The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #280
Continuing on with the re-reads of the classic Legion of Super-Heroes stories. This time out: With Reflecto's true identity sort of revealed, the Legionnaires try to solve the mystery and face one of their greatest foes again. Enjoy! :)
The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #280
October, 1981
title: "O! Call Back Yesterday!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Jimmy Janes
Inker: Bruce Patterson
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colourist: Gene D'Angelo
Cover: George Perez (signed)
Editor: Mike W. Barr
Mission Monitor Board:
Karate Kid, Phantom Girl, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Dawnstar, Blok, Superboy/Ultra Boy, Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Mon-El, Element Lad, Cosmic Boy, Star Boy, Wildfire, Princess Projectra, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Light Lass; Shadow Lass, Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5
Legion Reservists:
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy
Supporting Cast:
Earth President Marte Allon
Opposition:
Grimbor the Chainsman (cameo); 21st Century U.S. military forces; The Time Trapper
Synopsis:
The story continues from the previous issue. At the North Pole, in Grimbor the Chainsman's castle, the Legionnaires who captured Grimbor are shocked to see Reflecto's uniform partially in tatters, revealing that he is really Superboy. Believing he is dead, the Legionnaires are pleased to hear Superboy moan, and Mon-El tells the others to give him space to breathe. Mon-El thinks Grimbor might have something to do with this identity swap, but the Chainsman swears he knows nothing about it, though he's even more pleased to think that Ultra Boy is actually dead and now Superboy might be dead as well. Element Lad stifles Grimbor with a snowball-turned-to-gold muzzle. Phantom Girl consoles herself in Karate Kid's arms as she loses all hope that Ultra Boy really is still alive. Element Lad hypothesizes that Grimbor's weapons harmed Superboy because they were laced with Green Kryptonite radiation. The Legionnaires mull over the events of the last day or so, reviewing what happened with Grimbor's threats and how Reflecto, aka Superboy, helped defeat the Chainsman. However, as Superboy comes to, he unexpectedly claims to be Ultra Boy! Phantom Girl doesn't believe him, and almost hurts her hands badly as she batters at Superboy's body to get him to renounce his words.
Saturn Girl says that she's done a basic scan of Superboy, and while his conscious thoughts are all Ultra Boy's, underneath his mind like his body is that of Superboy. Sturn Girl admits that she had thought she felt Ultra Boy's presence when the Legionnaires fought the space pirates on New Tartuga several days ago. Phantom Girl becomes somewhat more distraught and angry at Saturn Girl, who says she didn't tell Tinya because they all thought he was dead, and she didn't want to get Phantom Girl's hopes up. Eventually understanding Imra's reasoning, Tinya forgives her, but they still need to get to the bottom of what's happened to Superboy/Ultra Boy. Since Super Ultra Boy refuses to "prove" himself to the Legion, Mon-El belts him extremely hard. Super Ultra Boy angrily reciprocates, and in the heat of battle proves that he could not be Ultra Boy by using both his flight and super-strength powers at the same time. Superboy/Ultra Boy is as confused as everyone else.
The Legionnaires decide to return to Metropolis and convene a full meeting of the team. As they fly away from the North Pole, they are observed by a mysterious figure who is pleased that they and their world did not fall victim to Grimbor's plan, for then they would have been denied the pleasure of destroying both the world and the Legion.
Once the Legionnaires reach Metropolis, they place Grimbor in the hands of the Science Police and calm an anxious world and receive some accolades. Karate Kid and Princess Projectra have a loving reunion, the two of them praising each other for their roles in saving Earth from the energy chains and defeating Grimbor's mad plans. Colossal Boy and his mother, the President of Earth, meet up and embrace, all their conflicts forgotten. And Blok comes to realize that Wildfire is just as happy as everyone else that the world was not destroyed.
