Adventure Comics 339

ADVENTURE COMICS 339 (1965)
by Edmond Hamilton & John Forte

According to the letters page Mon-El was pretty popular, so I imagine that many were just waiting for him to fight Superboy.

We begin with the Prowler Alarm ™ at the Legion Clubhouse. Considering how many times someone has managed to get inside, it’s a good thing that they’re beefing up security!

Except it’s a drill. Weird that Brainiac 5 didn’t know about it but Saturn Girl did… last issue we were told that Brainiac 5 was the Legion’s leader.
Since we never actually saw his election (something very rare in Legion lore), maybe she’s still the leader?

They then receive an alert from planet Vorn, which has all sorts of weird and dangerous animals.
Not to mention the worst fashion sense of the Silver Age, and THAT’s saying something!!!

You might have noticed that we have John Forte drawing. Does it mean that we’re going to have some crazy John Forte animals?

YES

WE

DEFINITELY

ARE!

I swear this issue couldn’t possibly be more John Forte than this!

Turns out that the animals didn’t just escape from their cages: someone was responsible for it.
Specifically, a shapeshifter!

Weird that they suspect Chameleon Boy but completely forget that he’s from a planet where EVERYONE has his powers!!!

Instead they think about Beast Boy from Adventure Comics #324. Not because they suspect him, but because he might know another shapeshifter!

It turns out to be a very useful hunch, because Beast Boy has left the Heroes of Lallor because people suddenly fear him for… reasons.

Is it just me or this is a rather blatant way to use Spider-Man tropes in a place where they really don’t belong?

Beast Boy now confesses everything the moment the Legion tracks him.

So, uhm… I get that Beast Boy can be dangerous, but aren’t you guys going to try ANYTHING to stop him? Apparently no!

Controlled by Beast Boy, the giant mosquito alien captures three Legionnaires. Superboy fakes being captured in order to free them.

Okay I can understand this thing being a problem for Brainiac 5 and Saturn Girl… his force field isn’t useful to stop it from creating the cocoon, and I can buy that this mosquito monster is resistant to telepathy. But what is Chameleon Boy’s excuse!?

In the meantime, Beast Boy has infiltrated a Space Ark which has been filled with capture animals such as the Volcano Beast…

…and THE THING THAT WILL HAUNT YOUR NIGHTMARES.

The ark is damaged by meteorites, so the Legion has to save the Volcano Beast by making a spacesuit for the animal. (!!!)

Despite this, the Ark reaches Earth… with Beast Boy still disguised as one of the animals.

And he IMMEDIATELY hypnotizes the Legion to take the entire team hostage!

If you think that’s ridiculously easy, also consider this: Beast Boy has a readily available dungeon that disables ALL the powers of the Legionnaires!

Beast Boy gets Superboy and Mon-El to fight each other, threatening to kill them if they refuse.

In a moment that’s pretty funny, they both argue about who should sacrifice his life.

What’s even funnier is that this somewhat lighthearted fistfight results in both heroes getting their costume torn in weird ways. And to Brainiac 5 that’s a clue that something’s up.

Specifically, that none of this is happening. Now THAT is actually pretty clever!

But even when the illusion breaks, Beast Boy is still able to fight the Legion by transforming into a Lightning Beast, the animals that gave powers to Lightning Lad and his siblings.

The Lightning Beasts of Korbal drastically change their design between appearances, but we’ve actually seen something similar to this form before.

Beast Boy escapes by changing into a dog, and we find out that the 30th century might be a utopia… but a-holes are still around.

But he’s later rescued by a weird alien that looks like a weirdly proportioned doll.
Or maybe it’s a poorly drawn child.

Beast Boy is so grateful for this that he saves her life from THE THING THAT WILL HAUNT YOUR NIGHTMARES…

…and dies.

So basically the villain of the story took took care of himself.
Great job, guys.

Legion significance: 0/10
The Heroes of Lallor have such a low impact on the Legion (excluding Duplicate Boy) that Beast Boy’s death has absolutely no effect on them, let alone the Legion.

Silver Age-ness: 2/10
Crazy aliens aside, which are not out of place for the setting, the pace and the rushed ending are the only things indicative of the era.

Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
A lot happens in this story, compared to the standard of this period. Unfortunately, most of it isn’t very good. Up until Beast Boy confesses, it flows very well and there are interesting uses for super-powers. Once he becomes the focus, everything starts to fall apart… he goes from “misunderstood hero” to “standard supervillain” way too fast!
The saving grace is the John Forte art, which is given free reign here. Unfortunately the way he draws the kid and Beast Boy’s death seem to indicate that he only cared about the crazy aliens.
Props for the fakeout with the illusion, though. That totally caught me off-guard.

 We are legion
11 Legionnaires active in this story: Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Sun Boy, Superboy, Mon-El, Invisible Kid, Chameleon Boy, Saturn Girl, Colossal Boy, Star Boy, Phantom Girl
8 not shown but officially members
2 reserve members: Bouncing Boy and Kid Psycho
2 resigned members: Dream Girl, Command Kid
1 honorary member: Elastic Lad
1 deceased member: Dynamo Boy

How much Legion is too much?
The Legion has 19 active members.  The total number of characters who have been members is 25.

Interesting letters: I swear I didn’t plan this but I JUST reviewed Lois Lane #42!!!