Superboy # 208 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes "Vengeance of the Super-Villains"Cover Price: .50 cents, Cover Date April 1975. Story: Cary Bates Art: Mike Grell.
In the 20th century it is morning in the town of Smallville U.S.A. the house of Jonathan and Martha Kent are preparing for breakfast like many families do, but unlike other families on earth the Kents have two Legionnaires to feed. Superboy (Clark Kent) the adopted son of the Kents has invited his Teammate Mon-El home to spend her leave. The two teens of steels eat as much food as poor Martha Kent can make. Mon-El thanks the Kents for their hospitality but is sad that he cannot visit his own parents.
1000 years in the future on the far flung planet Rimbor Legion member Jo Nah Ultra Boy is visiting his own parents, Crav and Mytra Nah. Crav is cooking vegi steaks on the grill while Jo relaxes.
Back at the Legion Headquarters on earth in Metropolis, Brainiac-5, Saturn Girl and Timber Wolf are getting ready for a special ceremony Honoring Dr Lark Kenrik who is responsible for uniting the Planets who formed the united federation of Planets, presenting him the coveted Universal Trophy. The threesome are examining the trophy to make sure it has not been tampered with by an enemy power. Sun Boy who is acting Leader while Mon-El is on leave oversees the preparation. Sun Boy is hopeful that Mon-El will return before the ceremony.
In Smallville Mon-El and Superboy are getting ready to leave, when Jonathan Kent who seems to be in a Hypnotic trance fires a strange ray at the two heroes. The ray forces the legionnaires to fight among themselves until they knock each other out. Jonathan and Martha react like nothing is wrong and go about their business.
On rimbor Ultra Boy is feeling groggy due to the paralyzing drug his parents put in his drink and he passes out not understanding how his parents turn against their own son.
In Metropolis at a secret chamber Sun Emperor acting leader of the Legion of Super-Villains revels in the fact that Superboy, Mon-El and Ultra Boy has been successfully detained, and they are ready to start Phase two. Listening to Sun Emperor is Lightning Lord, brother to Lightning Lad. Nemesis Kid former member of the Legion of Super-Heroes with the power to duplicate his opponents weakness and take advantage of it. Spider Girl a beauty with expanding deadly hair. Radiation Roy who can paralyze his enemies with a host of lethal charges. Missing from the gathering is Chameleon Chief who is caring out his end of the plan.
Back at the Legion Headquarters Chameleon Boy and Chemical King are on guard duty while Sun Boy frets about Mon-El, Superboy and Saturn Girl being late getting back from leave. Saturn Girl tells Dirk (Sun Boy) to cool up and that they will be along soon.
On Rimbor Ultra Boy is trapped in a radiation bubble while his parents play a board game oblivious to his plight.
Back in the Past Mon-El and Superboy trapped in the same type of bubble deduce that it was created by Radiation Roy a form legion reject and current member of the Legion of Super-Villains.
In a store room in the Legion's headquarters the priceless Universal Trophy seems safe, but all is not what it seems the trophy's stand turns into Chameleon Chief. The Legion checked the trophy for booby traps but not the stand. Using a Nitro-Glyc beam he turns the trophy into a bomb. Then he uses his Powers to change a create into a copy of the stand he disguised him self as so that there is no evidence that the trophy has been tampered with.
Later the automated refuse disposal begins with robots picking up boxes of trash when out of nowhere Lightning Lord grabs one of the boxes that turns out to be Chameleon Chief. Who tells him all is set to begin phase 3.
We are back again on Rimbor where Ultra Boy's parents free him from the bubble an awaken from their trance not aware of anything that has transpired. Ultra Boy realizes there is noway he can get to earth in time, to stop the Super-Villains plans.
20th Century earth, Jonathan Kent brings in a strange device and activates it as Martha Kent frees the boys from the bubble. They fill in the confused Kents about what is going on but nobody knows what that strange box does. The twin titans find out when they enter the time stream when they are slowed down by interference in the stream coming from the box that Jonathan Kent unwillingly built, they think they will not be able to stop the Super-Villains but hope that Sun Boy and the others can.
