ADVENTURE COMICS 336 (1965)
by Edmond Hamilton & John Forte
Second part of the Starfinger saga.
After last issue’s loss, the Legion recruits the few members that were not present to deal with Starfinger.
While they deal with the fact that Saturn Girl learned from Starfinger’s mind that he’s one of the Legion members, Brainiac 5 is busy undoing the effects of the villain’s neutralization powers.
Since Superboy is still incapacitated and Mon-El is busy keeping Star Boy orbiting the Sun to heal him, the team can’t rely on their usual powerhouses and they have to look for Starfinger in other ways.
I like this. It’s a good use of the wide array of powers in the Legion, although Triplicate Girl is still kind of disappointing.
Time for another one of the 30th Century Wonders: the Global Tunnel, which is exactly what it sounds like.
The Legion follows Starfinger inside the tunnel…
…but it’s a trick.
HOW IS THIS SUPPOSED TO WORK!?
With this team trapped underground, Starfinger easily destroys the facility.
Next wonder: the Giant Hall of Fame.
(since the scan is tiny: these are Benjamin Franklin, Columbus, Lincoln, Leonardo Da Vinci and Beethoven)
Starfinger easily destroys the Giant Hall of Fame and even kills Ultra Boy.
Or not. LITERALLY NEXT PAGE:
You might think superhero deaths are a cliché NOW, but this was beyond cheap.
The next wonder is the Fusion Power-Sphere, which the dialogue implies is what powers most of the world.
But that’ll have to wait because Brainiac 5 has a plan that involves one of my absolute favorite parts of Legion lore: Inertron!
Inertron will become immensely important in future stories. Brainiac 5 is actually selling it short: Inertron isn’t simply resistant to nuclear explosions. This stuff is so absurdly indestructible that even PRE-CRISIS SUPERMAN can’t break it.
Saturn Girl brinks these Inertron shields to another Wonder: the Reversed Waterfall.
I’m no irrigation expert, but this looks like the least efficient way to go about it.
Starfinger tries to distract the Legion by blocking their view with steam, but Matter-Eater Lad has an… interesting solution.
Starfinger still manages to damage the pumps that power the Reverse Waterfall, but Light Lass works as a temporary replacement.
They have the drop on Starfinger, recalling the Legionnaires guarding the last Wonder: the Great Wind Control Center.
Starfinger flies to the Power Sphere, but the Legion surround him with Inertron shields to protect themselves against his powers.
And so Starfinger is finally defeated and unmasked.
The hint was pretty blatant: Starfinger had only one exposed hand, and Lightning Lad only has one real hand. Although they did try to play it smart, reversing the hand in question.
Lightning Lad doesn’t have a blank expression because he’s drawn by John Forte: he’s been hypnotized.
And the hypnotist turns out to be the other named character of the story: Lightning Lad’s doctor.
Okay, that mystery was kind of dumb. But the mystery of the location of Starfinger’s base is actually quite a good twist.
Yep! Starfinger’s base is beneath the Fusion Power-Sphere, which is protected by Inertron.
Once the real Starfinger is cornered, he threatens Superboy to unleash nuclear energy into the room.
I love Superboy’s reaction: “I’m invulnerable, b#tch”.
Also: you gave Lightning Lad a device that shoots Kryptonite and didn’t keep a spare one!?
And so we end with the promise of eternal life.
I don’t think Rejuvium was mentioned again, but we’ll learn that life expectancy in the 30th century is much better than in the 20th century, so maybe this helped.
Legion significance: 3/10
As mentioned, Inertron is a pretty important introduction. On a much smaller scale, we will see other Fusion Power-Spheres.
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
For the standards of the time, the Seven Wonders almost make sense. But how did the doctor get his hands on all the technology used by Starfinger!?
Does it stand the test of time? 7.5/10
As per last issue, this flows more naturally than usual. Good use of most of the Legionnaires, some extra lore, even if it’s light on the characterization. The real identity of Starfinger was quite predictable: I much prefer the reboot version, where the hypnotized Legionnaire was Element Lad who has a FAR more versatile power than Lightning Lad. Still, the final twist with Starfinger’s base is good enough to push this 0.5 points above the first part.
We are legion
18 Legionnaires active in this story
1 not shown but officially member: Supergirl
1 reserve member: Bouncing Boy
2 resigned member: 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 24.