The Superman Family Vol 1 #207
Time to also start in once more on the re-reads of a classic Legion of Super-Heroes comic issue. This time out: a lovely Supergirl story with a classic Legion villain. Enjoy! :)
The Superman Family Vol 1 #207
(May-June) June, 1981
"Look Homeward, Argonian!"
Plot: Jack C. Harris
Script: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Win Mortimer
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: John Costanza
Colourist: John Drake
Cover: Ross Andru (pencils) & Dick Giordano (inks) (signed)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Featuring:
Supergirl
Mission Monitor Board:
Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy, Blok, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5; Sun Boy (cameo); Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet (cameo flashback)
Opposition:
Universo
Synopsis:
Supergirl, in her civilian identity as Linda Danvers, arrives back at Santa Augusta from a business trip. When she steps off the airplane, she is greeted by the sight of Argo City around her, instead of Santa Augusta. She soon realizes that it is an illusion of some sort, as the people around her are not aware of her and they are intangible. She knows she is not actually in Argo City, but is not sure what is actually going on. Her friend, Val, has come to the airport and this breaks the spell or whatever she found herself under, Val telling her that she was stumbling around the airport. Kara uses her telescopic vision to check out Krypton's sun, and is surprised to see that the real Argo City has not been destroyed, and that it is still in orbit around a yellow sun! Furthermore, the Argonians are all looking up as if they are looking back at her.
As soon as her friend drops her off at her apartment, Linda changes to Supergirl and speeds into space. She arrives on Argo City where she meets her former Kryptonian neighbour, Kam-Par. Like all the other Kryptonians that she has encountered, Kam-Par and the people of Argo City are immaterial. He tells her that after she was sent to Earth, her parents used an experimental projector to send themselves and all of Argo City into the Survival Zone. The ray worked on almost everyone; although some people died, most were saved by becoming intangible wraiths though in a delayed reaction. The Argonians tell Supergirl that one of her father's inventions, the Density-Intensifier, might be able to help them. Zor-El had created it to grant Supergirl her invulnerability in the event that she ever lost her powers, but the Argonians think it will re-solidify them. Supergirl agrees to look for the invention, and goes into the house in Argo City where she and her family lived. The Argonians, being in the Survival Zone, are unable to do so. When she enters the home, she remembers that her father didn't have time to conceal the Intensifier, and hid it in plain sight as a table lamp. When she points it out to Kam-Par, everything fades away and Supergirl finds herself alone in space, with horrible laughter echoing around her.
Supergirl flies towards Argo City, which is actually right where it should be, a destroyed relic orbiting a red sun. Using her telescopic vision from a safe distance, she sees someone standing in the ruins, holding the Density-Intensifier - Universo! He boasts that even her vaunted powers were no match for his super-hypnosis, and that he is going to use the weapon to destroy the Legion of Super-Heroes. She recalls who he is, and how the Legionnaires told her about their previous encounter with him, and how they beat him because his only super-power is his hypnosis abilities. Universo disappears into the time stream, and Supergirl, refusing to give up, follows him. She arrives in the 30th Century.
Inside Legion Headquarters, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Blok and Chameleon Boy can't figure out what's going on with their equipment, as one of the boards is going crazy with flashing lights and alarms, so Chameleon Boy goes and summons Brainiac 5. He determines that two beings have broken through the time barrier, and are to be found in the Legion Plaza, right outside the building. The seven Legionnaires race outside to find Supergirl confronting Universo!
Supergirl tells the Legionnaires to stay back, as it's a trap planned for them. She'll handle Universo. She draws his attention, baiting him, and he blasts her with the Density-Intensifier. And nothing happens to her, because, as she tells Universo, his "weapon" is nothing more than a table lamp. After destroying the "weapon", she punches Universo, taking him down before he can use his hypnotic powers on her. And the fight is over.
As Brainiac 5 and the other Legionnaires approach, Supergirl explains to them and Universo that she was never fooled by the illusion of her fellow Argonians; the Argonians wouldn't have known about the existence of the Intensifier, as only she and her parents knew of it. Supergirl says she played along with things until she could determine who the culprit was.
