It was ruled by the Dominators.

DRACKSLER: Mirrors are used as currency here.

DURLA: Durlans are not usually trusted by Terrans because of their ability to change into any form they desire. But be a little open· minded if you visit. local superstition holds that the Durlan Jinx·Stone brings bad luck to anyone who touches it. Superman saved Twentieth Century Durla from a plague.

FEMNAZ: This planet was inhabited only by women (who deported their men for failure to worship their moon-goddess) until Mon-EI and Ultra Boy saved them and brought back their men. Nevertheless, women's liberationists would feel at home here.

FEDERATION: Another group of worlds that, until recently, was warring with the UP.

FROD: Has a double red sun.

GAMAU TOL: Fighting on this planet is done with Krishnu Gauntlets.

GNOGG: A radioactive world, this planet's currency is pure radium. Inadvisable to visit unless strongly protected from radiation.

GORILLA NEBULA: If you're superstitious, don't ride through the mouth of this natural formation. It's considered bad luck.

GRAA: An unexplored, undeveloped, uncivilized jungle planet, uninhabited by humans.

GRATH: If given a gourd here, don't eat it. It's money!

HAJOR: A planet that exploded, Kid Psycho of the legion Reserve is its only known survivor.

HUOP: Energy beings live here, and energy money is used.

HYDRA: Inhabited by green, three-headed, six-fingered beings.

HYRNAK: Plants on this planet blossom into live animals.

IMSK: Everyone on this world can shrink, as can anything they have treated with a special chemical, so be prepared!

INTERPLANETARY BANK: A satellite in space that exchanges currencies, it is very secure against theft, guarded by fierce beasts. Be sure to stop here to get money for what, ever worlds you will be visiting.

INTERPLANETARY POST OFFICE: Nice place to visit to see how interplanetary mail is handled. Many different branches.

JUPITER: Ruled by a Governor-General, colonized spots are perfect for tourists who don't want to leave our star system. Fighting with trident spears is a local sport. Don't be around when rainbows appear between the moons if you can help it. It's an unlucky sign. Many fierce animals prowl the surface of Jupiter, such as mastodons with eight horns and three mouths, camelephants, and the two-trunked mastodons.

KAFFAR: Don't be surprised if you see few windows on buildings. They're considered bad luck.

KARAK: A wild, lonely planet with star observation outposts.

KARMATH: Light-jewels are used for light at night. They pick up any light at all and intensify it. If you buy one, make sure it is kept out of sight where there is any light present, as it can easily blind you.

KATHOON: Kathoon is in constant darkness, without a sun, heated by internal forces. Night Girl came from here.

KHANN: Inhabited only by criminal outcasts of many worlds, brains of villains are preserved here and give out free advice. Not considered a particularly safe place for noncriminals.

KHUND: A warlike planet that was defeated in an attack on Earth, populated by humans,.

KORBAL: A lightning world with breathable atmosphere, dangerous lightning beasts inhabit this planet.

KRALLAK: Populated by green lizard people, Krallak used to have a moon, but it exploded.

LAHUM: Peralla was the ruling president. He was warring against other worlds until overthrown by the Legion Espionage Squad. Chemically-grown humanoids provide the planet's defenses. Huevas is the capital city.

LALLOR: Their group of super-heroes have made this world a relatively safe one. Duplicate Boy, Evolvo Lad, Gas Girl, and Life Lass are Lallor's defenders.

LOST WORLD: A planet that wanders throughout the universe, the super-powerful machinery of a long-extinct populace is scrupulously guarded by law-enforcement groups allover the universe.

LUPRA: Home of Color Kid.

LURNA: A great variety of fantastic animals such as Hypno-Beasts and Flame-Beasts populate this planet.

LUVAN: 8-armed, green octoid men inhabit this world.

MANNA-5: The agricultural planet that provides food for billions on other worlds.

MARDRU: Home of Chlorophyll Kid.

MARS: Our closest neighbor, many cities have sprung up, including the greatest one on that planet, Mars City, with its famous impenetrable dome, and many cities near the polar ice caps. Low Martian gravity makes super skyscrapers possible, such as the Spaceport's Tower Restaurant, which is five miles high. A beautiful vacation site, and a prime tourist resort with breathable atmosphere.

MERCURY: Gas money is used on this planet.

MIRAGE WORLD: An unexplored planet in a location known only to the LSH, cities of phantoms, created by a dead race to scare away intruders, dot this world.

MODO: Until the Legion raided this planet it was a haven for criminals, ruled by Modulus. go here to be cured or die.

RIMBOR: Home of Ultra Boy. Try their Vegesteaks. They come highly recommended.

R-K528: The planet with the famous Romance Valley, the most romantic spot in the Universe. If you're travelling with someone you love, this is a must-see.

ROJUN: Inhabited by yellow, bald beings, they use living crystals for money.

ROKYN: Kandor was enlarged upon this planet in the Twentieth Century.

RORBIS: Home of the Interplanetary Rodeo, a tourist favorite.

SATURN: Saturn and her moons are those rarities in the Universe: Worlds without crime. This is because the radiation from its rings cancels out Saturnians' criminal tendencies. The planet itself is generally uninhabited by humans, but there are such creatures as the Stone-Dragon, Scorpion Beast, and Tri-Hydra.

SEERIS: An advanced planet in another universe. The people there have ignored their bodies, concentrating all efforts on developing their minds.

SHANGHALLA: The famous cemetery-satellite for super-heroes from all over the cosmos. It is revered by billions of inhabitants in millions of galaxies. Terrans miqht be interested in seeing the tomb of Triplicate Girl's third body.

SHWAR: Home of Fire Lad.

SIMBALLI: Another jungle planetoid.

SIRIUS: People in this star system use needles for money.

SKOR : Populated by an advanced humanoid civilization.

TAKRON-GALTOS: A maximum security prison where prisoners are forced to mine as punishment.

TALOK VIII: A planet where modern science and primitive weapons are combined. Its race of blue beings live in what we would consider a backward culture. Light weakens them, and they can see in the dark. Nevertheless, towns are not artificially darkened in daylight. Their warriors have tremendous skill and are feared throughout the galaxy. Shadow Kid, Shadow lass' cousin, is this planet's hero.

TALTAR: A planet with a matriarchal society.

TALUS: Cosmic junkyard. An artificial asteroid made up of wrecked ships.

THANAR: An asteroid inhabited by mineral fleshed people.

THARR: Heat storms caused some people to develop the power to radiate intense cold. Tharr is well-known for its "living paintings."

THAUN: An unlucky mystery world where superstition rules.

THROON: A jungle planet with only one man-made structure, a giant tower. Two old men are the last of that planet's race. TITAN: A moon of Saturn, all humans who call themselves natives of Saturn are actually from Titan. All people have ESP abilities, and crime is non-existent.

TOLK: Home of the beautiful Galactic Aviary, a worthwhile sight if you can get there. Bring color film.

TOMBOR: A planet of wraiths. As the planet's resources depleted, the people transformed themselves to adapt.

TROM: A radioactive environment gave this planet's inhabitants the power to use mental radiation to alter any atomic structure, giving the ability to change elements. Because of this power, money was paper currency printed on special presses with plates made by a process no counterfeiter could duplicate. There was no gold or silver standard to give the money worth, such as we have on Earth. Roxxas and his raiders destroyed that race with the sole exception of Element Lad when the people refused to use their power for him.

TULVA: Home of the witch wolf, the deadliest beast of that star system, gives off invisible, poisonous radiation. The beast senses a being's greatest abilities and turns them against them.

UMRAX: Under no circumstances go down on this planet without an adequate supply of oxygen. The air on this planet renders humans unconscious.

VAALOR: Home planet of the dead hero, Nimbok.

VANNAR: One side of that planet always faces its sun.

VASMEER: Mog Yagor was a hero on that world who saved that planet fighting a space beast. He was killed in that fight.

VENGAR: Home planet of the long dead Ekron civilization, which was responsible for many lost scientific wonders. Its Emerald Eye was discovered and appropriated by the EmeraId Empress.

VENTURA: A gamblers' world. The interstellar answer to Las Vegas, even in the 20th Century.

VENUS: Venus was first explored by an Unknown Spaceman. It has since been colonized. Transmutation is considered evil there. Flora and fauna native to Venus include the octopus vine, hoppers, the sneep (a tiny creature), and the gyrak, a tiger-like wild animal.

VONDRA: Home of the Valley of the Aurora, which temporarily makes people about fifteen years younger.

VOR: On this planet, the rare element Varium is dug up by matter-eating beasts.

VORAN 4: A prison planet for permanently disabled criminals who cannot escape because of their disabilities.

VORN: A jungle planet with weird beasts like the dralgo, flasher·beast, vran, lian, maw, and volcano beast. Human colonies generally failed and there is only one extant city. Not an especially pleasant place.

VURUNA: A water-world with no land. Cities are floating on pontoons. The people there are very peaceful, and huge, valuable colored pearls are beautiful natural resources.

WINATH: Home of Lightning Lad and Light Lass. Also known as Amarta.

WORLD OF DEAD ROBOTS: Gigantic mechanical robots were created by humans to serve their needs. The robots revolted and drove their masters away. Unable to repair themselves, they eventually stopped running and "died."

WORLD OF 100 MOONS: Uninhabited, but presents a beautiful view at night. Stop there for a while if only for the view.

XALLA: You can get a time-mirror, which will show how you will look when you age, here.

XANTHU:.An industrialized planet with natural beauty still in abundance. Many rough diamonds spot the terrain. Interlac is not widely spoken, so get either a dictionary or translator. The parakat. a talking tiger, lives in the Jungle Mountains.

XENN: A planet that exploded The Legion evacuated the inhabitants before the explosion.

YOD: See Colu.

YORRG: An unexplored planet populated by reptile peop1e.

ZADRON: An advanced, peaceful planet.

ZEROX: Sorcerers descended from Earth magicians live on this planet once ruled by Mordru.

ZINTH: Power crystals provide the people with heat and light.

ZOND: Metallic humanoids live on this planet. They consider it good luck to be hit by lightning.

ZOON: Zoon has three different colored suns. Zuunium is a rare mineral mined there.

ZWEN: Zwen rotates so slowly that nights last half an Earth year. The inhabitants evolved the power to turn into stone, a type of suspended animation, during these nights. So don't be tempted to spend the night if asked unless you're on a really long vacation.

ZYZAN: A hot world inhabited by yellow creatures with red spots. Not very comfortable for humans.

I can't either, but the John Forte-drawn characters in this scene from Adv. 318 were rearranged and placed into Lois's earrings in Lois Lane's Luckiest Day (LL #50), which was drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger, which is kind of funny, given their poses. It looks like they're trapped in her earrings and looking for a way out.

Unfortunately it won't work with Windows 7 or later without running a conversion program

That exorcist turn of Star Boy's neck reminds me, do we know of an artist other than Forte with such a penchant for profiles?

^^That's a unique feature of Xanthu physiology. They're allergic to sugar, and have really impressive ability to turn their necks.

Garth was also fairly prominent when he came back!



And these 5, plus Jan and excluding Mon-El, seem to be the under-represented Legionnaires in the early days! Also Luornu and Lyle, to an extent.

Tuesday morning is deadline day for me at the paper, which makes that and Monday hella-hectic for me. So, I hope you'll forgive me for posting my Adventure Comics 312 re-read early...

ADVENTURE COMICS #312

PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Purchased in 1983 at a used book store in Bingham, Maine for $3 when I was 15, this was only the second issue of the Legion's Adventure Comics run I ever owned. I remember being really taken back by John Forte's art. Between the stiff poses, the expressionless eyes and more profiles than I'd ever seen in any comic, I was less than impressed once I got the book home and opened it up. I've since grown to appreciate Forte's facility with a brush, as well as his draftsmanship and story-telling ability, but at the time I thought this was some serious cave-wall artwork.

STORY SYNOPSIS: After searching the cosmos for a cure to help Lightning Lad get over a bad case of deathitis, the Legionnaires discover one of their own holds the answer, but he's holding back because reviving one dead hero will require the death of another in, "The Super-Sacrifice of the Legionnaires!"

HISTORICAL NOTES: So, it's the end of the original Lightning Saga. Having read the last chapter first, it's hard to imagine how readers at the time must have felt as Lightning Lad's return was teased issue after issue. Of course, his death was not mentioned in issues 306 and 307, which leads me to suspect the resurrection was not planned from the beginning. Sure, an atypical editor's note hinted at Lightning Lad's eventual "surprising" return, but Uncle Mort had a habit of teasing stories that he'd never get around to publishing. Issue 305 did remind us of Lightning Lad's, but then, as noted, no mention of him at all for the next two issues. Given the delay between production and publication, I tend to believe the plan for issue 308 was to simply replace Lightning Lad with his sister and be done with it. It was probably while that issue was in production that letters began to remind poor Mort of a certain Lightning MAN. Issue 309 is, like 306 and 307, curiously bereft of Ranzz siblings and I wonder if it might have been written first, with issue 308 rushed into production as the first letters of reaction to Lightning Lad's death came pouring in? Subplots, of course, were practically unheard of in those halcyon days, and, really, the run-up to Garth's return isn't quite the run-on we imagine. Ayla appears briefly in issue 310 then not at all in 311, before returning in #312, by which time Garth's lifeless corpse has finally been moved out of the clubhouse to "lightning world."

TROPES AND THEMES: Although the nominal point of this story is the return of Lightning Lad, it's really a full-length examination of one of the early tropes of Legion comics. While the Bizarro World feature it replaced featured nominal plots wrapped around the wacky things Bizarros do, early Legion stories built on a similar structure, using the plot as a filler following what DC must've figured would really engage young readers - the wacky things future people do. Usually, this was accomplished in the first few panels via use of way-out future tech, or receipt of strange gifts from other worlds. In this issue, however, we actually get to visit those other worlds in a full-length space opera search for the secrets of everlasting life. As an aside, it does surprise me, give the play the Subs were getting at this time, that we don't visit Stone Boy's world in hopes of discovering how to pull someone out of suspended animation. I mean, for Lightning Lad, rigor mortis must have set in by now. Anyway, this is about it for the far-out space stuff trope. With then Legion having taken over the lead feature in Adventure with issue 309, Hamilton gets more room for his plots and, perhaps counter-intuitively, devotes less space to science-fiction show-and-tell, choosing from here in on to weave the whiz-bang more naturalistically into his tales.

The balance of the story revolves one two other tropes, the one-of-us-is-a-traitor theme we see so often, and the right to hold the title of "The Bravest Legionnaire," most often expressed via the presumed nobility of sacrificing oneself for the benefit of another. It's worth noting, however, that Mon-El reserves the sacrifice for himself presumably because he doesn't think the lightning will actually kill him, while Saturn Girl seems motivated more by guilt than love. In fact, other than a throw-away, "Hey, that's my wife line" in one Adult Legion story, when Superman gets frisky with Imra under the mistletoe, we have yet to see romantic pairings among the Legionnaires.

PANELOLOGY:

COVER — I remember buying this comic not just because it was the oldest issue the dealer had, but because it had a truly awesome and eye catching cover. At a time when comic book covers were full of bold contour lines and bright, primary colors, this nearly all back cover, with the glass casket, the evocative lighting bolts and the bright, teal logo was about as compelling to a teen as one could imagine. Even though I was familiar enough with the Legion to know all present survived this mission, I remember barely being able to contain my curiously as I rushed to rip this issue out of its protective polyethylene bag to see which member's wand took the life-giving bolt.

1:1 — For a moment it looks like the title ends in a period, until you notice there was not enough room in the text box for the entire, and in this era mandatory, exclamation point, which spills over into the shadow of the moopsball stadium.

Notice that none of the glass caskets have lids? Clearly, it never rains on this world, at least not while it's orbiting the orange sun, otherwise everybody would drown. On the other hand, maybe it does rain. Being rusted in place is the only reason I can think of for that monorail train being mid-track while the planet's entire populace is fast asleep.

