Legion of Super-Heroes #274 (April, 1981)
"The Exaggerated Death of Ultra Boy"
Writer - Gerry Conway
Penciller - Steve Ditko
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Jack C. Harris
Cover Price: $0.50
Last week, we witnessed (discussed, even!) the apparent death of Ultra Boy at the hands of Pulsar Stargrave... but c'mon, we know better... right?
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We open with a decidedly not dead Ultra Boy aimlessly floating through the cosmos. Elsewhere, the Legion of Super-Heroes are already holding a funeral (before an empty grave)... they sure don't mess around! Lightning Lad, who we just learned knows a thing or two about dying reads the eulogy, before leading the Legion back to headquarters where Jo's main squeeze Phantom Girl dedicates an Ultra Boy statue in the Legion's Hall of Heroes.
We return to floatin' Jo Nah as he passes through a Sun/solar flare. He then passes into the view of a yellow spacecraft... which snares him in its tractor-beam and pulls him on board.
Back with the Legion, Saturn Girl approaches Tinya to give her condolences. Phantom Girl lashes out, calling her concern empty... and even referring to Imra as "the Ice Maiden". She then recounts the story of Jo's murder while sobbing. Saturn Girl then helps her by stirring happy memories of her time with Jo... which finally brings her around.
Meanwhile, Jo Nah is splashed in the face with water... quite the rude awakening. As he pulls himself up, he realizes he's surrounded by quite the gaggle of aliens... and they're looking for a fight. Ultra Boy lives up to his name, and beats them up but good.
The aliens redouble their efforts and dog-pile the poor lad. We then meet Captain Frake... the Punky Brewster of space pirates, and she seems to have taken a liking to our handsome Legionnaire.
The next morning, the Legionnaires assemble at their Metropolis headquarters. Lightning Lad offers Phantom Girl time off if she feels she needs it... she insists she feels okay. Suddenly a space alarm sounds... there's something going down roundabout the Pluto orbit.
Elsewhere... perhaps roundabout the Pluto orbit... we rejoin Captain Frake as she welcomes a new-look Ultra Boy, complete with a sorta-kinda Puffy Shirt! He shares with her as much as he can remember about being blasted to atoms at the hands of a certain green-skinned fella... and how he knows the ring that he wears is very important to him... even though it's (conveniently) been melted to slag. Frake decides to test Jo's invulnerability by blasting him square in the chest with her ray gun... and wouldn'tcha know it, he's pretty invulnerable!
She then asks him to test his strength by punching a stone bust (of herself). Bada-bing bada-boom... he pulverizes it to powder. Then... they make out!
We rejoin the Legion as they approach... roundabouts Pluto. They find a freighter about to be attacked by space pirates, and so Cosmic Boy takes aim and fires off a salvo at a certain yellow spacecraft. Frake instructs Jo to don a space pirate outfit (which looks like something a radioactive Jimmy Olsen might wear), and take care of their assailants.
On board the Legion ship, Karate Kid responds to the breach... and finds Cosmic Boy has already been kayoed. He then walks directly into Space Pirate Ultra Boy's fist. At command, Lightning Lad issues an order for Phantom Girl to intervene... while Saturn Girl stands by, with a rather shocked look on her face.
Tinya responds, suiting up in a pink spacesuit. She phases through the hull and sneaks up behind the invading space pirate. She then phases her hands into the "baddie's" back... but gets back-handed before she can fully solidify.
Jo turns and gets a good look at his would-be attacker, and... hmm... maybe some memories begin to stir? He leaves her laying, and zips back to Frake's ship.
Some time passes, and we join the Legionnaires in the medic beds... seems like they spend a lot of time there! While her teammates convalesce, Saturn Girl can't shake the feeling that she recognized that invader from earlier. We wrap up with Ultra Boy laying in Captain Frake's lap... still unsure of who or what he was.
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Being a long-time Soap Opera fan viewer guy whose wife watches them... ahem... this felt very much like a cosmic version of same. Having Ultra Boy... an amnesiac Ultra Boy, floating through the cosmos while his friends mourn his passing... that's something straight out of Days of Our Lives... minus the cosmos, of course...
We get the "near-miss" of Jo and Tinya here... which I really dug. Also, Saturn Girl sorta-kinda knowing what's going down... but her relationship with Phantom Girl is kinda strained... so, is it her place to say anything and risk getting her hopes up? Really good stuff here!