Once Universo has been taken into custody, Brainiac 5 asks Supergirl to stay in the future for a while, but she tearfully declines, and flies off. As she travels through the time stream, she thinks about her dead parents and the destroyed Argo City.
Commentary:
This is one of those stories that, as a Legion fan, you either love it or hate it. This 10-page tale is a Supergirl story that has an old Legion foe (Universo) in it and a small contingent of Legionnaires who don't really do anything in the story itself. The fact that it has the Legionnaires in it is just happenstance, as they don't really play a role in the story that unfolds, and there is virtually not a lot of interaction between the Legionnaires and Supergirl in the story. Unfortunately for the reader of the story, the cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano shows Supergirl confronting Universo, so as a result, the reader knows who the villain is even before they read the tale.
Which leads to the problems with the tale. Given that Universo is a super-hypnosis master, the fact that Kara isn't really on Argo City should come as no surprise to the reader in the early stage of the story. Furthermore, if the only people who knew of the Intensifier were Supergirl and her parents... how did Universo know about it? He says that he pulled the illusions of Argo City from Supergirl's mind, but did he really risk telepathically scanning her on the chance that her dead father had created some incredible weapon? That doesn't make sense. And Universo's super-power is super-hypnosis, not telepathy and the like (unless he's using some sort of device to do that), but how can he do it at the range needed here? And that's not to mention how Universo has to have access to time travel here without using his son, Rond Vidar's, machinery.
Incidentally, Supergirl acts like she's never heard of Universo, though on page 9 she recalls being told by the Legionnaires of his attack on them. However, Universo first came after the Legion in Adventure Comics Vol 1 #349 (when he tried to kill several Legionaires by trapping them in the past, and they were aided by his son, Rond Vidar) and then in Adventure Comics Vol 1 #359-360 (when he took over Earth, disguised as President Kandru Boltax). Supergirl was present at the beginning of his attempt to take over Earth, but surely the Legionnaires would have told her of both encounters with Universo. And even if she'd never met him, I find it difficult to believe that she wouldn't have remembered who he was.
As for the Legionnaires themselves, while they feature on the cover and while Supergirl fights a Legion foe, the five or six Legionnaires (Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Blok and Brainiac 5) appear in all of six panels in the 10-page story. And, of course, there's the throw-away appearance by Sun Boy in one panel as well. The one panel scene with Supergirl and Brainiac 5 doesn't really satisfy in terms of the relationship or lack thereof between the two, and leaves the reader wanting to know more. And in the last panel of the story (and despite the written text), when Kara is crying as she flies through the time stream, is she crying about her parents and Argo or about the seeming end of her relationship with Brainiac 5...
I can't really say all that much good about the artwork of the story. Win Mortimer's pencils are all right, though the story has an older, more Action Comics Vol 1 feel to it artistically, but Vince Colletta does a very heavy ink job on Mortimer's pencils, rendering the art as somewhat low quality. Sad really.
Final Notes:
While the cover of the issue clearly lists itself as "June, 1980," the issue was actually published in June, 1981. Obviously the issue was sent to press in late 1980, and no one caught that the year when it would be printed was incorrect...
It's a bit of a spoiler to have Universo on the cover of the issue, in the panel featuring this story. Giving away the villain like that, for shame!...
Other than the Supergirl story with the Legion, this Dollar Comic featured the following stories: Mr. & Mrs. Superman (the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane) in "The Turnabout Powers!"; A Private Life of Clark Kent story called "Too Good To Be True!"; Lois Lane in "The Expose Expose'!"; and Jimmy Olsen in "Death and Taxes or Jimmy Olsen's Very Bad Day!"...
This story must take place sometime after Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #272, in which Blok joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. According to an in-house ad, Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275 was on sale at the same time as this issue...
Although this would have been the first time Supergirl ever met Blok, no one is shown introducing them, and no pleasantries are exchanged between them...
When Universo appears in the 30th Century and prepares to attack the Legionnaires, he boasts that he'll be able to dispose of seven members of the Legion. In the bottom panel on page 10 of the story, there are clearly seven Legionnaires behind Supergirl emerging from the HQ. However, the only Legionnaires present here are Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Blok and Brainiac 5. Sun Boy appears in one panel on page 12, bringing the total Legionnaires count to six.