2:1 — Doesn't this clock look a little rushed to you? I'm betting Forte did the lettering on this. I wonder if all seven worlds are on a.m. or p.m.? To my knowledge, none of these worlds was ever mentioned again, save for Aarok which, by accident or design, was recycled in the postboot as the homeworld of XS.

2:2-2:4 — It appears the Legion is still dealing with the after-affects of Rainbow Girl's tryout. Either that, or the meeting table is currently hurtling through the Silver Age time barrier.

Also, relish those nameplates Legion fans, you won't be seeing them for much longer in this series.

2:3-2:4 — Ah, Proty can assume the form of a human in such detail as to be utterly undetectable from the original. This, kids, is a literary device known as foreshadowing.

2:4 — Why, I wonder, does Mon-El need a spaceship? Oh well, nice of Superboy to let us know what's happening off panel. He's super-helpful.

3:1 — Classic stick-up-the-butt poses of the era. John Forte would've drawn an awesome First Officer William Riker!

3:2 — Today, I think we presume this "strange world of eternal lightning" is Korbal.

3:2-4:4 — Nothing random about this lighting. Notice how it always points directly at the characters?

3:2, 3:4 — To this day, I can't eat popcorn at the movies without fearing in the back of my mind that the kernels are going to sprout Proty legs and dash madcap all over the theater.

3:3 — In the Archive edition, as in the original printing, Superboy's hair is colored a reddish brown, which makes it seem for a second as if Lightning Lad is narrating his own death.

Lightning Lad's death pose is about as limber as a John Forte figure gets.

While not an exact replication, this panel is strikingly similar to the one from issue 304 in which Garth bit the dust, although, at that time, he had the good sense to keep his space helmet on. What's unclear from this single panel is that the red thing above Garth is Zaryan's ship, while what looks like a beam of light falling on Saturn Girl's helmet is the freeze-ray. The yellow background is supposed to be the dark purple that in comics stands for the black of outer space and the clouds are . . . well, clouds . . . in space.

Last issue the Legion faced Zyzans. This issue they deal with the works of Zaryan. Z is the most evil letter, especially when accompanied by a handful of Ys, As and Ns.

3:5 — Would you look at the super-grip on Saturn Girl? Just look at it! Gee, good thing Mon is invulnerable.

4:1 — I think EDE's right, it looks like they're going to kiss!

4:2 — "I can't stand the sight of her terrible grief!" However, I could stare at her hot, rockin' bottom all day!!

4:3 — Rarely in modern comics do you find heroes, "inspired to a tremendous resolve."

You know who would make a great couple? Polar Boy and Lightning Lass. I mean, they're both about four feet tall.

4:4 — "Some of us . . . ?" The only character in this story not required by the plot, besides you, Superboy, is Sun Boy. And he was contractually required at this point to star in every Legion tale. So, really, I'd say most of the team has moved on.

4:5 — Not a computer librarian, this is still 1963 after all, so it's a "'mechanical-librarian' computer," no less. Either way, that's one honkin' big View-Master™.

4:5, 5:1 — AB-213 is both a "galactic sector" and a "galaxy."

5:1 — Interesting, uncharacteristic dry brush technique employed by Forte in the lower left corner.

6:1-6:5 — Years later, Mon-El would get nothing but grief for this mountain-to-Mohammed routine. He was all, like, "Sheesh, nobody bitched when Superboy did it!"

6:2 — It sometimes helps if you mix a little actual science in with the pseudo-science.

7:1,8:2 — Boy, Mon-El sure is a chatty-Cathy while flying through the vacuum of space. Remember that for later.

9:1 — Which came first, the comic page or the cover? Not only are all the characters in the same places and in similar poses, if you compare this panel to the cover, you see other striking similarities, from the profile of the mountain, to the grip each Legionnaire has on his or her wand, to the fact that Saturn Girl's forearm alone is drapped in shadow. Clearly, one artists was given the other's work for reference.

9:2 — It takes a lot of levers and dials to pilot a space ship. Also, apparently, a pipe organ.

10:1-10:2 — These two panels, far more so than this issue's primary let's-all-line-up-to-die-for-our-buddy theme, exemplify, to me, what it truly means to be a Legionnaire.

10:3 — "Great jumping suns" is just a fantastic exclamation, don't you think? I'm going to use it always.

Why, I wonder, especially when looking at the creature on the far right, would a space-serpent need to evolve legs? Or a nose?

10:4 — Sun Boy has, by this time, moved beyond "super-radiance," to generate heat as well as light. But note he's still a long way from hurling fireballs.

10:5 — Apart from wondering what hippie-freak designed that floor, I actually have no problem with an Interplanetary Post Office. Surely such a institution would not move physical mail, as was the intent here, what with the Venus-to-Pluto et. al. mail chutes, but it does make sense that some sort of substation would be needed to boost and relay interplanetary email. Personally, I don't think the U.S. Postal Service will last another 10 years, let alone 1,000, but I'm certain, as we saw in the threeboot, the U.P. will have need for such an organization to snoop on communications.

Notice the mail chute the the far right. What planet starts with "H-E?" Could the letterer have been screwing with Mort? Is this the Jupiter-to-Hell chute?

11:1 — Surprising the bodies didn't get sucked out by the vacuum of space. I presumed that was a known phenomona, even in 1963?

11:2 — You didn't know this, but before he got rejected from the Legion and turned to a life of evil, Radiation Roy was an interplanetary postal clerk.

11:5 — I'd volunteer to be frozen to death and revived if it'd turn my white hair blond!

These capsules are powered by radium. The city of the lost Luna race in the last issue was lit by radium. Edmund Hamilton LOVED radium.

12:1 — Sometimes, as elsewhere in this issue, the bolts on Lightning Lad's costume just touched. Most of the time, especially later on in the Adventure run, they didn't. But sometimes, as here, the artist crosses streams.

12:3 — Note to editor's note: Were you totally not paying attention earlier when Mon spoke in space sans radio helmet?

12:6 — I'm pretty sure the whole idea of Daxam being a world of super-advanced medicines, later advanced by Paul Levitz, stems from this one panel.

13:3-13:5 — Sure would've sucked for Mon's demonstration if one of the androids he borrowed from Zoon had been Brin Londo!

14:3 — I Googled "duralim," thinking Hamilton must've based it on something, but struck out. I am surprised we never saw the metal used again as a defensive weapon against any of the Ranzzes.

14:4 — More foreshadowing, this time by Imra Drew and the Mystery of the Winding Caverns.

15:2 — There's enough room in this panel, I think, that Cham could have been depicted kneeling next to the protoplasmic puddle, grieving for his lost pet.


FINAL THOUGHTS: Oh, the pathos! Oh, the Silver Age goofiness! This is, without question, one of the all-time classic Legion tales. Though it has its flaws it surely must be included in any "Best of . . . collection.

RETCON REFERENCE KIT: I think we can presume that this story still exists in the 52boot. However, it seems the wonderful (I know I'm in the minority opinion here) Bierbaum retcon — that Proty's life force was transferred into Garth, who remained dead — never happened. That doesn't make sense as 52boot seems to pick up from Levitz' second run on the Legion, excising 5YL. However, while Proty-Garth is a 5YL retcon, it was based on prior events that should still stand.

THE GRADE: 7.5 super-hero clubhouses out of 10.

FINAL THOUGHT, PART TWO: Whether we use my scale above, or some other system, I think it would be fun if we all post a similar grade for each issue we review in this and future "re-reading" threads. That way, they could be averaged together and a "Legion World consensus" grade appended to each issue of the checklist.


Okay, this review was longer than I intended, but I had fun. Hope you did, too!

Jesus, PB! A panel by panel review? You might leave something for the rest of us to say! Just kidding. I enjoyed your in-depth analysis. All I've got is:

See icie Saturn phonie ice self for Garth.

P.S. Blockade Boy and Weight Wizard appeared as Bits of Legionnaire Business in this issue.

Ok, I just reread 312. It's hilarious and creepy that that one race all goes out and lies down in glass coffins once a year or whatever. And they appear to live in tiny little houses, barely big enough for one person to lie down in.

I'm sure Ayla would call Garth "Lightning Lad" when she breaks down and cries over his body.

At first glance, it looks like Mon-El is killing that pterodactyl creature. Thank goodness for silver age exposition to explain it isn't so!


I love Imra's green lacy nightie. I wonder if that's what she wears under her costume, or if it's standard hospital issue on Daxam.

I'm sure Mon-El went to the trouble to whip up a glass coffin for the lifeless android. Decorum is so important when dealing with dead androids.

Handy that Imra never leaves home without a can of steel-colored paint and a brush, not to mention a duralim wand! Those Titanian Girl Scouts sure taught her to be prepared!

I notice that Lightning Lad's bolts on his costume come to a point, but Ayla's bolts criss-cross each other.

Note there's no thought of using the life-transfer device to revive Proty. It would be kind of funny (and morbid) to see the Legionnaires using it over and over again with a different one being killed each time, while arguing over who should die for whom. They might never get off lightning world!

Rofl

Yer a sick puppy, Jim

It gets worse if you like the New Garth=Proty retcon of 5YL. Think how messed up the body-swapping would get before embarrassment (possibly from a gender-swapped someone) made someone actually admit "Umm... I'm actually..."!

[Incidentally, I like the Proty retcon myself because the whole idea of introducing "Someone must sacrifice themselves..." and then ultimately using the non-speaking extra rather than someone in a starring role is SUCH a huge cop-out!]

You'd think if Proty (who is considered a "pet" at this point) works, then they could just grab some random space-squirrel or something and use it's life essence to revive Garth. (Yeah, I know, technically against the Legion code, but...)

For that matter, you'd think there'd be a big business in reviving dead relatives with, say, cows! (Which you could then roast on a spit and eat for a feast to celebrate their revival!)

I do like Garth/Proty. It was a total shocker, but yet it doesn't really change anything. "Garth" still served the Legion faithfully and heroically for years.

I assumed it was so Mon wouldn't lose his powers under Daxam's red sun, but he later has no trouble flying to Daxam without a ship.



See also Dr. Zachary Smith of "Lost in Space." The evilness of the letter Z increases exponentially if the character is a doctor.







My favorite version of LL's costume is the one on the cover of Adv. 267. In it, the lighting bolts extend above the shoulder panels, and there's no scrunched up shirttails/froofy belt or whatever that's supposed to be.





Thanks for a thorough and fun-to-read analysis, PoFo Boy.

I considered grading each issue, as well, but since I just finished submitting final grades for three English composition classes, I think I'll take a pass for now.

Agreed. I thought it was a wonderful retcon that provided a new perspective on Garth without diminishing anything he had accomplished in any way.

Maybe the whole thing was a plot by Proty to get into the Legion. He knew they'd never take him seriously since they considered him a pet.

I don't think so. I think Proty truly loved Imra and wanted to protect her above all else. Proty shows us what love is really about.

The Resurrection of Lightning Lad is almost as iconic as his death, and its hard not to see this story in that light. The first real return of a dead character, it is firmly in place in comics history.

Even more for me, I can't read the story without keeping TMK in mind the entire time. I find the Proty / Garth twist to be hugely ingenious and this story here firmly plants all the seeds needed, right from page 3 with Proty running to Saturn Girl, who he is so devoted to.

The story certainly has its "tough to swallow" moments, beginning with the entire resurrection process. However, seeing beyond that to the smaller bits, there's a lot going on here and a lot of subtle emotion. I like that every Legionnaire included has a specific reason to be: Imra, of course; Ayla, his sister; Dirk, his best friend; Mon, who made a solemn vow to restore him to life; and Cham so Proty can play a part.

And naturally Superboy plays a role. It's here that he once more starts taking the lead in a lot of Legion stories.

I really like the cat and mouse game Imra and Mon are playing with one another here. This trope is commonly done wrong these days.

It occurs to me if Superboy Prime pulled the blue sun trick in Infinite Crisis, it would have been game over in panel 2, page 2.

Part 2 opens with nice space opera, Hamilton's forte. Sun Boy is so leading man heroic here. And though she's shown to be perhaps too emotional, I do like Ayla's unflinching devotion to her brother. (Years ago, I started many threads about Ayla was an emotional train wreck and tornado; flash forward and I realize I like her that way and find her characterization very attractive. I think I've lost it over the years).

Btw, those metal eating space dragons are pretty badass. So was the Taloc in part 1. Lots of cool sci-fi throwaway elements throughout.

I like Imra's underhanded play to ensure she is the one who makes the sacrifice. She is such a badass!

There are so many flaws in this story yet I can't help but really enjoy it. Surely, that's because of knowing the subsequent long history of the Legion, especially the aforementioned TMK story.

Considering his sometimes cliche role, surely Chuck would have suggested this if he was in the story!

You know, so far everyone of us has said we like Garth / Proty. Years ago, there were certainly a lot of posters who didn't.

For me its one of the--perhaps *the*--great "HOLY CRAP!!" Moments in comic history.

Adv. 312

Rarely has a story had so much potential to be great yet fallen so short.

Oh, sure, "The Super-Sacrifice of the Legionnaires" is iconic for the resurrection of Lightning Lad and the Legion's devotion in bringing him back. And it is certainly one of the linchpin moments in Legion history for reasons described above. Yet, as a story, it left me disappointed with how great it could have been.

The premise has all the right ingredients: The Legion scours the universe for a way to revive their comrade; Mon-El finds a way but he dares not share it with the others until Saturn Girl tricks him into revealing it. The Legionnaires then play a bizarre game of Russian roulette, knowing one of them must sacrifice himself or herself for Lightning Lad. Someone makes that sacrifice, but it's not who you expect.

It's a very simple plot in which the heroes have a goal, overcome obstacles, and succeed but at a cost. A story with this setup usually can't go wrong.

And yet I was struck by the lack of drama in the way the story was told. Even knowing that Lightning Lad would be revived, I still expected to be drawn in, to care about the heroes, to root for them to succeed, and to feel their conflicting emotions when they learn one of them must die to save their friend. However, the story plods along as if it's business as usual. I found myself growing bored and wanting to put the book down several times.

The plot, even though it has all the right ingredients, is very thin. We know Mon-El holds the secret to reviving Lightning Lad; everything else is just filler until Saturn Girl gets him to talk. The scenes of Superboy visiting AB-213, Mon-El fighting the Taroc (and kayoing it with one punch) and the other Legionnaires visiting the Interplanetary Post Office lack any sort of tension and are meant to keep us busy. I found myself wanting to yell, "Get on with it already!"

Hamilton makes a valiant effort to create tension--Saturn Girl knows Mon knows something, Mon guards his thoughts, Saturn Girl (in a wildly implausible scene) risks her life to make him spill the beans--but these scenes don't really build tension so much as prolong the minimal tension that's already there. The stakes are never raised in this story; they remain flat until Mon reveals the cost of reviving Lightning Lad. Even then, no one thinks twice about making the sacrifice. (Of course, these are Silver Age heroes--they never doubt!) Even Superboy, on whom much of history depends, goes along with a plan to put himself in a death-like coma. None of this seems plausible and, therefore, there's no conflict.

Here's an alternate scenario: Suppose Saturn Girl had learned immediately that the only way to revive Lightning Lad was for a Legionnaire to lose his or her life. The Legionnaires discard this idea because it's too horrible. Then they scour the universe to find other options. When they fail, they keep coming back to the original plan. They must weigh the cost: Is Lightning Lad's life truly more valuable than that of any other Legionnaire? (Someone should at least ask that question.) Perhaps time is working against them: If Lightning Lad remains dead for so long, he will pass the point where he can be revived (no need to go into gruesome details, though). Only when the Legionnaires weigh these risks and determine that there is a slight chance he can be revived do they proceed with the plan--which ends as it does in the story, with Proty's sacrifice.

Simply revealing what Mon knows early on could have made this a much tighter story with escalating stakes and tension.