The S.S. Punky Brewster bunch was pretty fun. Having Jo take down the crew of geeks was neat... and his unconscious (?) ability to use his "one superpower at a time" when needed was cool to see. I mean, he doesn't know what his powers are at this point, right? It's just lucky for him he was able to become invulnerable when Frake blasted him in the chest!
Overall... I'm having a lot of fun checking out this era of Legion. If I were to pick nits... the Ditko art leaves a bit to be desired. Reaction shots here felt a bit sterile and unfeeling... I can't help but to think that certain scenes here would have come across far better with added facial-emotion.
Still, though... I'd say this is definitely worth a read! This issue has been collected as part of the Steve Ditko Omnibus, Volume 2 (2012) and is also available digitally.
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Legion of Super-Heroes #273 (March, 1981)
"A Murderer--Among Us?"
Writer - Gerry Conway
Penciller - Jimmy Janes
Inker - Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer - Ben Oda
Colorist - Bob LeRose
Editor - Jack C. Harris
Cover Price: $0.50
Had so much fun yesterday, why not do another random Legion issue?
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We open at the United Earth Council Headquarters where one of the Legionnaires is standing "trial" for... murder! Newly-seated President of Earth, Marte Allon (mother of Colossal Boy) informs the Legion that murder is against the charter the Legionnaires themselves submitted to the council... meaning the group needs to disband! Colossal Boy wonders what could possibly have come over his mother since winning the election... and she points to the supposed guilty party... if the cover didn't tip you off, we're talkin' bout Brainiac-5!
Now, wait just a second... who do they think Brainy killed? Wellll, I didn't realize it when I grabbed this one off the pile, but this is a callback to an issue we discussed this past Spring, Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #239 (1978). If you recall (or click the link), that issue is a murder-mystery starring Ultra Boy... who was believed to have killed a woman named An Ryd in a seedy motel on Rimbor. The Prosecutor General fills us in on the happenings of the case in the interim... Brainiac-5 was implanted with a mental illness of sorts, and is believed to have committed the murder while "insane", which in their minds doesn't make him any less guilty... or something. I'll concede I haven't read (m)any of the in-between issues, so I could be completely off-base.
Brainiac throws up his hands and leaves, saying that until he can prove his innocence, he's going to have quit the team. Pretty stand-up gesture by our green-skinned pal... and as the door shuts behind him, we can see that Chameleon Boy is deep in thought.
Once the "trial" concludes, the Legionnaires head outside to plan their next move. Chameleon Boy takes charge and suggests they devote their efforts to uncovering and capturing An Ryd's true killer... believing Cham is referring to him, Ultra Boy takes a bit of exception to the remark. You may wanna dial it back Jo, that's really no way to play innocent, pal. We shift to Timber Wolf, who has been suffering headaches... perhaps a sign that he is devolving? Not too sure, he just says that his "time in civilization" might be ending.
After the Legionnaires leave, we find that Colossal Boy has chosen to remain... hopeful to get a few words with President Mom. She blows him off... and he goes full-on "I never asked to be born" teen-ager.
A day passes, and we rejoin (some of) our pals on Rimbor... the scene of the crime. Star Boy and Chameleon Boy split off from Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl to enter the seedy motel where Ryd was killed. Inside, Cham shape shifts into a Rigellian Seeker-Hound to do some sniffin'... and comes up with bupkis. Their investigation is interrupted by a blast from outside. Star Boy takes a shot to the gut and goes down. Cham shape-shifts into an Amphiboid (for whatever reason) and gets taken down as well. He looks into the eyes of the real murderer... before being blasted in the face.
We shift to Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl, who have just bribed a Rimbor official in order to take a peek at the records of the comings and goings on the planet during the time in question. They come up with nada... which is not entirely bad news, as it also illustrates that Brainiac-5 wasn't on-planet when the murder was committed. Although... if you're heading somewhere with the express purpose of killing somebody, you might not go through the normal travel channels, right?
Anyhoo, we check in with the official they kids bribed as he goes to enjoy a puff on his pipe. Suddenly a green-handed man approaches and offers him "a light"... before choking the life out of him!
Hearing the man scream, Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl rush outside... where they find themselves standing before Pulsar Stargrave! Who? Well, I recognize him more as original-recipe Brainiac... or, is he?
