All New Collectors’ Edition C-55

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes

Welcome fellow Legionnaires, to what is probably the most famous issue of the Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes series. Even if you have not read this beautiful Treasury Edition of a comic book, you probably recognize the cover if you know your way around comics. 

This was actually my first exposure to the so-called ‘Treasuries’ and it was like transitioning from a small to a big screen TV. It hits you in the face and you can devour every incredible detail the artist puts on the page. And this artist is Mike Grell so you are in for an even more of a treat. Do we, as mere mortals and sinners, deserve such a delicate delight? I’ll leave that up to you decide!

And what purpose this book has, also making it a mighty milestone in the Legion of Super-Heroes lore! The wedding of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, which of course has grave implications due to the Legion charter being what it was at the time. Our last wedding of course was way back in issue #200, which also proved to be quite purposeful in that it would push Dave Cockrum off the book. Want to know what I am talking about? Check out my coverage of that issue early last year. 

And back to Mike Grell. You can tell he decided to pencil the pages to fit the format of the book because we are treated to a lot of wonderful double-page spreads. Though I do not like to usually include ‘photos’ of my own personal copy because one, it does not do the artist justice, and two, the quality depends on the grade of my copy, but I will make an exception here and an include every double paged spread found in the issue. This hopefully will give us a bit of a break because we do have quite a lot of pages to get through.

So what are we waiting for? Find a chair with a good arm rest that can help us hold this thing, and off we go!

The Millennium Massacre

Superboy begins his flight to the 30th Century and his thoughts inevitably drift to his purpose: the wedding of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad! Though there is a tinge of sadness when he remembers that they will have to leave the Legion and hopes that the love they have is worth it. He then of course thinks of the last wedding that he attended, that of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. They had their wedding on Mars and luckily Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad will have theirs in the Legion Headquarters so it should not be too much of a hassle. 

His thoughts are interrupted by shock as, once he arrives in 2978, he sees a complete city of Metropolis that has changed into an armed camp. A group of Science Police instruct him to halt and Superboy quickly flies toward them to figure out what has happened. They tell him that there are security regulations in place and that they cannot accept visual identification and that he failed to give the proper password. They both then blast him with their guns and Superboy quickly uses their hovercraft and turns it into their makeshift cage, and welds it shut with some heat vision. 

Due to its new structure, the cage drops and Superboy is about to catch it when it stops on its own and is carried back up again by Ultra Boy, who is also accompanied by Sun Boy and Cosmic Boy. Superboy is relieved and asks them why everything has gone crazy. But Sun Boy replies the only crazy person is Superboy because he failed to use the password. Superboy is still confused and does not know what is going on.

Sun Boy scoffs at him and feels that he has to remind Superboy that they are surrounded by hostile worlds and they could be attacked at any moment. Hence, the use of passwords and heightened security measures have become essential. Superboy continues to be bewildered and asserts that they have not heard from the Dark Circle in months. This time Sun Boy is confused because he is not speaking of the Dark Circle but of Mars, Venus…and before he can finish his sentence a starship attacks the Metro Tower and Sun Boy identifies the assailants to be Lunarites, from the moon. He instructs the Legion to stop them before they level the city.

Sun Boy swoops in and blasts a photon-missile with a blast of solar heat and Superboy swoops in to grab the cruiser but he just misses it. Cosmic Boy used his magnetic powers to slow it down for Superboy. Superboy grabs it and tosses it over the Atlantic where a Science Police Cruiser will force it to a safe landing. But he is still determined to get to the bottom of why everything is so different.

For a moment the only answers Superboy receives is stony silence and then each of the Legionnaires realizes that the other is just desperately struggling to understand. Superboy lands and asks Cosmic Boy why they cannot communicate and Cosmic Boy does not know and it scares him. They are greeted by Princess Projectra who reminds Cosmic Boy that the ceremony will start in fifteen minutes and Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad need him for the preliminaries. Cosmic Boy runs off but asks the Princess to help Superboy since he is confused. Superboy pleads with the Princess to tell him why the Thirtieth Century Earth is suddenly so militant. She tells him there is nothing sudden about it, and it has always been this way. From one end of the cosmos to the other, all that has ever been discovered is warring planets. It is only the power of the Legion that keeps the universe from falling apart and that is why they must recruit new members from almost any world in the galaxy. 