What made it work so well for me is that it explained perfectly why Lightning Lad was a bit of a minor player after his return, why his term as leader was such a disaster, and why he so often, especially in the latter part of the preboot, seem to be little more than Mr. Imra Ardeen.

I liked how Levitz and others had the Protean independance subplot running through the background of the Pre-Crisis runs, and this is almost like the touch point. Proty shows self-determination through his sacrifice, which kind of sets off the movement to stop keeping them as pets (culminating in MacCauley trying to get his telepathic pet back as it knows his secrets).

I did not like Garth/Proty. At all. At ALL.

Adventure 312

So this is another completely iconic issue, though, as Pofobo points out, the story itself is kind of thin, the issue really being an opportunity for Hamilton and Forte to go crazy on the sci fi stuff by showing different possible methods for resurrection across the universe. It is, of course, the culmination of the death and resurrection of Lightning Lad subplot that's been running most of a year now.

The opening panel, featuring the clock that show the time on different worlds, is actually one of those completely awesome Hamilton touches that he litters his Legion run with. Much like the "perpetual motion machine" that constantly generates lighting above LL's coffin, it's one of those scientific impossibilities that has apparently been conquered by the Legion's time, as according to Einsteinian physics, there is no way of synchronizing clocks that are distant in space. But apparently it is commonplace by the 30th century!

The clock also introduces the homeworld of one of the most important characters in Legion history! I'm talking, of course, about Yar, homeworld of the notorious Mudermaton! Oh, and I guess Aarok is kind of important as well.

Anyway, considering Mon-El suggested way back in #305 that there might be a way to revive Lightning Lad on his homeworld, it sure has taken him a long time to go back and check on it!

So, after Mon-El lies about not being able to find a way to revive Lightning Lad, the Legionnaires google resurrection methods on the space-internet... er... I mean they check with their mechanical librarian, and depart to check out different possible ways of reviving him.

That world of people lying in glass coffins is pretty crazy! This provides our science lessons for the issue, though, as Superboy teaches us about prominences!

The taroc is pretty bizarre looking! And while it is somewhat like a phoenix of old Earth legends, I'd think the more nature comparison is to... I don't know... a roc!

Okay, that's a pretty crazy plot by Imra to trick Mon-El into landing on Daxam. Couldn't she have just needed to go to the bathroom or something? I mean... that does seem to be the disadvantage of not taking a spaceship when flying through space.

Anyway, is Imra in her undergarments in the med-center, or what?

Okay, so it seems to me the obvious choice is to let either Superboy or Mon-El use the machine to revive LL. Sure, they'd be left in a death-like coma, but that's better than, you know, dying. And then the Legionnaires could look for a way to revive them. And, of course, that was Mon-El's plan all along, if that snoopy-snoop Imra hadn't interfered! Of course, Mon-El was trapped in the freaking Phantom Zone for a thousand years, after being trapped in suspended animation for fifteen years, so what's another period trapped in a death-like coma to him?

Of course, Imra schemes again to sacrifice herself instead of the other Legionnaires, and this time gets Proty killed to save her! Fortunately, Imra learns her lesson and will never deceive her fellow Legionnaires again! Or not...

Anyway, the ending is definitely a bit of a cop out as originally written, given that this is Proty's second appearance and given that he will quickly be replaced by a basically identical character. This is redeemed by the Garth-Proty revelation, however, as long as you assume that the revived "Garth" is a merger of the two, ala Mon-El/Eltro.

Anyway, there's definitely ways this story could be improved, but it's not bad as it stands, and a pretty good example of how these early Legion stories can be pretty interesting even without any super-villains showing up. In fact, except for Saturn Girl's telepath and Proty's telepathy and shape-changing, this story barely requires the use of super-powers at all, and could easily be a Hamilton story from Strange Adventures with the Legionnaires just plugged in.

That's one of the many bizarre things about the current version, that they seem to acknowledge the Proty-Garth idea by giving Garth the personality associated with Protyless Garth, but resurrection story is presumably supposed to have happened in this continuity. It really is a complete mess.

Given the variations on a theme Otto Binder practiced before Adventure Comics #247 - including Strange Adventures #60 and #62, and Adventure Comics #187 if he wrote that - and the number of times Hamilton used things like Thar/Tharr, it would be worth the time IMHO, to search Hamilton's older stories for a precursor to this tale.

This revival method might just work with beings of comparable sentience, but the Legionnaires don't realize that yet. So cows and squirrels are out, but Proty, unbeknown to the Legion, is really a being of advanced consciousness, so the revival worked. That's how I'm thinking about it at this point.

Perhaps all Proteans are in love with Saturn Girl. She is their iron goddess and they will gladly sacrifice themselves for her and her happiness.

Yeah, I definitely think that's the best way of understanding it.

As far as Proty's actions, the way I've always interpreted the situation as that the Proteans definitely wanted a plant within the Legion, but that Proty actually threw things off by apparently sacrificing himself, therefore the need to send Proty II as a replacement. It wasn't until alter that the Proteans realized that Proty had survived as a part of new Garth's consciousness.

It's actually an interesting feature of a lot of Golden Age science fiction, which seems to have bled over into comics influenced by that era, that terms like "galaxy", "universe", "constellation", "solar system", etc., all seem to be used kind of randomly and often interchangeably.



As Ex Nihil has pointed out, apparently in the 30th century "Uranus" is at least sometimes known by one of its early alternate names, "Herschel".



Actually, it's not even clear that being sucked out of a spaceship is really scientifically accurate, rather than just a sci fi trope. Similarly, there's no real scientific reason to think people explode when exposed to vacuum, as is also often depicted.

It's all about the rate of change of pressure whether you get sucked out/explode or not. As soon as equilibrium is reached, you won't get pulled any more. And pressure changes tend to cause weak spots to fail more than "whole floors of windows blow out" sort of things.

It's not quite false, but it *is* exaggerated. And not necessarily quite in line with the way it's depicted - if you get sucked out into a vacuum, you're actually slightly better off just exhaling straight away, since the damage caused by you resisting it is greater than if you just let your lungs empty. Less force that way. [Also, vacuum is a brilliant insulator - thermos flasks work using a thin layer of vacuum enclosed within glass - so the problem is keeping spaceships cool. It's next to impossible to freeze if the power goes out - you'd cook first.]

But in the story in question, that other Protean dude said, "Garth you are not. Protean you are. Ever since the resurrection." Also, Ayla says she was never really fooled. This says to me that Garth is gone, baby gone and only Proty is left. It must have been Eltro's/Mon-El's invulnerability that allowed them to share consciousness in one body. In a non-invulnerable being, one life force is traded completely for the other.

But then the story doesn't really work for me, because it does seem to screw up a lot of the character's history in that case, particularly stuff like the Garth/Mekt relationship, which really makes little sense if "Garth" isn't really Garth at all.

Hmmm. Good point.

I always thought that Proty was an amalgam of Garth and Proty.

Because of the lightning or maybe Proty was such an awesome shapeshifter he became mostly Garth, even on the inside.

Imra probably would never be fooled, but in order to fool others, he'd have to assume Garth's personality, voice, etc.

Well, I suppose it works if Proty-Garth genuinely thinks he's all Garth. Sort of like having reverse amnesia - instead of forgetting his own memories, he remembers somebody else's.

I've been thinking about EDE's post. If it's Proty's mind in Garth's body, then wouldn't he still be telepathic? He could've used his telepathy to collect memories of Garth from his family and friends in order to aid his imposture. He would want to mold his personality and behavior to match Garth's as seen thru their eyes. Maybe after a while, he sort of became Garth's personality, personal baggage and all.

Except that his behavior is supposed to be quite different post-Resurrection than pre-Resurrection, which is why SW6 Garth has a much different personality.

It just seems that it makes the most sense if you assume that basically the same thing happens to him as Mon-El. With Mon, after he comes back, he's still in there but the addition of the extra personality makes him more moody and depressive than he was before. With Garth, the effect of the addition of Proty's personality makes him less brash and reckless than he was before the transition, but if Garth is still in there, that explains why he still has all of Garth's emotional commitments, such as wanting to reform his brother and stuff.

I do agree that what the other Protean says seems to completely contradict this, however.

Which could be explained by the Proteans inability to understand the process themselves? Maybe they can't sense Garth telepathically so they don't believe he exists.

Which is ironic because Imra can't either but this makes her love and believe in him.

Btw, in case anyone missed the announcement in the other thread, the reading for tomorrow is actually Jimmy Olsen #72, while Adventure #313 is Friday.

This is a wonderful point of contention. It assumes two things: 1) the Proteans knew what they were talking about, and 2) they were being completely honest.

I don't have the story at hand, but, as I recall, they were trying to convince Garth to do something, correct? Go off with them and search for the Soul of Antares, or such? If so, they may have constructed their argument to best support their claim ("You are not Garth; therefore, you must come with us"). They may even have believed it themselves.

I also love it that we'll never know exactly how much of Garth was Proty. Like a lot of issues in real life (life begins/does not begin at conception, homosexuality is/is not a choice), we are left to interpret the evidence ourselves and come to a conclusion we can live with. It's likely that Garth himself did not fully know where he ended and Proty began.

Maybe they wanted to play up the heroism/self-sacrifice/deep love of Saturn Girl's willingness to sacrifice herself.

On the whole Garth/Proty thing -

Which personality would you rather have in the team book (considering the personalities of the other Legionnaires): the more mature and thoughtful Garth after Proty, or the immature, hotheaded and impulsive SW6 Garth (which was supposed to be Garth's "real" personality)?

It depends entirely on how they are written. I grew up with Garth as the lovable loser who could never quite pull off the leadership thing, so that's the Garth I'm most comfortable with. On the other hand, given the nature of his powers, a "hot-headed" personality sometimes works well, especially on the cartoon series.

The hotheaded cartoon Garth had his good moments. I remember SW6 Garth being a major pain and potential liability because of his lack of maturity.

I know that SW6 Imra made some comment about Garth acting like he used to, but then, later the Timetrapper said that Garth was taken from a slightly earlier time than when he lost his arm. Granted, that's open to interpretation, but the resurrection seems like long before he lost his arm.

A lot of people say that Imra had to have known since she's a telepath, but if she had that oath about not reading other members' minds back then, she may have never read the real Garth's mind until after he became Proty and after they started a relationship, which wasn't really made evident for some time. Maybe #337? or was there an earlier reference?

Ah, the first of the Jimmy Olsen Legion stories. I know the Legion Archives reprint two of them (one here, one in the next), but there's at least one or two more fairly prominent Legion stories in Jimmy's series, plus two important LOSV stories as well. Before we get into the story, some thoughts on Jimmy Olsen, the series, specifically: it is sorely missed.

There is no doubt there are a lot of bad Jimmy Olsen stories; but when you get in there and read them all you'll see there are far more good ones. The key factor is that the series itself knew it was innately silly. It was designed to have heart, be critically important to continuity and offer some high octane science-fiction adventure, but above all else, it was a comedy! And with that sensibility, it was FUN. The industry today lacks so many comedy super-hero stories; for 20+ years, Jimmy Olsen held that role. I think DC, given its penchant for "been there, done that grim and gritty comics" could really use a funny Jimmy Olsen series. Imagine Giff / Dematteas / Maguire on it? Or the guys doing Deadpool? Or Roger Langridge, who does the brilliant Popeye series? It could be brilliant! And a welcome fun part of the Superman series of books. Alas, DC would rather have Superman dealing with rape, doubting his devotion to the USA, crying all the time and whatever other weak stories they've given him these last 10+ years. I'd love a comedic adventure Jimmy Olsen series.

Anyway, back to the story at hand. This marks Jerry Siegel's return to the Legion after what feels like almost a year. He clearly loves the franchise as well.

Jimmy's transformations coming alive is one of those stories that *had to happen*. I like Fat Boy Olsen, and how pissed he looks.

I admit I do like when Superman, and by extension the Legion, play pranks on people. Nowadays people need to lighten up. This story is kind of amusing and charming in that regard.

Proty II is introduced! I wonder...did Jerry already plan for Proty to play the Wolf Man and then when Proty died a few weeks prior this screwed up his story? And therefore, they needed a quick fix so viola, Proty II? I have a feeling that is the case--we got Proty II by accident.

Colossal Boy once again feels older brother-ish / noble here. Between this and sacrificing himself for Ayla, I'm starting to like his Silver Age self!

As Pofobo said, Dirk is contractually obligated to appear in all LSH takes and therefore does so! As does the leading lady herself, Saturn Girl.

The Subs show up for the ceremony! The Legion must be wondering why since they don't know about them yet! Oops? Surely this leads to the Legion discovering them in the next story.

Jimmy's joining, like Pete being able to attend a meeting, gets at the "club feel" of the early Legion as we've discussed at length in the past. (Eryk has a few really good posts on this over the years). In that sense, I enjoy his inclusion as an Honorary Legionnaire.

As with all Jimmy stories, this one is short and sweet, which is appreciated.

Not necessarily, I don't think. Although Proty's "life force" entered Garth's body, he'd've been hampered I think, by the latter's physical brain structure, unlikely wired correctly for telepathic communication.

However, Proty would've had access to Garth's memories in a manner very similar to the storyline currently playing out in Superior Spider-Man.

I'm still of the opinion that Proty was so shocked by the transformation that his own conscious mind was subsumed to that of brain structure and memories he inherited. I'd posit that up until the 5YL timeframe, he thought he actually was Garth, just different somehow, owing to his drifting apparat from pal Sun Biy and closer to Saturn Girl, in terms of temperment.

^ that's how I've always seen it as well.

As do all great comic books.

Jimmy Olsen # 72

As Cobie notes, this story works precisely because it's short and silly--and it doesn't aspire to be anything else.

"The World of Doomed Olsens" is based on a simple two-act structure:

Act I: Jimmy is kidnapped by the Collector, who tells Jimmy that for crimes he has unwittingly committed, he is sentenced to spend eternity rooted to a world along with various versions of himself.

Act II: Jimmy sees through the hoax, and the Legionnaires induct him as a reserve member.

That's it. And that's all the story purports to accomplish. As a result, it's one of the more satisfying reads so far.

Of course, this isn't really a Legion story--it's a Jimmy Olsen tale, and it benefits from having a single protagonist with an already well established personality. In many of the Legion stories, neither Siegel and Hamilton seemed clear on who the "hero" of the story was, so they treated the Legion as a collective protagonist. The result was a group of more-or-less interchangeable personalities distinguished only by power and costume. Here the Legionnaires return to their original status as supporting characters, so their personalities don't matter so much. The Legionnaires may suffer in terms of character development, but the story as a whole is better for it.

As for Jimmy, he was never essential to the Legion--his membership was more of a "Why not?" type of idea. In his next appearance, for example, he's summoned not because the Legion needs his Elastic Lad powers, but because they need his skills as a reporter to find a story for the Legion newsletter! (Presumably, there are no good reporters in the 30th century.) I agree with Cobie that comics these days could benefit from a shot of unabashed silliness like this.

Jimmy Olsen #72

--I definitely dig classic Jimmy Olsen stories!

--I love Jimmy as a celebrity!

--Strange that the Wolf Man serum also changes the color of his clothes!

--Er, you'd think they'd put the Wolf Man as part of the slide show, rather than endangering the audience!

--That looks suspiciously like a Legion time bubble the Collector is in! And "Gion-El" is an anagram for "Legion". I wonder...

--You've got to wonder when the Legion was concocting this hoax, and realized that they needed roots to suddenly grow around Jimmy's feet, they start regretting have rejected Chlorophyll Kid.

--I really wonder what the "Collector" would've changed Jimmy into if he hadn't guessed the scheme right then?

--That's one pretty amazing deduction!

--Wow! I'm surprised Jimmy knows the Legion so well that he knows the detail of where Proty is from and everything! But wait... it's Proty II, because Proty died in the last story we reviewed! (They could've easily just said this story took place before that one, couldn't they?)