Once inside Legion Headquarters, at a full meeting of the entire Legion, Lightning Lad begins by once more tabling his request to resign again as the LSH membership discusses the Superboy/Ultra Boy problem. Saturn Girl reports that she cannot find any trace of memory in Superboy/Ultra Boy as to how or why Ultra Boy's consciousness got into Superboy's body. Phantom Girl "tests" him by asking intimate details of their last date, which he is able to answer to her satisfaction and embarrassment. As everyone is reminded, Superboy was given a post-hypnotic suggestion to never return to the Legion's era after surviving the psychological attack of the Psycho-Warrior, so something must have happened to override this command. Lightning Lad decides they need to get answers, and some of those may be back in Superboy's time, so he takes a group of Legionnaires - himself, Saturn Girl, Karate Kid, Dawnstar and Blok back to Smallville to see what they can find out. Phantom Girl insists on joining them, and Lightning Lad says he never thought she wouldn't, but it had to be her choice.
As the six Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy vanish back to the 20th Century, outside in Legion Plaza, the dark shadow of what might be a Batman falls across the Legion's headquarters.
Arriving back in 1960s Smallville, the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy are surprised when their time bubble shakes violently, and the time bubble emerges from what appears to be a bright, incandescent cloud. They are shocked to see that they've appeared in the middle of a nuclear explosion. They're only spared being blinded by the infra-chronium the time bubble is made of. Blok doesn't understand, as he thought that nuclear detonations during this period were only done underground. However, the Legionnaires note that the U.S. Army men are too close to the blast for their own safety, so Superboy/Ultra Boy dashes out and creates a super-funnel, channeling the energy blast into space, and reinforcing that his body is that of Superboy. The Legionnaires land their time bubble a safe distance away, and as Superboy/Ultra Boy nears the approaching soldiers, they open fire on him. They tell him that Superboy himself set off the nuclear explosion, though Superboy/Ultra Boy has no memory of it, and then the U.S. Army tries to arrest Superboy and the Legionnaires. The Legionnaires use their powers to defend themselves, and then Lightning Lad orders a retreat. With Saturn Girl flying the time bubble, the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy head for the Kent home.
At the Kent home, the Legionnaires find a note from Ma and Pa telling Clark that they have gone to visit a sick relative. They decide they need to find native clothing to wear, though Dawnstar and Blok aren't sure how they're going to be able to stay incognito. Karate Kid turns on the Kent's black-and-white television, and the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy watch a report about Superboy "sabotaging" the nuclear bomb test. They also learn that he and the rest of them have arrest warrants that have been issued on them. Lighting Lad decides they'll go back to their own era to get proper identification and clothing so that they can investigate the Superboy/Ultra Boy problem in proper disguises, but regrets that Dawnstar won't return with them as he had hoped she'd be able to track the real Ultra Boy's trail. However, when they attempt to activate their time bubble, it begins to crack and vibrate, and then explodes just after Superboy/Ultra Boy tosses it into space, stranding them in the 20th Century.
As the Legionnaires wonder what happened to the time bubble, they are mocked by a laughing voice. The Time Trapper reveals himself to be taking advantage of the Legionnaires' predicament, holding them in a timeless area of swirling mists and stars, promising them that he will be heading back into the future to rule there while these Legionnaires are trapped in the past. Suddenly appearing again high over Smallville, the Legionnaires find the U.S. Army has shown up, knowing that the best place to find Superboy is Smallville, and the Legionnaires have no choice but to retreat into the mountains. As the Time Trapper's disembodied voice tells them that they only have to wait a thousand years to return to their own time, the Legionnaires shout their cry: "Long Live The Legion!" The story continues in the next issue.
Commentary:
Ever since The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275, when Ultra Boy supposedly died for the second time, it was only a matter of time for the start of the resolution of that plot to begin. That tale starts here, but is treated more as a mystery for the most part than anything else here. The revelation that Reflecto was actually Superboy at the end of the previous issue was certainly surprising, but it's even more surprising to learn here that it may be Superboy's body, but it's Ultra Boy's mind that has somehow been overlayed in the Teen of Steel's brain. Which leads to the mystery of how did this happen.
