Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #246

Welcome to a well deserved breather from that incredible saga that was Earthwar. Because I also need a breath from all the fighting, plots twists, big baddie reveals, and trying to identify every Legionnaire that took part in the battle. Whew!

We return to the two-story format, both pencilled by the wonderful Joe Staton, who is joined by Dick Giordano and Murphey Anderson for each story, legendary inkers in their own right, making this ‘filler’ issue a pretty darn good one indeed.

Sadly, there is no Legion Outpost this time around so it will be a short one but that is okay, my fingers sure can use the break! Now, grab your spacesuits and before you leave, please ask…

Will The Last One to Leave Mercury Please Close the Planet? 

Because Medivac-Lab is where the terminally ill go in hopes to not only have their ailment diagnosed but also to find a cure. If Karate Kid came to this place, then surely it must be something serious.

Suddenly, Karate Kid appears with…IRIS JACOBS in hand! Yes, Iris Jacobs has returned to her original form and Karate Kid had taken her to Medivac-Lab to help her change back from Diamondeth to her normal self. Karate Kid introduces her to the gang and tells them he needs to bring her back to the twentieth century and then have a long talk with Princess Projectra’s father, King Voxv of Orando. Iris tells them it was nice to meet them and she hopes she was not a bother. And a dangling plot thread is now closed! 

Everyone is relieved (this writer included) and it looks like they just wasted a trip to Mercury. Or did they? Because suddenly one of the doctors appears. The doctor introduces itself as First Doctor Zebx and tells them there has been a lot of strange things going on at the Medivac-Lab. Namely that staff and random patients have been disappearing without a trace. The Doctor then asks them for help, which they, of course, agree to. 

Later that night, the Legionnaires stand guard, waiting for something to happen, when suddenly they hear a scream coming from the research lab. Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy immediately go to the lab, but they find the door is locked. But that is no problem for Cosmic Boy, as he turns on his magnetic powers and rips the door open. They go inside and immediately find themselves facing a giant robot. They engage but the robot is immune to their powers. Cosmic Boy grabs a piece of the metal wall with his magnetism and slams it against the robot, taking it out of commission. They scan the lab and cannot find whoever made the scream but at least they took out the robot responsible for the disappearances. Doctor Zebx arrives and informs them that the robot they destroyed was actually an Explorer-Droid, designed to survey the planet’s molten surface and it could not possibly be involved in the disappearances. 

We leave this scene to check in on the other Legionnaires. Sun Boy, Chameleon Boy, and Shadow Lass wish Brainiac Five were here but since he is not they will have to solve this mystery themselves.

Hours pass and another disappearance occurs and the Science Police finally decide to abandon the facilities all together since not even the Legionnaires are able to solve the mystery. What began in finding out what happened to Karate Kid, turning into helping solve a mystery, has resulted in the Legionnaires helping with the evacuation process. Shadow Lass suddenly feels cold and Sun Boy turns up the heat to warm her. They are confused what could have caused a change in temperature so suddenly. Chameleon Boy asks Sun Boy to accompany him because he would like to test out a theory he has. Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and Shadow Lass knit their brows in confusion then continue about their work, as Sun Boy and Chameleon Boy retire to their great gleaming Starcraft. A short time later Chameleon Boy asks Sun Boy to continue concentrating his heat beam on the pseudoplasm inside the container because it should react soon. And sure enough It does and Chameleon Boy has solved it. 

Meanwhile, the three other Legionnaires are busy transporting the last test animal, the Arcturian Blobeast to the evacuation transport. Chameleon Boy arrives and asks them to accompany him because he can explain what really happened to Medivac’s missing personnel. Doctor Zebx suggests to depart immediately because they want this finished once and for all. 

Like some sleek silver bird of prey, the swift Legion Cruiser soars smoothly over the setting inferno that is mercury, its ultimate destination known only to the enigmatic Chameleon Boy, who sits silently in the command chair, his face an emotionless mask. Sun Boy announces they have reached the hottest spot on the planet. And into the valley of death the brave Legion ride, a bright and burning valley, where the twisted silicon surfaces have hardened into makeshift mirrors which reflect the hellish heat a thousandfold, a natural solar oven, where no living being could possibly survive. And where, even a sturdily-built Starcraft proves no match for temperatures which defy the imagination. 