With a gesture, the Princess uses her unique power to conjure an explanation that is more than an explanation. A cavalcade of illusions that portray a reality too dismal for words. And as the images flash before Superboy she gives him the commentary:

“The turning point was only a few years after your time, Superboy, when the United Nations disbanded in 1978 that swiftly led to world’s first nuclear war and to the development of weapons far worse than neutron bombs.

“Eventually the world became divided into armed camps, perpetually warring nation-states and when they went into space, war went with them.

“Today everyone is armed and at war, Earth against Mars, Mars against Jupiter, Jupiter against Venus, and so on through out the stars. I often wonder how we survive.  But why are you acting so amazed, you have known this for years!”

Superboy looks her in her eyes and very seriously tells her that he has not. Something has gone terribly wrong and he cannot let it interfere with the wedding. But he wants to have a special meeting with all Legionnaires present and hopefully he can get to the bottom of it. Karate Kid arrives and reaffirms what Princess Projectra has been telling him, since he, of course, has been living in the Twentieth Century. But he agrees that if Superboy wants a meeting, then a meeting he shall have. But for right now, they have a wedding to attend. 

It is a solemn moment and one meant to be shared only with the closest of friends; a privileged handful who witness the joining of two of the Legion’s founding members and realize that a new chapter in the organization’s history must begin with their departure. The entire Legion membership is present as Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl stand before them, and listen to the pronouncement that Garth Ranzz and Imra Ardeen are evermore as one in the cosmos. Garth is then instructed to kiss the bride, which he does and the two newlyweds are met with a thunderous HOORAY along with a twenty-one blast salute from their friends as they board the shuttle to embark on their honeymoon. 

A beautiful peace of a life-long dream achieved, there is nothing quite like it. And nothing nearly as cruel when it is suddenly shattered. Specifically, as the honeymoon cruiser is seized by a powerful tractor beam from a Lunarite Raider, one of a squadron sweeping down for a raid on Metropolis. Superboy and Mon-El are horrified what they are seeing, and Mon-El gives the command to all the Legionnaires to go into action. 

As one, the heroes respond, willing their flight rings into action with a dynamism born of despair, their emotions suddenly torn from the highest heights to the lowest depths. Superboy realizes that this is not a normal raid and this must have been planned. Mon-El commands the Legionnaires to give that raider everything they have to free their friends, and Cosmic Boy, Sun Boy, and Wild Fire hit it with a large blast of energy, but everything they throw at it merely bounces off its hull. Wildfire then commands them to stop and Mon-El also notices that the Lunarites’ ship is leaving a deadly radiation trail. If they go after it they will be fried. Superboy is determined and that might stop the others but it will not stop him and Mon. 

Mon-EL quickly stops Superboy because he also detected Red Solar Rays that will take his powers. There is nothing they can do. But Wildfire will not give up so easily and quickly deduces that they are probably going back to their Lunar base and they can get there quickly as well and still save Garth and Imra. Every second indeed counts. But Superboy tells them to hold. He knows there is something wrong with this time and that something must have occurred in the past. Wildfire reminds him that there is a meeting planned to discuss his issue but now they must act. Superboy counters that the main issue is what happened sometime in the past and if they solve that they willl solve this kidnapping. Wildfire crosses his arms and orders Superboy to join the mission and the discussion is closed. But Shadow Lass intervenes and tells him that there are a few Legionnaires who believe Superboy and want to go with him. Wildfire has no choice but to agree and instructs Element Lad to take Dream Girl, Star Boy ,and Tyroc and guard Legion Headquarters. Those that want to stay with Superboy stay and the rest will accompany Wildfire. Before they take off a troubled Light Lass instructs those that have souls to help them save her brother and Imra. And Superboy tells her that is exactly what he will be doing. 

