Author: Chris Osman

Greetings fellow Legionnaires and welcome to issue #236 in our journey with Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. We do not have one, not two, but THREE stories this issue. With three stories it did make the usual header look a bit wonky so I had to split up the credits for when we cover each story. Plus, you will notice that we have two new visitors to Legion HQ in the form of legendary writer Paul Kupperberg and legendary inker Joe Rubenstein. Welcome to Legion HQ Paul and Joe!

Now, you might be thinking with three stories that is waaayyyy too much. But surprisingly they pull it off. As you will see we have the traditional full-length with the first one, but then a really nice action packed romp with Mon-El’s One-Man War, which is a Mon-El centric story. Badly needed too because we sure have not seen him around the Legion in quite awhile.

Finally, our third story is a nice little set up for the Treasury Edition that will release next month in 1977 time. We, however, will move to Karate Kid #13 because that did come out before that so you will just have to wait another week.

With that out of the way, we can dive back into the thirtieth century and cover the first of our three stories.

Oh, and one more thing. Do keep in mind that the Legionnaires are taking a break and going on vacation and that is the overall thread keeping the three stories together. Okay! For real now…

Rest and relaxation have changed drastically in the thirtieth century. Rather than a single world, there is an entire galaxy of planets to choose from. Planets like Braal, the homeworld of Cosmic Boy, which is soon to become…

A World Born Anew

We move to Braal and watch Cosmic Boy, Night Girl, Cosmic Boy’s little brother and his girlfriend Polla play some Magnoball. Because Night Girl does not have any magnetic powers Polla supplies her with some magnetic bracelets that make her quite good at the game, much to the annoyance of Cosmic Boy. After winning the game point, Cosmic Boy checks to see if she is probably cheating but Night Girl suggests that they leave the game and do something more interesting. Cosmic Boy agrees but then starts up a new game to show her how Magnoball is really played, obviously missing her little innuendo. 

Cosmic Boy challenges his little brother to play harder when suddenly Night Girl screams out that something is happening with the court. To their horror the entire surface had turned into some sort of glop and it pulls Polla in. Cosmic Boy tells his brother to calm down, they have their flight rings, and he and Night Girl pull Polla out of the muck. But they do not celebrate because Cosmic Boy’s brother also calls for help and needs to be pulled out too. With both non-Legionnaires in hand, they fly off to the Capital City in order to figure out what the heck is going on. 

Soon, the two of them have a meeting with the President who informs them that strange things are happening all over the planet. New seas have been forming, mountain ranges have turned into plains, new mountains have formed in the middle of cities and things are happening at a very fast rate. They desperately need the help of his friends. Cosmic Boy agrees and informs her that he has already called them, and the Legion of Super-Heroes are on their way. 

A Legion Cruiser lifts off smoothly from their Metropolis Headquarters, knifing gracefully through the skies until it hits hyper-drive mode and shoots through the stars. Inside the Cruiser, Princess Projectra, Superboy, Element Lad, Chameleon Boy, and Colossal Boy, thank Brainy for his assertion of good luck and they wish he could join them. He agrees but someone needs to watch things and he will see them when they get back. As he signs off, Chameleon Boy remarks that he does not know why Brainy complains so much about his duties because he is with such a great group like the Legion. They are one big happy family after all! But Colossal Boy puts a little water on that fire and questions, are they? Dun dun dunnnnn.

Meanwhile, back on Braal, Cosmic Boy and Night Girl continue to follow the devastation in order to find its source. Soon they come upon a very weird looking space ship with a very weird looking alien sat inside. This must be what is causing the trouble. But as Cosmic Boy peers in for a closer look, the alien activates some sort of defensive mechanism and CB is blasted away. Night Girl also tries to intervene but she is also hit by a powerful blast. 

The alien inside has a name and that is Worldsmith and he is quite annoyed from the disturbance. After all, his client would be quite upset if this project were delayed. He hits them with another force beam to take them down once and for all, and as the beam travels the speed of light, it catches Cosmic Boy and Night Girl in mid-air, hurtling into space, before they suddenly disappear–In the arms of Superboy that is–who catches them and brings them back down to the planet’s surface where the rest of the Legionnaires have gathered. 

Element Lad asks Cosmic Boy if he knows who this guy is, but he does not know. All he knows is that he is the one who has been turning Braal’s surface into muck. Well, there is no time to waste and Colossal Boy grows large to knock this Worldsmith out of business. While he grabs onto the machine, Element Lad leads the charge with Superboy and Night Girl following and they slam into the machine, taking it out of commission. Worldsmith is angry, and with the destruction of his Planetchanger, his costs are now sky high and he decides to make the Legionnaires pay. He shoots a nasty energy beam, that turns the very air around the Legionnaires into stone, trapping them. Inside the sphere they try to get out but the surface is too tough. Luckily for them (and for us readers) Element Lad is there because he simply turns the stone sphere into oxygen and they are free. Princess Projectra, meanwhile, has landed the craft and informs the gang that she has been watching the battle on the view screen and has an idea. 

