ACTION COMICS 389 (1970)
by Cary Bates & Win Mortimer
The first Cary Bates Legion story.
Meet Klim, a super-powerful criminal android who had his head separated from the rest of his body.
This looks like a job for the Legion of Super-Heroes!
They learn that Klim was created in a clinic for self-disabled villains. (!!!)
First Lex Luthor, now this? When will prison guards learn not to leave evil scientists near electronics!?
Klim remembers a previously unseen fight with the Legion, where one of their members defeated and decapitated him… however Klim never learned WHICH Legionnaire did it.
The Legionnaires follow Klim’s body in order to find and arrest the head, while the writer challenges the reader to guess which Legionnaire was the one to defeat Klim the first time.
Klim manages to trap Shrinking Violet, but Chemical King and Cosmic Boy save her before she can be crushed. Well, mostly Cosmic Boy.
This conveniently traps Klim’s body as well.
They confront Klim’s head, who wants to know which Legionnaire defeated him the first time.
The answer is all of them.
Turns out Klim was sure he was only facing one Legionnaire because he had been damaged too much.
And while Cosmic Boy and Chemical King stall the android, Shrinkig Violet does all the work.
Please, nobody tell Klim about Composite Superman.
Historical significance: 0/10
This is the last Klim story.
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
A super-powerful headless android? Call me when you see something weird.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
The idea is great, but the execution is a little more complicated than it needs to be, mostly because the low number of pages makes the flashbacks somewhat confusing.
We are legion
25 Legionnaires
3 reserve members: Kid Psycho, Insect Queen, Superboy
3 honorary members: Elastic Lad, Pete Ross, Rond Vidar
1 resigned member: Command Kid
1 expelled member: Nemesis Kid
2 deceased members: Dynamo Boy, Ferro Lad
How much Legion is too much?
The total number of characters who have been members is 35.