A fight is on... and it's one that Stargrave controls handily. During the scuffle, he explains that he's out to get Brainiac-5 for rejecting a partnership... and further, sullying the reputation of the name "Brainiac". At one point, Phantom Girl is kayoed... and Ultra Boy rushes to her aid. Brainiac mocks his "pathetic human emotionalism" before blasting him to particles with his nova-hot eyebeams. Well, that got hardcore pretty quick.
We catch up with Brainiac-5 on board a tiny ship as he runs scenarios through his head... he can't figure out how he's been "suckered". Checking his on-board radar screen, he can tell that four of his friends... plus one more are now on planet Rimbor. Before checking out that strange fifth blip, he decides to check in on the Legionnaires, and boy have they seen better days.
As he chats up his injured teammates, he shares his conclusion that Stargrave is the one behind all of this. I guess they don't call him Brainiac (5) for nothing! Brainy heads out to face the baddie all by his lonesome. It's also during this scene that we learn that Ultra Boy... is dead! Wasn't expecting that!
We join Brainy at the site of the battle between the Legion of Super-Heroes and Ultra Boy (when they believed him to be a murdering fugitive)... and wouldn'tcha know it, this is exactly where he finds ol' Stargrave! Brainy locks them both in a forcefield... and claims that they will spend eternity there. Stargrave ain't diggin' that one bit, and decides to kill them both by going super-nova. Little does he know, however, that Brainy actually set up two force fields... one around them both, with a second just surrounding himself (which protects him from the blast)!
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Another excellent issue of Legion of Super-Heroes. Was shocked to see this one following up on the An Ryd storyline from a few years earlier... it's always fun when a random pick from the pile is part and parcel of a previous plot! Sufferin' succotash...
I definitely feel like I missed a thing or a dozen in the interim... and to be fair, there are nearly fifty issues between the two we've discussed... but never felt entirely lost. I've said it before (and likely will again... because that's what I do), the Legion always seemed like such a daunting reading project... one I was put off from by the ginormous cast and the amount of reboots/redos/un-dos they'd suffered.
I never really "got" the X-Men comparison... as I found it quite easy to make sense of the mutants (until somewhat recently, anyway), while the Legion may as well have been written in Greek Interlac (ehh? ehh?). In picking two random issues, in this case #227 (1978) and #273 (1981), I sorta begin to "get" the comparison.
Like the X-Men, Legion feels like a Lazy-Susan of subplots. It's a feeling of constant motion... though, not necessarily always forward. Nods are given to past arcs/stories, while future stories bubble away in the background. Pop-in readers, like myself at this juncture, get a full story... with hints of what came before and (more importantly) what's to come. Long-time readers get wonderful pay-offs that reward their patience and loyalty to the title.
Just looking at this issue... sub-plots include Colossal Boy and President Mom, Timber Wolf's headaches, and the death of Ultra Boy... they all serve and "season" the main Brainiac/Stargrave plot, without distracting from it. This feels very Claremontian... which, I suppose might've been Conway-ian first!
Let's chat up the ending for a bit. This is my only, from a structural standpoint (as if I have any idea what that means), sorta-kinda complaint. It's not really a slight on Conway, but more the way DC's Bronze-Age books had a way of giving really abrupt and anti-climactic endings. It's like, we get all this build-up... for a two-page fight... then, it's over. Not that I needed a few issues of the green guys duking it out or anything... this just felt a bit underwhelming.
I will say, however, that I appreciated the fact that... while Brainiac-5 may have facilitated and concocted the situation, he did not actually kill Stargrave. So, even in cleaning up the mess, he didn't break from the Legion's by-laws. That was really cool.
I'd say overall that this issue was a great success. As mentioned, sub-plots continue to bubble away... and all of them are pretty interesting, and have the potential to anchor future issues without feeling all that out of place. I don't say it enough, but I enjoyed the art. Maybe not quite as much as I dug Starlin's work in that earlier issue, but definitely nothing to sneeze at. This issue is available digitally.
