Superboy and the LSH #224 (1977)
by Jim Shooter & Mike Grell
After his cameo in the previous issue, Pulsar Stargrave makes his proper debut in a fabulous design that could only be conceived in the 70s.
As we’ve seen multiple times Jim Shooter is really, REALLY fond of starting his stories in the middle of the action, so we begin with the Legion already fighting Stargrave’s henchmen.
Holdur is incredibly generic and annoying.
Quicksand is more interesting; not just because of the slight fanservice, but she has a creative power: she can turn anything solid into a liquid, and vice-versa.
But of course the main attraction is Pulsar Stargrave himself. Once he shows up I can only imagine there’s a guitar riff going on behind him.
There might be some miscommunication between Shooter and Grell, because the artwork shows Stargrave shooting energy into the sky…
…and Superboy reacts as if Stargrave just blew up a planet or something, but we don’t see any of it.
Pulsar Stargrave teleports the Legion to his headquarters, where the first thing he does is trap Brainiac 5. Considering what happens later, this should tip you off about them having more in common than skin color.
The idea behind the current situation is that Stargrave created a huge fissure in space, the Legion showed up to investigate, and the thing that impressed Superboy was that he could make the fissures disappear easily.
At least I think that’s how it goes… it’s uncharacteristically clunky for Shooter, who tends to write more straightforward scripts. Very weird.
After Pulsar Stargrave reveals to the Legion that he was behind the Time Trapper’s scheme, the Legionnaires manage to break free from the force field imprisoning them.
And it’s official: Holdur really, REALLY sucks.
And I know I’m repeating myself, but compare and contrast with Quicksand.
The problem with fighting the Legion is that you have to memorize the 50 superpowers they collectively have.
Superboy goes straight for Pulsar Stargrave, thinking this will end the fight quickly.
BOY IS HE WRONG!
That’s an entire page dedicate to Superboy being hit so hard that he leaves the panel.
And HE’S NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
Unfortunately for him, when Pulsar Stargrave brags about being ridiculously powerful… he’s not kidding!!!
He might look a little ridiculous, but Pulsar Stargrave can be awesome sometimes!!!
We also learn his origin story. Well, the first version of it anyway.
First Tharok, now Stargrave. Aliens really need to stop trying to help people they think are dead.
He has a little chat with Brainiac 5, and once the Legionnaires recover he explains what Stargrave is after.
Later on, Superboy overhears why Brainiac 5 is willing to follow Pulsar Stargrave: they’re related.
As you might guess, it’s not going to be THAT easy.
Historical significance: 7/10
He might have appeared before, but for all intents and purposes THIS is the first Pulsar Stargrave. He’s never going to be as cool as his name suggests, but he’s one of the most memorable 70s villains.
Silver Age-ness: 7/10
Pulsar Stargrave’s origin. It’s not just that he absorbed the powers of the supernova, he’s the reincarnation of the energy of the pulsar that resulted from the star’s explosion. Which I guess makes the name “Pulsar Stargrave” somewhat reasonable, but that’s a delightfully Silver Age origin.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
If only Shooter could keep in check his love for beginning stories in the middle, and if Holdur didn’t suck, this could’ve been much better.
Still, while it’s a little light on story, the action is solid and Stargrave does manage to make a good impression, even if he’s a bit convoluted. Unfortunately he’s not going to get any less complicated.
We are legion
23 active Legionnaires
6 reserve members
I liked the bit where Holdur (who had been giving Superboy trouble earlier in the story) tries to jump him when he comes back from being knocked into orbit. And Supes just bats him away like he was nothing.
But I don’t understand your confusion about Stargrave fixing the space rift he created. In the previous issue, they made it clear that it was going to destroy a good chunk of the galaxy. So Superboy’s reaction was basically “Holy cow! This was going to be a really difficult mission, and he just waved his hands and fixed it!”
Yes you are correct that just waving away the rift of the Time Trapper story is impressive enough to amaze Superboy, but at least to me the comic doesn’t make it very clear that the reason the Legion is on that planet is to stop the same rift of the previous story.
It also doesn’t make that much sense: Stargrave created the rift because he wanted to gather the Legion and recruit them. Leaving aside why the heck he had to do this instead of simply showing up at their HQ… why exactly did he have to involve the Time Trapper in any of this? It can’t be because he wanted TT to stop the rift, because Stargrave does it himself. And it can’t be because he needed him to gather the Legion, considering they show up independently. It makes even LESS sense if either of the given origins (Brainy’s father or a resurrected Brainiac 1) is true.
Again, maybe it’s just me, but the entire plot just baffles me. Which is especially surprising coming from Shooter, who typically is far better at guiding the reader.
Historical?
I believe this is the last S/LSH issue Mike Grell drew.