ADVENTURE COMICS 341 (1966)
by Edmond Hamilton & Curt Swan
Second part of the Computo saga. Jerry Siegel started it, but can Edmond Hamilton give it a satisfying conclusion?
Remind me again what happened last issue?
Yeah that’s about right.
Also, for a comic under the Comics Code, they sure don’t sugarcoat the fact that Computo is on a murder spree!
Brainiac 5 understandably gets some flak for creating Computo, especially since it killed Triplicate Girl.
Which would be more effective if the panel didn’t show that SHE’S RIGHT THERE!!!
That’s a truly hilarious mistake and I just don’t understand HOW it happened!
Both Phantom Girl and Supergirl have a cape, but it can’t be a coloring error because they have a different hairstyle.
Despite the fact that Matter-Eater Lad is absolutely right to blame Brainiac 5, Superboy puts him in his place.
Since Triplicate Girl was disintegrated and there isn’t enough to bury her (even if SHE WAS THERE IN THE PREVIOUS PANEL), Brainiac 5 engineers some kind of super-vacuum cleaner to recover enough particles to put them in an urn.
All the Legionnaires… except those currently under the control of Computo… sign the urn and send it on a rocket to Shanghalla.
Shanghalla is a very Hamilton concept: a planet where people send the remains of the greatest heroes in the universe.
And it’s worth to take a detailed look at some of them. Because while Triplicate Girl only gets a plaque with all the signatures of the Legionnaires, it doesn’t highlight her greatest feats.
We know ONE of the other heroes resting in Shanghalla, Beast Boy from Adventure Comics 339.
But we also have Hate Face:
And the greatest hero of them all: Leeta 87.
Kind of a dick move to put THAT on her tombstone, guys.
Back to Earth, where we discover that *gasp* Triplicate Girl isn’t really dead!
Well, technically she is, because from now on her codename will be Duo Damsel.
Despite the fact that the psychological effects of losing her third body will be a major part of her character development for years, she’s extremely casual about it!
“You missed your”… Superboy, SHE WAS LITERALLY STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU THE ENTIRE TIME!!!
But there’s no time to celebrate, because it’s time for *sigh* the Weirdo Legionnaire.
Aaaand the last chance to take this story seriously just went off the rails.
While the Weirdo Legionnaire… “distracts” Computo, Colossal Boy rescues Star Boy and Sun Boy.
It’s actually a clever move: he pretends to kill them so that Computo stops paying attention to them.
Although giving props to this scene would also mean acknowledging that Proty II (who turns out to be the real identity of the Weirdo Legionnaire) can improve a story, and I’d never do that.
With the Legion now free from Computo and with all their usual hideouts under surveillance, they decide to retreat to the last place you would suspect…
…the Batcave!!!
This is amazing. Not only the Batcave is STILL around in the 30th century, but Batman’s souvenirs are still there!
Not that it matters, because Computo immediately finds them. And since he still has Saturn Girl hostage, he threatens to kill her if the Legion doesn’t’ surrender in 1 hour.
First he gave them 24 hours, now 1 hour… Computo would’ve conquered Earth by now if it just stopped giving ultimatums!
Despite the fact that Superboy was quick to defend Brainiac 5 against Matter-Eater Lad, he’s actually having some doubts about him.
But come on, this is Brainiac 5 we’re talking about, and he went to the Batcave to retrieve Batman’s greatest weapon! I’m sure you’ll be alright.
OH GOD.
HOW IS THIS EVEN WORSE THAN THE WEIRDO LEGIONNAIRE!?!?
You know, maybe Computo isn’t so bad, all things considered.
And then ABSOLUTELY OUT OF NOWHERE Bouncing Boy shows up to save the day!!!
WHY IS HE HERE!? He shows up, Computo gives him back his powers, then he’s humiliated in front of the rest of the team!
He doesn’t even get to keep his powers!
Then Brainiac 5 tries his last card, the second device he took from the Batcave…
…AN ANTI-MATTER PROJECTOR.
So… let me get this straight. You found this thing and a Bizarro ray in the Batcave, AND YOU WENT FOR THE BIZARRO RAY FIRST!?!?
Fantastic job by Curt Swan: this splash page perfectly captures the immense power of this weapon, as do the following panels.
Good news: Batman just defeated Computo.
Bad news: we’re all gonna die.
Yes there WAS a reason why Brainiac 5 hesitated to bring out this thing: it’s about to destroy the Earth.
And it would if Brainiac 5 didn’t rewire it at the last second to disperse its energy into another universe!
And so the story ends with Superboy going back to the 20th century (forgetting everything he heard about Batman) and Brainiac 5 continuing his journey into his jackass self.
Legion significance: 5/10
The fac that Computo is defeated and the introduction of Shanghalla are the only things that will have some kind of impact. Unlike the vast majority of Hamilton’s weird planets, Shanghalla will be firmly established in the Legion lore.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
It’s not a 10/10 exclusively because the Weirdo Legionnaire and Bizarro-Computo are treated as a complete joke by the real Computo, but they’re still among the goofiest things done by the Legion. And in the middle of a very serious storyline, they really stand out.
Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
If only we could take out the Weirdo Legionnaire and Bizarro-Computo, this could even be a 10/10. The ending does something to redeem the situation, but it’s still a disappointing finale.
We are legion
18 Legionnaires active in this story
1 not shown but officially member: Supergirl is the only missing one
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: Mon-El was voted most popular member for ONE VOTE.
Also, Phantom Girl won among the girls “by a landslide”.
I’m very glad that they’re getting some much-needed exposure, but Phantom Girl has done next to nothing so far.
Also: I don’t believe that soldiers have to leave the Army if they get married, so what sense does this make!?
Superboy had gotten to be a very strong character at this time in the series (seen in every issue darn it!) and he is overdone in this story big time. Mon-el and Ultra Boy don’t let anybody know they’re there until near the end. I always wanted the Legion, not Superboy and the Legion. Mon-el’s my second favorite member next to Lightning Lad but his role in the series had really been reduced. By the way, to me this is the worst ever Legion story. Totally bad!