Not far away, Worldsmith goes about his business and is quite relieved because he can actually use his own energies to shape Braal to his client’s specifications. Suddenly, Cosmic Boy arrives and taunts him. He tells Worldsmith he is finished and he should pack up and leave. Worldsmith scoffs at his suggestion and reminds Cosmic Boy that he is the most powerful because he can actually build worlds. Cosmic Boy does not care and shows him what he can do. And with a gesture towards a barren plot of land, flowers sprout, annoying Worldsmith even more because it seems like he now has some competition. Worldsmith finds a tiny ant-hill and turns it into a mountain, seemingly impressing Cosmic Boy. But Cosmic Boy answers by turning an ant hill of his own also into a mountain, showing that he has the same power as Worldsmith (but secretly the ‘ant-hill’ is Chameleon Boy, and underneath is Colossal Boy who is growing to make Chameleon Boy stretch out). This really upsets Worldsmith and he tries to destroy Cosmic Boy’s ‘ant-hill’ but of course nothing happens, enraging him further. 

Worldsmith turns and sends out energy bolts that strike twice on the ground. Where the first strikes a river of gas forms and mere yards away, an entire forest disappears from the Earth. Now it is Cosmic Boy’s turn to get mad and calls Worldsmith a trained lackey, a dog and that his powers are useless on Braal. During which, of course, Element Lad is undoing the damage Worldsmith had done and Princess Proejctra is working hard to create illusions to cover his and the other Legionnaires movements. With Worldsmith believing that his powers are ineffective, he has no choice but to return and tell his client that he has failed. But mark his words, he will be back and when he returns they will not like it, not one little bit. 

After Worldsmith leaves, Cosmic Boy is tired and falls to the ground due to the stress of trying to trick Worldsmith. Princess Projectra removes the illusion and is quite surprised because they see what Worldsmith made. And it surprises Superboy because it looks like he was on Earth a long time ago.

Mon-El’s One-Man War!

Mon-El and the Mine’s Defense Patrollers work to take out as many as they can. The explosion does not roar in airless space, but its shock waves are felt nonetheless and the combined effects of photon blasts and Mon-El’s heat vision burn the small but destructive crafts out of existence. 

Mon-El returns to the Outer Platform of the Mining Station and is quickly led to the Mine Superintendent. The miners are convinced that the Khunds will try again because there is a form of energy at the station even though no one has found a way to use it.

Mon-El remembers the last time the Khunds attacked Earth (back in Adventure Comics #456-457!) but he was not there for it. Though he does know that their warlord, Charlak is power-mad but he is not crazy. He must have found a way to harness the power. His thoughts are interrupted by the announcement that they have detected a second attack force. He tells them that it is best to keep their ships close to the mining platform and he will try to turn the armada back.

Before the miners can even get their shuttlecraft out of their berths, Mon-El’s form is flashing through star-dappled space at a speed matched only by the streaming solar winds. For this star mine is far beyond the paths of normal commerce, at the edge of the United Planet’s hegemony. And here, Mon-El will fight it alone.

He meets the Armada and is quite taken aback by its sheer size. He immediately understands what the Khunds are doing. They are undertaking a training flight to test the U.P.’s perimeter defenses and thought they could grab the star mine as a bonus. Well, Mon-El has other plans. But before he can put that into action the ship fires, hitting him squarely and knocking him back. Mon-El regroups and charges again and he is blasted yet again. Frustrated but not deterred, Mon tries a different approach. He zig and zags over the structure, dodging a flurry of power beams that try to blast him yet again. He has to be careful because even though these are Khunds, he needs to only disable the ship enough so as not to put the lives on board into jeopardy. 

He follows a series of power feeds where they converge, and jets inside the ship. Sure enough he sees a series of circuits and he knows that if he knocks them down, it will cut off power to all sections of the starship but still leave the life-support circuitry in place. And as he starts to exit the ship he sees that everything has stopped and their power is down. This should keep them within their sphere of influence until he gets back to Earth and warns the U.P. Defense Council. But that can wait of course until he finishes his vacation. 

Words Never Spoken!

The Star Gardens of Titan are legendary throughout the universe for their beauty. They possess a magic charm that reflects in the beaming faces of the lover’s gathered there. The constitution of the Legion is also legendary. An unyielding code that binds its members together. 

