SUPERBOY 190 (1972)
by Cary Bates & Dave Cockrum
The election of a Legion leader can be pretty intense.
No clue why Shadow Lass is in whiteface in the first page.
Shady and Lightning Lad are not the only ones busy debating who would be the better leader.
Saturn Girl and Mon-El are the only candidates this time, but he’s changed his mind and is about to decline even if he’s elected.
But before the election can take place they are teleported away!
They find themselves on an alien planet, where SUDDEN VALIDUS!
Mon-El takes his revenge on the giant monster, but unfortunately…
How can you NOT love Validus?
He just threw Mon-El THROUGH THE ENTIRE PLANET!!!
Before Mon-El can start round two, he’s trapped by Tharok.
Even with the inks of Murphy Anderson, Cockrum is still able to make Tharok’s rather goofy design come off as extremely creepy.
His plan is actually pretty good: he has programmed Validus to murder the leader of the Legion, no matter who it is.
While Tharok concentrates on Mon-El, Saturn Girl wakes up and poses for her glamour shot.
And how did she survive a blast from Validus? By sending a telepathic command at the last possible moment, ordering the monster to weaken his attack!
Now THAT is how you use Saturn Girl!
Meanwhile Mon-El breaks free from Tharok’s trap: the energy spheres can counteract each of his powers, but he still has a dozen of them.
Instead of trying to fight the Fatal Two, however, Mon-El makes a pitch to Tharok: why not take control of the entire Legion?
And Tharok is like “sure, why not?”
But since this would make him the Legion’s leader…
With Tharok out of commission Validus can just leave.
She’s right: we don’t find out in this story, but Mon-El won the election.
Historical significance: 2/10
Mon-El is the first Legion leader to be elected a second time, breaking the tradition.
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
Validus throwing Mon-El through the planet is just great.
Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
A fairly typical “tricking the villain by exploiting his ego” story. Pretty bland but miles better than anything else that has happened in this era. Cockrum continues to shine: this is the last story where he doesn’t ink himself, and you’ll see how much better he gets starting next story.
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.
Saturn Girl and Utra Boy were both elected leader twice before Mon-El . . . Saturn Girl in Adv. 304 and 323, and UB between Adv. 370 and 371 (if memory serves) and prior to Superboy # 184. I suppose Saturn Girl wasn’t technically elected since she used mind control and a contest to win her two terms, and UB’s elections were not shown. Perhaps this can be clarified in the “Historical significance” entry.
Also, it was later retconned that Cosmic Boy served two terms as leader.
The first page has 6 coloring errors; Shadow Lass’s is just the most obvious.
Dream Girl’s legs and the bottom of her belt.
Lightning Lad’s legs.
Invisible Kid’s legs.
Mon-El’s collar (or cuffs.) Either the short-lived ugly yellow collar and cuffs was a conscious decision or a coloring error but the first page is wrong either way. For what it’s worth, Cockrum’s coloring guide indicted all red.
And, somehow Superboy’s cape is yellow up at the top.