Superboy #221 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes

Superboy # 221 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes.  Cover Date Nov 1976, Cover Price . 30 Cents " The Trillion-Dollar Trophies" Art: Mike Grell and Bob Wiacek. Story: Jim Shooter.
Part 1 The living Key
Superboy and Timber Wolf are answering an alarm at the Power sphere, the mammoth nucleonic power plant, which supplies 30th century Metropolis with Energy. The Installation is protected by the galaxy's most advanced, virtually fool proof computer system.. which only moments ago has been tripped. Tripped by Grimbor and Charma and they are looking to trap some Legionnaires.  They split up to search the lead radiation shielding blocks Superboy's super-vision. Grimbor blinds side Timber wolf with his chains, The wolf fight back with little effect. Hearing the struggle Superboy arrives on the scene only to be stopped in his tracks by the sight of Charma. Charma speaks softly to him not to hurt her and Superboy just stands there looking at her. Grimbor tells her to hold him as he finishes up with Timber Wolf.  Morning at the plush penthouse office of the R J Brande Building. One of the wealthiest beings in the universe Legion Financer, Rene Jacques Brand is hard at work. Charma comes in followed by 2 thugs carrying large boxes. Brande yells at her  and she gives him a sad look and he backs down. She tells him that she wants a 100 Million Dollars to insure the safety of the Legionnaires. Charma tells him that she will be in touch as she leaves. Brande hears a sound coming from one of the boxes and calls the Legion on his private hotline. Six Legionnaires respond almost instantaneously. Colossal Boy grows to giant size and smashes the crates together and Superboy and Timber Wolf fall out. The two are chained up with complicated restraints. Shrinking Violet shrinks down and looks inside the locks, she sees that it is a pin and tumbler type but  she never saw one so intricate. She flies out of the lock and tells the team that they require a multi direction expanding key.
Chameleon Boy says that he can take care of is and has his malleable hands turn into keys that fit the locks. He turns the keys and the chains explode and vanish. Light lass runs to care for Timber Wolf as Cosmic Boy questions Brande. Superboy and Timber Wolf do not seem to remember any thing until Brande describes the delicate and beautiful young lady. He concludes that their memories must have been wiped out by some form of Super Hypnosis. He cannot remember any think except a Fragile, helpless looking girl. Brande says he should pay the extortion but the legion refuses.

 Chapter 2 Charma and the Chain-Maker

Gimbor and Charma are on the asteroid strong hold of the chain maker and both go through their origin stories. Grimbor is the greatest master of bondage, restraint and security in the universe. He has sold his services to  everyone from criminal to kings. He boasts that he once designed a cage to hold the Mighty Validus. He brags that he has been paid fortunes to build strongholds and safe guard treasures. Charma reminds him that he spent all that money on more locks, tools equipment and materials, that he is penniless as she was. Charma explains that she was a poor little orphan that was sent to a girls school that was little more than a prison. As she got older she use to get punished by the head mistress more and more frequently. It was not just the head mistress, all of the girl's grew to hate her. They beat her and took her few possessions. Grimbor tells her to stop he can not bear to hear how she was treated. That is because she is a mutant, her power is that no man can bear seeing her suffer pain. The mere thought of her being threatened enrages them. She has the opposite reaction from women they want to hurt her. Which is why the head mistress came to Grimbor, Charma was to be released but the head Mistress did not want to let her go and hired Grimbor to create a special lock for her room and shackles that only she could open. But like any man, when he entered the school and saw her he was hers. Grimbor professes his love for her but he has doubts about her plan for the legion. He has her why not rob a bank instead. She tells him that Brand owns a Dozen of interplanetary banks. She knew that Brande would refuse her at first but they will get it all. Charma butters Grimbor up stroking his ego.
      Night in the offices of R J Brande. He gets a call on the vis phone by Charma asking him if he reconsidered his offer. Brande tells her absolutely not. Charma ends the call but Brande traces it back and it is coming from Legion Headquarters. He has an assistant ready his flier for immediate take off.
Meanwhile at Legion HQ, Charma and Grimbor leave the communication Room. Grimbor brags that no place is inaccessible to him. Colossal Boy comes around the corner and Grimbor takes him down using his enhanced strength, Shadow Lass attacks Charma from behind while Grimbor is dealing with Colossal Boy. Charma screams and Grimbor nocks Shadow Lass out. They shackle the two down Legionnaires and Grimbor remarks that it was good that Shadow Lass reacted to Chama's powers and did not use her black out powers to help Colossal Boy. Grimbor crashes into the rec room and Charma uses her powers to make the men helpless while Grimbor captures them. Light Lass and Timber Wolf watch on the monitor room and Light Lass says there is only one way to beat them. Seconds later a metal wall comes down from the ceiling separating the two crooks.
Part 3 "Divided and Conquered"
Timber Wolf and Grimbor go at it with the Wolf getting the upper hand, when a scream from Charma comes from the steel barrier. The cry is like a siren's song to the two and they burst through the barrier and see Light Lass using her powers and beating the hell out of Charma. Under Charma's spell Timber Wolf smacks the woman he loves. Timber Wolf is shocked by what he did to Ayla that it releases him from Charma's hold. But Grimbor gets the jump on him and puts the feral Legionnaire in Titanium Manganite. Charma kicks the down Light Lass while Grimbor locks her up with an Absorbium spiral band.  A little later in the monitor room Charma and Grimbor talk about that all the Legionnaires on the premises have been captured. They spot Brande approaching  the complex, they bring him into the monitor room and he agrees to pay the hundred million. Charma tells him that the price has gone up to a cool trillion dollars. Grimbor says he won't sell. He tells them that this is his greatest feat of bondage, and wants to keep them as trophies. Brande tells them that he will give up his entire fortune and promise not to prosecute. Charma is happy but Grimbor insist that they are his and he will not sell them not even for Charma. Charma realizes that Grimbor loves his work more than he does her. Brande is begging Grimbor to take his money while Charma sneaks off to the storage vault where the Legion is kept. She plans to destroy one of them and threaten to destroy the rest unless Grimbor relents. She aims her blaster at Light Lass when a microscopic Violet grows on top of the blaster and spoils her aim. Violet savagely beats on Charma and her power is having an hypnotic effect on the male Legionnaires and that affects their wills to defend her and the rage charges their muscles with desperate strength until they burst free of the bonds. The male members flight right at Violet but just before they hit she shrinks down and they fly into the wall and burst through and tackles Grimbor. Violet knocks Charma out and then locks her up using chains that Grimbor created that gives off a special radiation which nullifies her power. Apparently once Grimbor had helped Charma capture them, he was going to shackle her, make her a prisoner of his love. He wanted to make sure she'd never escape.