--I'm curious about the many times Jimmy has helped the Legion in the past!

A fun, if inconsequential story. As I've said previously, I'm not the biggest fan of Jimmy's involvement with the Legion, but it works okay as long as it's confined to his series rather than actually a part of the Legion series itself. I do find myself wondering what all the audience of "Meet the Celebrities" are thinking after Jimmy is kidnapped mid-show and never returns!

Random cool thing, possibly related to the revival of Lightning Lad:

In Superman #163, published the month before, a rival hero, Wonder Man, appears in Metropolis. His origin? The Superman Revenge Squad use a machine to transfer the consciousness of a Superman Robot into an android!

There was a Jimmy Olsen one-shot published last year (I think) which portrayed an updated Jimmy but kept the crazy nonsense of the Silver Age. It was pretty good, although I don't think I could maintain a regular diet of Olsen.

Mark Waid said in some interview that he dreaded having his stories labelled "fun" - perhaps he was thinking of fun in terms of this Olsenesque silliness. As a break from both the Legion stories of the time and the tone of the current stories, the Doomed Olsens is enjoyable. What character today would say "Darn this fiend!"?

The Collector reminded me of Evillo.

Chameleon Boy says that Jimmy has helped them so much in the past. Are these untold or unarchived stories?

There was a real Superman imitation called Wonder Man. DC sued Fox Feature Syndicate for copyright infringement and won largely due to the testimony of Will Eisner. According to Toonepedia, it was a lawsuit with merit.

The ironic thing is that Victor Fox (whose own history is fascinating) was able to realize almost immediately that Superman was a game-changer, and he jumped all over it. Meanwhile Harry Donenfeld, publisher of DC Comics, was incredibly slow to catch on and some say the lawsuit against Fox itself is what made him finally take notice of the sales figures which were skyrocketing every time Superman appeared on the cover of Action Comics.

The sole appearance of Fox Feature's Wonder Man can be read here, for those interested!

Proty/Garth is an extremely stupid thing to put in an actual comic book. If you really think the resurrection story doesn't make sense without it, you're better off having the story not make sense than putting in the retcon and making it canon to the point where everyone is stuck with it until your entire series gets written out of canon.

It's like having Lightning Lass be a guy with a sex change. It explains away the bad science of Winath having identical twins of opposite sexes, and also explains why she would be attracted to women--she was a straight guy before the sex change (if you're the kind of fan who thinks that needs explanation). The main difference is that this stupid idea hasn't become popular among fans.

Well, as comments on this thread suggest, it *is* popular with some fans.

I'm not sure I understand your analogy. Are you suggesting that Lightning Lass could only be a girl because of bad science and that she could only be attracted to women because she had been a guy? Or are you saying that any story which puts forth such an idea would be stupid?

If the latter, I might agree with you . . . but I don't think Proty/Garth falls into the same category. If anything, it was a brilliant reinterpretation of the character that did not change anything that had gone before. It simply put everything in a new light.

It's understandable why some fans wouldn't like the change . . . any story which says, "What you've always thought about this character isn't true" is a challenge to accept. But that doesn't make it stupid.

I strongly dislike the Garth-as-Proty storyline as well. But I don't think it would be appropriate to call it stupid, or imply that fans who like it are wrong somehow.

Tastes vary, and with a team as big as the Legion, there's bound to be one or two characters (or character plots) that I don't care for, since I'm only 1/16,000th of the current readership.

Adventure #313

Though a bit of a goofy concept, this is a pretty great cover! I find it so amusing that its almost the exactly same layout of the next cover with Alaktor. Also notably is Phantom Girl doesn't make the cover but makes the opening splash; Lydda--already more prolific than all the girls save Imra--does though.

Good of Lydda to make sure the Legion still don't learn of the Subs. At this point, my theory is the Legion knows but hasn't revealed that yet.

Naturally Supes and Mon have business on the other side of the universe. Thus, still no true adventure of Superboy and Supergirl side by side in the LSH. This story does show though that its pretty commonplace for the two to be in the 31st century, instead of just for special occasions like funerals.

That's either Tenz or Jan Jor on page 4, panel 4!

Supergirl versus Satan Girl is the biggest action sequence yet! This had become a full fledged Supergirl story now!

No worries Chuck, go ahead bouncing with the monsters. We've only got half our roster on the verge of death!

As Satan Girl mops up the dude Legionnaires, Cos stands by Lydda! Aha! He's falling for her right back!

The Super-Pets to the rescue! And Beppo looks pissed!

That kooky Red Kryptonite! I'd think this was written by Seigel, who always loved using it.

This story is noteworthy for the nice Curt Swan artwork--his first in a Legion lead story. His usual inkers are both here, Moldoff and Klein, and you can easily tell who does what.

Adv. 313

As a Supergirl solo story, "The Condemned Legionnaires" works quite well. Once again, the Legionnaires are reduced to supporting cast members, as most have little to do in the story. All the girls get sick. The boys stand around and wait for Supergirl to arrive and repair their ship (women do all the work, even in the 30th century!), and they either stand around and watch or fight ineffectively against Satan Girl. The only Legionnaire who helps advance the plot is Lightning Lad, but he basically serves as courier for the Super-Pets.

What we have here isn't bad, though. We have a bonafide super-villain who is hell-bent (snicker) on killing all the female Legionnaires for unknown reasons. Supergirl has to go through a trial-and-error process of figuring out Satan Girl's origin: Is she a Kryptonian? A Daxamite? An android? And Satan Girl, like all good villains, knows every move the hero will make and every place she will hide. The stakes continually escalate as not only do the girl Legionnaires get sicker every time they encounter Satan Girl, but Satan Girl herself has a time limit--only 48 hours to accomplish her goal!

Furthermore, Supergirl and Satan Girl get into a fight that lasts . . . oh, several panels--one of the few actual fight scenes we've seen so far. (And girls fighting? Pretty risque for the early '60s.)

It's almost a shame that Satan Girl didn't stay a separate entity. She is a formidable foe and a villain one loves to hate. She preys on the weak when they're down, mocks Supergirl's efforts to learn her identity, and even hates animals. Of all the villains so far, she's the only one I wish had returned to fight the Legion again.

Sexist attitudes abound, however. I'm sure it probably sounded macho for Supeboy to tell the girl Legionnaires they were all doomed (page 3, panel 3), but it comes off as heartless. The Legionnaires showed more sympathy for Lightning Lad when he was actually dead.

And although Supergirl realizes that Satan Girl's powers don't work on animals, she never figures out the villain's true identity. Unlike Jimmy, Superboy, and other male Legionnaires who make brilliant deductions based on scant evidence, Supergirl must wait for the villain to reveal her own identity. I guess girls just aren't as smart as boys.

So what we have is a good story but not a great one. It relies on tried-and-true tropes (including, of course, the "evil self" motif of science fiction) and offers little new; however, it did pull me back into the story and make me root for the hero in a way that # 312 did not.

Digression No.1: When I first read this story, circa age 12, it was in a reprint owned by a much younger neighborhood boy. The boy pointed to a picture of Chameleon Boy and said, "That's the bad guy." This prompted a lecture from me on how not all aliens are bad guys. (Of course, I was also watching "Star Trek" at the time . . .)

Digression No. 2: With all the things prohibited by the Comics Code, it's always surprised me that DC got away with the name Satan Girl. While there is nothing satanic about her, one would think any reference to the Judeo-Christian devil would be verboten. But the name is just there, without incident.

I totally agree on Satan Girl--its a shame she didn't end up being a Daxamite female or the descendent of Supergirl's enemy Lesla Lar or something. She's probably the best antagonist yet, and a recurring super-powerful female enemy of the Legion would have been a terrific addition to the mythos.

And I wondered the same thing about the name "Satan Girl". It's actually such a great name! (Leading the LMB to co-opt it of course in introducing Lucifer Lass back in 2002).

Adventure Comics

So, this story continues the trend of the strongest stories in this volume tending to be the ones in which the Legion are pushed to the background, and other characters taking center stage. For the most part, this is a Supergirl story, with the Legion simply providing supporting cast for her. It works pretty well, though.

We start out with Lightning Lass, Saturn Girl, and Shrinking Violet each using their powers in helpful ways. Poor Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl don't even get a scene getting sick!

Incidentally, I've always really dug those aliens that Saturn Girl is helping to establish contact with!

Superboy and Mon-El are conveniently distracted "far across the universe" so they won't be in the story!

Sheesh! Even Night Girl gets a bigger role than Lu or Tinya! You'd think the Legionnaires would be wondering what she's still doing hanging around on Earth!

I've always loved Satan Girl's look! And, yeah, it's pretty hard to believe that name is acceptable by the CCA!

Quarantine World is a pretty cool idea, which will be re-used 5YL. The robot nurses always crack me up: "My electric circuits are going out-- I'm being deactivate somehow..." It just amuses me so much imagining them saying that as Satan Girl blasts them with heat vision!

Probably some of the most intense action we've seen yet in the series in the battle between Satan Girl and Supergirl!

I love the bouncing aliens, and Bouncing Boy having fun with them! This world's being inside a cloud of darkness is also kind of cool.

There must be a great untold story of how Supergirl first discovered the Puppet Planetoid! Note that Ultra Boy isn't around, so the scene where he saves Sun Boy from the giant puppets must be yet another visit!

The second appearance of the super-pets! It sure is convenient the Legionnaires keep running into bad guys whose powers don't affect super-powered animals!

And poor tragic Satan Girl! It really is a shame that they couldn't have found a way to bring her back on a regular basis.

Anyway, definitely a solid story, and one of my favorites of the volume, though, as I said, it easily could've been a story from Supergirl's series rather than the Legion's with only a couple of changes.

Just reread JO 72. Surpising how short it is. This is the problem I always had with the Sherlock Holmes stories. He always makes these outrageous leaps of conclusion based on the tiniest bits of circumstantial evidence. Jimmy does the same here. I'm sure his microphone was made partially of lead and he would know that of course. Also silly that Jimmy doesn't even try to run away. He just assumes he's rooted to the ground with those fake tree roots because the Collector tells him so. Not exactly Legionnaire material if all the effort he makes is throwing that tiny little microphone at the bad guy.

I didn't get my hands on Adv. 313 until I was probably in my late 20s. The first reference I ever saw to "Satan Girl" was in Adv. 350, when Sun Boy and Supergirl discuss her while he hands Kara her costume, which I had as a kid of about 9 or 10. I misread "satan" as "satin" and thought it was a reference to her costume being made of satin! LOL!

I agree that it would've been great to see a repeat appearance of Satan Girl. Was disappointed in the inclusion of the super pets, who always seemed silly to me. It is indeed surprising how many villains are powerless against animals. The brain globes of rambat, Satan Girl, the Luck Lords . . . anybody else? Maybe the LSH should just retire and let the LSP take over.

Special Bonus Review: Superman #165

So Lois Lane and Lana Lang, rivals for Superman's affections, are each about to do something spectacular to create an impression on him. Lois is about to become the first woman astronaut, while Lana is investigating rumors of the tomb of Circe, who is supposed to be under a sleeping spell.

So, Lois's mission goes awry when a random meteor appears, and Supes has to save her. Strangely, the meteor does not break up when Supes hits it, but merely deflects towards the Earth, and so he has to plunge down towards it to destroy it. But Supes finally destroys the meteor, and Lois lands safely.

Meanwhile, Lana has uncovered the tomb of Circe, who wakes up, and, discovering what time period she is in, reveals that she too wants Superman having previously met him on one of his trips to the past. Circe decides that she will use her magic to make Superman hers! She begins by showing off her power in front of government leaders and scientists at the Metropolis Museum. First, she reads the mind of one of government officials, producing the schematics to a top secret invention. The she precedes to change Superman's head first into that of a lion, and then to that of a mouse. Powerless against her magic, Superman agrees to be her slave.

Circe then precedes to make Superman do silly stuff. At a site where Supes is supposed to begin the digging for a new city hall, Circe makes him climb up on a crane and dive down into the ground, but he manages to do his excavation of the city hall site while upside down and underground. Then, Circe makes Superman stand on his head while juggling, but then he manages to foil a robbery while in this position.

Seeing that Superman will still continue to do good works no matter what ridiculous position she puts him in, Circe decides to give up and return to her own time.

Meanwhile, watching members of the Superman Revenge Squad decide that their mysterious plan to strip him of his powers has failed. Supes watches as they leave.

Then Superman meets with Circe, who turns out to be, in reality, Saturn Woman, who had pulled off the feats of magic with the help of her pet, Proty II. It turns out this had all been an elaborate scheme by Superman to fool the Revenge Squad members, whose ray had actually stripped him of his powers, except when he was upside down, because of pseudo-scientific gobbledygook about his powers having different poles or something. Anyway, Supes had summoned Saturn Woman from the future as a way of giving him an excuse to perform all super-feats upside down for the 24-hour period which the ray would last.

Anyway, another decent "Legionnaires show up from the future to help Superman fool the bad guys" story, notable because they are starting to get rarer at this point. Lots of great Saturn Woman hussiness in this one!

Wow! Maybe something did happen at that Christmas party with the mistletoe.

She really is a great villain. She could have joined the Fatal Five and given them more gender balance as well as overall power.

I really enjoyed this story. It's goofy Red Kryptonite, which allows all sorts of nonsense, but there is a real mystery about what's going on with the female Legionnaires and who Satan Girl could be.

It was actually quite moving to learn that Satan Girl just wanted to stay alive. This made me think of Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go about clones who just wanted their own lives yet knew they were doomed. Quite chilling! If Satan Girl hadn't been so nasty and had just been taking drastic measures to ensure her own survival, she could have been quite a sympathetic character.

She could've joined the Devil's Dozen! After all, they're already short a few members!

Yeah, I was kind of wondering if the real reason Proty II was there is that Proty/Garth sent him alongs to keep an eye on his wife!

You know, I'm loving these bonus Reviews! Yet another LSH appearance I either never knew about or totally forgot about!

Yeah, it's amazing how many times the Legion pulled Superman's fat out of the fire. History might have been very different if they hadn't kept interfering.

I'm wondering why Satan Girl didn't return. Perhaps someone at the CCA raised a stink over the name after all.

She didn't really have much of a setup for a return, and the Legion wasn't really doing recurring villains at this point.

Even if the CCA caused problems, one would think she still might've made a return appearance by the 70s, when Marvel was actually publishing a comic called "Son of Satan" for awhile.

If the CCA had had a problem with a character named Satan Girl the comic would never have been published as is.

Considering that Supergirl ran into Red K virtually every time she visited the future, another setup for Satan Girl's return wouldn't have been hard to create.

You're right that they didn't do recurring villains at the time, but if a writer from a later era had reached back (Shooter? Bates?), they would have found a villain as worthy as Universo or Starfinger.

I wonder about that, too, googoomuck. I wonder how many things got past the CCA, or depended upon who was actually reviewing the comics at the time.

Satan Girl's costume strikes me as unusual for the time - the full body suit, hood/mask and the colours as well. It's good they didn't go with the traditional red for the devil.



That made me think of Silk Satin from The Spirit, and how great it would be to have a Spirit/Legion team-up by Darwyn Cooke.

Also, I'd love to see a League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen, with some of the female Legionnaires, Silk Satin, P'Gell, etc. Satan Girl could join them if an explanation could be cooked up as to why she lived beyond 48 hours.

Cobie could probably answer this better, but my understanding is that control was pretty tight, and not a whole lot slipped by them. If the story was even questionable, I would be surprised that it even got past Weisigner to be submitted to the CCA.

You've also got to consider that Hot Stuff was a major character over at Harvey, and the "Demons Three" appeared pretty early on in Justice League (they had to be changed to the "Three Ghosts" or something when they appeared on Super Friends, as I recall). It seems to me it's just a weird feature of the CCA that they didn't get worked up about such stuff.

