Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #494

Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #494 edited by Carl Gafford

I’ve dug out another of the Adventure Comics digests from the early 1980s. As mentioned in my review of #497, each of these only had one new story fronting a bunch of reprints, including at least two related to the Legion of Super-Heroes. Let’s take a look!

“Part Two: Contract on a Champ!” written by Bob Rozakis, pencils by George Tuska and inks by Andy Mushynsky, leads off the issue with the second part of the revised Challengers of the Unknown origin story that was resolved in #497. The proto-Challengers are trying to discover which of them was the actual target of the bomb that nearly killed them all.

This chapter focuses on Rocky Davis, heavyweight boxing champion of the world (he’s also a top wrestler and weightlifter.) Gamblers tried to fix his last title bout by drugging him with something that gave him triple vision. Rocky was able to overcome this handicap by simply fighting with his eyes closed–he was just that much better than the challenger. The skunks were arrested, but let out on bail, and they might have tried for revenge.

The four men decide to conceal their survival from the media (you could still do that in the Eighties) and a few days later in Metropolis confront the crooked gamblers (who are very happy about headlines saying Rocky is presumed dead.)

Fight scene ensues, Rocky is shot, but it’s deflected by his belt buckle, maybe he really is leading a charmed life. Turns out that these crooks, while they were planning to exploit Rocky’s supposed death, had nothing to do with the bomb. Who else has enemies?

“Superboy’s Big Brother!: reprinted from Superboy #89 (June 1961), art by George Papp, didn’t initially have anything to do with the Legion. Superboy sees a one-man spacecraft about to crash into the Earth near Smallville. He manages to save the passenger, a boy a bit older-looking than himself. The lad is wearing a costume a bit like Superboy’s with a palette swap. Moreover, in his pocket is a letter in Kryptonese with the handwriting of Jor-El, Superboy’s birth father. Due to some vague syntax, it reads as though the bearer is Jor-El’s son. Moreover, the stranger is wearing a medallion proclaiming the love of Jor-El and Lara (Superman’s birth mother) for the wearer.

Welp, sure looks like this is Kal-El’s never before mentioned older brother. This sort of thing happened all the time in the Silver Age, and Superboy is desperate for any contact with his original home, so initially he swallows this conclusion whole.

The stranger himself is amnesiac, or so he claims. Kal-El quickly recaps the “Doomed planet. Rocket. Kindly foster parents” backstory. And it turns out the strange visitor from another world has the same powers as Superboy, so it’s looking more and more plausible. There are still some holes in that theory, but Kal is willing to paper them over for the moment.

Superboy takes the stranger home to meet the Kents, or at least Ma Kent. Pa’s at the store. There’s an encounter with a traveling salesman, which gives Clark the idea to claim the new kid is also such, and the Kents give him the civilian name Bob Cobb. Superboy nicknames the stranger “Mon-el” as he came to Earth on a Monday.

Suspicions are aroused the next day when the two super-youths encounter Krypto. Mon-el doesn’t remember Krypto the Super-Dog, the El’s family pet on Krypton, but more disturbingly, Krypto doesn’t remember him. That night, Clark realizes that Mon-el’s belt buckle is made from a metal not found on Krypton, and stealthily exposes the sleeper to a bit of Kryptonite, which has no effect.

The next day there’s some unconnected school shenanigans, and afterwards, Bob Cobb sells a brush to Lana Lang (Clark’s teenage romantic interest) in a way that makes it look like he’s sweet on her.

The boys are called to stop criminals from hurling large lead balls at the Smallville Bank to smash it open. Superboy completes his part of the mission, but Mon-el has a sudden bout of weakness near the lead ammunition (or so he claims) and the crooks get away.

Now thoroughly suspicious, Superboy sets up an elaborate trap involving the lead balls repainted to look like Kryptonite. He initially thinks that Mon-el is feigning weakness in the presence of Kryptonite, but the visitor is suffering actual pain from the real lead. His memory has been restored!

Turns out he’s actually a space explorer (later retconned to have the name Lar Gand) from the Krypton-like planet Daxam. He’d crashlanded on Krypton and was nursed back to health by the Els while Jor-El fixed his spaceship. Jor-El had already found out about Krypton’s impending destruction and charted a course for Earth while incorporating some features from Mon-el’s ship into the model he planned to use for his own family. There was some sort of problem on the way that erased Mon-el’s memories and left him adrift in suspended animation until now.

Unfortunately Daxamites can’t recover from lead poisoning as Kryptonians do from Kryptonite poisoning, so the damage from this large amount of lead is irreversible. Superboy’s only method of saving his life is to send Mon-el into the Phantom Zone, Krypton’s other-dimensional prison. Sad ending.

It wasn’t until the Thirtieth Century (and a couple years later in the comics) that the Legion of Super-Heroes found a serum that would temporarily negate lead poisoning in Daxamites and Mon-el was able to leave the Zone and join them. When the Legionnaires started getting more individual personalities in the late Sixties, “was imprisoned in a limbo dimension for a thousand years” had a big impact on Mon-el’s characterization. So, a fairly silly slapped-together story became a foundational one.

