Cover Credits: Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Writer Jim Shooter, Pencils Curt Swan, Ink Jack Abel.
Last Issue our Heroes, Superboy, Mon-El, Duo Damsel, and Shadow Lass were hiding from the sorcerer Mordru in 20th Century Smallville, They were about to return to the 30th century when Mordru attacked.
They escape Mordru and his Magic by borrowing underground. Superboy builds a device and gathers the Legionnaire's and his parents all back in their disguises. The device he built will remove their memories of being Legionnaires and reinforce their disguised persona's, this should last for about an hour. The device works and the foursome go about their separate business.
Duo Damsel disguised as Marie Elkins returns to the Parker home, where she was pretending to be a cousin. Shadow Lass returns to the Lang house where she is sharing a bed room with Lana Lang as exchange student Betsy Norcross. Mon-El is living with the Kents as a relative named Bob Cobb a brush sales man and Superboy is of course mild mannered high school student Clark Kent.
Meanwhile Mordru uses his power to touch the citizens of Smallville brains. The thought is searching probing and all secrets are laid to bare. He sees in several people minds clues to the fact that Clark and his friends are Legionnaires, but when he search their minds he find no memory of them being heroes. He thinks that the heroes are still hiding in Smallville and is determine to find them. Mordru power does have an effect on the heroes, erasing the post hypnotic suggestion which would restore their memories at the end of an hour.
Mordru summons his army from the 30th century and seals the time travel Lanes so that no one will be able to Leave or enter this time period. To limited the area his men will have to search Mordru uses magical Lightning to shatter the earth around Smallville and raises it off the ground. Higher and Higher the town soars until at the fringes of space it stops it ascent then at Mordru's command an Impenetrable shield forms about the sky island, holding in the air supply and completely isolating the community. The people of Smallville realize that they are in trouble and hopes that Superboy will save them, not knowing that Superboy is among them unaware of who he is. Mordru's army appears and starts it search for the missing Legionnaires, searching every home looking for secret rooms or any thing that will help their search. The soldiers have gathered up all of the teen-age girls including who they call the prime suspects Betsy Norcross and Marie Elkins. Betsy and Marie cower when the soldiers fire their blasters near them, but Lana Lang attacks the solider but she is pulled off him. The officer sees that the girls are frightened and turns them loose they do not have fire like the power less Lana.
In the Kent General Store a solider notices Clark resemblance to Superboy and tries to get him to talk by beating his Father. After Jonathan is beaten Clark confess to being Superboy but the soldiers laugh it off because he did not use super-strength to stop his father's beating. The Soldiers leave but they are observed by Pete Ross, Clark's best friend who unknown to Clark knows that he is Superboy. Pete calls Lana to meet him at a deserted house and he tells her that he knows that she is a member of the Legion reservist and that he is an Honorary member. He tells her that Superboy needs their help and that he will have to tell her his secret Identity. Lana scoffs at him and ask why Superboy would confide his secret to him. Pete tells her that he isn't aware that he accidentally found out that he is Clark Kent. He tells Lana how he discovered Clark's Identity on a "camping" trip and tells her to get her Bio Ring and change into Insect Queen. Late at night Lana dressed as Insect Queen turns into a Fly girl and climbs the side of the Kent home. Turning into a caterpillar Queen she spins a cocoon around him including his mouth so he will not wake his sleeping cousin, Her caterpillar form turns into a Butterfly and carries Clark off to meet Pete. They untie Clark and Pete uses a pair of scissors to cut Clark's hair but the scissors break, breaking Clark out of the hypnotic spell he was under. He flies off to get his costume and Reinforcements.
Back in costume Superboy gets the hypnosis ray and uses it on the other 3 legionnaires. Shortly all of the heroes are dressed in their uniforms and meet Superboy back at the deserted house with Lana and Pete. Superboy introduces the Legion members to the smallville team and starts to fill them in on his plan.
The next Morning in the Kent basement Duo Damsel splits into two and Pete Ross is wearing a Superboy costume and his legion flight ring while Superboy is mixing up Make up.
A little while later troops patrol the streets still looking for the legionnaires when out of the ground comes Mon-El, Duo Damsel, "Superboy" and "Shadow Lass". Mon-El moves a tank out of the way while "Superboy" punches one of the soldiers. The Soldiers fire their Magi Rays on them knocking the heroes down and take them captive. Out of sight the real Superboy and Shadow Lass along with Lana watch as they are marched down the streets. The captive heroes are brought to Mordru's cave throne room he is ready to kill them when Superboy and his two female Friends arrive. Shadow Lass quickly covers the cave in darkness while Superboy starts to beat the stuffing out of Mordru, the heroes think they are winning when Mordru uses his magic on them and knocks them off their feet. He uses his magic to bind them and puts them on trial with a Jury made up of the greatest criminals of the 30th century.