Chapter Two: Murder By Moonlight

New Cathay, a monument to thirtieth-century technology: The Lunarites’ Central City, looking out over the plains of the moon’s light side; its glistening domes often reflecting the madness within. Oseldan Khan brings forth Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, and declares them to be his bargaining chips. He will use their lives for a valuable trade. Because ever since the Chinese Empire colonized the moon in 1985 with spacecraft taken from America, the moon has been desolate. But in exchange for his two valuable Legionnaires, the American State will use their vast fleet to transport enormous antarctic icebergs, that Khan will use to create new seas for the moon. 

He also mentions to them that they are now imprisoned in a very special thin dome of plasticalloy, that is designed to burst if an electric bolt accidentally touches it, exposing them both to instant death in space. Saturn Girl scoffs at this suggestion and tells him he will kill them anyway. Furious at her outburst, he backhands her and Lightning Lad retaliates in fury, hurling a wave of lightning bolts at him.

Khan shouts that he is a fool and that he will kill them all, but Lightning Lad is not deterred and he continues hitting Khan’s troops until they both reach a starship in one of the docking bays. Identifying the ship has being something they can fly themselves, Lightning Lad removes one of the remaining foes and they both get in the ship, and take off, crashing through the dome’s ceiling. They are quickly met with blasts that try to take them down, and Saturn Girl urges caution because she senses someone is planning another, deadlier attack. Lightning Lad acknowledges the warning and sees two blips on his scope.

With astronomical skill, Lightning Lad pilots his two-man cruiser into an amazing aerial spiral and crash dive, pulling out at the last possible nanosecond, and at least a full second faster than the heavier, Lunarite battle arks could manage, as they crash into the moon’s surface. 

The two embrace and Saturn Girl congratulates her new husband of not only bringing them to safely, but because she can also sense the Lunarites slowly emerging from the craft proving that he did not kill anyone. He holds her tighter and tells her that is not true. Because he used the last of their fuel and now, and the only that people that will die, are them.

Meanwhile, sweeping into the star-spangled skies over New Cathay are Dawnstar and Wildfire. Wildfire commends Dawnstar on successfully tracking Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl’s cruiser that is now parked in one of the domes. She points to the distance and tells Wildfire that she sees Lunarite Defense Patrols that are diving to attack. Wildfire does not need anymore explanations, and instructs his fellow Legionnaires to attack.

Colossal Boy grows to gigantic size and catches one of the patrols without a sweat and crashes it to the ground. He remarks how easy it is and Cosmic Boy agrees as he uses his magnetic power to easily take one of the motors off. Wildfire cautions them to not get cocky and Dawnstar swoops down confirming this is indeed the place of their capture because she senses an after-effect of lightning. But they are not there and the trail concludes to a dead end. 

We return to Lighting lad and Saturn Girl who continue their embrace and have come to an agreement. They have decided to die free so that Oseldan Khan cannot twist their deaths into a war fury. They then look toward the Earth and see the irony that they are now standing on the so-called ‘Lover’s Moon’ during their honeymoon. Saturn Girl asks how long their life supply will last and Lightning Lad says only one hour. 

Back at the domes of New Cathay, Wildfire describes his plan. All of them will jet off in different directions and once they find their lost Legionnaires, they will signal the others. Hopefully they can find them before the Lunarites do. However, Light Lass is confused because should Dawnstar not use her power to lead them to Garth again? Dawnstar puts her head down and anguishly tells her that her powers work the best in space. And on a planet they are nearly useless. Light Lass is angry and charges at her but Timber Wolf manages to catch her in time. He reminds his lover that Dawnstar is trying her best and Light Lass is brought into tears. She can feel Garth out there, her twin, and she knows he is dying. Suddenly they all become aware of a large pack of Lunarites heading right for them, and they have to stop them quickly but luckily Light Lass gave Wildfire an idea. 