However, the reader doesn't get any real answers to that question. Roy Thomas has been known in his years as a comic book writer and scripter to love convoluted plots, and this one is no exception to that rule. For that reason, the story deals with one matter: is Ultra Boy really in Superboy's mind? From Saturn Girl probing of Superboy's mind to discover that Ultra Boy's consciousness is overlaying Superboy's mind to Mon-El testing Superboy/Ultra Boy's powers and determining that the body really is that of Superboy's to Phantom Girl's "testing" Superboy/Ultra Boy to determine whether he really is Ultra Boy when he admits to a very intimate weekend at the Satyri-Cave Inn on Sirius III (which embarrasses her more than him), the story makes it clear who's who's in Superboy's body... but that just adds to the mystery. While Lightning Lad still wants to relinquish his Legion leadership, he's not about to do so mid-crisis and his decision to lead a Legion team back to 20th Century Smallville makes a lot of sense. His choice of Dawnstar and Blok for the mission is interesting, given that he has the seeming full roster of Legionnaires to choose from, but adds to the drama and tension once they arrive in the past and face a surprising set of circumstances. Furthermore, why not have involved Chameleon Boy and/or Brainiac 5, who are arguably the two greatest Legionnaire detectives? "Superboy," having triggering a nuclear explosion only moments ago is an intriguing development, but it obviously ties in somehow with what has happened to Ultra Boy, though Superboy/Ultra Boy doesn't remember doing the deed. And then the issue wraps up on the cliffhanger, as the Time Trapper gets involved in the Legion's current situation and traps the six Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy in the past.
With all of that going on, Roy Thomas also makes room for some good character moments. There's the scenes with Saturn Girl revealing that she hid from Phantom Girl her sensing of Ultra Boy during the affair with the space pirates; there's the reconciliation between Colossal Boy and his mother, the President of Earth; the scene when Blok comes to understand Wildfire a little bit better, and Wildfire comes to recognize some things about himself. While Lightning Lad still wants out of the Legion leadership, he acquits himself pretty well here again and shows that he *is* a good leader, despite how he feels about the situation.
Also, the most inane scene in the story has to be where Ultra Boy tries to prove his identity. He refuses to undergo any tests (which is dumb), but then later admits to some hot date with Phantom Girl, much to her embarrassment. Then someone says that Superboy could have known about that date if he really wanted to.... because Superboy spies on his friends having sex? What the heck....!?!
The appearance of the Time Trapper fills me with...anxiety. While he claims to not be responsible for the Superboy/Ultra Boy mess, he takes advantage of the situation and their distraction to destroy the Legion's time bubble and strand them in the 20th Century while he prepares to conquer the future without their interference. He spends most of his time laughing at the Legionnaires in this sequence, but the danger of the Time Trapper doesn't appear to be the real menace here. His last appearance, in the Limited Collector's Edition Vol 1 #C-55 at Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad's wedding, saw him come across as dangerous, but we'll see whether he lives up to that potential in the remainder of this story.
The artwork this issue deserves some mention as well. George Perez's cover for this issue, showing the entirety of the Legion (except Ultra Boy), is stunning. It's one of the best covers to grace the comic in some time, and that includes Perez's other recent covers for the series. The interior art by Jimmy Janes and Bruce Patterson is very good this issue, Patterson's inks really enhancing Janes's pencils this time out. There is a good deal of background work on most of the panels, but I suspect that is more of Patterson's influence than Janes's work itself. The men and women in the story are beautiful and handsome, respectively, this issue, so the art this time out is a bit above average. Bruce Patterson is definitely a better inker for Jimmy Janes's pencils than Frank Chiaramonte is. Oddly enough, some of the facial imagery this issue reminded me of Mike Grell's work, with the distinctive noses and cheek structure. Finally, this issue features a 2-page mini-poster in the centre of the full membership of the Legion of Super-Heroes with pencils by Joe Staton and inks by Bob Smith. It's quite lovely in and of itself. I suspect this is due to the fact that starting this month, all DC comics increased by two pages and went from fifty to sixty cents in cost. The story must have already been near completion at the shorter length, so instead of a longer story the reader got the centre spread bonus. Just lovely!