Roll Call:

• Superboy
• Timber Wolf
• Colossal Boy
• Shadow Lass
• Chameleon Boy
• Cosmic Boy
• Light Lass
• Shrinking Violet

Villains

• Charma
• Grimbor

 

Page 2:

• This is a first, a good reason for having lead around, shielding radiation at a power plant is a good thing. A good number of stories have lead in it just to block Superboy's vision but this makes sense.
• Charma is hot, even with yellow skin and she is showing a lot of skin.

Page 3:

• The way Superboy is looking a Charma on this page and the previous one do you think he is using his x-ray vision?

Page 4:

• Brande has his own hot line to the Legion just like Commissioner Gordon does for Batman.
• Colossal Boy Takes the two creates and smashes them together and out fall Superboy and Timber Wolf.

Page 5:

• Cham morphs his hands into the shape of the locks he turns them and there is a small explosion and the chains vanish.

Page 7:

• Grimbor shows Charma how he once restrained the monstrous Validus.
• We see how Charma was treated growing up.

Page 9:

•  Charma and Grimbor call Brande from the Legion HQ

Page 10:

• Grimbor uses his bondage powers to bound Shadow Lass.

Page 12:

• Timber Wolf and Light Lass share a kiss.

Page 13:

• Timber Wolf smacks a bitch (Light Lass)

Page 14:

• Charma kicks the crap out of a downed Light Lass

Page 16:

• Violet opens a can of whoop ass on Charma.

Page 17:

• Violet's quick thinking saves the day.

Great story and an Introduction of a good Villain. (Grimbor) Unfortunately this is Charma's last appearance in this continuity.

Next time Superboy 222 Yes I am talking about Tyroc.