Now the two legends have met and neither will be denied. 

Saturn Girl tells Lightning Lad they cannot get married because of the no-married-members clause in the constitution. A clause they helped put there. Lightning Lad wants to leave the Legion because he is in love with Saturn Girl, but Saturn Girl has doubts. They both grew up in the Legion after all. Luckily, she has an idea on how to decide what is the best course of action. 

Together the travel to the Academy, which is the greatest institute of Psychic science in the United Planets and she will use them and her old teacher to solve the dilemma. Lightning Lad is a bit concerned with the coldness of the plan but he agrees. The rest of the short ride passes in silence until they arrive and Saturn Girl meets her old teacher, Professor Vndaar. Vndaar is pleased to see his old student again. She tells Vndaar that she has a choice to make, pointing at Lightning Lad, who admits that he is the choice. He loves her and wants to marry her but Saturn Girl is concerned that they will not be the same without the Legion. And she is afraid to take the chance.

Vndaar recommends the Sensacomp Simulator, which will create artificial situations that could clarify her choices. It will cancel out Saturn Girl’s telepathy powers and create a series of test events that should enhance their mutual understanding. They fly to the simulator and once they enter, the machine is activated. And the world turns from the peaceful surroundings of a testing lab to a world gone mad. 

Lightning Lad is able to tell something is wrong because they are in the middle of a riot and the rioters start to attack them. They fight them off when a group surrounds Saturn Girl and she screams for help. He lashes out with his electric powers, which also happen to damage the circuits in the simulator, including one that is its governing circuit, leaving him and Saturn Girl trapped in terror. However, the illusions fade and a new one takes it places, proof that the machine is somewhat still functioning. 

They find themselves in some for of interdimensional space and cannot communicate it. Saturn Girl recognizes it and knows its important that they survive. Because if they die here they will die in real life. Each of the Legionnaires is attacked from a different direction, assaulted by constructs of the very device that was supposed to aid them. And both know they cannot prevail against their respective foe. For Lightning Lad, potent as his energy bolts are, is being overpowered by his opponent and Saturn Girl, her mental powers cancelled by the Sensacomp, is even more hopelessly trapped by her six-armed robot captor. 

But do not forget, Saturn Girl was also trained by Karate Kid, and is able to regroup and attack the robot constructs. Even as a third tornado-like opponent materializes within the testing chamber and knowing they are outnumbered and unable to communicate with each other, their eyes meet and they know what they must do. Although denied their normal means of communication, the bond between them is strong, strong enough to somehow convey the idea that will enable them to survive. They face their robot constructs together randomly work as a team. And even as the roar of the explosion echoes in what had been airless space, the environment of the testing chamber swifts once more and returns to reality. Vndaar informs them that something shorted out of the controls and asks them if they are okay. Saturn Girl runs to Lightning Lad and tells Vndaar they came looking for an answer, and they found it. And they passionately kiss.

“You are cordially invited to the wedding of Garth Razz and Irma Ardeen in the all-new Collector’s Edition of Superboy and the Legion—on sale next month!”

Creative Team

With three stories this time around in our Giant-Size format, we sure do have a lot to unpack. Thankfully I can state that every story did not feel rushed and even had an interesting purpose. Interestingly, I could call this a ‘concept comic’ with us getting a glimpse of what Legionnaires are doing when they go on holiday. Luckily we still have some nice action moments but it was nice to see them when they are trying to relax. This made the characters a bit more real and multi-dimensional.

With Levitz writing all three stories (with an assist from Paul Kupperberg on one of them.) the book was consistent both in tone and purpose. The first story was interesting enough, and it was a lot of fun getting a nice glimpse into Cosmic Boy’s home planet Braal, as well as reminding us that he does have a relationship with Night Girl. I like this take on Cos and I am pleased that Levitz brought the character back to the good side than what Shooter was trying to do. Also, Levitz gives us yet another political body who is making decisions, fleshing out the universe a bit more which always strengthens our perception of the role the Legion truly plays. Plus, you could tell he was having a lot of fun with this book. The concept of Worldsmith was quite funny and intriguing, showing that you can have a bit of humor in this book. The only complaint with the first story is that it does get a bit confusing and I scratched my head at the very end. Even after multiple readthroughs I still did not understand the last page with how Superboy understood how it resembled Earth a long time ago. Perhaps this was an in-joke Levitz employed or it referenced something in pop-culture at the time.

James Sherman did another great job, but I do wonder if Joe Rubenstein is a good inker for him. The faces did look a little wonky from his usual work but thankfully he still employed those great facial expressions and emotions he can implement with his pencil on the characters. The character design of Worldsmith was also very well done and it was not too much on the silly side. 