Sun Boy warns that the hull will not take the strain much longer and Lightning Lad orders everyone in their protective thermo suits. Doctor Zebx is quite annoyed but Shadow Lass knows Chameleon Boy and they all should trust him. Suddenly Shadow Lass passes out due to the heat. Sweeping up the fallen Shadow Lass, Chameleon Boy hurls himself through the swiftly widening gap in the star-cruiser’s hull, with his fellow Legionnaires and the terrified Doctor Zebx close behind him, as the mortally wounded vessel plummets screaming to its destruction. And when their flight-rings have carried them to safety, they get quite an ear-full from Doctor Zebx.

Sun Boy asks him to remain calm and Chameleon Boy motions to Sun Boy and tells him it is now up to him. And thus, deeper-ever deeper into the unholy furnace, the hapless band trudges, following Sun Boy’s lead. The blistering heat sapping their strength, slowly stealing their very lives, while Sun Boy himself strides determinedly onward, his powerful odyssey surrounded by a bizarre, pulsating glow. Until at last, in the very heart of the inferno, Chameleon Boy warns that if they do not make contact, they are finished. But Dirk Morgan’s only reply is an almost-imperceptible nod, for his attention at the moment is wholly focused on the all-important task at hand. And if any of Sun Boy’s debilitated comrades had remained conscious long enough to notice, they might have witnessed subtle, but deliberate alternations in the pulse of the shimmering radiance, which envelops him. A brilliance that abruptly becomes the blinding light of a miniature sun, and when that all-consuming luminescence finally fades, the glimmering silicon planes of the so-called solar valley stand barren once more. 

The party suddenly awaken and are surprised to be alive. Lightning Lad asks Sun Boy and Chameleon. Boy to make the explanation in exactly what the heck is going on. Sun Boy tells them they were simply saved by the same force which accidentally destroyed the Doctor’s patients and crew. The Thermoids, Mercury’s only native life-form. They were not detected when the planet was thoroughly investigated because the Thermoids are heat beings, sentient balls of agitated molecules. Sun Boy used his powers to find the same wavelength so he could communicate with them. The Doctor is shocked but saddened. All this death was a simple failure to communicate. 

And thus, sometime later, the Legion Cruiser leaves the planet Mercury and they watch as the Science Police vessel will relocate the Medivac-Lab on an uninhabited world. But this time they hope they ill try to detect all life forms, even where not expected. 

A World for the Winning

And among the assembled dignitaries stand three mighty members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Colossal Boy, Element Lad, and Superboy wait in anticipation as the ship descends on the landing platform. Softly, the Starcraft settles to Earth, and a portal hisses open in its side. Those at the forefront of the throng press anxiously forward, hoping to catch the first glimpse of the alien visitors. But what they see is not at all what they expected. They stride from the vessel imperiously, heads erected, as if they are the masters of all they survey. And of course, for all intents and purposes they are. For these bizarrely garbed figures are Mano and the Persuader, two of the far-feared Fatal Five, the most powerful band of villains the universe has ever known!

The three Legionnaires waste no time and immediately attack. Colossal Boy grows and grabs Persuader, but he swings his mighty atomic axe and cuts through the force of gravity, sending Colossal Boy tumbling down. Element Lad, in the meantime, creates a thick inertron cage around Mano but he simply raises his right hand and destroys it. Superboy flies in and knocks him down. The Teen of Steel then turns his sights on Persuader and charges. Persuader swings his axe and cuts off the yellow sun rays which gives him his power and Superboy collapses to the ground. Persuader then hovers over Superboy and gives him a hand and helps him up. The Legionnaires are confused and Persuader informs them that they are the delegates from Corvan IV. 

The Legionnaires are definitely confused and Persuader brings them up to speed:

“When we last battled, you thought us destroyed in the devastating explosion of Tharok’s spaceship. But Tharok actually teleported the five of us from the doomed Starcraft instants before its destruction.

“For months, we wandered the cosmos aimlessly, until we stumbled upon the planet Corvan IV, where the inhabitants welcomed us as gods. The Fatal Five have found fulfillment on Corvan IV. Under our guidance, the Corvanians have made monumental progress and that progress will be suitably rewarded if you will permit Corvan IV to join the United Planets.”