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

Superboy # 218 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes



"The Secret Villain the world Never Knew" Story Cary Bates' Art: Mike Grell
  We see three rejected applicants leaving the Legion Citadel. Infectious Lass (first applied in Superboy # 201) complains that she found away to make her disease inducing power even stronger than before, she can now even cause epidemics, and they still do not want her. Quake Kid starts hitting on her offering her a ride in his Retro-Jetter when Infectious Lass's powers go out of control and makes him sick. Quake and Infectious leave arguing while the thrid reject stands there and thinks. "No wonder they were rejected... But I thought for sure I'd pass the membership tests! Instead they told me my special power is too limited." The disappointed stanger thought to himself.
 Above the dejected applicants a new candidate arrives in a pne man ship. In the citadel, Brainiac-5 is showing Colossal boy, Element Lad and Light Lass how Tryroc came to be a Legion applicant. Brainiac-5 tells them that Tyroc passed all of their qualification tests and all that is left is his offical induction ceremony. Out of nowhere a sound that the 3 Legionnaires have never heard before. "Oyuuuuuu" it sounds again and the Legion's newest partner teleports into the building. Tyroc gives Brainiac a hip hand shake and tells him he has park his cruiser on the roof with all of his personal belongings on board because this time he is here to stay. (yeah, sure) Just as Brainiac is about to introduce Tyroc to some of his new teammates they see a man in a strange costume burn through the view screen. The man is called Zoraz and he appears to be an old foe of the Legion. The four Legionnaires attack with Tyroc hanging back. One by one he use the teams own powers against them. Colossal boy grows out of control and cracks his head on the ceiling. Light Lass is made weightless. Element Lad has the air around him turn to ammonia and he is chocking. Brainiac is unable to think straight, he claims Zoraz is telepathing millions of wild thoughts into his brain. Zoraz turns his attention to Tyroc and before he could do anything, Tyroc unleashes a blood curdling scream that cause an explosion around Zoraz. But Zoraz absorbs the force of the blast with out even feeling it just like a blazing sun can soak up the engergy of an atomic bomb. (this is straight out of the comic I could not make this up.) Tyroc prepares for a more drastic yell when an ear splitting siren goes off. Zoraz has blasted the alarm control with fire making the alarm go off. With the decibels levels increasing Tyroc uses his power to make the alarm explod. By the time Cosmic Boy and Superboy arrive Zoraz is gone. They help their fallen comardes to the infirmary and Superboy tells Tyroc they will be okay in a couple of days, Zoraz had depleted there energy. Superboy and Cosmic boy take Tyroc down to the legion Cell Bank and explain that Zoraz stole cells from every Legionnaire's compartment. Which after analyzing he develop the means to turn the Legion's own powers against them. They think that Zoraz is still in the building the Legion will make sure that someone is always on guard but Tyroc is the only member that can stand up to him since he does not have his genetic code. Later Tyroc and Shrikning Violet patrol the halls while they are being spied on by some one in the ventilation shaft.  Dream Girl and Star Boy are making out in the hallway while Cosmic Boy and Sun Boy spy on them via the Legion's monitors. Just as Cosmic Boy is about to turn the monitor off Zoraz appears attacking Dream Girl and Starboy. Zoraz smashes a wall, Star Boy uses his powers to make things super heavy on Zoraz but it is turned back on Star Boy and he falls through the floor. Dream Girl's power is turned on her and she is having a nightmare in her own head. Tyroc arrives and uses his powers to make Zoraz spin, but he manuvers like a top and Tyroc has to follow him into the Gymnasium. Tyroc flies in and Zoraz uses Super-Breath to extract all of the air from the room creating a vacuum. Since sound doesn't travel in a vacuum Tyroc's super voice will not have any effect on him. Suffocating Tyroc activates his Legion Flight Ring, grabs a barbell and flies straight through the wall and into the fresh air. Crawling to his feet Tyroc is joined by Cosmic Boy and Sun Boy who arrived just in time to find an empty Gym. Not sure how Zoraz escaped the locked room but the pair of late arriving heroes vow to search every inch of the area after they get Tyroc to the infirmary. Inside the ceiling an unknown person hides and says that after seeing Tyroc in action twice he now knows how to defeat him. That night Tyroc is sleeping in his new Quarters when Superboy comes on the communication system and wakes him up, ordering him to report to the briefing room on the double. When he arrives Tyroc is startled to see the Legionnaires that Zoraz defeated standing around hale and healthy. Superboy asks Tyroc to look at the visi-tape that they made of Tyroc's first encounter with Zoraz. He watches to the end when Zoraz removes his helment toe reveal that it was Sun Boy in the costume. He then watches the 2nd fight and at the end it is revealed it is Superboy in the costume. Tyroc is pissed and wants to know what kind of freaky put on is this. Brainiac and Superboy explains that it was Tyroc's final test. They had to know how he would respond  to severe stress so they invented their own villain. They made up the bit with the genetic codes, each Legionnaire made it appeare that their own powers were going out of control. All of the other things that Zoraz did were done by either Superboy or Sun Boy. Just then Zoraz enters the room and Tyroc tells Sun Boy he knows it is him, but this time it is not. The man in Zoraz costume removes the helment to revel the Legion Reject from earlier. The reject was upset that they told him that his unusual power wasn't important enough for a Legionnaire, rejecting him and accepting Tyroc. He decided to prove his value by sneaking into the citadel, waiting till he could go into action, hiding out in the same ventilation shafts "Zoraz" was suppose to be using. The reject contiues to explain that he watched Tyroc in action and waited till he could grab the Zoraz uniform and now it was time for him to prove that he is better than Tyroc. Superboy charges at him but the reject using Sun Boy's powers glows with the energy of a red sun causing Superboy to lose his powers. Note: when Superboy nears the rays of a red sun he becomes an ordinary mortal!
 The reject then using Superboy's own strength smash the former teen of steel into the wall. Brainiac tells Tyroc that the reject is called Absorbancy Boy and that he can absorb residue energy left behind by super powers. Since he is wearing the same uniform that Sun Boy and Superboy wore it has given him their powers. Absorbancy Boy challenges Tyroc to a fight to see who is better qualified to be the next Legionnaire. Brainiac cautions Tyroc saying he is just as formidable as Superboy.
 Tyroc faces his foe and Absorbancy Boy taunts the dark hero. Tyroc explains that he is using  a yell at an ultra high frequency that only Superboy's hearing can pick up.  Absorbency Boy is not impressed but when Tyroc unleashes the yell Absorbancy boy grabs his ears and falls to the ground even through nobody else heard a sound. Tyroc easily incapacitate the villain and explains that he figured AB would be inexperienced with Super Hearing and turn it on at full  strength allowing Tyroc's ultrasonic cry to almost deafen him. Once Absorbency Boy is taken away they get on to the log awaited formal induction ceremony where Tyroc is officially sworn in as a full fledged member of the greatest fighting group in the galaxy The Legion of Super-Heroes.

Roll Call

• Brainiac-5
• Colossal Boy
• Element Lad
• Light Lass
• Cosmic Boy
• Superboy
• Shrinking Violet
• Dream Girl
• Star Boy
• Sun Boy
• Tyroc
• The other members of the Legion in the back ground.

Legion Equipment

• Flight Ring

Rooms in the Headquarters.

• Infirmary
• briefing room
• Monitor room
• Cell Bank
• Gymnasium
• Tyroc's Quarters

Villain

• Absorbancy Boy

Guest Star

• Infectious Lass

Notes:
Page 2:

• Nice call back to Superboy #201 with the use of Infectious Lass

Page 3:

• Tyroc arrives in his own personal Cruiser
• Brainiac-5 briefing members that missed issue 216

Page 4:

• Tyroc Teleports in to nice effect.
• Brainiac-5 thinks he is hip the way he shakes Tyroc's hand.