The second story, Mon-El’s One-Man War was definitely the winner for me. It is fantastic to see Mon again and put the spotlight on him for a change. We have not seen much him as of late and Levitz allows him to let loose, literally, as he takes down a Khund Armada. And boy, did Mike Nasser flex hardcore on this one? I wonder if those two big and beautiful issues from Sherman unlocked his competitive edge because this story is beautiful. Mon-El’s look shines as well as does the Khund ship’s reveal that dominates the page and hits you in the face. This is an incredibly well drawn story and Nasser hit all the action notes perfectly. And he even colored this one himself, which helped!

Finally, with our third story, this was fun just because it was a nice set-up to the big Treasury Edition we will cover the next time around after we finish the next installment of Karate Kid. What I like about Levitz so far is that he does seem to care about the characters and his readers. We needed a story to show us what Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad would do, knowing that if they get married they would have to leave the Legion. It sets up a bit of drama and also does not cheat on the gravity of the decision that is being made. The concept was a bit far-fetched, but again, we saw a bit more insight into a homeworld of one of the Legionnaires and the role Saturn Girl played before she joined the Legion. 

Sherman once again handled it well, especially the psychedelic scenes that never veered on the silly side. His female figure work always stands out so it was fun to see him riff on Saturn Girl a bit more. The ending was satisfying and we get a very nice lead-in to their wedding that builds a bit of excitement. 

All in all, the three stories did not overcrowd the issue and were perfectly paced. The definite winner is Mon-El’s One-Man War and to see him let loose and just destroy things was a lot of fun to read. 

The Legion Outpost

There is some good stuff in this issue’s Outpost. First up is a pretty funny letter from Karla Jarrett who pretty much tears down the book and contradicts everything that we have been saying here. The reply is interesting because they admit to have been playing musical chairs during the summer, but it looks like we have a line-up confirmed for the foreseeable future.

“[W]e hope that this issue marks a return to create stability with Paul Levitz as regular writer, James Sherman, Mike Nasser and Joe Staton as our regular pencillers (rotating as their schedules permit) and Jack Abel heading our inking team.”

It does make sense that with a a lot more pages of new content they would need a team of artists as described above. I do hope that they continue to do what they say and make the book a bit more consistent.

Next up we have a nice letter from old friend of the Legion Harry Broertjes. For those that are reading along would know, Broertjes was, in part, responsible for bringing back Jim Shooter. And of course Harry is full of praise on the book and also loves the 48-page format and the ability to have more pages to really flesh out the incredible history of the Legion is what the doctor ordered. I could not agree more. As a reply they do admit a few mistakes. I did correct one of them in my write-up of #231 because they did mention the Fatal Five had not killed anyone before but Validus actually killed Invisible Kid…

First, they apologize for “forgetting Mike Nasser’s pencilling credit on Chapter Two, and the fact that Validus had killed Invisible Kid in S/L #203…allow us to apologize for a mistake that crept in between issues—as stated in #232, Imsk threatened withdrawal from the United Planets over asteroid mining rights. The actual reason was, of course, correctly listed in #234 as the dispute over Space Dragon hunting rights. Confusion as we played musical editors, writers and artists last summer caused the error.”

Then we come to the bottom of the page department, which is a nice plug for the big All New Collector’s Edition starring Superboy and the Legion called the Millennium Massacre. Fun stuff that we will also cover right here!

The Legion Medallion of Merit

With three stories covered it might seem difficult to pick that one Legionnaire who went above and beyond and is deserving of the Medallion. I immediately knew who I would give it to once I finished the story and it might surprise you. But I have to give it to Lightning Lad. Look, LL was patient and kept his cool when Saturn Girl expressed her doubts about the relationship and not wanting to compromise their place in the Legion. Instead of getting heated about it or pressuring her to see things his way, especially when it is obvious that he made up his mind already, he kept his cool and saw it through. She went through what she needed to go through, which also means that he trusts her. This is already a rock solid foundation for a good marriage (so I am told) and it just proves that our Lightning Lad is just an all around good guy. 

Congratulations Lightning Lad! We were able to get a hold of Worldsmith who, after a small fee, was able to manipulate the elemental composition of the metal and turned it into a heart. A symbol for your heart sir, and your love for Saturn Girl. Wear it proudly.

And we are done fellow Legionnaires with this week’s installment! If you find yourself at some sporting event and the ground turns into a mushy grey, then Worldsmith must be nearby. And you only have to shout, with all the power in your lungs, that one, trusty call who will bring forth those mighty teen-heroes and save the day…

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!