Final Notes:
The story continues in the next issue...
This issue marks the debut of the new Legion of Super-Heroes logo, which would grace the pages of this series for the next six years...
It is also (sort of) the return of Superboy to the Legion after nearly two years away. He last appeared in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #259...
The cover of this issue, like the centre poster (see below) features the full roster of the Legion of Super-Heroes. There are 24 Legionnaires shown, including Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. The only member of the Legion not shown on the cover is Ultra Boy...
Dream Girl is drawn on the cover of the issue, but she is the only Legionnaire (other than Ultra Boy physically) who doesn't appear in this story...
Duo Damsel appears on the cover of the issue, but she does not appear in the story itself...
The Legionnaires fought Captain Frake and her space pirates most recently in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275, at which time it appeared that Ultra Boy had "died" a second time...
On page 5, in the second panel, Saturn Girl mistakenly claims the Legionnaires fought the space pirates on New Tartage, but it was actually New Tartuga...
While Grimbor's attack on Reflecto in the previous issue merely revealed the House of El emblem of his Superboy costume beneath, one super-punch from Mon-El this issue completely shreds and destroys the Reflecto costume...
Saturn Girl planted the hypnotic command in Superboy's mind to never return to the 30th Century at the end of the Legion's encounter with the Psycho-Warrior in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #259...
Ultra Boy was seemingly killed by Pulsar Stargrave in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #273...
On page 12, the three panels that feature the shadow of a Bat(man) fallin across the Legion Headquarters is a hint and prelude to the Legion's encounter with the Batman, as detailed in The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 #179...
The Legion last faced the Time Trapper during the whole business of the wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl in Limited Collector’s Edition Vol 1 #C-55 Presents...
The centre spread of the issue features a two-page Legion of Super-Heroes poster by Joe Staton (pencils) and Bob Smith (inks). It presents the 25 active Legionnaires, and these include Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel...
"O! Call back yesterday!" is a line from William Shakespeare's play Richard II.
Next Issue: The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 #179
The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #280
October, 1981
title: "O! Call Back Yesterday!"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Jimmy Janes
Inker: Bruce Patterson
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colourist: Gene D'Angelo
Cover: George Perez (signed)
Editor: Mike W. Barr
Mission Monitor Board:
Karate Kid, Phantom Girl, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Dawnstar, Blok, Superboy/Ultra Boy, Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Mon-El, Element Lad, Cosmic Boy, Star Boy, Wildfire, Princess Projectra, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Light Lass; Shadow Lass, Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5
Legion Reservists:
Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy
Supporting Cast:
Earth President Marte Allon
Opposition:
Grimbor the Chainsman (cameo); 21st Century U.S. military forces; The Time Trapper
Synopsis:
The story continues from the previous issue. At the North Pole, in Grimbor the Chainsman's castle, the Legionnaires who captured Grimbor are shocked to see Reflecto's uniform partially in tatters, revealing that he is really Superboy. Believing he is dead, the Legionnaires are pleased to hear Superboy moan, and Mon-El tells the others to give him space to breathe. Mon-El thinks Grimbor might have something to do with this identity swap, but the Chainsman swears he knows nothing about it, though he's even more pleased to think that Ultra Boy is actually dead and now Superboy might be dead as well. Element Lad stifles Grimbor with a snowball-turned-to-gold muzzle. Phantom Girl consoles herself in Karate Kid's arms as she loses all hope that Ultra Boy really is still alive. Element Lad hypothesizes that Grimbor's weapons harmed Superboy because they were laced with Green Kryptonite radiation. The Legionnaires mull over the events of the last day or so, reviewing what happened with Grimbor's threats and how Reflecto, aka Superboy, helped defeat the Chainsman. However, as Superboy comes to, he unexpectedly claims to be Ultra Boy! Phantom Girl doesn't believe him, and almost hurts her hands badly as she batters at Superboy's body to get him to renounce his words.