Page 5:

• "Zoraz" burns his way into the room and easily defeats four Legionnaires.

Page 6

• Tyroc stands by while a villain takes out his new partners.

Page7:

• "Zoraz" burns the control box, is any one seeing a pattern here?
• "Arrrhh!" Yell from Tyroc causes thing to explode

Page 8:

• Superboy and Cosmic Boy arrive Late, this will happen again with Legionnaires showing up after Tyroc had faced the bad guy.
• We see the 4 Legionnaires that were defeated by Zoraz lying in sick bay.
• They show Tyroc the Legion Cell Bank last seen in Superboy 206.

Page 9:

• We have a mystery man hiding out in the ventilation shaft.

Page 10:

• Star Boy and Dream Girl making out in the hallway.
• Cosmic Boy and Sun Boy watching them make out on the monitor.
• There is probably a few sex visi-tapes floating around the 30th century starring Dream Girl.

Page 11:

• Tyroc to the rescue.
• Zoraz using super strength.
• ZZZRRUGHHHH! make you spin round round like record baby.

Page 12:

• Zoraz sucking all of the air out of the room with Super breath. Hmmm

Page 13:

• Sun Boy and Cosmic Boy are a day late and a dollar short, or since this is the 30th century a credit Short.
• Superboy wakes Tyroc out of a sound sleep.
• Tyroc goes to the briefing room to see the injured Legionnaires up and around.

Page 14.

• Tyroc should be pissed to find out he was part of a fraternity prank.

Page 15:

• A 3rd person puts on the Zoraz suit, that thing must reek.
• How many Legion Rejects turn into villains. This Guy, all of the Legion rejects in 212. I believe radiation Roy and Spider-Girl. I will have to do more research but there has to be close to a dozen.

Page 16:

• Absorbancy Boy, his name is Absorbancy Boy, Cary, you are better writer than that your flash stories prove that, wait you came up with Big Sir, never mind.

Page 17:

• Tyroc tricks Absorbancy Boy into using Super Hearing to take him out.
• Tyroc get sworn into the Legion, this being the first of many stories of him with the team. Maybe not.

Notes:
Great Story until the end, have to use Super hearing to have the guy take himself out seems a bit anti climatic. But the build up to the reveal of Zoraz being Superboy and Sun Boy was good. I like that they played a prank on Tyroc similar to the one Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Boy I mean Lad, played on Superboy in Adventure 247.
 Good use of Infectious Lass even if it is only for a couple of panels, I always like when we can call back to passed issues. Absorbancy Boy is a little dumb but I will forgive it knowing now what Geoff Johns will turn him into.

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Next Time Karate Kid 3, Oh Boy

 

Superboy # 215 Starring the Legion of Super-heroes

"The Hero who wouldn't Fight" Story By: Jim Shooter, Art by Mike Grell & Bill Draut

Planet Kar Zagas and out of the way Planetoid, Current population 227 cutthroats, thieves and Villains and one Legionnaire. Disguised as Radako, expert marksman, assassin for hire, Chameleon Boy infiltrates the Citadel only to find out he is expected and zapped by the Emerald Empress's Emerald Eye. The Emerald Empress acting without the Fatal five has taken over the citadel and is forming a criminal army to take back her home world of Vengar. She blasts Chameleon boy and has her men lock him up in a special cell and take his flight ring. A short while later the in a Legion Cruiser gets the signal it has been waiting for and Ultra boy acting as the leader transport a group of Legionnaires all except Cosmic boy to the planet's surface. Cosmic Boy is left behind because this is the one day of the year that people of his planet Braal are forbidden to use their magnetic powers.
Seconds after they beam down Light Lass beams back  and tells him it was a trap the others were captured and she barley escaped. She pleads with Cosmic boy to take them by surprise with his Super Magnetism. Cosmic Boy refuses due to his people's beliefs. If he used his power he would dishonor his whole family for generations and lose his own self respect. Light Lass continue to plead asking him to save her brother's Lightning Lad's life. She badgers him for a little bit until he tells her to shut up and slaps her.

 Cosmic Boy says he can not use his powers but he will fight and die like a Legionnaire. He beams down leaving Light Lass to think she goaded him into suicide. Cosmic Boy sneaks into to the citadel thanks to his Legion Flight ring and finds the Legionnaires locked up in glass like cubes. Ultra Boy says that the cells drain their powers but that Cosmic boy can blast them from out outside. Cosmic Boy tries to lift the quadrostat but he can not, just as the guards come in the quadrostat flies into Ultra Boy's cell and frees him. A missile is fired and cosmic boy leaps in front of it to buy time so that Ultra Boy and free, Sun Boy, Shadow Lass, Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy and Colossal Boy. The villains flee knocking down the Emerald Empress allowing the team to capture her. Cosmic Boy lies dying on the floor and the others wonder why he did not use his powers to save his life since he used them to free Ultra boy. Sun Boy tells them that he did not use his powers, he found Cosmic Boy's flight ring in the wreckage of the Quadrostat he must of put in inside of it and used it to fly into the wall. He kept his honor till the end. Ultra Boy talks to the Empress and asks her to use her Eye to save Cosmic Boy's life. She says she will compile as ling as they let her go. The team tell him not to trust her, but Ultra Boy tells the others to let her go and she vanishes. But shortly after Cosmic boy comes around.
Roll Call:

• Chameleon Boy
• Cosmic Boy
• Colossal Boy
• Sun Boy
• Ultra Boy
• Lightning Lad
• Light Lass
• Shadow Lass

Villain

• The Emerald Empress

Planets Visited:

• Kar Zargas

Legion Equipment:

• Cruiser
• Flight Ring
• Transporter

Notes
Page 1:

• We get a good look at the worst costume in Legion history, Cosmic Boy's Black bare chested suit.
• Chameleon tries to sneak in but gets caught.

Page 2:

• The Emerald Empress and her Emerald Eye.

Page 3:

• The Legion stole one of Star trek transporters
• Cosmic Boy cannot use his powers because of cultural beliefs,

Page 4:

• Light Lass tries to guilt Cosmic Boy into helping.
• Cosmic Boy smacks a Bitch.

Page 6:

• Cosmic Boy frees Ultra Boy with out using his powers and then gets blasted.

Page 8:

• The Empress revives Cosmic boy for her own freedom.

Excellent story, we get a first rate villain and two new costumes, Cosmic Boy's and Colossal Boy's. Cosmic Boy stays around for a while but Colossal boy reverts back to his old uniform in a year or two.

Next Time Karate Kid # 1

Superboy # 211 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes

SUPERBOY # 211 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes. Cover date: Sept 1975, Cover Price .25 cents. First Story: "The Ultimate Revenge" Art: Mike Grell, Story: Jim Shooter.
 A small space craft flies through the vast emptiness of space. The pilot is looking for a place called Haven, when a hidden door opens in the middle of space. The craft lands and out comes Roxxas, he is greeted by the Havenmastter Gorra. Haven is a refuge for the most wanted men in the universe.  It is hidden in the outermost reaches of the Galaxy invisible to all who gaze at it. The refuge is invisible and transparent to radar. Roxxas escaped takron galtos the prison planet over a year ago. Gorra asks when he had been hiding, a very disturbed Roxxas answers the last place anyone would look for him, but he had to leave it he could not stand it there any longer. Roxxas tells how he had a ship stashed on the prison planet and he fake an injury to break out of the infirmary. Gorra is showing Roxxas around when one of the walls breaks open and the Legion of Super-Heroes arrive. While haven is invisible from our side of the galaxy it is visible from the other side. Star boy, Light Lass, Chemical King and Element lad take out the villains. During the fight Roxxas escapes to his ship but not before Element Lad spots him and hesitates giving Roxxas the opportunity to rocket away.
The team leave the Science Police to wrap up and return to Legion Headquarters on earth. Sun Boy takes the Auto-Log tape of the mission and puts the foursome on leave.
 Star Boy is excited and asks Element Lad if he is going to visit his parents. Star Boy did not know that Jan Arrah, Element Lad's parents and the whole population of his planet Trom were murdered. He then tells his origin story. " Trom was a small, barren radioactive planet, there was only one Valley where the radiation level was low enough for life to exist. A side effect of this is that the people of Trom developed the power to transform any element to any other element. The four million people of Trom lived a peaceful life, until they were visited by a fleet of space-pirates led by the villain Roxxas. Roxxas wanted the people of Trom to use there powers for his benefit. They refused and were ready to defend themselves but roxxas rained Photon Torpedoes on the valley. The Tromites had no defense against energy weapons their power only affected matter. Roxxas's men pursued the few survivors through the ruins, gunning them down in cold blood. Jan was the only one who escaped, after finding a spaceship that survived the holocaust, and that was when he joined the Legion and helped capture Roxxas. A grim faced Element lad makes his leave saying he has a cruiser warming up on the flight deck. At the same time in the computer room Sun Boy is running the tape of of the raid on Haven when Superboy arrives from the past. He shows Superboy the scene of Roxxas escaping. He tells Superboy that none of the Legionnaires with Jan were involved with Roxxas' capture but he recognizes him instantly. They look at the Legion locator's board and see that Element Lad blasted off with no destination stated. Superboy and Sun boy think that Element Lad has gone after Roxxas so they gather the Light Lass, Star Boy and Chemical King and take off in a 2nd cruiser.
  At the same time Element Lad is talking to the Science Police and they tell him that under Hypnosis Gorra said that Roxxas's hideout is the last place anyone would look for it. That was enough information for Element Lad and he heads for Trom. Superboy is tracking with his telescopic vision and watches him land on Trom, but they are about 3 hours behind.
  Once on Trom Element Lad searches for Roxxas, through the ruins. Roxxas sees him and recognize that it is the one surviving Trommite. Roxxas steps out of the shadows and faces Jan. Element lad uses his powers to turn all metal on the villain to gas. Jan pulls out a Death Ray Gun and aims it at Roxxas, he is about to fire when the Legion shows up. They tell him to turn Roxxas over to justice. But Jan says he is the law and it is his right to execute him. Star boy explains that he once killed a man in self defense and was kick out of the Legion for a while, and that Legionnaires do not kill. So Element Lad resigns. As he fires his weapon Superboy is about to stop him at super speed but Chemical King stops him and the weapon fires. Roxxas slumps to the ground and the others berate Jan. Superboy who has had enough of Chemical Kings shit, picks him up and is about to toss him into the sun, when element lad breaks down regretting what he did. Chemical King free of Superboy picks up the Death ray gun and holds it to his own head and fires, the same glowing beam comes out but it does not harm the Legionnaire. King explains that he used is power to deteriorate the Quasi batter in the gun, it only had enough power to throw a light beam. He also used his power to slow down Roxxas' metabolism so he appeared to be dead. Just then Roxxas gets up and is raving about how he is being haunted by the souls of the trommites who he killed and begs for them to kill him. Jan see that Letting him live with his madness is the ultimate revenge.