We leave the scene to look on our two newlyweds, whose oxygen is about to run out. Lightning Lad decides to use his lightning powers one last time and shatters them both into atoms so they will not have to go out slowly and painfully. He turns but suddenly Phantom Girl appears, pleading him to stop. They both have been found.

Moments later in the Legion Cruiser Cosmic Boy tells them how they were able to find them despite Dawnstar’s powers not working. It was Cosmic Boy who managed it, as he explains:

“Garth, your lightning powers are electromagnetic and that means your body has a faint effect on the magnetic field of any world you’re on. Ayla reminded me that she’s your twin, and even though Dream Girl used Naltorian super-science to change her powers years ago, she still has the same electro-magnetic properties. I just used my magnetic powers to get a reading on her, and looked for one just like it.”

Lighting Lad embraces Light Lass, and tells her that he did not know it was possible to love her even more. But an angry Wildfire cuts in and promises that he will make Superboy and his followers pay, because they almost caused a situation where they would not find them in the first place.

Chapter 3: The Twisted History Mystery

New York City, the sum of all the problems and pleasures of twentieth-century living: home to the United Nations and now to seven strange visitors from the future. Brainiac Five announces their arrival to New York in 1978, which was the crucial moment in history when the United Nations disbanded. If Superboy is right, what they will learn here will save Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad. And Karate Kid interjects that if they are wrong, Superboy will have a lot of explaining to do.

Brainy says that he probably will not have to explain anything because he has already detected a strange flux in the time-stream around this year and it does appear that Superbly is correct; time has indeed been altered. But he will have time to plan his defense because he will not be able to join them. Superboy starts to protest but Brainy stops him. Time does not permit one individual to be in two places at the same time and this is the era that Superman is active. He will have to stay behind the bubble’s time-stasis field while they investigate. Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, and Mon-El leave the Time Bubble and Brainy tells Superboy he can still monitor their progress on the monitor. If he ends up picking up a clue, he can notify them immediately. Superboy sulks some more until he receives a nice kiss on the cheek from Shadow Lass, who then tells him to have a little faith. Superboy is cheered right up and as Shadow Lass steps away from the Time Bubble, Princess Projectra uses her powers to make the Time Bubble disappear from view. She then turns her powers on her fellow Legionnaires, and instantaneously clothes them in twentieth-century garb, covering their futuristic uniforms.

The Sun has dawned on innumerable crises at the United Nations, but none as vital as today’s. And never before has the milling crowd in the lobby of the General Assembly Building included visitors from another era. Incognito observers who hope that their unique presence will balance the upcoming day’s ominous events and restore a history they cannot remember. A disguised Karate Kid exclaims his excitement to a disguised Brainiac Five that this era of time is still impressive. Despite all these monuments of brotherhood sprawled before them, if Brainy were to expose himself and reveal his green color, they would dissect him immediately. Brainy does not share in the amusement and reminds Karate Kid to concentrate on the task at hand because they are trying to stop a nuclear war. But how? There is an ocean of diplomats and only six Legionnaires, how are they supposed to find the connections and detect the clues?

The Legionnaires swiftly track down the key people in each of three delegations that will force the United Nations’ dissolution, observing them with thirtieth century techniques and technology and by nightfall they discover that all three delegations have a common contact point, a mystery man. They reconvene in the Time Bubble to discuss their next course of action. The mystery man’s involvement cannot be a coincidence because the probability that he caused it is too high. They have to find out who he is and why, before the planet gets ripped apart. 

We are then treated to a newspaper with the headline “U.N. Disbands.” However, this does not deter Shadow Lass and Mon-El from locating what could be the mystery man. Mon-El has a closer look with his super-vision but there is some strange energy field blocking his vision. Luckily Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, and Sun Boy are outside and are able to pick up his trail once Mon-El loses him. The duo continue to tail him and Karate Kid reports that he is headed for the Queen’s Tunnel, when suddenly their foe accelerates and takes a quick exit. Karate Kid slams on the pedal but hits a lightpole, forcing its passengers to crash through the windshield. Luckily they were wearing their flight rings because it protected them from any serious injury, and Princess Projectra quickly whips up a projection to make it look like they vanished. Karate Kid informs Brainy that they lost their mystery man, and Brainy announces that he had an emergency back-up plan, which is the invisible observer, Superboy.