“To Win Is to Lose!” written by Steve Skeates, art by Jim Aparao is an Aquaman story, though the main character this go-round is Aqualad, his teen sidekick. Garth was kicked out of his family for having purple eyes, which they considered bad luck, and lived on the fringes of Atlantean culture until Aquaman adopted him. He has similar powers to Aquaman (at this point) but at a lower level.

In a previous story, Black Manta (one of Aquaman’s more unpleasant villains, known for using the fact that he’s black and neurodivergent to sucker people into giving him more leeway, and murdering Aquababy) had turned the citizens of Atlantis proper into air-breathers. A vaccine has been found to fix this, and the final shots are administered, allowing the city to return to its flooded self. Yay! But Aquagirl, Tula, is concerned that the Atlantis regent Narkran is enjoying the taste of power way too much.

She visits the clinic where Aqualad has been recovering from injuries received when he and Aquaman were fighting the Sorcerors. Unfortunately, Aqualad has partial amnesia, and doesn’t realize that those events were weeks ago. He’s escaped to head back and rescue Aquaman!

When he arrives at the site of the battle, Aqualad discovers that the village of the Sorcerers has vanished. If it was ever really there and not an illusion. He’s secretly observed by some grey-scaled aquatic people. They attack and net him.

Over to Aquaman, who’s looking for Mera and nursing a wound he got from Black Manta. (A more recent encounter than when he turned the Atlanteans into air breathers. Have I mentioned Black Manta is a jerk?) He notices a weird swirl of water at a cave entrance similar to the one Mera’s captors used. Time to investigate!

Inside, the water pressure is even higher than the normal ocean. As Aquaman adjusts, he sees giants in vaguely Greco-Roman outfits standing around, seemingly frozen in time. Also in the cave is a deep sea diver, but as Aquaman approaches for answers, the pain of his wound makes him black out.

When Aquaman awakens, his wound has been treated by explorer Phil Darson. Who may not be from Earth as he doesn’t recognize Aquaman as being from “my world.” The giants aren’t frozen, just moving at a much slower time rate than the two smaller beings. Oh, and that “swirl” was caused by differing water pressures intersecting in a particular way.

Back with Aqualad, he’s thrust into gladiatorial combat with one of the grey people. He has a little time to notice that the arena seating is nearly empty, and guesses their population is low. During the battle, the pain from his opponent’s blows clears his memories and Aqualad suddenly remembers how long ago the Sorcerors battle was and where Aquaman was headed next. Oh, and Garth wins the fight.

The grey people seem less shocked than appreciative of his victory, but that doesn’t stop them from sending a bunch of guards in to capture Aqualad again.

Back at Atlantis, there are tremors like a serious earthquake. Dr. Vulko, their chief scientist, worries about this and goes to discuss it with Narkran.

In the kingdom of the grey people, Eldfur, we learn they are a dying people because a monster called Bugala attacks annually, and each time they lose too many people before it is turned back. They hope to use Aqualad as their new weapon to fight Bugala…and perhaps this time win.

“Captain Marvel Faces Fear!” art by Pete Costanza is set post World War Two. Sane scientist Carl de Reine attempts to have a prototype of his latest invention delivered to the scientific society he’s a part of. But his worry about the safety of the delivery (the mechanism is delicate) raises doubts in the semi-literate delivery boy’s mind. He mistakes “atomic engine” for “atomic bomb”, dumps the package in a random garbage can, and blabs about the supposed bomb to random people. Soon the city is in an entirely unwarranted nuclear panic.

This is the work of Fear, an anthropomorphic representation of irrational fear. By using environmental effects, minor manipulations of the mind and other small tricks, it causes people to become more fearful. And the more people are irrationally panicky and causing further cascades of fright, the stronger Fear becomes.

Boy newscaster Billy Batson and his alter-ego, Captain Marvel, have to work hard to spread truth and knowledge of the reality of the situation. Because while Fear can exploit ignorance and untruth, making even the Big Red Cheese cower from its face, to the person who knows the full truth, Fear weakens, and even vanishes utterly when confronted.

This isn’t one of the important or especially good Captain Marvel stories, but does showcase how a kid-friendly comic book can touch on some heavy topics without losing its whimsy.

“The Legion of Super-Villains!” from Superman #147 (August 1961) written by Jerry Siegel, art by Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff, brings us back to the Legion of Super-Heroes history. As the story opens, Lex Luthor is in prison. During the early Silver Age, Lex spent so much time in jail that his prison grays were basically his distinctive costume. He volunteers to fix radios for the other prisoners, which the warden foolishly agrees to. Naturally, while Lex does in fact fix the radios (he’s got his pride) he also filches various parts until he has the needed components for his latest scheme. Years ago in the past (a few issues before) one of Luthor’s attempts to kill Superboy was foiled by a mysterious youth who’d let slip that he was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who existed in the future.