Bits of Legionnaire Business
Roll Call:

• Element Lad (Jan Arrah)
• Star Boy
• Chemical King
• Light Lass
• Sun Boy
• Superboy
• Brainiac-5 (flashback)

Villain

• Roxxas

Rooms in the headquarters

• Computer Room

Legion Equipment

• Legion Cruisers
• Death Ray gun
• Auto Log Tape
• Legion space suits

Notes:
Page 3:

• Legion breaks into haven, it looks like from the outside wall, but know one is sucked into space.

Page 4:

• Haven is invisible from one side of the galaxy but it is visible from the other, not sure how that works.

Page 5:

• Last time we saw Light Lass she was a blonde now she is has orange/red hair.

Page 6:

• Star boy and Element Lad has been team mates for years but he never heard his origin story before, I find that hard to believe.

Page 7:

• Superboy does not show up until page 7 of his own comic book.

Page 8:

• Legion Locator board shows Cosmic Boy on Kathoon, keep that in mind for next issues back up, I might call back to this.
• Gorra being interrogated under Hypno-Prisms, I wonder when they stopped using Miranda rights in the 30th century.

Page 10:

• Flash back to when Star Boy Killed a guy who had a crush on Dream girl.
• Chemical king should be dead for jumping in front of a moving Superboy.

Page 11:

• Superboy looks like he is going punch Chemical King into orbit.
• last panel of page, Chemical King is doing the most useful thing he has ever done as a Legionnaire.

Very good story tieing in Element Lad's Origin, which has not been mentioned since he first appeared back in the sixties. Not much character development being done at this time but Shooter has a good handle on the Team.

Next time: Member Profile on Element Lad

Member Profile: Light Lass

Real Name: Ayla Ranzz
Home Planet: Winath
Also known as: Lightning Lass, Lightning Lad
Known Relatives: Garth Ranzz (Lightning Lad, Brother) Mekt Ranzz (Lightning Lord)
Height: 6'0
Weight: 130
Eyes: blue
Hair: Red (Dyed Blonde)
First app. Adventure comics 308
Created By: Edmond Hamilton, and John Forte
Powers: make objects super light weight
Notes:
Light Lass was the first cross dressing member of the Legion. She joined the team disguised as her recently deceased brother Lightning Lad (he got better.) Ayla got her original powers along with her brothers by being attack by lightning beasts. Her powers changed when Dream Girl used her science abilities to give her the powers of super light weight, allowing her to stay with the team. Over the years she has been romantically involved with Timber Wolf.

Next time: Superboy #208

Superboy # 207 Starring the Legion of Super-heroes "Lightning Lad's day of dread"

"Lightning Lad's day of dread" Story: Cary Bates, Art: Mike Grell

Lightning Lad is in a viewing chamber watches Slides of himself and his brother Mekt as babies being held by their parents. A few years later walking with their baby sister Ayla. And several more years Later when both he and his brother were teenagers. Then out of no where he shoots a lightning bolt at the screen destroying the viewer. Shrinking Violet goes to the viewing chamber to see what happens and he shoves her out of the way.

The pissed off hero flies outside where one of the Legion cruisers is prepped to take off. Lightning Lad tells Element Lad off, blasts him with lightning and takes the ship that was assigned to Karate Kid.

 A clue less Karate kid comes out and whines that the ship was reserved for him. Cosmic Boy and Brainiac-5  look through the mess of the viewing chamber. This gives us a chance to give a brief recap of Lightning Lad's origin. Lightning Lad (Garth) and his brother Mekt were struck simultaneously by an Electric monster that charged them both with Lightning powers. Garth became Lightning Lad and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. and Mekt became Lightning Lord a founder of the Legion of Super-Villains.
  Cosmic boy and Brainy go to see Lightning Lad sister Light Lass to see if she can tell them what set Garth off in such a rage. But she is not able to speak for another 24 hours as she is recovering from Rigil Fever.
Not able to voice her concerns Ayla does know the cause of her brothers strange behavior, and if weren't for the paralyzing fever she has she would be with him right now. In the void of space millions of miles from earth Lightning Lad reaches the spot where he left a statue a year ago, that painful tragic day that his parents traveling to earth to visit Garth and his sister crashed into an asteroid while talking to them on the radio. They went to the sector where they were last reported and at the site of the crash they carved a statue of their parents out of the very meteor that they crashed into. Garth is a lone in his memories when out of the black a space suit clad Lightning Lord appears. They exchange lightning bolts but Mekt tells him that he is here only as a son to mourn his parents. They both pay their respects and exchange threats and go their separate ways.

Bits of Legionnaire Business:
Roll Call:

• Lightning Lad (Garth)
• Light Lass ( Ayla)
• Shrinking Violet
• Element Lad
• Karate Kid
• Cosmic Boy
• Brainiac-5
• Shadow Lass

Room in Legion Headquarters:

• Viewing Chamber
• Medical Center

Equipment used

• Legion cruiser
• Flight Ring
• Telepathic Plugs

Legion Villain

• Lightning Lord (Mekt)

Notes:
Page 1:

• We see images of Garth and Mekt being the same age and Ayla being their younger sister, but in the past it has been shown that Mekt is the older brother and Ayla and Garth are twins.

page 2:

• We see Lightning Lad being a bastard to his teammates, while the Garth of this time period is usually a even tempered guy, this Lightning Lad is more in line with the later version of the character that show him as a hot head.