This discussion prompted me to do my own research by consulting Wikipedia (natch!). The article reprints the original Code criteria of 1954, which does not mention anything associated with devils or Satan or satanism--an odd omission since werewolves, vampires, and zombies are all prohibited.

Some interesting revelations on how subjective Code enforcement could be:
-- An EC story called "Judgment Day" was rejected because the main character was black! (There's nothing in the Code criteria that mentions race.) EC publisher William Gaines ultimately got the Code to back down by threatening to reveal why the story was rejected.
-- Stan Lee's famous drug story in Amazing Spider-Man was denied the seal of approval even though the Code did not specifically mention drugs. It was later explained that the Code administrator "was ill" at the time, suggesting the comics should have been approved because the United States Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare had asked Lee to write the story.
-- Also, an earlier story (Deadman's first appearance, in 1967) clearly showed the title character fighting an opium addiction.

So, while "Satan Girl" was not specifically prohibited by the Code, it does seem odd that that the name set off no red flags.

What about Wolfman Jimmy?

Wolfman Jimmy might've gotten through because he's not actually supernatural, but instead a "scientific" wolfman.

I seem to recall that Marvel got around the prohibition on zombies by using the basic concept, but calling them something different!

JIMMY OLSEN #72

This is one if many issues I first encountered in the Archives. In fact, I think this may be my first actual experiences with Jiimmy as Elastic Lad. While I knew of his honorary membership thanks to the tabloid book, that who's who panel had Jimmy in his civilian cloths. Jimmy's own title had recently given way to Superman Family by the time I started reading comics, so this story was my first exposure to Jimmy in all his name-on-spandax glory!

This story also was my first exposure to Jimmy's many transformations, having previously only experienced them on covers reprinted in Overstreet and other fan surces. I must say, having come in at Jimmy's Mr. Action and the Newsboy's phase, I've often had a soft spot for the sheer kookiness of his Silver Age stories.

Regarding the story itself, just a few points:

While the time bubble was not originally under the sole purview of the Legion, as seen on the cover or Superman 121, published less than a month after the Legion's debut, it had become even by this early point so inextricably linked to our future super-teens than Jimmy really out to have guess the Collector's identity from that alone.

It does surprise me that "Gion-el" was never explained to the readers as another clue Jimmy deftly interpreted,

Jimmy used his signal-watch 18 times in a month, better than once every other day?! This story could just have easily been one of Superman's patented Silver Age super-douchery pranks to teach Jimmy a lesson about being a super-PIA.

"How'd you catch on about me, Jimmy." asks the mighty Mon-El, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he just screamed like a 12-year-old girl!

The Proty II panel is a tad crowded, although not overly so by the standards of the day. It is possible there was a last-minute pasteover to an already completed story in order to account for the recent death of Proty I. Of course, it could just as easily have been a planned pointer to Adventure Comics 312, which would still have been on the stands in most places when this issue appeared,

The various facets of the Superman mythos had become so well established by this point, it seems, that Uncle Mort seemingly felt no need to explain to readers why Jimmy arrives in the 30th century swaddled in Superman's cape.

As others have noted, it is odd for the still-secret Subs to appear at Jimmy's induction ceremony, in line with Legiosnniares no less, and not as mere standees-by. My guess: Swan, who had not drawn a ton of Legion stories at this point, was probably given a recent Adventure issue as reference and, looking at the images without actually reading the story, simply picked some of teh characters he thought most readily recognizable from the back, without realizing they were not all Legionniares.

It appears that Cosmic Boy administers the oath, but it's Imra who is the actual leader at this point. Maybe Rokk gets to indict all members as founding leader? And if Imra is front-and-center as leader, does that mean Mon was her deputy, even though that was a concept that would not come along until later? And why to Chuck and Lu get to flank the proceedings? Is it their purpose to show the new inductee, "Hey, look, if we can make it, you'll do fine."

I *think* this is the last time we see the Legion oath uttered. I always found it interesting thy as lax as early Legion tales were with continuity, Mort always made sure the oath was word-for-word exact each time it was used.

I suppose Mon-El could have fastened Jimmy's feet to the ground at super-speed somehow, so that he may in fact have tested the plastic tree roots and found himself immobile. Still, I agree with others that was the lamest and, in fact, least necessary part of this tale.

Of course, one of the rules of Red K. is that it never has the same effect twice (not that writers didn't find a way to get around that when necessary for the story!).

Zuvembies! From the company that brought you the Maggia!

[You have no idea how long it took to find the correct damn spelling for that. Especially with google stupidly autocorrecting to "zombie" by default every single time ]

I briefly made an attempt to figure out the word, but gave up, figuring someone else would either know it or do the work to find it!

It surprises me that, to my knowledge, there was never a relative of Kal-El named "Gion-El"!

Regarding the code and the CCA: satanism, and references to the devil in general, fell under the broad category of black magic and the occult, which was certainly banned.

However, like all things there were ways around this. The best way to get approved, was to combine several things: first, an emphasis on science-fiction over magic. Second, a light-hearted tone in the story with a clear moral being told and good triumphs over bad ending. And lastly, and by far the most important, was politics. Namely, by the early 60's there were some pretty clear allies of the CCA that had more leeway--like DC comics--and some clear trustworthy franchises. For instance, you had a better chance of approval if you we're Huey, Duey, and Louie wearing a devil costume, or Archie dealing with Salem-like witchcraft trials, or Superman and Supergirl.

For those curious, I've studied the comics code extensively, with a particular emphasis on EC Comics, and wrote a paper on it in graduate school at Trinity College. There is a prevalent school of thought among scholars that McCarthyism was not an aggressive stance against Communism, but rather an assault on liberalism (and a somewhat successful one at that). Thus, the advent of the code and the Kefauver Hearings, quite clearly targeted the most liberal publisher of comic books, EC comics...and thus, the targeting of "Judgement Day" in Weird Science. Which btw, is a phenomenal, game-changing story, and a high point of the 1950's comic industry.

The thing about the Code is--and this is true of most censorship committees--they're real power isn't so much that they can "say no". Rather, its their ability to delay, to make life harder and to annoy that let's them be so powerful. If they objected to Satan Girl, what they would have done was make Mort's life more frustrating than normal. They might cause it to miss a deadline or simply frustrate him enough to make him kill it. Or worse, if they involved the higher ups like Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld, who were their golf buddies, then Mort would really be annoyed.

Its with this in mind that you can see how Marvel, which went from the lower tier of the industry to an actual rival to DC, didn't have the political connections to the CCA for a long period of time other than a longstanding relationship with publisher Martin Goodman. By '69, when the Harry Osborn drug story appeared, Goodman was barely involved anymore (though he would try one more attempt to seize the reigns of his company). So Stan had no great longstanding relationship, and really had nothing to lose. Plus, he had liberal academia on his side and an audience immersed in the youth culture of the time. He almost had to go that route. Two months later, Denny O'Neil recognized that the Code had proven to be impotent, and so he pushed Neal Adams to show a full on heroin overdose in Green Lantern. The code never recovered, and had been revealed to be a paper tiger. Denny, of course, was a young up and coming "new blood" and shared a lot of Stan's views. He also was formerly of Charlton Comics, whom the Code was more than happy to kick around on occasion. I'm sure he took great delight in helping render it irrelevant.

Anyway, back to Superman and the Legion. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many--if at all--instances where the Code cracked down on the franchise from 1955-1967. It was one of the "ol' reliable" franchises like Archie and Uncle Scrooge that adhered so well to the status quo that it helped keep the facade of the Code's power strong.

Fascinating! I wonder if scenes in which Superman is blindly serving the government (as in The Dark Knight) are allusions to his Code-pleasing stories.

It also brings to mind Rod Serling's comment re:The Twilight Zone that an alien can say something about social issues that an American can't.

Thanks for the info on the Code, Cobie. I'm impressed that you wrote a graduate paper on it!

Jim's comment about "Wolfman Jimmy" reminded me of another CCA issue mentioned by Wikipedia--this one concerning writer Marv Wolfman:



Good thing there wasn't a comic book writer named Vlad M. Paler.

On her next visit to the 30th century, Kara encountered maroon kryptonite, which causes one previous Red K transformation to repeat.

I think Lesla Lar adopting the role of Satan Girl was a good idea, whoever suggested it.

^Yes. In the tried-and-true comic book tradition, there's nothing wrong with someone else adopting the Satan Girl identity.

(I have to confess, I'm totally unfamiliar with Lesla Lar--but she sounds like a good candidate for a recurring Legion villain.)

Plus, wasn't she a double of Supergirl? She could've fooled them into thinking she was the original Satan Girl back for a rematch.

I just double-checked and Cobie actually suggested that a descendant of Lesla's could don the satin Satan robes, but I see no reason it couldn't be the girl herself with a little time travel.

Thanks! I refined the idea in the other thread and actually love it more and more as I think about it.

I love the idea too! Definitely an awesome villain!

Jim, you should check out the recent Satan Girl thread where I also suggested Lesla herself, not only because she's a Supergirl double but because her ultimate end was pretty disappointing!

ADVENTURE COMICS 313

Not much to add that others have not already said about this issue. I will note that, according to the Grand Comics Database, John Forre inked the Supergirl story that appeared in Action Comics the month this Curt Swan fill in was published, unusual in that Jim Mooney usually inked his own work.

Clearly, Forte was given something else to do while Swan stepped in. But why the switch? As others have noted, this story seems more like a Supergirl solo adventure than a tale of the Legion. Also, although it does have certain hallmarks - the mystery to solve, the parade of fantastic worlds, this doesn't quite read like an Edmond Hamilton story to me. But that could be the art influencing my reading of the script.

Still, I strongly suspect this actually was a Supergirl story, perhaps one from inventory, perhaps one that in its original form did cameo the Legion, or at least the Super-Pets, given to Hamilton with orders to redraft it as a Legion story. Supergirl's adventures at the time were 11-13 pages long, so Hamilton could have adapted an existing script primarily by adding 3-5 pages of Crimson Plague material. If this is indeed what happened, it would seemingly explain why Satan Girl wanted to kill the girl Legionnairs, which kind of gets glossed over and doesn't make a ton of sense in the story.

Also, I should admit that I, too, misread Satan Girl as Satin Girl when I was a kid, although in my case it was almost a willful misreading. I guess I was maybe 15 when I first bought a copy of this issue at a used book store. The idea that a prospective Legion candidate would introduce herself as Satan Girl simply made no sense to me. "What's that," I could imagine Sun Boy saying, "You're code name is Homicidal-Maniac Girl? Great! Here's your flight ring,"

So, given the character's velvity costume, my young mind immediately presumed I had read it wrong and it was indeed Satin Girl. I actually convinced myself that satan was a homograph, meaning both the devil and a type of fabric.

And so, for two decades I pronounced Satan girl in my head as Satin Girl. It was not until finally buying a copy of the Archives that I looked the damn word up and rrealized Satin is spelled differently.

Adventure #314

Alaktor is one of those one-off Silver Age Legion villains, like Nardo, that absolutely should have shown up again and again. If he was at Marvel, by the late 80's he'd have had a mega-confusing history with a multitude of good (and bad) appearances. Such was not to be though. I like the idea of a lower level time traveling villain (as compared to the all-powerful Time Trapper) who can bother the Legion and essentially screw things up.

This story is also probably most famous on LW for the long number of threads devoted to Nero, Hitler, and Dillinger--specifically how Dillinger just doesn't quite measure up. I actually love the idea of Nero (or Caligula or another infamous ancient megalomaniac tyrant) living on to plague the Legion. The concept of ancient ideals measuring up to future ones is rife with possibilities. And of course, Hitler is well, Hitler.

This story is also I think a critical step in the transfer of Ultra Boy from just vision powers to his much larger powerset. The key is his placement with Superboy and Mon-El, and how he appears to be seen by the other Legionnaires as being equally as might. They even imply they are the three most powerful Legionnaires when we first see them. Yet, Imra later mentions Supes and Mon could easily build a new time bubble fast if they were there...but no mention of Jo. So Hamilton clearly doesn't see Jo has having the full Kryptonian powerset yet. But following this story, I think the elements are in place for Jo's next starring role, which will solidify his powers, origin, love interest, etc.

As I mentioned before, I've always wondered why the cover layouts of the previous issue and this one are near identical.

As a kid I always loved seeing when superhero headquarters had all kinds of defenses and traps and such.

Ron Karr looks like such a pleasant fellow. Definitely doesn't seem LOSV material to me. T&M were right to have him defect to the Subs 5YL.

Alaktor follows Jungle King as a "rejected applicant gets revenge", though he clearly never intended to actually join. Which is good since he looks about 40 years old!

Lost World is the classic Hamilton / Forte lost civilization concept taken to the next level. Love it.

The usual leads are all here except Brainy: Dirk, Imra, Chuck. As IB mentioned earlier, Garth is also bumped to recurring lead status upon his return but he doesn't say much. Perhaps Hamilton wasn't sure what to do with him yet; perhaps he's still adjusting to his return.

If he hasn't already died in the war, I'd bet that pilot was Johnny Cloud, Navajo Ace!

With part 2 the story goes a bit off the rails. Didn't the LSH just learn who Alaktor recruited? The exchange between them makes no sense. And wasn't the whole point of Jo's first appearance that he can see through lead?

It gets a little better in time for Alaktor to experience the second best double cross of the Silver Age Legion--the first being the LOSV and Dynamo Boy.

Lyle, Vi and Cham show up for the first unofficial Espionage Squad mission! Er...apparently it took a little practice.

The plot calls for a few quick retcons! Mon needs to drink his formula every 48 hours and Jo is vulnerable to...radioactive force? Ok...this story is probably the weakest of the archive.

Imra gets to shine by proving the ages old proverb that evil doers will always turn on each other.

Alaktor tries to butter up Imra but she ain't having it.

It's worth noting the Legion is sending back Hitler to blow his brains out, and even better, sending Nero back to order his slave to kill him (or just as likely--to he murdered).

All in all...one of the weakest in awhile.

ADVENTURE COMICS 314

One of the worst stories of the Lsgion's Adventure run, IMHO, and also one with the greatest ramifications.

Imagine, for a moment, how Legion lore might have been rewritten if the third member of the Legion's mightiest trio spotlighted in this issue had been Star Boy, instead of Ultra Boy? That, of course, is how it should have gone down.

Star Boy, recall, had kryptonian-level powers, PLUS electric vision. His only known weakness was an inability to see through copper. However, since fans reminded Uncle Mort of Star Boy's existence at the start of the Adventure run, he's only appeared as a headshot on a couple of roll calls, with the lettercol explanation that he's away on "detached service." One presumes that service included an office boy dispatched to find a copy of Adventure Comics 282, becasue no one could remember what Star Boys powers were.

Meanwhile, far from being one of the Legion's mightiest heroes, Ultra Boy at this point has the sole power of penetra-vision. He can see through things, including, holy gosh! LEAD!! And that's it.

So, imagine if Star Boy had taken his rightful place alongside Superboy and Mon-El in this issue? Gone would be the gravity powers, although he might well have still been drummed out as The Legionnaire Who Killed. But consider poor Uktra Boy -- with no need to retcon new powers in two issues' time to explain why he was featured here, Jo might have been subject to the same early '70s purge that claimed Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Matter-Eater Lad and Invisible Kid!

A few quick notes:

Alaktor should have been rejected not becasue his powers are artificial, but becasue he looks to be about 40!

I don't know why, but the robot used to test the Legion's defenses reminds me of Uthlo. Maybe he got repurposed?

Forte seemingly knows enough no to depict Nero with a fiddle, which was 1,500 years away from being invented in A.D. 64. Of course, Nero did not really fiddle while Rome burned, and, at any rate, the legend that he ordered the fire had to do with the belief that he was clearing land for reconstruction in styles more to his suiting. This Legion story is the ONLY place I've ever seen the explanation that Nero wanted to sing about the burning of Troy.

Note the year is given incorrectly as 64 A.D. instead of A.D. 64.