Next Issue: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #276
The Superman Family Vol 1 #207
(May-June) June, 1981
"Look Homeward, Argonian!"
Plot: Jack C. Harris
Script: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Win Mortimer
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: John Costanza
Colourist: John Drake
Cover: Ross Andru (pencils) & Dick Giordano (inks) (signed)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Featuring:
Supergirl
Mission Monitor Board:
Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy, Blok, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5; Sun Boy (cameo); Colossal Boy, Shrinking Violet (cameo flashback)
Opposition:
Universo
Synopsis:
Supergirl, in her civilian identity as Linda Danvers, arrives back at Santa Augusta from a business trip. When she steps off the airplane, she is greeted by the sight of Argo City around her, instead of Santa Augusta. She soon realizes that it is an illusion of some sort, as the people around her are not aware of her and they are intangible. She knows she is not actually in Argo City, but is not sure what is actually going on. Her friend, Val, has come to the airport and this breaks the spell or whatever she found herself under, Val telling her that she was stumbling around the airport. Kara uses her telescopic vision to check out Krypton's sun, and is surprised to see that the real Argo City has not been destroyed, and that it is still in orbit around a yellow sun! Furthermore, the Argonians are all looking up as if they are looking back at her.
As soon as her friend drops her off at her apartment, Linda changes to Supergirl and speeds into space. She arrives on Argo City where she meets her former Kryptonian neighbour, Kam-Par. Like all the other Kryptonians that she has encountered, Kam-Par and the people of Argo City are immaterial. He tells her that after she was sent to Earth, her parents used an experimental projector to send themselves and all of Argo City into the Survival Zone. The ray worked on almost everyone; although some people died, most were saved by becoming intangible wraiths though in a delayed reaction. The Argonians tell Supergirl that one of her father's inventions, the Density-Intensifier, might be able to help them. Zor-El had created it to grant Supergirl her invulnerability in the event that she ever lost her powers, but the Argonians think it will re-solidify them. Supergirl agrees to look for the invention, and goes into the house in Argo City where she and her family lived. The Argonians, being in the Survival Zone, are unable to do so. When she enters the home, she remembers that her father didn't have time to conceal the Intensifier, and hid it in plain sight as a table lamp. When she points it out to Kam-Par, everything fades away and Supergirl finds herself alone in space, with horrible laughter echoing around her.
Supergirl flies towards Argo City, which is actually right where it should be, a destroyed relic orbiting a red sun. Using her telescopic vision from a safe distance, she sees someone standing in the ruins, holding the Density-Intensifier - Universo! He boasts that even her vaunted powers were no match for his super-hypnosis, and that he is going to use the weapon to destroy the Legion of Super-Heroes. She recalls who he is, and how the Legionnaires told her about their previous encounter with him, and how they beat him because his only super-power is his hypnosis abilities. Universo disappears into the time stream, and Supergirl, refusing to give up, follows him. She arrives in the 30th Century.
Inside Legion Headquarters, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Blok and Chameleon Boy can't figure out what's going on with their equipment, as one of the boards is going crazy with flashing lights and alarms, so Chameleon Boy goes and summons Brainiac 5. He determines that two beings have broken through the time barrier, and are to be found in the Legion Plaza, right outside the building. The seven Legionnaires race outside to find Supergirl confronting Universo!
Supergirl tells the Legionnaires to stay back, as it's a trap planned for them. She'll handle Universo. She draws his attention, baiting him, and he blasts her with the Density-Intensifier. And nothing happens to her, because, as she tells Universo, his "weapon" is nothing more than a table lamp. After destroying the "weapon", she punches Universo, taking him down before he can use his hypnotic powers on her. And the fight is over.
As Brainiac 5 and the other Legionnaires approach, Supergirl explains to them and Universo that she was never fooled by the illusion of her fellow Argonians; the Argonians wouldn't have known about the existence of the Intensifier, as only she and her parents knew of it. Supergirl says she played along with things until she could determine who the culprit was.
Once Universo has been taken into custody, Brainiac 5 asks Supergirl to stay in the future for a while, but she tearfully declines, and flies off. As she travels through the time stream, she thinks about her dead parents and the destroyed Argo City.