Page 3:

• Actions like this will not get you voted Legionnaire of the Month.

Page 4:

• Rigil fever, is this the same as Rigel fever that Princess Projectra had last issue?

Page 6:

• If Lightning Lad and Light lass are in their late teens, why does their Mother look like she is in her early to mid twenties? 30th century plastic surgery?

Another good back up, and expect where Cary gets the ages wrong of Mekt and Ayla this was an entertaining story. But I have a question, we are shown in past issues that Legion Members get to take a Cruiser on vacation, why is this they are off duty and should have to provide their own transportation? These cruisers are not cheap and couldn't they be needed for more important duties. Not sure how many they have but they could not have more than a few of the big cruisers shown. And does Karate Kid need a space ship to travel to Japan? come on he can fly commercial like every one else, or just use his flight ring.
Next time Member Profile: Light Lass

Superboy # 207 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes

Superboy # 207 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes. "The rookie who betrayed the Legion!" Story: Cary Bates, Art: Mike Grell. Cover Price .25 cents. Cover Dave March-April 1975.

The President of earth briefs the Legion of Super-Heroes about the escape of Legion Villain Universo from the Omega Prison complex. He used his hypnotic powers to compel the guards to let him out and help him escape. The president tells the Legion that Universo is hiding out on R-7 one of the Rigel Planetoids. The president asks the Legion to recapture Universo and they agree. While they are discussing it the Intruder Alarm goes off. Superboy tells the others that the prowler has made a Colossal mistake. Colossal meaning Colossal Boy, who is on patrol and grabs the intruder in one of his giant sized hands. When Colossal boy gets a good look at the intruder he sees it is a Science Police officer. The officer introduces himself a s Dvron, and wants to go with them on their hunt for Universo. He tells them that last year that along with his partner, they were tracking Universo through the mutated jungles of Africa, when a giant man eating plant attack his partner and killed him. Dvron sees Universo controlling the plant with his hypnotic powers. He tried to apprehend him but being shaken up by his partner's death Universo easily eluded him.
Timber Wolf, Shrinking Violet, Light Lass and Chameleon Boy are all for Dvron coming along but Superboy is a little doubtful, but he agrees to go along with the others wishes. They land on the rock like planetoid and split up, Superboy teams with Light Lass, Timber Wolf goes with Shrinking Violet and that leaves Chameleon Boy with officer Dvron. Dvron and Cham stay behind a little and discuss how best to find their foe. Dvron says it is sometimes useful to think like a criminal when trying to apprehend one. Cham say if he were Universo he'd hide where he least expected to be found. And there he was trying to sneak into the Legion's cruiser. Chameleon Boy leaps for Universo but from be hind Dvron blasts the hero with his stunner.
 A short time later after coming up empty the other 4 heroes return to the ship to find Dvron standing over an unconscious Chameleon boy. When he comes too, cham tries to tell them that Dvron was under Universo's control when he shot him, but Dvron denies this. He will not tell them why he betrayed them. Superboy has Light lass stand guard over the disgraced officer and he joins the other 3 in their search for Universo. When her back is turned Universo appears and hits Light Lass from behind. But it is not Universo but Chameleon disguised as the villain and he gets Dvron to admit that Universo saved his life from being eaten by that man eating plant, and that he let him go to return the favor. But now that the favor is re payed he wants another shot at capturing Universo. He joins a recovering Light Lass and Chameleon boy and off they go. They find Superboy beating the snot out of the other 2 members of the team and that he is under Universo's control. They loose sight of Universo and Superboy for a moment and they they reappear. Light Lass make Superboy super weight-less. Chameleon boy tells Dvron to take a shot at Universo, but instead he fires at Superboy. At first they think that Dvron betrayed them again but it turns out Superboy was really Universo and Universo was Superboy. With Universo captured the team asks Dvron how he new that Universo was using his hypnotic powers to make every one think one was the other. He told them he was thinking like a Criminal again.

Bits of Legionnaire Business
Roll Call

• Superboy
• Chameleon Boy
• Timber Wolf
• Shrinking Violet
• Light Lass
• Colossal Boy

First Appearance:
SP Officer Dvron
Legion Equipment used:

• Legion cruiser
• Flight Ring

Rooms in the Legion headquarters:

• Monitor Room

Planets visited:

• Rigel Planetoid R-7

Legion Villain:

• Universo

Notes:
Page 2:

• President of earth looks different from the last time he was shown, or I might be getting him mixed up with the United Planets president.

Page 3

• First appearance of SP officer Dvron

Page 4

• Dvron and his partner are flying through the mutated jungles of Africa. It is not mentioned how or when they were mutated.

Page 9

• Chameleon boy disguise himself as Universo to trick Dvron into spilling the beans, at the expense of Light Lass.

Page 11

• You don't see it but Superboy beats the crap out of Timber Wolf and Violet. I Liked the panel of Superboy flying off pulling Violet by her hair.

Page 12

• Universo is flying along with Superboy, it is not explained how he can fly and not sure if he flew in previous appearances.

I found it strange that except when Chameleon boy disguises him self as Universo we get no dialog from the villain.
   Good Story, Grell's art does not seem to be as crisp as other stories but a lot better than some of the artist that were out there at the time.
Next Time: The 2nd story of Superboy 207 "Lightning Lad's Day of Dread"

Superboy 202 Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes "The Wrath of the Devil-Fish!"