Dillinger must've hit his head in that car crash. Otherwise, he'd've known that the Bureau of Investigation did not become the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or F.B.I., until the following year, 1935.

How stupid is Saturn Girl? She JUST saw Alaktor make off with Nero, Hitler and Dillinger (the latter an odd replacement for Napoleon, IMHO). She couldn't guess who the three hooded men were in the time bubble, not even given the fact that they're wearing the same clothes?

I could not help but wonder why there are so many statues of Lex Luthor on Lost World.

The Legion takes time to build a bubble, lamenting how much faster Superboy or Mon-El (note Ultra Boy not mentioned) could have done it. Even if they're on Lost World, why couldn't they have built the bubble there, instead of screwing around building a replica of the Legion Clubhouse that we never actually see?

Note that apart from flying (anti-gravity belt) and holding Alaktor in place while Superboy binds him (no super-strength needed) we never actually see Ultra Boy display any powers this issue. As we've noted, it would have been exceedingly odd if he had. Note also that Jo is depicted as unable to see through lead, the ONE thing he is supposed to be able to do.

Even when Ultra Boy got new powers, the weakness to radioactive force would go unmentioned for decades. I *think* is was not until the mid-Baxter run that it was raised again. Anyone got the deets on that?

As a final aside, was Star Boy among the Legionnaires depicted in Superman Annual 4? I don't think he was, which would make the Origins & Powers feature in Adventure 316 his official retcon.

Very cool Pofobo to see that we picked up on the same notion of Jo's inclusion. You're point about Thom is very well taken!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, I see Archive #2 as having two major goals: the establishment of the Subs as a critical part of early Legion lore, and secondly, to finalize and refine the Legion roster. This story, as you've laid out above, sets into motion the two final stories in this archive which are the last steps to be taken. The second to last follows this story up by establishing Ultra Boy as having the classic powerset (plus origin, love interest, personality, etc.) that we know him having. And the last story, in addition to changing Lightning Lass to Light Lass, also establishes once and for all, Star Boy's role in the Legion, including his new powers (as well as his romantic interest, etc.). I'm in total agreement with you as this story being a big turning point in those steps.

Also, Star Boy was not among the Legionnaires in Superman Annual #4, I believe.

I haven't re-read the issue yet, but I will note that Ultra Boy already had at least heat vision in addition to the ability to see through things, per the Kranyak story. I suspect if he hadn't been given the upgrade in this issue, he would have instead been given a whole bunch of different vision powers, ala Visi-Lad.

Given that they are already having to figure out ways to write out Superboy, Mon-El, and Supergirl when their powers would spoil the story, I can kind of see them not wanting to put in another character with their powerset, without giving them some sort of limitation.

I think the next mention is in the Baxter "Legionnaires-lost-post-LSV-War" story. About v3 #7 or #8?

Totally missed the importance of having Ultra Boy included with Superboy and Mon-el. I'm so used to his present-day power status. It shows that some thought went into these stories, despite their plot holes and silliness.

The threat of history's greatest villains is somewhat undone by current knowledge or adult perspective. Nero? My first thought was that Caligula would have been a better choice, but they didn't want kids knowing too much about Caligula's perversions. Dillinger? How bad was he? Hitler, okay. I was surprised that old commie Stalin didn't make the list, but I guess he had been on our side in WWII. It would be interesting to speculate who might be chosen today. Pol Pot comes to mind.

Nice how Superboy, ever the gentleman, pleads for Saturn Girl to be left alone, since she's just a girl.

Legionnaires in a time bubble encountering allied fighter planes - maybe the Legionnaires were the Foo Fighters that pilots saw.

Another lost world - this one travelling through the solar system like Nibiru. Pofobo's right - the statues could look like Lex Luthor. Combine that with dangerous weapons and there's the untold story of Luthor's attack planetoid that he built with Lesla Lar.

There could also have been something done with remnants of the villain's personalities remaining in Jo, Lar and Kal.

Alaktor had an interesting idea, but he's a pretty wimpy, naive villain.

Adv. 314

"The Super-Villains of All Ages" reads as if it were dreamed up by one of the Legion's young readers: Pit the Legion against three real-life villains! And who might kids regard as the worst bad guys in history? Hitler, Nero, and Dillinger, of course!

(Well, maybe kids wouldn't pick those three, but you've got to teach them something about history, right? I suspect Dillinger was included because a gangster is a lot cooler than a Nazi or a Roman emperor.)

The idea actually has a lot of merit: who wouldn't want to see our fictional heroes take on real-life villains? The possibilities are endless: Jesse James, Benedict Arnold, Pontius Pilate, Jack the Ripper . . . I almost wish more such figures had been recruited by Alaktor--then we could have had a real battle royal on our hands.

(An updated version of this story would no doubt include Osama bin Laden and who else? Timothy McVeigh? Saddam Hussein?)

Part 1 does a decent job of setting up this story, but then, as Cobie notes, the story falls apart in the second half. Part 1 introduces us to the Legion's defenses and then shows Alaktor systematically evading those defenses and stealing a time bubble. He's shown to be clever and dangerous. However, time travel seems to have made him and everyone else in this story stupid. It's not clear how Hitler, Nero, and Dillinger are supposed to help Alaktor become master of the universe. I guess he could have relied on the expertise of the former two in statecraft and conquering enemies, while Dillinger could, what?, rob banks to fund Alaktor's operation?

In the end, it doesn't matter what Alaktor's plan was since he gets double crossed. Lesson, boys and girls: Don't trust bad guys! (Why would someone as smart as Alaktor not figure this out?)

Logic has to be bent into pretzels, squeezed, and ultimately ripped apart to make this story work. One issue ago, Superboy and Mon-El were mighty enough to prevent two planets from colliding; here they and Ultra Boy are all needed to protect Lost World from poachers.

For me, the worst part is that everyone does exactly what the plot requires them to do, so there are no surprises. Even the manner in which the three villains are defeated relies on them behaving in predictable ways: Each wants to be sole dictator, so they immediately double cross each other. (One of the most blatant lies that comics of this nature tried to teach kids is that "bad guys" are always stupid and predictable--it's almost as if the Comics Code sought to brainwash kids into seeing the world in such binary terms.)

After reading this story, I felt nothing. There was no one I rooted for, no one I cared for. Even though the stakes are high, this is a perfunctory story that failed to create an emotional connection for this reader.

But there are a few bright spots: Saturn Girl ends up saving the day (in spite of Superboy asking Alaktor to spare her because she's a girl), and it's good to see more of the Legionnaires involved. We've got Superboy, Mon-El, Ultra Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Sun Boy, Chameleon Boy, Invisible Kid, and Shrinking Violet each taking an active role. And Bouncing Boy pops in and out of the story, though he doesn't do anything. Maybe he keeps sneaking off to bounce with those aliens he met last ish.

Whenever I think of the high points or the low points of the Legion's Adventure run, this story rarely comes to mind in either category. It's just sort of there.

Ultra Boy's weakness to radiation is referenced several times in Adventure Comics, including #358, 360, and 363.

Adventure #314

--Sheesh! Can you imagine how annoying those security defenses have to be on a day to day basis? How many times do you think Bouncing Boy had to step on the wrong tile before they decided to simplify things?

--Poor Ron Karr! I wonder what Chuck is thinking in that panel where he's being rejected?

--Alaktor's shirt looks awful heavy alongside his bare legs!

--Lost World is such a typically Hamiltonian concept!

--Okay, I'm not sure the point of guarding the Lost World just until it gets out of our solar system. What if it wanders over into Zyzan space or something next?

--There's definitely a bizarre disconnect between the end of Part I, where the Legionnaires find out the identity of the three villains, and the beginning of Part II, where they don't seem to know them. It really seems like they just changed it to have a scene matching the cover.

--Plus, how exactly does Ultra Boy's vision not see through the masks? Isn't the whole point of him that he can, unlike Superboy, see through lead?

--Note that though Superboy "recognizes these men from history", Dillinger and Hitler are both his contemporaries from the 1930s!

--So, basically, Alaktor's whole scheme is just a fancy way to overcome the guards on Lost World? Couldn't he have just hired some of his own thugs in the 30th century and stuck their minds in the guards? Or taken over Superboy or Mon-El's minds himself?

--I always get a kick of "I'll rename Earth 'New Germany'!" line!

--One of the best bits of this issue is the use of Invisible Kid, Chameleon Boy, and Shrinking Violet to sneak onto Lost World. Even though it is unsuccessful, it's pretty much the first use of something like the Legion Espionage Squad that I've noticed.

--Here we get the first mention that Mon-El needs to renew his lead serum every 48 hrs.

--Saturn Girl saves the day!

--I wonder if that's the same cosmic cloud the bouncing animals world was hidden in last issue?

This story definitely has some massive plot problems, but it's also a pretty memorable idea for a story. Pitting the Legionnaires against the greatest criminals of history will kind of be revisited with the Unkillables (who are the lookalike descendants of history's greatest assassins). Definitely not one of the high points of this Archive, but it has its moments.

Given that Weisinger apparently got plot ideas by polling kids in his neighborhood, that may very well be where this story came from!

On Ultra Boy's powers, he mentions his super-speed at one point in the story, so it seems like he's already been upgraded as of this story.

Re: Luthor statues, I suppose one could postulate that this was actually Lexor, the world on which Luthor is celebrated as a hero!

"Omigosh! That kid looks like was run over by a Jovian space cruiser. I wonder it that hurts."



The Legionnaires don't know about the Zyzans. Pity none of the Subs were on hand to raise that concern.

But, yeah, there's an enormous lack of concern about Lost World falling into the wrong hands once it leaves our solar system.



I suspect the cover, like many of the Silver Age, was designed first and the story built around it.

(Aside: I'm currently proofing my book and surprised and dismayed by how many bonehead errors still need correcting--this after having re-written and edited the thing several times. This process has given me a new respect for professional comic book writers who have to come up with something new and engaging every month! This does not excuse all the problems in stories such as this, but writing your own book does provides new insight on how problems in logic, characterization and power consistency happen.)

One alternate thing that might have been done with this story would've been to keep Superboy, Ultra Boy, and Mon-El conscious while in the bodies of the three villains. It might've been interesting, if incredibly disconcerting, to see Superboy-as-Hitler save the day!

I think that, however much the CCA guys liked Weisinger, the sight of Hitler saving the day *may just* have been a bit of a red flag!

It wouldn't surprise me if that's actually why the heroes-in-villains are kept unconscious throughout the story.

However, I still think you could have an awesome cover of the Legion coming to Hitler's aid against Superboy! Plus there's a groovy moral about how even in Hitler's body, Kal-El is still able to win against Supernazi!

I'm starting to suspect his may be a sequel to the story from one of the unpublished issues of More Fun Comics!

Yes! I suspect you're right and it occurred a little later in the Silver Age--complete with a Neal Adams "realistic" cover!

Exactly! I proofed and re-proofed both my books countless times and maintaining some semblance of logic and consistency were my greatest difficulties!

The Legionnaires' Super-Contest

More reptilian alien looters. Looters and invaders. Are there any good reptilians in the Legionverse? Perhaps the good ones were all wiped out, leaving only remnants of lost civilizations.

The Legionnaires throw their weight around and the Subs comply, submitting to a contest to give one of them a chance to win Legion membership.

On the cover page, all the Subs except Lydda are setting themselves up for failure. She's intent on gaining access to Cosmic Boy more than winning a place with the Legion.

The Subs are given difficult challenges and do a great job of solving the problems. By the use of their power and their positive attitude, they should have qualified for Legion membership. Yet it's Stone Boy, who tries but gives up easily, who wins based on his self-sacrificing approach. They also serve who only stand and wait?

Throughout, the Subs are a class act, especially with the final decision of Stone Boy to stay with his team. When Stone Boy rejected the Legion (so gallantly!), it's odd that they didn't offer a place to one of the other Subs (or have a face-off between Lydda and Brek), although that would have made the story too long.

Sun Woman, another interesting villain, at least visually. She and Sun Boy should have gotten together later for some illicit fun times. Or, untold story, she idolized Dirk like Lydda worshipped Rokk, but Dirk rejected her, so she went all mechanical tyrant, using sun power for evil.

I can't help but wish Teeds were here for all this great Lydda/Beehive action. (The tribesmen shown during Fire Lad's test had some pretty voluminous hair as well.)

Adventure #315

The third Subs story is the first one I ever read, and it made me a fan of Stone Boy for life (not knowing he’d been shown to be so useless in prior stories!). It’s also the continued natural progression of the Subs story, as the Legion naturally learns of their existence, gives them the validation they’ve wanted and then even offers them membership. Stone Boy’s declination shows that they have now found something they have more in common than their shared belief in the Legion: their shared belief in themselves. This is essentially the penultimate chapter in the saga of the Subs when looked at from a literary view IMO, with the final chapter being their subsequent appearance, in which they at long last save the day completely, including the Legion.

The opening splash depicts Night Girl in a possible contender for “prettiest depiction of a character” in the entire Silver Age!

The regular cast of “Leads” returns in Dirk, Imra, Brainy, Chuck, Superboy, now Garth, with quasi-leads Cos & Cham returning.

Yet another reference to Thar! Another piece of the puzzle in the now long-running puzzle of Polar Boy, Olen & Jan Jor, and the history of Thar(r) in the Legion.

“Ring World” looks delicious, especially with a nice cup of coffee.

The law enforcement convention has its own version of a state trooper in the second row—the dude wearing his sunglasses inside, of course.

The recap of the Subs are exact panel duplicates of their first appearance. Did they cut and paste? I didn’t think that was common practice then but I guess I was wrong? Imra forgot poor Stone Boy!

Brainy shows up to explain the mentor selection process. He’s as generally affable as all the other Legionnaires but considering we know his subsequent 45 year history, its hard not to read into his words a bit of the cold, calculating Brainy we know and love.

I’ve gotta say: I’d sure be pretty frustrated at the thought of someone getting Superboy and me getting Bouncing Boy as my mentor! I need to reread Adv #301.

The Legionnaires in general are really supportive. Sun Boy takes on an older brother type role with Polar Boy that I like.

Sun Woman is yet another classic “Forte Walk-on Female” that is incredibly glamorous, yet we never see her again! Dean Lee had a lot of fun discussing her on LW and providing some additional drawings of her. I like to think this is Beauty Blaze’s mother. (And I also like to think reboot Inferno = Beauty Blaze). BTW, there’s a wee bit of an increase in difficulty level between starting a full on revolution and overthrowing a planetary tyrant and unfreezing two scientists!! Her idea to throw giant coals into the fire to blot out the sun is kind of cool. In South America they often burn tires that way during revolutions. Maybe they got the idea from Lydda?

Okay, I admit I was wrong. I note Chuck is really supportive of Fire Lad throughout his mission; meanwhile Garth basically says “good luck, kid” and splits on Chlorophyll Kid, likely to keep brooding about being dead.

Poor Stone Boy fails…but proves his heroism in a different way!

I love how Superboy and Sun Boy are ribbing each other about who will win the test. That bravado / ball-breaking reminds me of when I played hockey as a teenager.

And so Stone Boy becomes the first of a small group of heroes to actually turn down Legion membership. I think this is a nice little story, and like every Subs story is one of the better ones of the early LSH. I also think it’s one of John Forte’s best efforts yet, with a variety of characters appearing and a vast array of landscapes.

This issue's Superboy story is also notable for two reasons. The first is Colossal Boy makes a guest appearance to save the day for Superboy, continuing that by-now tradition! It's interesting that Gim, whose profile was certainly not that high, gets a chance to do this. Though since any time a "giant" hero would be needed, it would be Gim.

This also marks a change for the Superboy stories in general. Hereafter, the Superboy stories all become reprints, and thus in a sense "true back ups". They're pulled out of order from the entire 1950's, probably determined by whether their page count synced up with the lead story. There would also be some instances, such as next issue, where the LSH story got "full length novel" treatment.