Back in 30th century Metropolis the Villains watch on a monitor Dr. Kenaik being honored by Sun Boy and the Legion, they are waiting from the doctor to touch the trophy and cause the explosion that will Kill him and several other members of the legion, eliminating the Galaxy's most esteemed emissary for peace and discrediting what is left of the legion, but when he does nothing happens.
The Villains turn to Chameleon chief for explanation but the Chief is really Chameleon boy, Cham boasts that the Chief has been locked in the brig since last night. Sun Emperor orders his team to get the out numbered hero. All of sudden bursting through the wall is other members of the Legion Of Super-Heroes. Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Karate Kid, Lightning Lad, and Princess Projectra. They were led to the secret headquarters by a homing device worn by Chameleon boy. Princess P used her illusion powers to take out Nemesis Kid. Lightning Lad stops Lightning Lord. Star Boy avoids Spider Girl's killer hair by using his powers to make her super heavy. Karate kid takes out Radiation Roy quite easily. Colossal Boy knocks Sun Emperor out. It turns out that Chameleon boy who was standing guard last night found and stopped Chameleon chief, and took his place. It was Sun Boy who figured out that all three of their missing members had x-ray vision, and would of spotted the booby trapped trophy. Once every thing is done and the villains are taken away Ultra Boy, Superboy and Mon-El finally arrive.
Bits of Legion Business"
Roll Call:
- Superboy
- Mon-El (Leader)
- Sun Boy (acting Leader)
- Brainiac-5
- Timber Wolf
- Saturn Girl
- Chameleon Boy
- Chemical King
- Colossal Boy
- Karate Kid
- Lightning Lad
- Star Boy
- Princess Projectra
- Shadow Lass.
- Sun Emperor
- Lightning Lord
- Spider Girl
- Radiation Roy
- Nemesis Kid
- Chameleon Chief
- Rimbor
- Flight Rings
- courtyard
- store room
- Sun Emperor
Page 2:
- Jonathan and Martha Kent look like they are in their late 30's or early 40's, I believe they were de-aged in a previous Superboy story.
- Superboy and Mon-El fly around in the house in costume, where is Lana Lang who is always peeping in the Kent's windows?
- Martha must of had to been cooking for hours to keep up with the way the boys eat at super speed.
- Mon-El tells the Kent's that vacations can be lonely without his own parents to visit. Not sure why Mon-El who is from the 20th century can not travel through time and visit with his parents.
- Saturn Girl looks like she preening for the camera
- Sun Emperor looks just like Sun boy except for brown hair, wearing almost the same costume. Many years later we will get a very different looking Sun Emperor.
- Chameleon Chief is not a member of Chameleon Boy's Race. They look similar but the Chief can change the shape of other objects as well.
- Great Battle page, the Team takes out the Villains in one page of action.
I will not go into my feelings on time travel again, but I liked almost everything else about this story.
My favorite part was the fight at the end of the story, each Legionnaire takes out a Villain in a single panel, today that fight would be a whole issue it self, this was well done by Bates and Grell.
My only problem in this story was the introduction of the Sun Emperor, who is meant to be a Sun Boy analog, but I think this is taking too literal, He looks exactly like Sun Boy and I wish a little more thought was put into him and his design. Many years Later Keith Giffen would redesign him, with better results.
I like the use of the Kent's and the Nah's, the parents of the Legion are shown very rarely but used well in this issue. I also enjoyed how Bates and Grell used 14 members of the team but it did not feel like they were stuffed into the story. It was very logical the member of the team that showed up at the Super-Villains headquarters were not the ones that were shown on the monitor.
Next issue we get the Return of writer Jim Shooter, while this will be his first issue of Superboy Jim wrote the Legion's adventures in Adventure comics back in the sixties when he was just a Teen himself. But do not worry Cary Bates lovers, Mr. Bates writes a fun little back up next issue also.
Next time: Member Profile Sun Boy
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