Commentary:
This is one of those stories that, as a Legion fan, you either love it or hate it. This 10-page tale is a Supergirl story that has an old Legion foe (Universo) in it and a small contingent of Legionnaires who don't really do anything in the story itself. The fact that it has the Legionnaires in it is just happenstance, as they don't really play a role in the story that unfolds, and there is virtually not a lot of interaction between the Legionnaires and Supergirl in the story. Unfortunately for the reader of the story, the cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano shows Supergirl confronting Universo, so as a result, the reader knows who the villain is even before they read the tale.
Which leads to the problems with the tale. Given that Universo is a super-hypnosis master, the fact that Kara isn't really on Argo City should come as no surprise to the reader in the early stage of the story. Furthermore, if the only people who knew of the Intensifier were Supergirl and her parents... how did Universo know about it? He says that he pulled the illusions of Argo City from Supergirl's mind, but did he really risk telepathically scanning her on the chance that her dead father had created some incredible weapon? That doesn't make sense. And Universo's super-power is super-hypnosis, not telepathy and the like (unless he's using some sort of device to do that), but how can he do it at the range needed here? And that's not to mention how Universo has to have access to time travel here without using his son, Rond Vidar's, machinery.
Incidentally, Supergirl acts like she's never heard of Universo, though on page 9 she recalls being told by the Legionnaires of his attack on them. However, Universo first came after the Legion in Adventure Comics Vol 1 #349 (when he tried to kill several Legionaires by trapping them in the past, and they were aided by his son, Rond Vidar) and then in Adventure Comics Vol 1 #359-360 (when he took over Earth, disguised as President Kandru Boltax). Supergirl was present at the beginning of his attempt to take over Earth, but surely the Legionnaires would have told her of both encounters with Universo. And even if she'd never met him, I find it difficult to believe that she wouldn't have remembered who he was.
As for the Legionnaires themselves, while they feature on the cover and while Supergirl fights a Legion foe, the five or six Legionnaires (Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Blok and Brainiac 5) appear in all of six panels in the 10-page story. And, of course, there's the throw-away appearance by Sun Boy in one panel as well. The one panel scene with Supergirl and Brainiac 5 doesn't really satisfy in terms of the relationship or lack thereof between the two, and leaves the reader wanting to know more. And in the last panel of the story (and despite the written text), when Kara is crying as she flies through the time stream, is she crying about her parents and Argo or about the seeming end of her relationship with Brainiac 5...
I can't really say all that much good about the artwork of the story. Win Mortimer's pencils are all right, though the story has an older, more Action Comics Vol 1 feel to it artistically, but Vince Colletta does a very heavy ink job on Mortimer's pencils, rendering the art as somewhat low quality. Sad really.
Final Notes:
While the cover of the issue clearly lists itself as "June, 1980," the issue was actually published in June, 1981. Obviously the issue was sent to press in late 1980, and no one caught that the year when it would be printed was incorrect...
It's a bit of a spoiler to have Universo on the cover of the issue, in the panel featuring this story. Giving away the villain like that, for shame!...
Other than the Supergirl story with the Legion, this Dollar Comic featured the following stories: Mr. & Mrs. Superman (the Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane) in "The Turnabout Powers!"; A Private Life of Clark Kent story called "Too Good To Be True!"; Lois Lane in "The Expose Expose'!"; and Jimmy Olsen in "Death and Taxes or Jimmy Olsen's Very Bad Day!"...
This story must take place sometime after Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #272, in which Blok joined the Legion of Super-Heroes. According to an in-house ad, Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275 was on sale at the same time as this issue...
Although this would have been the first time Supergirl ever met Blok, no one is shown introducing them, and no pleasantries are exchanged between them...
When Universo appears in the 30th Century and prepares to attack the Legionnaires, he boasts that he'll be able to dispose of seven members of the Legion. In the bottom panel on page 10 of the story, there are clearly seven Legionnaires behind Supergirl emerging from the HQ. However, the only Legionnaires present here are Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Blok and Brainiac 5. Sun Boy appears in one panel on page 12, bringing the total Legionnaires count to six.
Next Issue: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #276