Superboy # 219 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes

Superboy # 219 Cover Dated Sept 1976. Cover Price .30 Cents.
"The Plunder Ploy of the Fatal Five" Art: Mike Grell, Script: Jim Shooter from a suggestion by Ken Klaczak.
The Persuader from the Fatal Five, is confronted by 5 members of the Legion of Super-Heroes as he tries to break in to  a top secret manufacturing plant on the planet Imsk, the home planet of Shrinking Violet. The Persuader Swings at the Legion with his Atomic Axe and the axe goes through them with out harm. Over his communicator, Tharok the leader of the Fatal Five tells him that the Legion was just an illusion projected by the Imskites to scare off intruders. Tharok guides the enforcer of the Fatal Five down a hallway that gets smaller and smaller which makes sense since Imsk is the world that all of the natives posses the power to shrink. Persuader goes as far as he is able and breaks out of the Hallway and finds a small dome that contains the Factory that make the most sophisticated micro circuits in the universe, Tharok tells him to steal it. Else where on Imsk, Salu Digby the Legionnaire known as Shrinking Violet and her Boy Friend Qued Orlu, Duplicate Boy of the heroes of Lallor are vacationing in one of the posh resorts on the planet. Using his powers to duplicate any super power Duplicate notices something going on at the factory, he tries to leave on his own by Shrinking Violet insists on accompanying him. They suit up and leave the miniature hotel that they are staying at that is in the Lobby of the normal size motel. On the way to the factory Salu thinks that Qued is grim and wonder why. The reason is that he can see that Validus is joining the Persuader as he leaves the factory. Duplicate boy takes on Superboy's powers and takes down Persuader leaving the Hero of Lallor to take on the monster Validus. He tries to take on Validus's powers but it is too much, his boy can't cope with it and it begins to feed back into him and he is about to pass out when Persuader slices his back with the Atomic ax. The two villains scoop up the goods and teleports away just as Shrinking Violet catches up with her now injured boy friend. Mean while in a hidden spacecraft the five deadliest villains in the universe are reunited and it feels so good. They argue a bit and then continue with their secret plan.
   At the Legion of Super-Heroes head quarters on earth Violet tells the legion what happen while Brainiac-5 examines Duplicate Boy's body that the Imskite have preserved in a Cryogenic tank, but he is beyond medical help. An Emotional Colossal boy slams out of the room to get a cruiser ready while Brainiac 5 and Superboy talked about the micro circuits the five stole from Imsk. On the Imsk bound cruiser the question of how Tharok survived there last encounter when his robot half was badly damaged. Brainiac surmises that Tharok probably had a robot surgeon ready to repair it, so he can keep the almost limitless intelligence that his robot half gave him. Shrinking Violet starts to think that maybe Tharok is smart enough to help Duplicate boy when the red alert sounds. Light Lass reports from communications that the five just raided the synthzoid plants on Rerel and made off with tons of android parts. Brainiac orders the team to Battle stations and they spot a green glowing ship
apparently made by the power of the Emerald Empress's Emerald Eye.