Saturn Girl says that she's done a basic scan of Superboy, and while his conscious thoughts are all Ultra Boy's, underneath his mind like his body is that of Superboy. Sturn Girl admits that she had thought she felt Ultra Boy's presence when the Legionnaires fought the space pirates on New Tartuga several days ago. Phantom Girl becomes somewhat more distraught and angry at Saturn Girl, who says she didn't tell Tinya because they all thought he was dead, and she didn't want to get Phantom Girl's hopes up. Eventually understanding Imra's reasoning, Tinya forgives her, but they still need to get to the bottom of what's happened to Superboy/Ultra Boy. Since Super Ultra Boy refuses to "prove" himself to the Legion, Mon-El belts him extremely hard. Super Ultra Boy angrily reciprocates, and in the heat of battle proves that he could not be Ultra Boy by using both his flight and super-strength powers at the same time. Superboy/Ultra Boy is as confused as everyone else.
The Legionnaires decide to return to Metropolis and convene a full meeting of the team. As they fly away from the North Pole, they are observed by a mysterious figure who is pleased that they and their world did not fall victim to Grimbor's plan, for then they would have been denied the pleasure of destroying both the world and the Legion.
Once the Legionnaires reach Metropolis, they place Grimbor in the hands of the Science Police and calm an anxious world and receive some accolades. Karate Kid and Princess Projectra have a loving reunion, the two of them praising each other for their roles in saving Earth from the energy chains and defeating Grimbor's mad plans. Colossal Boy and his mother, the President of Earth, meet up and embrace, all their conflicts forgotten. And Blok comes to realize that Wildfire is just as happy as everyone else that the world was not destroyed.
Once inside Legion Headquarters, at a full meeting of the entire Legion, Lightning Lad begins by once more tabling his request to resign again as the LSH membership discusses the Superboy/Ultra Boy problem. Saturn Girl reports that she cannot find any trace of memory in Superboy/Ultra Boy as to how or why Ultra Boy's consciousness got into Superboy's body. Phantom Girl "tests" him by asking intimate details of their last date, which he is able to answer to her satisfaction and embarrassment. As everyone is reminded, Superboy was given a post-hypnotic suggestion to never return to the Legion's era after surviving the psychological attack of the Psycho-Warrior, so something must have happened to override this command. Lightning Lad decides they need to get answers, and some of those may be back in Superboy's time, so he takes a group of Legionnaires - himself, Saturn Girl, Karate Kid, Dawnstar and Blok back to Smallville to see what they can find out. Phantom Girl insists on joining them, and Lightning Lad says he never thought she wouldn't, but it had to be her choice.
As the six Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy vanish back to the 20th Century, outside in Legion Plaza, the dark shadow of what might be a Batman falls across the Legion's headquarters.
Arriving back in 1960s Smallville, the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy are surprised when their time bubble shakes violently, and the time bubble emerges from what appears to be a bright, incandescent cloud. They are shocked to see that they've appeared in the middle of a nuclear explosion. They're only spared being blinded by the infra-chronium the time bubble is made of. Blok doesn't understand, as he thought that nuclear detonations during this period were only done underground. However, the Legionnaires note that the U.S. Army men are too close to the blast for their own safety, so Superboy/Ultra Boy dashes out and creates a super-funnel, channeling the energy blast into space, and reinforcing that his body is that of Superboy. The Legionnaires land their time bubble a safe distance away, and as Superboy/Ultra Boy nears the approaching soldiers, they open fire on him. They tell him that Superboy himself set off the nuclear explosion, though Superboy/Ultra Boy has no memory of it, and then the U.S. Army tries to arrest Superboy and the Legionnaires. The Legionnaires use their powers to defend themselves, and then Lightning Lad orders a retreat. With Saturn Girl flying the time bubble, the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy head for the Kent home.