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Legion of Super-Heroes #281 (November, 1981)
"Madness is the Molecule Master"
Plotter - Roy Thomas
Script - Paul Levitz
Penciller - Steve Ditko
Inker - Bruce Patterson
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Letterer - Ben Oda
Editor - Mike W. Barr
Cover Price: $0.60
Still being a complete Legion neophyte, it's not terribly often that I get inspired to chat up a book simply from its cover. In seeing the issue in particular, I couldn't help but to be curious... I mean, it's the Legion... in the present... or, ya know... Smallville in the late 60's/early 70's.
Having a bit of trouble truly "connecting" with stories occurring in the far-flung future (outside of character pieces, anyway), this kinda story might be more my speed.
Cracking it open to find Steve Ditko art is... curious. I'm sure we'll discuss that more below.
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We open with a... confused Superboy flying over a field in Smallville. Ya see, he's not entirely convinced that he's actually Superboy. Due to what the Legion called a "memory overlay", he believes himself to be Ultra Boy! He flashes back to showing up in the future under the guise of the hero Reflecto to save the Legion... Jo Nah's main squeeze Phantom Girl in particular. This was likely Superboy's first trip back to the future since his "conditioning" during Legion of Super-Heroes #259 (January, 1980)... buuuuut, I could be/probably am completely wrong about that. He continues his flashback... recalling traveling back to the present with the Legion via a Time Bubble... only to get badda-binged by the Time Trapper, which left them stranded in the 20th Century. Oh, and also... the gang materialized in the middle of an atomic bomb test, so the military is after them as well!
Superboy flies over to a mountain (in Kansas?) and cuts it to pieces. You might be thinking "that seems pretty pointless and random", and, for the most part you'd be right! However, he's doing so to illustrate that he can use several superpowers at once (and he's not even wearing a Legion Flight Ring)... meaning, he couldn't possibly be Ultra Boy, who can only use one superpower at a time.
After reassembling (!) the mountain, he thinks to himself that while the Legionnaires might be stranded in the present... relying on his "Ultra Boy memories", he knows he has the power to break the time barrier. And so, he attempts to return to the future where he can be of aid to the rest of the Legion. But, not so fast kemo sabe... the Time Trapper's already put the kibosh on all that nonsense.
We shift scenes to the Kent farm house, where the time-lost Legionnaires are holed out. Luckily Ma and Pa are on vacation... though, hopefully not in the Caribbean. The gang includes Blok, Lightning Lad, Dawnstar, Karate Kid, Phantom Girl and (in a costume I don't recognize in the slightest) Saturn Girl. They're all bored, and hungry... and want to hit the town to grab some eats. Unfortunately, they're all dressed like people from the future... or are covered in rock... or have wings protruding from their back.
There's a sudden knock at the door. Lightning Lad fears this to be the Time Trapper... but, I dunno... I don't think he's the type'a dude to knock before entering a room. Saturn Girl scans... and er, looks out the window. We learn that this is the Kent's nosy neighbor... looking to sell Girl Scout Cookies? Really? Okay. Anyhoo, they answer the door... and the nosy woman sticks her head in... accusing the kids of being up to no good. They lie and tell her they're in costume to rehearse for a school play... but she's not buying it.
Luckily Clark enters the room, and lambastes her for not acting "neighborly"... unluckily, he forgot to put his glasses on before doing so, which proved to only set her off more that something wonky was amiss. After she leaves, Clark blames his inattention to detail on his Ultra Boy memories. Once the "dust" settles, the gang... minus Dawnstar and Blok, head into town to do a little grocery shopping. I should probably mention that the boys are all wearing Clark's clothes... while the girls are still in their skimpy uniforms. They're quite the sight.
Heading down Main Street... or whatever it's called, they come to Kent's General Store. Before them, they see the military has set up camp on the street to try and find Superboy... remember, they "interfered" with that nuclear test upon arrival. While they plan their next move, the Legionnaires hear a (presumably shrill) voice... it's Lana Lang, and dammit she's got questions! Having been to the future, she recognized the Legion of Super-Heroes... but isn't sure why they'd be hanging around with Clark Kent. That is... unless he's, oh you don't think... do you? They more or less tell her to beat it... and she storms off in a huff.
Back at the Kent house, Dawnstar is... for some reason... enjoying a shower. While bathing, she hears an explosion. She and Blok head out to see what's what... and do so right in plain view of the nosy neighbor.