Lex reasons that if there is such a force for good, there must exist an equivalent force for evil. So he’s built a time radio to send a signal to the Legion of Super-Villains who exist in the future. Sure enough, he’s soon gifted with a blast ray, flying belt and force field helmet to escape from jail. A flying saucer scoops him up, and there’s the LSV! Time for some introductions.

Cosmic King is not, oddly enough, a mirror image of Cosmic Boy who uses magnetic powers for evil. He is a resident of Venus who used alchemy to accidentally give himself the power of transmutation, the ability to turn any solid object into something else. He thought he’d get fame and riches, but it turns out the rulers of Venus were close-minded (according to CK) and declared transmutation evil in and of itself, exiling him from the planet. He’d turned to crime to seek revenge for his treatment, but by now is just committing crime for its own sake.

Lightning Lord is Lightning Lad’s brother, who happened to be with him when both were attacked by the Lightning Beasts of Korbal. (Their sister also being there was added in later.) They survived the attack and gained awesome lightning powers. Garth Ranzz was a chump who chose to use his powers for good, while Mekt Ranzz chose to use his electric gifts for personal gain. (This would be the focus of quite a few subplots over the years.)

Saturn Queen is from the peaceful planet of Saturn where everyone has immense mental powers and there is no crime. Just like Saturn Girl! (This was later switched to Saturn’s moon Titan.) While visiting Earth one day, SQ suddenly developed the desire to harm others with her super-hypnosis powers.

They have an ulterior motive for assisting Luthor. There were a couple of atomic wars between the 20th and 30th Centuries, so a lot of historical records were destroyed or rendered incomplete. The Legion of Super-Villains know that Superboy came from this time era and that Lex Luthor was his greatest foe, and they need Luthor’s help to kill Superman to get revenge on the Legion of Super-Heroes for their defeats. They were just waiting for his signal to guide them to the right time-space coordinates.

Shortly, the members of the LSV one by one inflict humiliating defeats on Superman, culminating in them luring him to a small planet in another solar system which they’ve turned into a deathtrap with the help of Luthor. He holds Superman in a Kryptonite forcefield. The villains hold a quick mock vote (recreating the cover that introduced the LSH) before the adult Legion of Super-Heroes shows up, or at least Lightning Man, Saturn Woman and Cosmic Man.

This was a surprise to no one, and after a quick tussle, Lex threatens to just plain kill Superman unless the heroes surrender. The villains sneeringly suggest one of the LSH offering themselves up instead of Superman and are genuinely shocked when the heroes agree. Saturn Woman “wins” the decision.

Superman asks to be released for a few minutes to perform one last super-feat in honor of Saturn Woman, promising not to try to save her. Lex knows Superman never breaks his word, and honestly wants to see how the hero intends to get out of this one, so releases the force field.

Superman flies to Saturn, gathers up some of its ring material, then brings it back to create a ring around the planetoid. Saturn Woman is touched by this bit of home. More importantly, so is Saturn Queen, who suddenly turns on the other villains. Turns out that she’d repeated her origin story in front of Superman, he’d realized she only turned evil on Earth, and realized that the rings of Saturn produce radiation that makes natives of Saturn not want to commit crimes.

Equipped with a piece of home, Saturn Queen will never again have to feel evil urges, though she’s still going to do time back in the 30th Century. As do the other Legion of Super-Villains members, who message Lex (himself now back in prison) that they’re not coming to rescue him again.

So. Much. Lore. This set in motion many future plot elements.

“The Sinister Lives of Captain Skull” written by Gardner Fox with art by Murphy Anderson finishes the volume with another tale of the Spectre. There is an attempted assassination of an ambassador who’s needed for a vital peace conference. The head wound would normally be inoperable, but one of Gateway City’s finest doctors has been working on an experimental form of anesthesia that might make the operation doable. The patient isn’t dead at the end of the operation. So…good?

However, he has turned into Captain Skull, a very large pirate with seemingly magical powers. Turns out that Skull is an ancestor of the ambassador who has been able to use the very specific circumstances to seize control of his descendant’s body as though he’d been reincarnated.

Because he’s charged with a particular kind of mystic power, the Spectre can’t directly touch Captain Skull or allow Skull to touch him. Infuriatingly, each time the Spectre manages to temporarily stall the pirate’s current body, he leaps into another blackguard in his ancestral history to just keep commiting crimes. Eventually the solution is figured out, and the Spectre marvels that the current day descendant is such a decent fellow given his heritage.

Gardner Fox obviously had a lot of fun looking up old pirate and sailor slang for Captain Skull to use, like calling the Spectre a “dredgie.” And the reincarnated pirate’s antics are fun to read, but get retreaded too often to keep the story going.

A couple of important Legion stories, but you can find them collected elsewhere, and the rest are only okay. If you find this reasonably priced, okay, but it’s not something to break the bank for.