Superboy confirms that he was able to follow him on the monitor, and that the mystery man entered the New York State Pavilion from the old World’s Fair, which is currently unused. Brainy surmises that it is because there is a time capsule buried below the pavilion, and in order for them to find out they will need to investigate directly. 

Shortly, all the Legionnaires gather at the Pavilion and decide to take advantage of the moment of surprise. They enter, but run into a series of defense tentacles that attempt to ensnarl the heroes. Sun Boy uses his power to melt the metal like butter and Mon-El easily breaks out of the hold and then flies through the room disabling any tentacles he can find.

Karate Kid chases after him pleading to leave some for him, but with even more robotic defenses popping up he does not need to worry. Sun Boy, Karate Kid, and Mon-El neutralize all the defenses and Mon-El jets ahead, notifying his fellow Legionnaires that there is a room full of machinery at the end of the hall. But before he can investigate further, he is hit with a big blast. The Legionnaires rush to his aid and follow the source of the blast and find their mystery man standing next to a control panel. The mystery man shoots again, and scatters the Legonnaires across the room. He then announces that for once, victory shall go to the…

TIME TRAPPER! And he bellows out a hideous laugh before going into his evil monologue:

“Almost since the founding of your cursed Legion, you incompetent youths have foiled my carefully-laid plans across the millennia, disrupting schemes evolved long before your race crawled out of the caves. 

“But now that is over, for I have escaped the probability limbo your very existence hurled me into and I am on the verge of completing my age-old design.

“And though your unconscious forms can only bear silent witness, soon your time-space continuum will cease to exist and I will regain my rightful place in my own.”

The Time Trapper does not notice a still helpless, but conscious Superboy, who has no choice but to listen to the Time Trapper ramble on even further.

“There, the last of my preparations in this barbaric century are complete. All the equipment is in order along the time line, only requiring final adjustments and activation!

“Farewell then Legionnaires. I grant you a few more moments of oblivious existence while I travel to the end of time! HAHAHAHAHA!”

Chapter Four: Showdown at the End of Eternity

Metropolis, 2979 a.d.: The center of the universe in the eyes of many, and this afternoon, the only place where any possibility of the universe’s survival remains. Luckily we return to Legion HQ with Star Boy and Element Lad still guarding the building and they notify the others that both task forces have returned at the same time from their respective missions.

Without exchanging a word, the two task forces run out of their crafts, unwilling to brook any interference. But Star Boy and Element Lad are still implementing the strict security measures and demand the required password, when Wildfire cuts them off. He wants to get the meeting over and done with so he can throw Superboy out of the Legion for neglecting both Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. But Superboy squares up to him and tells him that he has proof that his suspicions were correct. Not only is something wrong with history, but the Time Trapper is behind it. Brainy confirms as much but Wildfire still will have none of it and continues to put Superboy down. Superboy has enough and grabs Wildfire’s arm but Saturn Girl swiftly steps in to break it up. She tells them to stop acting like children. Her telepathic powers tell her they both believe they are telling the truth and suggests they resolve this in the planned meeting.

Witness a sight rarely seen: The full membership of the Legion of Super-Heroes gathered together in their formal meeting room. And rarer still, gathered in debate. Yet within a few scant minutes, the insurmountable evidence of the Time Bubble’s Monitor Tape has been seen and heard and Superboy’s mission’s urgency accepted; even by Wildfire who asks what they can do to stop the Time Trapper. Saturn Girl has an idea and believes that if she can connect Superboy’s subconscious with Dream Girl’s sleeping mind, she can find the Time Trapper’s location in the resulting dream. Both agree and she places them under.