With Mordru acting as the Judge the "trial" starts with a man name Wraithor acting as the prosecutor and Pete Ross for the defense. The Legion is charged with Anti Crimes against various foes such as the Time Trapper, Universo, Dr. Regulus and several others, but the main charge is that they trapped Mordru in an airless vault where he remained unconscious for years. Mordru asks Pete if he denies any of the charges. Pete tells him that the Legion is proud of protecting the universe from fiends like Mordru. Pete insults the jury, and they come back with a guilty verdict. Mordru sentences them to life imprisonment on the Devil's island of space. But Wraithor has another suggestion. He has designed a Lead/Kryptonite triple steel Inertron vault to entombed them just like Mordru was. Mordru likes the Idea and the 5 heroes and Pete are sealed in the vault and lowered into the Pit. Inside Lana is crying but Superboy tells them that something is off the Kryptonite has not weakened him and Mon-El is not bothered from the lead even through the serum he uses has worn off. The Kryptonite and the Lead are not the only think that is faked the Inertron walls peal apart like it was tinfoil. Outside the vault they wondered who helped them when Wraithor emerges from the shadows. He explains that he was once a sorcerer and on the council of wizards on the planet Zerox but Mordru discovered a means of stealing their powers and when he took over the planet he made Wraithor his chief lackey in jest. He says Pete's speech broke the spell that mordru had on him and used what little power he had left to fake the death vault. When Wraithor was done explaining he was disintegrated by a blast from Mordru. Mordru cast a spell leaving the Legionnaires powerless and trapped in a force field. Mordru generates a massive fireball of force to hurl at the six helpless mortals. But as Mordru pours his last Iota of terrible force into his weapon and lifts it high above his head to drive it down upon the heroes the cavern walls unable to withstand the presence of the awesome energy, crumble around him and buries him. The heat of the fireball fuses the fallen rubble sealing the villain in. But Six figures make it to the surface. The Legionnaires are the only ones that survived Mordru force field shielded them from the cave in and when their powers returned they were able to dig out. Later after returning smallville to earth Superboy uses the hypnosis ray on Lana having her forget about his secret Identity. He goes to do Pete next but Mon-El grabs the ray and uses it on Superboy having him forget that Pete ever knew his identity. Mon-El tells Pete that it is a reward for helping them. But what he does not mention is that sometime in the Future he will save Superman's Life because he knows his identity.
When the four heroes get to the Future they expect to find it destroyed, But every thing is well. Invisible Kid tells them that Dream Girl had a vision of Mordru attacking and with the help of the White Witch and Princess Projectra they were able to protect the Legion headquarters from Mordru's Magic and project an Illusion of the headquarters being destroyed. Mon-El smiles a big chauvinistic smile thinking it is Ironic that Mordru was foiled by three girls.
Bits of Legionnaire Business
Roll Call:
- Superboy
- Mon-El
- Shadow Lass
- Duo Damsel
- Invisible Kid
- Dream Girl
- Princess Projectra
Guest Starring:
- Lana Lang
- White Witch
- Pete Ross
Villain:
- Mordru
Legion Equipment
- Flight Rings
Notes
Page 2:
- Mordru uses his powers against the Legion
Page 3:
- They turn tail and tunnel away from Mordru
Page 4:
- Superboy builds a Hypno ray to use on the Legion. At least he did not use Super Hypnosis.(The worst of his powers)
Page 5 and 6
- Mordru uses his powers to see through the minds of every one in smallville looking for the legion.
- He finds them but does not believe it is them
Page 8:
- Mordru lifts the town of smallville up into pace.
Page 9:
- Mordru has his men gather up all of the Teen-Age girls, the sick pervert.
Page 10:
- Lana attacks a solider while the hypnotised Legionnaires stand by and watch.
- Clark watches as the soldiers beat the snot out of his father.
Page 11:
- Pete Ross figures out what is going on and convinces Lana to kidnap Clark in the middle of the night. One might think this is not the first time Lana has broken into Clark's room.
Lana Becomes a Fly Girl.- Not one of those fly girls
Page 12:
- Clark's Hair breaks another pair of scissors.
Page 14
- Superboy's Big plan is to have Pete disguise himself as Superboy and have one half of Duo Damsel dress up like Shadow Lass.
Page 16:
- Superboy is beating the crap out of Mordru until Magic rears it little head again. Magic is almost as much a pain as time travel.
Page 17:
- We get a look at Mordru's S & M play room.
Page 18:
- Pete Ross for the defense. The old saying is the person who defends them self has a fool for a client, what does that mean when Pete is your Lawyer?
Page 23:
- The Legion does not beat Mordru he beats himself having his own fireball bring down the cave on top of him.
Page 24:
- Mon-El says that Pete will save Superman's Life in the future, but I have read a shit load of Superman comics and up till Crisis of Infinite Earths Pete does not Save Superman's life because he knows his Identity. He does go Evil for a little while but that does not happen in a Legion story.
- This is not the last time a Legion Member will hypnotise Superboy without his knowledge.
Page 25:
- Mon-El is a smug bastard saying it is Ironic that Mordru is foiled by three girls.
The ending to this story is the only part that I find weak, but this is my favorite story from the Adventure Run. I first read this in one of the Tabloid size books they published in the 70's. Since then I have picked up the original Issues as well as the Legion archives.
Next time back to our coverage of the Legion Stories in Superboy with number 214.
Have a Happy and safe new year.
D
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