The President of the United Planets tells them it is touching, but because of their past history they will need more convincing. Persuader offers him his Atomic Axe and he and Mano will remain here until their investigation is complete. Element Lad then asks who they will send. The President smiles and responds with another question, “Who else?”

Time and distance are relative in a universe of space-warping technology. Thus it is not long before a sleek Legion Cruiser pulls into orbit around the distant Corvan IV. Superboy announces their arrival and with a roaring whisper the Starcraft settles to the planet’s surface to find itself instantly surrounded by a welcoming committee of staggering proportions. The three Legionnaires are impressed with the reception and are then greeted by Tharok with the Emerald Empress and Validus. Tharok offers to give them a tour of Corvan IV and he guarantees they will not be disappointed. 

Across the length and breadth of Corvan IV, Tharok and the Emerald Empress proudly escort their weary visitors past fertile fields where weary farmers and their oxen struggle along beside cultivating machines which perform a thousand times the amount of work in one-thousandth of the time; through cities where gleaming metal towers rise triumphantly to overshadow humble earthen hovels; and dedicated craftsmen strive to ply their craft in concert with silent automatons. All this progress is duly noted by the Legionnaires, their impassive expressions betraying nothing of their thoughts. 

With the tour ended Tharok and Emerald Empress wait for their reply if they will be allowed to join the United Planets. Superboy admits they have worked hard, perhaps too hard because the technology given to the Corvanians are far beyond their primitive power to comprehend and from what they observed, they are suffering from culture shock. Colossal Boy adds that if they allowed Corvan IV to join the United Planets it will push the world right over the edge. 

Tharok does not like what he hears and he immediately orders an attack. Element Lad quickly steps in and turns the air between them into a blazing wall of phosphorus but the Emerald Empress had already sent her Mystic Eye forward and blasts Superboy with its green energy. Element Lad quickly turns to Tharok and renders the mechanical half of his body inert. But Tharok has a defense mechanism in place and his robot body quickly uses its weaponry to repel Element Lad away. Colossal Boy, meanwhile, is trying to take Validus down in his giant size. Just when he has enough momentum Validus blasts him with his Brain-Bolt, knocking him unconscious. With Element Lad and Colossal Boy down and Superboy pinned down by the Emerald Eye’s green energy, the Fatal Five stand triumphant.

Tharok asks what they should do with him and the Emerald Emerald responds with a chilly, “why kill them of course!” Element Lad regains consciousness and quickly surrounds the Eye with inertron, cutting the beam from Superboy. Element Lad then tells Superboy to get out of there and alert the Legion. Superboy hesitates because he does not leave them behind but realizes it is the best call. But he promises he will be back. 

Next issue: The boy of steel faces the fatal five—alone!! Be here for: Savage Sanctuary! On sale during the second week in November.

Creative Team

We return to the two story format and a much needed breather from the Earthwar saga. What is refreshing is the creative team continues to contribute elements that make make the Legion great in this era and that is exploring the universe away from Metropolis and discovering new and weird aliens. It is a nice mix between weird and traditional sci-fi.

As we know from last issue, Paul Levitz is currently transitioning away from the book, so we do have Len Wein’s touch on both stories and that is not a bad thing. The strength of Will the Last One to Leave Mercury Please Close the Planet is not only a tiny step in that weird sci-fi pool but also the tying up of loose ends that was Iris Jacobs transformation into Diamondeth. My heart literally started skipping beats while I was reading the purpose of Medivac-Lab and the fact that Karate Kid was on it. As I was turning the pages, it started to dawn on me that perhaps, just perhaps, he is there to cure Iris Jacobs. And sure enough, she appears and meets the Legion of Super-Heroes for the first time, almost in full! It was a fantastic moment and a satisfying conclusion. It is indeed interesting that this event is not mentioned in that Brave and Bold issue we covered in our ad interim series, but still, it was a great moment and pay-off to those who were wondering whatever happened to Iris Jacobs.