Soon, Saturn Girl sits up and conveys that she saw the end of time, which is in fact a place. The Time Trapper has his main equipment in the far future and she believes they can reach it and stop him. Several Hours later, Rond Vidar works on adapting his hypertime drive to propel the Legionnaires to the era Dream Girl envisioned. Wildfire announces that they are ready and that the computer has randomly chosen a Legionnaire to remain behind on guard. Surprise Surprise, it is Tyroc, who cannot get a break this issue. Tyroc and Rond watch the Legionnaires disappear as Rond presses the switch. 

The end of time: All that remains of Earth is a burned cinder. A memory of what once was and the base the Time Trapper has used as his hidden headquarters for an unknowable eternity. Superboy remarks on their surroundings, how desolate and bare it is, as though there was a nuclear holocaust. Superboy hopes they can use the element of surprise this time, and Phantom Girl jets ahead so she can slip through and do a little reconnaissance first. Element Lad tries to knock down the walls but he does not recognize its atomic structure and faints. Superboy surveys what Element Lad was able to achieve and notices a very small hole. Luckily Shrinking Violet is there who quickly jumps in, but then they hear a deafening scream.

The Legionnaires quickly follow and crash through the wall. They see Phantom Girl caught in some sort of static machine and Shrinking Violet in the clutches of a metal claw, controlled by the Time Trapper. Timber Wolf spots a blast aimed squarely on the group and takes it out. Lightning Lad, Superboy, and Wildfire follow and take out more of the guns as the group slowly inch their way to the Time Trapper. 

The Time Trapper grows frantic and Light Lass and Star Boy hit the console with both of their powers, creating a contradictory field, blowing it up. However, the Trapper has protected himself in a force field bubble while Brainy conjures one from his force field belt to shield his team. The Trapper then threatens to kill both Phantom Girl and Shrinking Violet if they do not stop their interference. 

Wildfire is enraged but grudgingly agrees. If he frees his hostages and abandons his equipment he can leave. But the Trapper has other plans and pushes a lever, encasing the team in another forcefield, trapping them. The Trapper turns and moves against the bubble, pulls back his hood and reveals himself to be a Controller!

Superboy is shocked and the Trapper is not surprised because he believed the Controllers to be a benevolent race, having conquered war in their dimension and aiding other universes in containing their evil. The Trapper continues:

“But you Legionnaires of all humans should know that not every controller is benevolent! For did you not face the Sun Eater, the deadly weapon one of my kindred turned against your galaxy? The same Sun Eater that cost one of your number his life?

“That was a controller who had learned the glory of power and he was also one of my followers! For I was the first of the race to be exiled for proposing conquest, the only worthswhile use of our awesome technology and power!

“But while the Sun Eater’s master sought just to conquer this dimension, I seek to rule them all! And I shall, using the energy created by destroying time in your puny galaxy. And to do that, I use…

THE MIRACLE MACHINE!” 

The Legionnaires pound on the force field trying to frantically get out. The Trapper simply smiles and tells them he liberated it from their headquarters and now he will use it for its ultimate purpose: Converting thoughts into reality and this will complete his disordering of this galaxy’s time-flux. He turns on the machine and as a deadly mist appears, he tells the Legionnaires that he thinks them dead.

A deadly tendril of mist reaches out, creeping slowly towards the imprisoned Legionnaires, gaining in intensity with every passing inch. Brainy shouts that there is no way to stop it if they cannot get out of the energy shield, and the shield will not protect them from the thought energy. But those words give Superboy an idea, and he pleads with his fellow Legionnaires to concentrate and direct their thoughts at the Miracle Machine and maybe they can turn that damn thing back!

For a second, the tendril pauses, then, as the other Legionnaires join their thoughts to Superboy’s and Saturn Girl uses her telepathic power to focus their will, it turns. Only to have the surge of power stopped millimeters from the Miracle Machine itself, as the massive mental powers of the Controller are brought to bear.

Time is measured in heart beats, as the force hangs in the air, twisting back and forth, bending before the more-evolved mind of the controller and the combined determination of the Legion. But it takes a special kind of will to devote life to bettering the existence of others, and in the end, that will must prevail, and the wanton hunger for personal power must prove a final, fatal, flaw! The energy beam smashes into the being who called himself the Time Trapper and ends both his schemes and thoughts instantly. 