As an extension of that, this is really the last time Superboy has the Adventure cover, though with a few notable exceptions (one I have a theory on, but that's for later.

The reprints were the first wave of Mort feeling a bit overworked but not wanting to give up control on any of his titles.

A rather distinguished group, the League of Legion Rejectors. Who are/will be the others? Do they get together for an annual dinner and drink away their regrets, or celebrate?

An interesting question! Dev Em is the other member of this illustrious group that stands out to me. I don't see Stone Boy and he having a lot to talk about though.

Adv. 315

This issue continues Hamilton's love affair with the Subs, whom I think he was happier writing than the regular Legion. This story is more focused and much better developed than other recent yarns, and it gives us not one but five protagonists to root for.

Yes, it seems somewhat cold and self-serving for the Legionnaires to put the Subs through a contest so only one of their loyal members can join the Big Team, but this is actually a very real world, practical decision. Few employers would want to train five less-than-adequate employees at once, and the Legion isn't in the business of being "fair" to applicants. They want to find the best person for the team, period.

I also think it's believable how the contests are very different and challenge each of the Subs in unique ways. Who's to say that the lives of two scientists are worth less than freeing a world from tyranny? Or that giving a primitive culture fire is less of an achievement than protecting people from a beast? What counts is that each of the Subs displayed ingenuity, resourcefulness, and heroism in achieving their tasks.

And, of course, it's "the least of these"--Stone Boy--who wins the contest and then proves to be the biggest hero of all by turning down Legion membership. I read about this story long before I actually read it, so its ending doesn't have the same emotional impact it might have had. I also think Hamilton could have done a better job of playing up Stone Boy's feelings of worthlessness. Even when Saturn Girl forgets who he is (nice touch), Dag takes it all in stride. But in turning the Legion down, he asserts that friendship is more valuable than success. That's a lesson all kids (and most adults) need to learn.

This is one of the best stories so far: nicely paced, imaginative, good sense of tension building, and a great sense of emotional attachment. No matter who we root for to win the contest, we know that four other characters we care about will lose.

I have to admit I've never been a huge fan of the Subs and, when I finally got to read Adv. 306, 311, and 315, I was disappointed that the heroes I wanted to read about--the Legionnaires--are so marginalized. They become supporting characters in their own series! But the benefit of getting to read these stories again all these years later is that I get to move past my preconceived notions and see what's truly there: heroes who have to struggle to get what they want, who put service to others ahead of their own wants and needs, and who come out ahead even when they lose.

The Legionnaires look like chumps by comparison.

Adventure #315

This is really a first-rate story, and maybe the best so far of Archive #2!

--Love the universe monitor, despite the silly theme planets on it! Though "Tree World" with all of it cities built on the tops of trees is a pretty cool idea!

--Love the Legionnaires attending a "galactic law enforcement convention". We'll see this a few more times in the Adventure era, as I recall!

--I suspect the "using glass to make poison gas" is a reference to something, but the only thing google is coming up with is phosgene, which is apparently used both in making poison gas and in glass-making.

--The subs capture the looters, though poor Stone Boy doesn't manage to do anything. Er... that's okay, dude! You've been pretty vital in the last two Subs adventures!

--I've got a thread on the human guinea pigs somewhere, who totally should've shown up repeatedly! Possibly in a team-up with Jimmy Olsen!

--I'm not sure why Night Girl needs to be put in the dungeon if she's taught the Vannarans to us the "smoke blots out the sun trick". But Sun Woman is nice and diabolical! I also bet she's one of Dirk's ex-girlfriends!

--Chlorophyll Kid gets pretty much the lamest task, and really the one that's the least challenge for his powers.

--So, I'm really curious how Bouncing Boy would've completed Fire Lad's task if he hadn't! Anyway, Fire Lad helps the asteroid natives to develop fossil fuels! I bet they would've preferred he bring them a weather control device while he was at it!

--And Stone Boy once again proves what an incredible hero he really is! And he's rewarded with Legion membership for his self-sacrifice! It might've been fun if he stayed with the Legion for awhile before deciding to return to the Subs.

Anyway, definitely an awesome story!

So, if the "Sun Woman is an ex girlfriend of Dirk's" theory is taken with the "Sun Woman is really the mother of Beauty Blaze" theory, then perhaps there is a theory for "Beauty Blaze is Dirk's illegitimate daughter!"

Also, I wonder if those asteroid natives went on to worship a fire-based deity centered on Fire Lad?

I also agree with this potentially being the strongest story in Archive #2.

Another random fun thing about this issue:

The lettercol includes a letter from some fellow named "E. Nelson Bridwell"! He helps solve some potential continuity errors from the Return of Lightning Lad story!

Yeah. When I was writing my review (sans having the issue handy), I couldn't even recall what Chlor's test was. Still, splitting a mountain is pretty impressive.

The Subs' tests do leave me wondering how long the Legion knew about each situation and why they didn't intervene before. Why, for example, did they wait for a newbie to come along to challenge a tyrant like Sun Woman? Perhaps they have a backload of cases. I wonder what their average response time is.

I seem to recall a couple of scenes where they basically mention a bunch of possible assignments they could take, so it does seem like they've got more cases than they can handle at any one time.

Maybe all these cases were "hot off the wire." Since Sun Woman's people were subjugated, maybe nobody had the nerve or the chance to call for help before.

One thing I will say about reading comics as a kid, it really improved my vocabulary. How many kids would've known what a protege was? Mr. Dictionary to the rescue!

The Legion sure seems to get an awful lot of free labor out of these initiation tests!

^^Another "real world" application.

The Subs: 30th century grad students.

Adventure #316

Following up on our discussion on Ultra Boy two issues back, Adventure #316 firmly establishes the Jo we all know and love once and for all, as the second Archive draws to a close, giving us the official roster of the Legion. Established once for all are a few things: “ultra powers” and their limits; the romance of Jo & Tinya, which I would call “the other great Legion romance” of the Silver Age with Garth & Imra; his rebel without a cause / wrong side of the tracks origin, though that is really subtly played up here with a lot being read between the lines.

Ultra Boy is among my favorite Legionnaires—certainly in my top five if not a contender for actual favorite. His romance with Tinya is my favorite of all the Legion romances. So I’m definitely biased towards liking this story more than usual.

I love the cover for this issue—one of the best yet. Poor Tinya *still* doesn’t make it though!

Lots going on during the first non-splash page! Superboy traveling through time! Tinya being quite a fan of Jo! The Legion training in the proto-Danger Room, soon to be stolen by the X-Men! Element Lad finally returning to the Legion after his initial appearance! Garth finally working through the trauma of his death and resurrection by erecting a statue of Proty!

I said it when it first appeared and it bears repeating: the drawing of the energy beast is among the best panels of the Silver Age.

Er, is it just me or is Tinya exceptionally busty and curvaceous? If I already didn’t have the biggest crush on her…

It’s hard not to sense some mean girl sarcasm in Imra’s “you’re a great admirer of his, aren’t you Phantom Girl? Let’s hope you’re right!”. Her coldness…why do I like it so much?

Olen Jor! There he is! The villain whom Eryk and I know must have quite an untold history!

Sun Boy’s face of total shock is really over the top when he exclaims Rann Vanal = Jo! Even better is Jo’s face which is kind of like a Robert Mitchum “I don’t give a fuck” look. Speaking of which, a few pages later when Tinya pleads his case to Sun Boy, look at Saturn Girl and Bouncing Boy’s faces. Man, if looks could kill!!!

But, before we get there, I have to say I love the Ultra Boy tossing around the Legion panel, and then the Mon-El in pursuit panels. It’s good to have a little action now and again.

As part two begins, you can feel the tension between Imra & Tinya! Meanwhile, Jo is caught up in a mystery that involves the second pyramid type man we’ve seen so far! Through his trademark street smarts, Jo continues to evade the Legion!

Phantom Girl stands by Jo and wins his heart for all eternity!

Jo prepares the betray the Legion…and then unveils his big plan! How clever!

I really like this story, even though Jo’s plot is perhaps a bit too needlessly complicated. If you consider his sense of loneliness earlier to be genuine (and there is no reason it isn’t), it really underscores the sacrifice he makes to bring down the mystery raiders. I think this is a great story for Jo, Tinya and the Legion in general. How can Ultra Boy not be one of your favorites after this?

Adv. 316

The plot of "The Renegade Super-Hero" reads like an old-time Western movie: The hero is falsely accused of a crime, becomes a fugitive, and seeks out the real bad guys while his true love never doubts him and puts herself at risk to help him. I half expected Tinya to take a bullet (or ray blast) for Jo.

At least there's a twist: Ultra Boy pretends to be a bad guy. His pretense is so convincing, however, that I lost all sympathy for him. My sympathy turned to the Legion, who seem to have a real problem on their hands: They have to hunt down one of their teammates who knows all their secrets.

This aspect of the story is played well, as Jo anticipates what the Legion will do next and uses their weaknesses against them. He twice takes advantage of Mon-El's desire to help people and sees through Chameleon Boy's ruse. (One wonders why Cham didn't bring a real ray gun or attempt to use his own shape-changing powers to fight Jo; at least Proty II's involvement is foreshadowed nicely via the memorial ceremony for Proty I.)

Other aspects of the story fall flat, however. The "Ultra Boy saved your life, Sun Boy" flashback is a clunky attempt at pathos--why not simply remind Sun Boy that Ultra Boy (or a robot facsimile) tried to help restore his powers back in # 302? Superboy has to be included since he's on the cover, but he's quickly written out of the story as he was in # 313. (It would have been more fun and challenging, I think, if Ultra Boy had to give both Superboy and Mon the slip.)

Phantom Girl plays the stereotypical love interest, pining for her lover and never doubting him even when he threatens to reveal all the Legion's secrets to the aliens. There's a word for this kind of blind loyalty: fanaticism. It would have been more interesting and believable if Tinya were torn between her love for Jo and her loyalty to the Legion. Perhaps she could have even attempted to stop him. She would have had to make a crucial decision which is lacking in the story.

Then there's the whole premise of Ultra Boy deceiving his fellow Legionnaires to protect them from a greater threat. This trope, also used by Saturn Girl back in 304, will be revisited again and again in Legion stories. For this trope to work, the threat must be so great that the deception is necessary and believable. But these tentacled aliens look like they could easily be blown over by a feather. Ultimately, the pay off isn't worth the effort.

But 316 does profile two Legionnaires who have otherwise been marginalized since the series began. In fact, Jo and Tinya are so obscure at this point that I imagine the original readers truly believed Jo was a criminal. One can imagine that this story could easily have ended with Jo in chains and Tinya disgraced.

So this is by no means a bad story; however, it pales in comparison to a later "Jo on the run" story, Superboy & the Legion # 239.

Odds and ends:

Why doesn't the Legion just admit that they held a secret election and named Dirk leader? He once again calls all the shots. Perhaps the Legion was so embarrassed by Dirk's behavior in the upcoming 318 that they erased his brief leadership from their history.

It certainly was not necessary for both Superboy and Lightning Lad to burn away Jo's insignia, but it makes a stunning visual. (Note, by the way, that this cover is strikingly similar to that of 302, on which Superboy and Ultra Boy use their powers to try to regenerate Sun Boy's power.)

The three-panel sequence of Mon-El and Ultra Boy knocking over the Metropolis Spaceport and Mon-El rescuing it is one of the most dramatic visuals yet--two panels take up the length of the page. More artistic experimentation would have been a plus in these stories.

Although Forte is solely credited, two artists (or two inkers, perhaps) seem to have drawn this story. Page 3 of Part 2 is markedly different from the facing Page 4. I wonder if Forte's health problems prevented him from completing the story.

Infodump alert! Why is it necessary for Jo to interrupt the search for the aliens to tell his origin? Answer: It's not. The Legion could have easily (and more naturally) related this information when they decided to hunt Jo.

Adventure #316

So, I really enjoyed re-reading this issue. Easily the best Legion-centric (as opposed to the Subs-stories or Supergirl-centric Satan Girl story) tale thus far.

--The Legionnaires "practicing" their super-powers scene is a bit silly, but you do get Element Lad and Lightning Lad creating the statue of Proty, which helps to reinforce this trope in Legion continuity. I'm not sure lightning powers would really be that effective for carving statues (Hamilton uses this several times), but it's interesting choice, given Lightning Lad's connection to Proty and Element Lad's not-yet-revealed penchant for creating memorials.

--The giant force tube from the sky is another typically Hamiltonian idea! I'll just assume these "Mystery Raiders" have some tech that protect them from patrolling space fleets as well!

--So, we get the establishment of Ultra Boy's origin and new power set. Awkwardly placed, but important.

--Sun Boy once again seems to be acting as leader in this story.

--I think this is the first reference to crime being unusual in the 30th century.

--I find it interesting the way the story continues to focus on Ultra Boy as the protagonist, even after he is believed to be the villain. The reader is left wondering whether there isn't in fact some merit to what he says, that he may have a criminal past, but he has done good since then. And his attempts to help the "monsters" also show that there's still good in him, if there's any doubt. I also love the line about how being "a hunted outlaw" is "so terribly lonely". It plays wonderfully with the theme of inclusion and being part of something bigger that is important to the Legion mythos.

--Any appearance by the Puppet Planetoid rocks!

--One of those monsters looks suspiciously like a Pyramid-Man of Altair! Those crazy Coluans should know better than to try to replicate Krytponian mind-transfer experiments!

--The idea that Daxamite are "great biophysicists", hinted at before in the Return of Lightning Lad story, is now officially established.

--The World of Fiery Rivers! The World of Crystals! Mirage World! More Hamilton grooviness.

--Phantom Girl's role in this story is less substantial (no pun intended) than I remembered it, but she does show herself as smart, brave, and resourceful. I'm reminded quite a bit of Night Girl effectively betraying the Subs to the Zyzans-in-disguise bit from that story, however, though this one had better results.

--So, the basic idea here is that mystery raiders steal tech (including weapons) from various worlds. Jo wants to avoid a direct confrontation with them, because the weapons they have already stolen might do massive damage in a fight. So he stages this elaborate ruse of pretending to go rogue in order to get himself taken into the confidence of the Mystery Raiders, who covet the secret weapons of the Legion. It's actually a pretty nice plot.

--The "freeze ray" that affect only non-humans is pretty silly, so I'll just assume the Legionnaires have some special protection against that particular ray!

--One problem: So Jo plants the file on himself in the rogues' gallery while he's scanning the aliens and before he rejoins the others. It's not until after he joins the others that Sun Boy suggests the "unusual" step of searching the rogues' gallery. So, er... how did Jo know to plant the record?

--Interesting alternative possible endings abound: It wouldn't have taken much for Ultra Boy to have actually turned out to be a criminal, and then decide to serve out his time at the end, hoping to one day re-earn his Legion membership. (Somewhat similar to the Tom Tanner story...)

--Anyway, this is a really solid story that's definitely important as the next step in establishing Ultra Boy as a major player in the Legion.

I was struck by the recurring themes in this story: the lost civilization planet (this one looking somewhat the worse for wear), the freezing ray, the raiders and the first of several Ultra Boy on the run stories.



It surprises me how much of the later characterization was set in these early stories. Imra and Tinya were never close, the friction between them sometimes came to the surface (was it during the Reflecto storyline that they had that heart-to-heart talk about love?). I always figured it was Jo and Lar's friendship that made Tinya and Tasmia close friends, but maybe even without Tasmia, Tinya would never have been chummy with Imra.



I had to wonder if the Legion subconsciously didn't want to catch him. That might have been too subtle a storyline for that era, but it could have been in Hamilton's mind as he was writing. Or maybe he just wanted to play up Jo's cleverness.



Was the original like this as well? I thought it might just be some Archive fill-in of lost pages.



This was the clunkiest part of the story for me. It just broke the flow of the action.



Alas, all these wild and crazy planets, never seen again.



Oops! I totally missed this lapse. That's a hard one to explain away.