And of course as they are about to leave, the doctor miraculously decides to admit that they were having issues of their own in the form of staff mysteriously disappearing. I did enjoy how Chameleon Boy and Sun Boy worked together. Chameleon Boy seems to have been positioned as being the number two smart character, with of course Brainiac Five being number one. So it was nice to see that continuation. And the story really showed the toughness of our Legionnaires as well as their bravery as they are able to withstand such conditions to solve the mystery. All in all this was a satisfying story, being firmly in the ‘filler’ category.

A World For the Winning could be construed as a glimpse of what we can expect from the current format because it does not conclude and will continue in the next issue. It is always nice to see the Fatal Five and scary at the same time because when they appear, anything could happen, such as the death of a Legionnaire. So when they do show up, us Legion fans will need to control our breathing and make sure we can get through the issue. 

This is a complete Len Wein production as he scripted the previous story from a plot from Paul Levitz. So you do see that classic DC style storytelling that Cary Bates perfected. We have an insane situation that could not be, and then we see a sequence of events that allow it to become believable. Such is the case with the Fatal Five coming back to Earth in peace and now being the rulers of Corvan IV. It is a solid story and I really liked how Wein decided to allow Element Lad to shine in this one. His quick thinking and ability to delay the powerful members of the Fatal Five demonstrated that he is one powerful Legionnaire. Also, with Superboy being forced to leave the planet, you do feel that sense of dread of what will happen to Element Lad and Colossal Boy at the hands of the Fatal Five. The only issues I had with this was the decision of the Fatal Five to attack, once they heard that they would not be members of the United Planets and Persuader’s Atomic Axe being a bit wonky. Can it really slice through gravity and also cut off the yellow sun rays from Superboy? I dunno. Also, you do wonder why the Fatal Five would want to be a member of the United Planets in the first place or why they would even engage the United Planets entirely. Thus, the premise, while good and fun, does sort of fall on itself during the execution. But again, it is Len Wein and we still have a good story, but it is a tiny step backward from what we have achieved so far, especially after Earthwar.

Now on to Joe Staton, who pencilled both stories and had two different inkers in the form of Dick Giordano and Murphy Anderson. Staton’s style is very complimentary to this type of book. We have spaceships, weird aliens, different worlds, and a whole lot of different Legionnaires to depict. And he does it beautifully. Is this a full rendering on the likes of James Sherman? No. But it is just enough to make it satisfying and not too cartoony. Staton found that perfect balance and I think the style allows him to not only handle the amount of characters this book requires but also meet the deadlines.

Digging down more into the art, I think Staton was stronger in the first story, which means that Dick Giordano is probably a better inker for him than Murphy Anderson. But also it could be the page count because right from the beginning of A World for the Winning, you do see a lot of panels, with visual information being crammed on the page. This is no fault of Staton because he does need to tell the story, but it does seem that the page count of the stories should have been reversed. Regardless, I do hope we continue to see Staton on the book in the issues to come and I cannot wait until we really get to see him flex. 

All in all a very solid issue that gives us a breather from Earthwar. Joe Staton continues to do an admirable job on the book, and he demonstrates his abilities to depict and draw all sorts of characters in this universe.

The Legion Medallion of Merit

Once again, we have two stories in which to choose one Legionnaire that went beyond the call of Legion duty and is deserving of the Legion Medallion of Merit. This was actually a tough one for me and it went down to Sun Boy from the lead story or Element Lad. Sun Boy, because he led the Legionnaires through literal hell in order to solve the mystery and identifying the alien species the Thermoids and Element Lad due to his quick thinking and ordering Superboy to leave them behind at the whims of three very dangerous members of the Fatal Five. For that reason alone, I need to give it to Element Lad. Who knows what the Fatal Five will do to him and Colossal Boy while Superboy rushes through the galaxy to warn the Legionnaires. That took great bravery and quick thinking and that decision did not come lightly.

Though a congratulations is in order for you, Element Lad, I just hope that you manage to survive this confrontation because as us Legionnaire fans know, the Fatal Five have killed Legionnaires before. I do hope we can drape this medallion on your neck that is still intact when you return.

And that is it for this week’s installment! I do hope none of your enemies take control of an entire planet, but if they do, always remember that phrase that must ring throughout the universe…

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!