Instead, the thoughts which burn in the minds of the Legionnaires control the Miracle Machine and are converted into reality. The ageless exile has returned to the universe where the Controllers reign, bound to reveal his treachery and suffer punishment for it. And history begins to right itself, returning to its natural path as easily as an undimmed stream. Key events the Trapper had altered shift back to their rightful destiny: The United Nations does not disband, the Nuclear War does not begin, the Earth and Moon do not become militaristic society, and the Legionnaires are drawn back to a 2979 a.d. that each of them knows is exactly as it should be. 

The Legionnaires find themselves back in Legion HQ with Tyroc and Rond still guarding the it. Rond welcomes them back but cannot remember why they left in the first place. Superboy tells him he should be grateful. Superboy turns and finds Wildfire with his hand outstretched. Superboy heartily shakes it. Wildfire admits that they have had their differences, but if anybody says that he is not the greatest, they will have to answer to him. Superboy thanks Wildfire and calls him a friend. This moment is interrupted by Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl who announce they are off to their honeymoon…

Since this is no way to start a marriage. 

Never the end. 

Creative Team

What an incredible issue and a milestone in the Legion of Super-Heroes! Paul Levitz and Joe Orlando decided to bust out the greatest hits and gave us the Time Trapper as the main villain as well as the destructive forces of the Miracle Machine. With Mike Grell handling the action, I would say this was a near perfect story. 

First the good stuff.

Paul Levitz has the characters down pat at this point. The interactions between Superboy and Wildfire were incredibly satisfying and he continually gives layers to Wildfire. Despite being hot-tempered, Wildfire is still ready to admit when he is wrong. I mean there is a reason why he is the leader of the group and he continues to show why he is a great one at that.

Also, each chapter was very well done and it did feel like there was purpose and it moved the story forward. The sixty plus page count was worth it, and the story never felt convoluted, nor were there plot threads that were wrapped up quickly at the end. The pacing was darn near perfect and Levitz gave every Legionnaire a moment to shine. Well almost, more on that below.

There are some amazing moments in this issue, not just the marriage between Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, which could change the Legion forever, but also the big reveal of who the Time Trapper is and that he was a Controller all along. This scenario will play out in the future many times in Levitz’s massive run with this group, so it was an absolute joy to see it here for the first time.

But the real hero of this collaboration is Mike Grell. I think what makes this book stand out, is that Grell drew it for the medium and knew when he needed to make those big two-page splashes, or use a big figure of Superboy to explode off the page. He drew the story for this book and with every page turn you can really see it. I think what makes Grell’s work impressive is the clean look he gives to the futuristic buildings and settings. The shapes with their massive and curvy structures really shine in this big format and it allows us to appreciate the scenery but also focus on the figure work. The only fault I can give is to Jerry Serpe, the colorists, who does make some pretty grave coloring mistakes that disrupts the story. The colors of Mon-El and Superboy’s costume were designed to basically be in reverse of one another. So that moment when Mon-El rushed in and then was knocked down, Serpe got the color scheme wrong and it actually looked like Superboy. Other than that, this is a big, beautiful book all around, especially with James Sherman’s contribution, which I will discuss in the Special Features section below. 

Okay, so a few bad points.

First, poor Tyroc. He cannot catch a break and the way Levitz just pushes him to the side was too obvious. It seems that Levitz does not like Tyroc as a character and if memory serves I think this is the first time he has actually appeared in a Levitz story. This was a big waste because it would have been nice for Tyroc to join the group. For him to just stand by after a random choice by a computer is silly. His powers are wacky yes, but as they were now he can be considered to be one of the most powerful members of the group. It is either Levitz just not liking him or he simply did not know what to do with him. Also, not using Tyroc was a bit of a surprise since he was co-created by Mike Grell, and this is Grell’s last issue of the series. So head-scratching all around.