 Brainiac is about to fire the plasters when Violet stops him and the villains ship takes evasive action. The other ship out runs the legion and Violet explains that Tharok's genius might be able to save duplicate boy and that maybe they can offer him a deal. Brainiac calls the grieving Violet a fool, Tharok might be a genius but he is an evil genius, deal with him and you will wind up dead. Violet apologizes and Colossal boy tries to offer the minuscule maid comfort. The team questions why that the Five ran from them it is not like them to duck a fight the must be planning something big. On the six mooned planet Cyrem, Validus rips a moon size chunk from the planet. The legion cruiser arrives to see the planet now missing a part of it. They wonder what the five would want with it and where they would hide it.
      Meanwhile at the hall of justice, wait I mean Legion HQ. Saturn Girl is keeping watch and is reading reports from Brainiac-5 on the five and that they stole rare and deadly poisons from the planet Zeffro. She wonders what horrible reason would they have to seize those chemicals.  Saturn Girl has a thought that if should could turn on duplicate boy's powers she could make him duplicate Superboy's invulnerability and recuperative powers. Using her powers she reaches into Duplicate Boy's Psychic and senses the deep love for a girl called Shrinking Violet, that drive the ravaged flesh to cling to life! Deep in the damaged brain, Saturn Girl Psychic probe touches the mental mechanism of his awesome force, for endless moments, she struggles to control it until she is completely exhausted blacking out wondering if she succeed. In distance space Brainiac-5's mighty mind also is put to the test. Micro circuits from Imsk, android parts form Rerel, poisons from Zeffro and Half of Cyrem and he wonders why the Fatal Five stole these items. Brainy theorize that Tharok might be creating a new army of semi-android life forms to conquer the universe. And that a moon size portion of Cyrem could support life--. Brainiac-5 figures it out he has been staring at it all the time. Cyrem has only six moons but the shot of space looking at Cyrem is showing 7 moons. It is hidden in stationary orbit behind Cyrem's largest moon hidden from their view! Soon on the stolen part of the planet, in the newly erected palace, the Emerald Empress is being pampered by android creation of Tharok. Suddenly Superboy burst through the wall covering the Emerald Eye with his indestructible cape. The Empress orders her android slaves to attack the teen of steel. Elsewhere on the ill fated fragment Mon-El and Lightning Lad attack Validus. Lightning Lad uses his power to try to over charge his see through brain with sheer energy. Mon-El goes to stop Validus from picking up a large object that looks like a weapon. Validus picks up both the object and Mon-El in his massive grip. He shakes the object and makes a deafening noise overwhelming Lightning Lad.
          Outside a huge atmosphere dome Light Lass carrying oxygen equipment joins Sun Boy. The two enter the doom  that duplicates the atmosphere of Angtu the home world of Mano they can not see a thing when Mano strikes Sun Boy from behind. Meanwhile high above an inland sea Violet and Colossal Boy approaches a boat being used by the Persuader. Persuader fire a net at them and snares Colossal Boy while Violet shrinks down and slips through. Persuader  goes to slice Colossal Boy with his axe but Violet grows and knocks him off balance and give Colossal Boy time to free himself from the net and smash him with his oversize fist. They search the ship to find out what the Persuader was up to and they find a hold filled with huge monstrous fish, they put it together with the net gun and figure out that Persuader was fishing. Back to where Validus is making thunderous noise, Lighting Lad whose powers cannot hurt the monsters uses them to destroy the noise maker. Validus is sad that his toy is broken and the two Legionnaires figures out that he was just amusing himself with a king size rattle. When Validus is not being control by Tharok he is just like a child.
   In the Empress's palace Superboy is making short work of the androids who were make for serving not fighting. Superboy squeezes the breath out of the Empress until she passes out. In the dome Light Lass uses her power to make Mano super light. and then drops him hard on the ground and smashes him with her shoulder bag. The last member of the Fatal Five, Tharok finishing his greatest creation is interrupted by Ultra Boy and Brainiac-5 smashing through the wall, with Ultra Boy using his flash vision to destroy the creation. Tharok threatens the Legion and then takes off using a flying device through an escape hatch. Ultra Boy chases after him but has to give up the chase when they reach space because he could not use invulnerability while using super speed at the same time. Mon-El comes in at the same time and  reports that Validus fled and they could not stop him. Superboy tells them that at least they have Mano, Persuader and the Empress locked up. Brainiac-5 deduces that the five were trying to live comfortably while waiting to conquer the united planets. They stole Android parts to make loyal subjects to fill the Empress's palace. The poison chemicals were used to create the noxious air in a simulated home world environment for Mano. The stolen portion of Cyrem furnished the Persuader a monster filled sea and various raw materials for his fishing boat. And the Micro circuitry was Tharok's own pet project he was creating a new half body complete with artificial skin so he could look human but retain his intelligence. Lightning Lad is gets a telepathic Message from Saturn Girl that Duplicate boy is alive, all of the Legionnaires are celebrating the good news except for the one Legionnaire that while he also yearned for Duplicate Boy's recovery, Shrinking Violet's happiness also mean Colossal Boy's bitter frustration.

Roll Call:
Superboy
Brainiac-5
Shrinking Violet
Lightning Lad
Mon-El
Ultra Boy
Saturn Girl
Colossal Boy
Light Lass
Sun Boy
Guest Starring
Duplicate Boy (Hero of Lallor)
Villains
The Fatal Five
Tharok
Persuader
Validus
Mano
Emerald Empress

Planets Visited
Imsk
Cyrem

Notes
Page 1:

• Persuader attacked by holograms of the Legion members. Coincidently some of the same members that star in this issue.

Page 2:

• Duplicate Boy and Shrinking Violet relaxes in a luxury hotel on Imsk.

Page 3:

• Duplicate Boy's powers feed back when he tries to copy Validus's Power. Which allows the Persuader to hit him with his Axe.

Page 5:

• Colossal Boy lets his feeling for Violet show, which will come up again years later.

Page 7:

• Awesome display of the Legion Cruiser

Page 8:

• Violet stops Brainiac from blasting the Fatal Five ship.

Page 10:

• Saturn Girl uses her powers to watch Violet's and Duplicate Boy's Love life. (Creepy)

Page 11:

• Superboy takes out the Eye very easily.

Page 12:

• Superboy is smashing the Empress's sex toys.
• Validus is playing with a Rattle.

Page 16:

• Light Lass uses her purse to beat on Mano.

Page 17:

• Duplicate boy is saved and Colossal boy is upset that he will not have a chance with Violet.

This is my favorite Fatal five story, it is also the first one I read, you know what they say about your first. I due like the glimpse you get into the Legion's personal life. Nice to see Lightning Lad with Validus, I won't say while but long time Legion followers will know.
Yesterday was Mother's Day so I would like to wish every one and there Mother's a Happy Mother's day. Yesterday was also the one year anniversary of this Blog.  I know I have not posted in 3 months but I will try to post more often.

Next time Superboy 220