We learn that the ka-boom originated from the Molecule Master, irritating android from the future. He's making a real nuisance of himself... and cuts quite the gaudy figure to boot. Clark attempts to use his penetra-vision, er... x-ray vision to take a look into the baddie's head, finding much of it to be encased in (un-see-through-able) lead. There's another point for him actually being Superboy and not Ultra Boy!
Saturn Girl recalls that the Molecule Master had originally been sent by the Time Trapper to procure a whatzit called the Miracle Machine... and suggests he might be behind this attack as well. Molecule Master is all "no duh"... and a fight is on!
Things look pretty dire right out of the gate... the Molecule Master appears to have the Legion's number. Clark decides it's time to "supe up"... and begins doing so right in the middle of the street! Whoops. Thankfully, he remembers that Superboy's civilian identity is actually a secret, and so he ducks into an alley to change clothes. He emerges in perhaps the most Ditko-y panel I've seen in awhile!
After the Molecule Master proved to be able to hold off the heroes one at a time, it's decided (or duh-cided, because really now... this is a no-brainer) that the super kids all attack at once!
And they do! Causing the baddroid to implode... which sends the Legionnaires flying, right to the feet of the waiting military... who begin snatching them up with the quickness.
We shift down the road a way to Phantom Girl recovering. She is with a downed Dawnstar and Superboy... and the soldiers are headed their way. She is unsuccessful in her attempts to rouse her teammates... and worse yet, unable to access her phasing powers to facilitate an escape. And so, she refocuses... and attempts to transport the trio to her home world of Bgtztl (gesundheit!). Whattaya know, it works!
We wrap up with Blok, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl being loaded into the back of a truck by the military. The General Ross looking fella sees a bunch of gears and machine bits (likely the remains of the Molecule Master) scattered, and doesn't think much of them. We conclude with the Time Trapper celebrating his pending victory.
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Well, that was certainly fun... and weird!
Not sure why, but I wasn't expecting this to be as "involved" as it was. I mean, the Superboy/Ultra Boy memory mix-up is pretty interesting, but also kind of obtuse if you're not following along with the series. Still makes for a fun story though, so that isn't a complaint.
I certainly appreciate how Superboy is acting protective of Ultra Boy's squeeze Phantom Girl... that's a cool and (relatively) subtle way of playing up his Ultra Boy-ness. Actually... ya know what? Thinking about it... I really like the way they did this. Having Superboy test his powers to see how many he can handle at once... using his x-ray vision and noting that he cannot see through lead... all that on top of being there for Phantom Girl... really well done!
Seeing the Legionnaires in the present is often a treat, and not entirely for the fish out of water aspect of it all. Like I mentioned in the preamble, I have trouble connecting with stories in the future... I feel like there are no (or lesser) stakes... and it feels like it's too easy for things to be "undone" without much in the way of consequence. Having the Legion in the (nebulous) "present" grounds them for me in a way where I can actually "invest".
We get a bit of "comedy" here... with the classic sitcom nosy neighbor poking about the Kent House. She came across as annoying as I believe she was intended... though, I'm not sure why she would think Clark not wearing his glasses were a sign that things were wonky. I mean, as a dude who wears glasses from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed... if someone were to see me without them, they'd probably assume "contacts" or "must've left them on the nightstand" and not "you must be up to something"... but, whattayagonnado? She served her purpose... assuming she had one.
Now, the art. It's Steve Ditko... and perhaps the most Ditko-y Ditko I've seen in quite some time. While it's a lot of fun seeing him draw characters like Superboy (who I never realized he drew), it just didn't feel "right". Not sure why... perhaps I'm projecting. I never saw Ditko as drawing the mainstream characters at DC... always the odd fringe folks. Maybe that's how people felt when Jack Kirby came over too... I dunno. It's not bad by any means (though, that panel where Superboy emerges from the alley is a bit "iffy"), but for whatever reason I can't make it "fit" in my own head. Call it artistic dissonance... call it me being a goofball. Dunno.
Overall... I had a lot of fun with this issue... more than I'd ever expected. It's weird, every time I finish with an issue of Legion it's like I can't wait to dive into another... and then I don't for several weeks/months! I'd definitely recommend checking this out... it's a fun story, and for the novelty of seeing Ditko draw Superboy I'd say it's worthwhile. This has been collected as part of The Steve Ditko Omnibus, Volume 2 (2011) and is available digitally.
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