That would have taken him out of the stories for a while, but since he was eventually portrayed as a street criminal/gang member anyways, it could have been pretty interesting!

-

I'm reading these stories in the Showcase Presents collections, which lack color. In black and white, the difference in the art styles is obvious.

Actually, I think those pages are pulled directly from Jo's first story, and reprinted. They're basically identical, and we saw them just use this reprinting technique in the Subs story.

Was that George Papp on the first? Usually it was on Superboy.

I don't have the issue in front of me, but the page I referenced above (Page 3 of Part 2) shows the Legionnaires in their ship while they are pursuing Jo. It's not from Superboy # 98.

Looks like a page that was badly scanned from a printed copy, and not reinked to match the original:


[Click-for-larger, and compare Cosmic Boy's head - especially the ear - in panel 4...]

It looks like they cranked up the contrast on the scan, possibly to burn out the original color cross-hatching and lost a lot of the finer linework in the bargain. Maybe the original black and white inked pages were lost.

^Fascinating scan.

The only other copy of Adv. 316 I have (other than the color-less Showcase Presents) is a reprint in Adventure Comics (digest) # 502 (1983). In it, Page 3 is a lot closer to the scan on the left, although the coloring is different.

It's also hard to tell in the smaller size whether the artwork matches that on Page 4 or not.

Here's the original spread.

Thanks for the scan, Jim. I suspect you and Reboot are right about the scans used in the Archives and Showcase Presents. There doesn't seem to be a noticeable difference in the art of the original two pages.

It's fascinating to learn how comics (and reprints) are put together.

BTW, I'm just now realizing that the scientist and his three subjects have green skin--hence the Coluan comment made earlier.

One advantage of reading the stories in b&w, though, is that it forces me to focus more on the story and less on the art.

I doubt they had many of the original art pages to work with. Possibly the copy they were working with was either badly printed on that page, or the page had been damaged at some point.

Another thought: When was Archive 2 released? I know some of the early Archives were made by literally bleaching the coloured ink out of printed comic pages (a process known as "Theakstonization"). Maybe that page was over-bleached, or the person tasked with tidying it up was careless.

Or, finally, it may just have been badly traced - tracing/redrawing was apparently fairly common in the earlier Marvel Masterworks (their Archive counterparts).

Adventure #317

The last story in the second Archive completes the process of finalizing the early Legion roster by firming up the roles of Light(ning) Lass and Star Boy going forward. As we’ve talked about, this process was a big part of the second Archive, and naturally, the subsequent archives will immediately switch to the process of making subtle changes to it. Here, Ayla goes from Lightning Lass to Light Lass to differentiate herself, though it does have the unfortunate side effect of making her significantly weaker. In fact, her powers are never really given their due until all the way until the threeboot by Mark Waid. Meanwhile, at long last Star Boy is firmly established once and for all, getting a complete overhaul in powers, and a bit more of a personality.

Beyond that, the other major thing is of course this story introduces two major characters. The first, Dream Girl, is really only a shade of her future self, though she certainly stands out enough to merit recurring requests for her return. The second, the Time Trapper, becomes the next major subplot for the near future. Here, he only starts out as a vague type concept—though some might argue he’s never really moved beyond that in 50 years.

Oh yeah. And its also the first Baby Legion story. Which was never my favorite story trope until one Michael Lash made me realize how innately silly it was.

The cover is a classic, with the baby Legionnaires whining and Dream Girl looking all femme fatale. Early Dream Girl appearances make me think of Rhino suggesting “is Nura in her undies?” which adds a new layer to her obvious and intentional sex appeal. She might as well be wearing all satin—thus, the real Satin Girl! Her platinum hair invokes many of the platinum blonde sex symbols of the prior era, but she’s always kind of felt like a cross between Bridgette Bardot and a young Kim Novak to me. The next splash page really hammers the point home about what a sexpot Nura is, with the amusing fringes showing the male Legionnaires with their tongues around their ankles and a furious Lu, Ayla and Imra. While Ayla and Lu is kind of amusing, it doesn’t fit for Imra to be jealous unless they overtly show its about Garth specifically. Otherwise, I don’t see her as the type to play those games.

I’d be interested in a story dedicated to Matter-Eater Lad and Star Boy exploring the devastated world. Great to see them both again!

The Time Trapper is mentioned in what feels like a throwaway concept at first, which also introduces the concept of the Iron Curtain of Time. How ominous! I know science-fiction had some good Cold War allegories, but this one is a bit on the nose!

Kid Heavyfeathers, or Rann Antar for non-LWers, is introduced in a ploy to explain Thom’s “new” powers. Poor Khf!

The boys temporarily lose sanity but good ol’ Imra is there to straighten them out. She quickly rejects Nura, since a good pair of legs and falling asleep ain’t enough to impress the Legion’s #1 femme. Yet, the boys object! Stupid boys!

Nura makes it into the Legion afterall, though Imra quickly changes into a mini-skirt to see if she can retake Garth’s wandering eye. He’s nowhere to be found so one must assume she was successful! Soon enough he heads off on a mission off-panel, likely at the instigating of Imra. Either that or a coloring mistake!

Poor Ayla is Nura’s first victim! Much like Star Boy, she’s too quick to give in to Dream Girl’s meanness. Probably because she wants to do the same things to her that Star Boy wants to do.

Nura’s schemes continue until eventually reducing four Legionnaires to super-tots. I note Jo is screaming for his mother—surely due to long repressed abandonment issues that eventually led to a life on the streets!

Watching Jo bounce Bouncing Tot is pretty cool! I wish I had a bouncing ball friend when I was a kid! Meanwhile Lil’ Garth teases Lil’ Vi mercilessly. Jeez! Young Garth must have emulated Mekt quite a bit!

Eventually the truth comes out, with Star Boy playing the role Tinya did the issue before (re: believing in the accused). I have to say, compared to last issue, this issue doesn’t measure up at all. Dream Girl is not really sympathetic at all, and Thom comes off more as a sucker than a loyal friend or romantic lead. In fact, Thom’s portrayal here likely influenced his subsequent portrayals as one of the more negative / pessimistic / weaker willed Legionnaires.

All in all, this isn’t a bad story, and it does have a pretty straight-forward plot. But a lot of it is material we’re by now well familiar with, and have already seen done better. The one saving grace is the interesting development of the Time Trapper plot which provides quite a lot of promise. Unfortunately that won’t really be realized, though it is ironic that the Time Trapper story begins and ends with two separate “super babies” stories.

Adventure #317

This issue was actually more interesting than I remembered it being. Aside from obvious things like bringing back Star Boy and introducing Dream Girl, it's notable in that the main plot is interwoven with two subplots, one of which will be continued in future issues. In a way, then, it kind of forecasts writing styles that will become more prominent in the future. It suffer somewhat, however, in that the subplots are actually quite a bit more interesting than the main plot.

--More lightning being used to carve statues!

--Er... so about that great untold story of Thom's "detached duty"? Or are we supposed to believe he's been investigating this bombed out world all this time... and took Matter-Eater Lad with him, thus explaining the latter's absence this entire volume?

--The Iron Curtain of Time! Really such a cool concept at the core. Time Travel is so much a part of the Legion mythos at this point that a villain who interferes with time travel is pretty cool.

--Man, having to listen to the constitution before every freaking meeting? That's got to be time-consuming!

--Kid Heavyfeathers! Also, "Kid Plot Device to Reintroduce Star Boy!"

--"Would you like a chair Dream Girl? And by "chair" I mean a couch you pose seductively on?"

--Little known fact: Ron-Karr actually did a brief stint as ad spokesperson for Neptune Nectar. The slogan: Neptune Nectar, the drink that never goes flat!

--Man, I hate it when long-buried eggs suddenly hatch into giant monsters!

--Okay, so I kind of suspect that the original plan was that Dream Girl would play a major role in the Time Trapper saga. For even though she denies that she can see beyond a few days when they ask her to peer behind the curtain, she later reveals that she can actually see "a few weeks" into the future, which suggests she could potentially see beyond the curtain. It wouldn't surprise me if it was Hamilton's original plan to work Nura into the eventually big confrontation with the Time Trapper.

--Dream Girl's tricks for expelling Legionnaires vary in plausibility. While causing Ayla to seemingly lose her powers and de-aging four Legionnaires both seem like plausible excuses for sidelining them, the "making false charges" rule that takes out both Triplicate Girl and Matter-Eater Lad seems kind of lame.

--I really like Tenzil's use in this story. Even though he ends up being as much a dupe of Dream Girl as everyone else, he actually ends up coming off pretty sympathetic.

--The ending seems a bit rushed, but not too bad. Of course, the whole plot would've been over early on if Dream Girl had just let Matter-Eater Lad finish his tour of the defense plans!

Again, I find the Atomic World and the Time Trapper both far more interesting than the Dream Girl trying to prevent the apparent deaths of Legionnaires plot. Unfortunately, the atomic world is never seen again, and the Time Trapper, though it remains an ongoing subplot, eventually fizzles out in a pretty disappointing story (which also showcase Legionnaires turned into children).

Adv. 317

It feels like Hamilton is telling the same story over and over. Once again, a Legionnaire has to hide the truth to protect the other members of the team. Saturn Girl uses punishment as an excuse to ground the Legionnaires in # 304. Ultra Boy pretends to be a criminal to save the Legion in 316. Even the Subs keep the truth from the Legionnaires in all three of their appearances (though their reasons for doing so are slightly more plausible than those given in the other stories.)

Even new Legionnaires Lightning Lass (308) and Element Lad (307) had secrets to keep.

Now we've got newest Legionnaire Dream Girl borrowing a page from Saturn Girl's diary and upping her, not by grounding her fellow Legionnaires but by causing them to be expelled.

Really, it's amazing that any Legionnaire learned to trust any other member of the team!

In addition to this repetitive plot device, "The Menace of Dream Girl" suffers from one-dimensional and stereotypical portrayals of males and females. I suppose the story could be taken as a humorous commentary on how teenaged boys think of nothing but sex and will fall for any cute girl in the room, and how girls automatically become jealous when any other female gets boys' attention. But it's played straight when every boy Legionnaire brings Dream Girl gifts and sees to her comfort. This would be plausible only if DG had Charma-like ability to enslave men's minds.

And, as noted above, Dream Girl isn't sympathetic as a character (unlike Jo, last issue, who seemed to care for people even after he was "exposed" as a criminal). Rather, she comes off as a female Command Kid ( Adv. 328). In fact, this story has essentially the same plot as "The Lad Who Wrecked the Legion" -- but DG is too cute to be possessed by a demon, so she ends up recanting at the end, in a scene which, like the rest of the story, seems wholly unbelievable.

The good parts of the story: Hamilton is starting to feature a variety of Legionnaires, including Star Boy and M-E Lad, and Saturn Girl is finally starting to act like a leader. This story also gives more than one female character (Saturn Girl) something to do, and while Ayla's shift in power might seem a downgrade, being able to lift a now lightweight Legion clubhouse seems pretty darn impressive.

And, as also noted above, the subplots such as the "atom war" and the Time Trapper are more intriguing than the main story.

Adv. 317 is more interesting for what it sets up in terms of future stories than how it stands on its own merits.

Of course, this is Young Proty-Garth. Which means even baby Altairans can be mean.

And extremely boring! Perhaps if they set it to a rap beat . . .



Interestingly, neither Tenz nor Lu get to demonstrate their powers in this story. On the one hand, that's a good thing as there are no clunky scenes to explain what they can do. On the other hand, as a reader I feel cheated when super-powered characters don't act super or demonstrate sufficient reason for being present.

In the first two Legion stories I read, Triplicate Girl appears much as she does here, without actually doing anything. This led my young mind to conclude she was the group's secretary rather than an actual Legionnaire. ("Fill these out in triplicate, girl.")

One one hand (again), it's realistic and believable for members of the team to appear in the story without contributing much. However, using them as random supporting characters seems to lack imagination.

Yay! I remembered to read a story in time for maybe the third or fourth instance in this project!

Re-reading this story, I can't help but chuckle about a tiny aspect of Nura's early look that confused me when I was younger: her barette! Specifically, I thought it was an antenna sticking out of her head that was maybe a physical explanation for her gift. And as I simultaneously read about an older Nura, circa the GDS and later, I wondered what ever happened to it!

I still thought this well into my adulthood and (in)famously brought this up years later on DC's LSH message board during the formative or proto months of the LMB. Needless to say, I embarrassed the hell outta myself when the truth of the 'antenna' was explained to me! I feel to this day that the LMB making one of its induction 'gifts' to new members a 'Nura Nal Barette' (along with a 'walking ring')is an homage/reminder of my embarrassment!

In my defense, though, it's pretty damn prominent! Plus, very few Legionnaires (possibly just Lyle's headband?) were known to have anything in or around their hair as their regular look at the time. I think I also made some connection between the supposed antenna and the floaty eye thingies that her sister Mysa would sport when she joined decades later. (I read Levitz/Giffen circa GDS simultaneously to those digests that reprinted the Adventure run.)

And I SWEAR it doesn't look like the barette is doing much! I don't know much about female hairstyles, but it seems like a barette would be holding the hair flip up higher or something!

Putting all that aside, Dreamy was still a knockout back in her early appearances! She showed more skin than any of the other females at the time and had that foxy platinum hair. I like that her scientific know-how was always in place as was her determination and grit. I'm glad she didn't stay gone, as some prior throwaway characters did, and would return eventually as an important regular.

Unrelated to Dreamy, it's interesting how Hamilton used an atomic war-ravaged world somewhat prominently in the plot. Obviously, this was written during the early Cold War and in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, so this was his way of referencing the very real fears that were so prevalent. So much so that it would make it thru the bright and shiny Silver Age of DC here, though in a small way.

Pal Lad is like the Jimmy Olsen of the re-reading thread, showing up just enough to maintain his LMB membership!

Where's Tinya? Forgotten again, I guess.

It was sort of funny that the strongest Legionnaire among the baby group was the one crying for Mommy.

That barrette annoyed me throughout this story. She didn't have it in the initial panels, then it was there, non-functional, more like a decorative comb.

I guess we could include Dream Girl in the Legion Rejecters Club; they may have required her to leave, but she resigned of her own free will.

How carefully did she read that Constitution? She cited different passages for the same offense, making false charges against a Legionnaire.

Rann Antar - rejected from the Legion, returned years later to destroy Dawnstar with his secret lead feather power. Untold.

The atomic war planet and the Iron Curtain of Time were interesting. Does anyone talk about the Iron Curtain anymore, or is it being forgotten? I wonder what term they would use if writing today.

Dream Girl tied in with the Time Trapper story - that would have been a great line to follow.

I do like Hamilton's various planets and how he has assigned great scientific knowledge to Naltor and expertise in bio sciences to Daxam.

So THAT'S why her wings fell off! Brilliant, FC!

I wondered about that, but then decided that she may be actually be citing two different passages in the Constitution, since the first time she is citing the rule against making false charges, while the second time she is citing the Legionnaires responsibility to punish the offender.

I don't know why, but I did find the de-aged Legionnaires hilarious! Little Garth bullying poor Violet and Chuck and Jo just having fun with their powers.

For some reaosn I always had the impression that Nura had antennae.

YES!

The first Teen Titans comic I ever read with Lilith in it, she said something about her antenna and I thought she meant it literally. I kept looking for a panel that showed it and never came across it. I was a mere waif at the time though and had only read Legion comics up until then. I guess I was used to Chameleon Boy and thought, hey! one of the Titans has antennae too!

Speaking of antennae, what purpose did Mantis's antennae serve and where did they come from? Isn't she just a normal Earth human with advanced training from the priests of Pama? I never did find any reference to them in the text of any of the comics I ever saw her in.

I just hadn't analyzed my impression as much as you have, Pal just saw your earlier post on the subject now!

I wonder if that's why Mysa was given antennae in her later appearances - as a shout out to the original Nura barette?