"The Wrath of the Devil-Fish!" Story: Cary Bates, Art: Dave Cockrum.
 In the headquarters of the Legion of Super-Heroes, ERG-1 the newest sworn in member of the team uses his Powers to display his new code name " WILDFIRE". The assembled members congratulates him and notes that Superboy, Mon-El, Light Lass, and Element Lad could not be there because they are investigating and alarm that went off in their automated Sea-Station in the pacific. We switch to the scene several hours ago to one of the Legion cruisers docking on the futuristic ocean bound base. The alarm going off means only one thing to the assembled team that there is an intruder on board. While starting the search Mon-El explains that the automated base is run by computers powered by energy drawn from pollutants in the ocean. A second alarm sounds notifying a power shut down. Mon-El orders his squad to the power plant deck. When they get there they find no sign of the intruder but  all of the equipment is covered in bubbles gumming up the power plant's pollutant converter. Element Lad uses his power of altering the molecular structure of any element to analyze the composition of the bubbles but they burst open and stun Element Lad with an explosion. Element lad deduces that the bubbles were composed of strange unknown elements. Superboy finds large inhuman footprints in the bubbles and just as the team were about to follow them the lights go out. Mon-El tells the team that they will have to act quickly with the pollutant converter out of action the area will soon become poisonous again. Superboy using his infra-red vision to see the tracks in the dark leads the team to the end of the deck that leads to the water. They decided that they must be tracking a water being, Element Lad and Light lass don Oxy breathers and the four dive into the ocean. Using telepathic plugs to communicate the team soon catches up with their quarry. A being who is half man half fish.

They surround the creature and it unleashes its deadly bubbles onto our heroes. The man-fish leaves the team to finish what it started the destruction of sea-base. The team awaken covered in bubbles which is sapping their strength. Discussing their predicament over their telepathic link they call the creature a Devil-Fish.
  On the base the Devil-Fish find alien invaders planning to poison the earth's atmosphere by exploding the bases pollutant converters, so that the blame will fall on the legionnaires. At that same moments hundreds of feet below, Element lad is using his powers to transform the bubbles to oxygen to free himself and his teammates. Mon-El splits the team up to search for the Devil-Fish. The creature who was on its way to free the Legionnaires runs into Mon-E' who quickly ties it up with seaweed he plucked from the ocean floor. Mon-El not being able to communicate with the creature removes one of his telepathic plugs. Moments later the other three members are racing to the sea-station answering Mon-El's telepathic summons. At the station Mon-El and the Devil-Fish are making short work of all but one invaders . The last alien takes his weapon and fires it at a nearby hydro cruiser, knowing that Mon-El cannot capture him and stop the beam at the same time. But out of the ocean bursts the Boy of steel stopping the beam from hitting the cruiser. Element lad uses his powers to make the rifle into H2O. And a very wet Light lass makes the invader weightless. The legion dumps the invaders into the aliens space craft. Mon-El and Superboy uses their combined super strength to throw the ship into the sun, er I mean far far into space. Mon-El tells the team what he learned from the so called Devil-fish, that the creature was a mutant that lived on the pollutants in the water and that the sea-station was cutting off his food supply. He told them to look around that even through the converter had been off for hours the sea life in the area was still healthy. They decide that they need to adapt the sea-station to run on a different energy source. The Devil-Fish returns to the see and the Legion wonders if they will ever run into their strange amphibious ally again?

Bits of Legionarrie Buisness
Roll Call:

• Mon-El (Leader)
• Superboy
• Light Lass
• Element Lad
• Brainiac-5
• Saturn Girl
• Shadow Lass
• Timber Wolf
• Matter-Eater Lad
• Wildfire

Legion Equipment used:

• Oxy Breathers
• Flight Rings
• Telepathic Ear Plugs
• Sea-Station
• Legion cruiser

Notes:
 The story opens up with Wildfire showing his new name to Brainiac-5, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Matter-Eater Lad, and Timber Wolf. and the six heroes are not seen in the issue again. Bates must of not of had enough pages to show us this at the end of last issues main story. We see the Legion's Sea-Station for the first and last time. Besides converting pollutants to energy we are not shown what the stations purpose is. The team uses a Space cruiser to fly from Metropolis to the pacific. That is like taking a  Plane from Boston Mass to Stoughton Mass. (a small town about 20 miles from Boston). Superboy and Mon-El could of flown there in less time it would take to warm up the cruisers engines. Superboy and Mon-El can swim at great speeds, how is the normal strength Light Lass and Element lad keeping up with them? Flight rings allow the wearers to fly, but do they propel them through water? Probably but I am not sure. We are introduced to an interesting character of the Devil-Fish and at the time I first read this I could not wait until we would see this character again. 38 years later I am still waiting. All in all this is a good story, you start out thinking the Devil-Fish is the villain and you are pleased that he is really a hero. The alien invaders were goofy looking but a good design by Cockrum, this story was a good note for the artist to leave the title on for a while.

This issue was one of the 100 page issues that DC published in the early to mid 70's. I like the 100 page issues, you got at least one new story and several reprints stories, at the time these helped me learn about DC vast history. Each title gave you stories from the past that at the time were not available elsewhere. Trade paperbacks did not exist and back issue stores were hard to find.
Next Time: Member Profile Colossal Boy.