ACTION COMICS 390 (1970)
by E. Nelson Bridwell & Win Mortimer
A tale of the Espionage Squad this time.
It’s rare in this early period to see the Legion implicated in political intrigue, but this time they’re stuck between a dictator and a revolutionary who is actually in league with the Dark Circle terrorists.
And the Legion gets involved because they’re independent from the United Planets, so they can be used to overthrow the dictator. Now that’s an interesting premise!
Also, because this is a superhero story, the dictator has an army of indestructible androids.
The Legion plays it smart this time: they stop a ship that is trying to deliver contraband weapons to the revolutionaries and they take their place!
Both Chameleon Boy and Saturn Girl are put to good use this time around!
They are discovered by the dictator who sends the androids, who are actually pretty cool!
The Legion manages to defeat the androids, with Element Lad in particular being very effective while also maintaining the cover story.
Thanks to this the disguised Legionnaires get into the good graces of the leader of the revolutionaries.
It’s not easy being a shapeshifter, said probably nobody ever.
Meanwhile Saturn Girl is in a completely different undercover mission.
She wants to infiltrate the lab of one of the scientists. Easy job for a telepath!
However the scientist has an assistant that might blow Saturn Girl’s cover.
And that’s already over, because this is a two-part story!
Continues here.
Historical significance: 0/10
Despite more worldbuilding than usual, we won’t really re-visit this place.
Silver Age-ness: 1/10
Saturn Girl’s reaction to how primitive the planet is. Not much this time around!
Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
I did not expect this lever of quality from Bridwell! His previous stories have ranged from the very stupid to the very bland. But this time we get an intriguing plot, the Legionnaires making smart decisions, good uses of their powers, and the story is well-paced! Having the luxury of being a two-parter helps a lot. Nearly the entire story can be easily done today.
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.