The next and final complaint is that this could have been the big Karate Kid crossover that we have been waiting for. They have been promising us such an event for a long time now, and the two books have not done that yet. So when we go to 1978, and Karate Kid is involved and is actually showing the Legoinnaires around, and also mentioning that he has experience with this time period, it was a missed opportunity. I do wonder if this was meant to be the big crossover story between these two books because there just is too much of an overlap of what has been going on. Either way, it did not happen and I feel like it was just a missed opportunity and it should have happened. 

Regardless, this is a fantastic chapter in the Legion of Super-Heroes. Luckily it has been reprinted in various formats so it is quite easy to find. If you do not have this in your collection, whether it is the original format or one of the reprints, please do yourself a favor and add it to your collection. It is a wonderful swan song to Grell’s last contribution to this series because we get Grell in all his glory and exactly how it was meant to be.

Special Features

With no letters page there are still plenty of special features to talk about, really elevating this book to a must-have for any fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes of any period.

First off, you are treated to a nice little history of how the Legion was created by then DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger and Otto Binder as a simple throw away story that ended up becoming so popular they brought the Legion back. Jerry Siegel and Edward Hamilton then took on some of the stories, helping solidify their status with the fans. It is a neat little read that also brings us up to speed to the current time, mentioning Murray Boltinoff, Dave Cockerm, Cary Bates, and Jim Shooter. They then dedicate the book to the memory of Otto Binder and Edmond Hamilton, which is a nice touch. 

The next one is a beautiful center page, found in the middle of the book, by Mike Grell, depicting the different eras of the Legion. From the three charter members standing in front of the old rocket ship Legion HQ, to when they moved into the new HQ with the old uniforms, to the present of this book (1978), in their new uniforms designed by Dave Cockrum. It is a beautiful spread and Grell placed each Legionnaire with a perfect pose. Probably the highlight for me with Dream Girl and Phantom Girl leaning against Superboy. 

At the end of the book, once the main story is completed, we have an enormous treat from the then current artist, James Sherman, in a Who’s Who like section of the different Legionnaires. Sherman is such a great artist who really excelled with facial expressions and figure work. It is incredibly dynamic with, of course, some great information too. It is nice that Sherman contributed to this book because he was such a strong artist and a worthy successor to Mike Grell, who I think, in some cases, was stronger. Blasphemy I know. 

Finally, on the back insert, we have a collection of biographies of everyone who contributed to the book and it is also a nice and fascinating look at DC Comics at the time. 

The Legion Medallion of Merit

I know I say this every time, but this time I really do mean it. It is very difficult to find one Legionnaire who went above and beyond the call of duty and played a pivotal role that is deserving of the Legion Medallion of Merit. The book is quite balanced with a lot of Legionnaires coming through in a clutch and pretty much saving the day. We have the hot-headedness of Wildfire who takes charge to save Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad and Superboy who believes in himself and was determined to get to the bottom of the situation and why everything was different from what he remembered. 

We also have Brainy doing what Brainy does and identifying the mystery man who would end up being the Time Trapper and the rest of the Legionnaires using their powers to take out guns, Lunarite ships and the like. So who could possibly be deserving of this?

Due to the nature of this issue, I will actually give it to two people. And you guessed it, because if it were not for these two individuals, this book would not exist. And that is Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl.

They stayed together and kept their cool and were ready to sacrifice themselves so as not to be used as a tool by the Lunarites. They also followed orders when needed, and Saturn Girl came in time and again to cool some fires and keep the team on track. Also, if it was not for Lightning Lad who simply took action despite the threat of him killing them all, Wildfire and his team might not have been as successful.

Congratulations newlyweds! There is a reason why you both are charter members of the Legion of Super-Heroes and why you both are so deserving of much happiness. May you wear your medals proudly as you venture out into the unknown future with our hope that you will be able to stay on the team.

And that is it for this week’s very action packed, long post this week over an issue that is probably one of the greatest in comic book history. If you do not have a copy, go out and find one, and once you do, be sure to whip out that credit card or a wad of cash and scream into the heavens…

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!