At the Kent home, the Legionnaires find a note from Ma and Pa telling Clark that they have gone to visit a sick relative. They decide they need to find native clothing to wear, though Dawnstar and Blok aren't sure how they're going to be able to stay incognito. Karate Kid turns on the Kent's black-and-white television, and the Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy watch a report about Superboy "sabotaging" the nuclear bomb test. They also learn that he and the rest of them have arrest warrants that have been issued on them. Lighting Lad decides they'll go back to their own era to get proper identification and clothing so that they can investigate the Superboy/Ultra Boy problem in proper disguises, but regrets that Dawnstar won't return with them as he had hoped she'd be able to track the real Ultra Boy's trail. However, when they attempt to activate their time bubble, it begins to crack and vibrate, and then explodes just after Superboy/Ultra Boy tosses it into space, stranding them in the 20th Century.
As the Legionnaires wonder what happened to the time bubble, they are mocked by a laughing voice. The Time Trapper reveals himself to be taking advantage of the Legionnaires' predicament, holding them in a timeless area of swirling mists and stars, promising them that he will be heading back into the future to rule there while these Legionnaires are trapped in the past. Suddenly appearing again high over Smallville, the Legionnaires find the U.S. Army has shown up, knowing that the best place to find Superboy is Smallville, and the Legionnaires have no choice but to retreat into the mountains. As the Time Trapper's disembodied voice tells them that they only have to wait a thousand years to return to their own time, the Legionnaires shout their cry: "Long Live The Legion!" The story continues in the next issue.
Commentary:
Ever since The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275, when Ultra Boy supposedly died for the second time, it was only a matter of time for the start of the resolution of that plot to begin. That tale starts here, but is treated more as a mystery for the most part than anything else here. The revelation that Reflecto was actually Superboy at the end of the previous issue was certainly surprising, but it's even more surprising to learn here that it may be Superboy's body, but it's Ultra Boy's mind that has somehow been overlayed in the Teen of Steel's brain. Which leads to the mystery of how did this happen.
However, the reader doesn't get any real answers to that question. Roy Thomas has been known in his years as a comic book writer and scripter to love convoluted plots, and this one is no exception to that rule. For that reason, the story deals with one matter: is Ultra Boy really in Superboy's mind? From Saturn Girl probing of Superboy's mind to discover that Ultra Boy's consciousness is overlaying Superboy's mind to Mon-El testing Superboy/Ultra Boy's powers and determining that the body really is that of Superboy's to Phantom Girl's "testing" Superboy/Ultra Boy to determine whether he really is Ultra Boy when he admits to a very intimate weekend at the Satyri-Cave Inn on Sirius III (which embarrasses her more than him), the story makes it clear who's who's in Superboy's body... but that just adds to the mystery. While Lightning Lad still wants to relinquish his Legion leadership, he's not about to do so mid-crisis and his decision to lead a Legion team back to 20th Century Smallville makes a lot of sense. His choice of Dawnstar and Blok for the mission is interesting, given that he has the seeming full roster of Legionnaires to choose from, but adds to the drama and tension once they arrive in the past and face a surprising set of circumstances. Furthermore, why not have involved Chameleon Boy and/or Brainiac 5, who are arguably the two greatest Legionnaire detectives? "Superboy," having triggering a nuclear explosion only moments ago is an intriguing development, but it obviously ties in somehow with what has happened to Ultra Boy, though Superboy/Ultra Boy doesn't remember doing the deed. And then the issue wraps up on the cliffhanger, as the Time Trapper gets involved in the Legion's current situation and traps the six Legionnaires and Superboy/Ultra Boy in the past.
With all of that going on, Roy Thomas also makes room for some good character moments. There's the scenes with Saturn Girl revealing that she hid from Phantom Girl her sensing of Ultra Boy during the affair with the space pirates; there's the reconciliation between Colossal Boy and his mother, the President of Earth; the scene when Blok comes to understand Wildfire a little bit better, and Wildfire comes to recognize some things about himself. While Lightning Lad still wants out of the Legion leadership, he acquits himself pretty well here again and shows that he *is* a good leader, despite how he feels about the situation.
Also, the most inane scene in the story has to be where Ultra Boy tries to prove his identity. He refuses to undergo any tests (which is dumb), but then later admits to some hot date with Phantom Girl, much to her embarrassment. Then someone says that Superboy could have known about that date if he really wanted to.... because Superboy spies on his friends having sex? What the heck....!?!
The appearance of the Time Trapper fills me with...anxiety. While he claims to not be responsible for the Superboy/Ultra Boy mess, he takes advantage of the situation and their distraction to destroy the Legion's time bubble and strand them in the 20th Century while he prepares to conquer the future without their interference. He spends most of his time laughing at the Legionnaires in this sequence, but the danger of the Time Trapper doesn't appear to be the real menace here. His last appearance, in the Limited Collector's Edition Vol 1 #C-55 at Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad's wedding, saw him come across as dangerous, but we'll see whether he lives up to that potential in the remainder of this story.
The artwork this issue deserves some mention as well. George Perez's cover for this issue, showing the entirety of the Legion (except Ultra Boy), is stunning. It's one of the best covers to grace the comic in some time, and that includes Perez's other recent covers for the series. The interior art by Jimmy Janes and Bruce Patterson is very good this issue, Patterson's inks really enhancing Janes's pencils this time out. There is a good deal of background work on most of the panels, but I suspect that is more of Patterson's influence than Janes's work itself. The men and women in the story are beautiful and handsome, respectively, this issue, so the art this time out is a bit above average. Bruce Patterson is definitely a better inker for Jimmy Janes's pencils than Frank Chiaramonte is. Oddly enough, some of the facial imagery this issue reminded me of Mike Grell's work, with the distinctive noses and cheek structure. Finally, this issue features a 2-page mini-poster in the centre of the full membership of the Legion of Super-Heroes with pencils by Joe Staton and inks by Bob Smith. It's quite lovely in and of itself. I suspect this is due to the fact that starting this month, all DC comics increased by two pages and went from fifty to sixty cents in cost. The story must have already been near completion at the shorter length, so instead of a longer story the reader got the centre spread bonus. Just lovely!
Final Notes:
The story continues in the next issue...
This issue marks the debut of the new Legion of Super-Heroes logo, which would grace the pages of this series for the next six years...
It is also (sort of) the return of Superboy to the Legion after nearly two years away. He last appeared in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #259...
The cover of this issue, like the centre poster (see below) features the full roster of the Legion of Super-Heroes. There are 24 Legionnaires shown, including Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel. The only member of the Legion not shown on the cover is Ultra Boy...
Dream Girl is drawn on the cover of the issue, but she is the only Legionnaire (other than Ultra Boy physically) who doesn't appear in this story...
Duo Damsel appears on the cover of the issue, but she does not appear in the story itself...
The Legionnaires fought Captain Frake and her space pirates most recently in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #275, at which time it appeared that Ultra Boy had "died" a second time...
On page 5, in the second panel, Saturn Girl mistakenly claims the Legionnaires fought the space pirates on New Tartage, but it was actually New Tartuga...
While Grimbor's attack on Reflecto in the previous issue merely revealed the House of El emblem of his Superboy costume beneath, one super-punch from Mon-El this issue completely shreds and destroys the Reflecto costume...
Saturn Girl planted the hypnotic command in Superboy's mind to never return to the 30th Century at the end of the Legion's encounter with the Psycho-Warrior in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #259...
Ultra Boy was seemingly killed by Pulsar Stargrave in Legion of Super-Heroes Vol 2 #273...
On page 12, the three panels that feature the shadow of a Bat(man) fallin across the Legion Headquarters is a hint and prelude to the Legion's encounter with the Batman, as detailed in The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 #179...
The Legion last faced the Time Trapper during the whole business of the wedding of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl in Limited Collector’s Edition Vol 1 #C-55 Presents...
The centre spread of the issue features a two-page Legion of Super-Heroes poster by Joe Staton (pencils) and Bob Smith (inks). It presents the 25 active Legionnaires, and these include Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel...
"O! Call back yesterday!" is a line from William Shakespeare's play Richard II.
Next Issue: The Brave and the Bold Vol 1 #179