Difference between revisions of "Adventure Comics 304"

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{{issue
 
{{issue
−
|era_color=#ff8080
+
|era=precrisis
−
|issue=''Adventure Comics'' #304
+
|series=Adventure Comics|issue_no=304
−
|image=[[Image:Adventure304.jpg|250px]]
+
|image=[[File:Adventure304.jpg|250px]]
 
|caption=Cover by [[Curt Swan]], [[George Klein]] and [[Ira Schnapp]]
 
|caption=Cover by [[Curt Swan]], [[George Klein]] and [[Ira Schnapp]]
−
|era=Pre-Crisis
+
|story_title=The Stolen Super-Powers!
−
|story_title=The Stolen Super-Powers
+
|previous=[[Adventure Comics 303|''Adventure Comics'' #303]]: The Fantastic Spy!
−
|previous=[[Adventure Comics 303|''Adventure Comics'' #303]]:The Fantastic Spy
+
|next=[[Adventure Comics 305|''Adventure Comics'' #305]]: The Secret of the Mystery Legionnaire!
−
|next=[[Adventure Comics 305|''Adventure Comics'' #305]]:The Secret of the Mystery Legionnaire
 
 
|publication_date=[[November 29]], [[Legion_Publication_History/1950-1964#1962|1962]]
 
|publication_date=[[November 29]], [[Legion_Publication_History/1950-1964#1962|1962]]
 
|cover_date=January 1963
 
|cover_date=January 1963
−
|series_color=#ff6f59
+
|writer=[[Jerry Siegel]]
−
|writers=[[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Mort Weisinger]]
+
|penciller=[[John Forte]]
−
|pencillers=[[John Forte]]
+
|inker=John Forte
−
|inkers=[[John Forte]]
+
|letterer=[[Joe Letterese]]
−
|letterers=[[Joe Letterese]]
+
|colorists=???
−
|colorists=Unknown
+
|editor=[[Mort Weisinger]]
−
|editors=[[Mort Weisinger]]
+
|cover_artists=[[Curt Swan]], [[George Klein]], [[Ira Schnapp]]
−
|cover_artists=[[Curt Swan]], [[George Klein]] and [[Ira Schnapp]]
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
__TOC__
 
__TOC__
−
==The Stolen Super-Powers==
+
==The Stolen Super-Powers!==
  
 +
===Synopsis===
 +
Arriving at the [[Legion Clubhouse/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Legion Clubhouse]] for their annual leadership election, [[Saturn Girl/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Saturn Girl]] finds a message, but destroys it before anyone else can see it. Shortly after, the [[Legionnaires/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Legionnaires]] hold the election and Saturn Girl wins by unanimous vote. Secretly, she had used her mental powers to force everyone to vote for her. She then forces her teammates to wear medallions with her picture engraved on them and made from a spectrium “rainbow bar” given to the Legion as a gift. As her tyrannical behavior appears to grow, Saturn Girl next tests her teammates – except for [[Superboy/Kal-El/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Superboy]] and [[Supergirl/Kara Zor-El/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Supergirl]], who are away – by making them use their powers. When each Legionnaire fails to meet her exacting standards, she suspends them from using their powers. Unknown to the other Legionnaires, the tests have served a secret purpose: each time a Legionnaire has used his or her power, the medallions have temporarily transferred their powers to Saturn Girl.
  
−
===Plot Synopsis===
+
With the entire Legion suspended, Saturn Girl alone flies into space to face an invading villain called Zaryan the Conqueror. However, [[Lightning Lad/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Lightning Lad]] has learned of her scheme and follows her into space. There, he destroys Zaryan’s ship, but the ship’s freeze ray strikes Lightning Lad, fatally injuring him.
 +
 
 +
As he lays dying, Lightning Lad tells Saturn Girl that he learned of her plan from [[Mon-El/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Mon-El]], who observed her every move from the Phantom Zone. Mon-El saw that the message Saturn Girl destroyed was from the Trylop Council on the planet Mernl, whose “computer-machine” predicted that a Legionnaire would die using his or her powers fighting Zaryan. Mon-El watched Saturn Girl rig the election and then force the Legionnaires to wear medallions that transferred their powers to her so that she could sacrifice herself, rather than putting her teammates at risk. Mon-El was initially unable to inform the other Legionnaires of her plan due to “sun-spot disturbances,” but was finally able to telepathically alert Lightning Lad. As soon as he finishes recounting this, Lightning Lad dies.
 +
 
 +
The Legionnaires gather for their teammate’s funeral and place his body in a special, transparent coffin with electric bolts perpetually crashing above it. Other worlds also mourn Lightning Lad’s passing. A statue is erected in his honor at the clubhouse.
  
 
===Key Quotes and Catchphrases===
 
===Key Quotes and Catchphrases===
Line 29: Line 33:
 
===Critique===
 
===Critique===
  
−
==Roll Call==
+
===Roll Call===
  
 
In order of appearance:
 
In order of appearance:
  
−
===Legionnaires===
+
====Legionnaires====
 +
''Featured roles:''
 +
*Lightning Lad (dies in this story)
 +
*Mon-El (leaves the Phantom Zone briefly)
 +
*Saturn Girl (becomes Legion leader in this story)
 +
 
 +
''Supporting roles:''
 +
*[[Colossal Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Colossal Boy]]
 +
*[[Cosmic Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Cosmic Boy]]
 +
*[[Duo Damsel/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Triplicate Girl]]
 +
*[[Ultra Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Ultra Boy]]
  
−
===Villains===
+
=====Cameos=====
 +
*[[Bouncing Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Bouncing Boy]]
 +
*[[Brainiac 5/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Brainiac 5]]
 +
*[[Chameleon Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Chameleon Boy]]
 +
*[[Invisible Kid/Lyle Norg/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Invisible Kid]]
 +
*[[Matter-Eater Lad/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Matter-Eater Lad]]
 +
*[[Phantom Girl/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Phantom Girl]]
 +
*[[Shrinking Violet/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Shrinking Violet]]
 +
*[[Sun Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Sun Boy]]
 +
*Superboy
 +
*Supergirl
  
−
===Supporting Characters===
+
====Villains====
 +
*Zaryan the Conqueror (of the planet Brok) and his gang
  
−
===Other Characters===
+
====Supporting characters====
 +
*Lori Lemaris (accompanies Supergirl to Lightning Lad’s funeral)
  
−
===Planets and Settings===
+
====Other characters====
 +
*Commander Loring of the World-Wide Police
 +
*The Trylop Council of the planet Mernl (no appearance; message capsule only seen)
  
−
===Technology, Gadgets and Other Neat Stuff===
+
===Planets and Other Places===
 +
*Brok (Zaryan's homeworld; mentioned only)
 +
*Mernl (homeworld of the Trylop Council, friendly aliens; mentioned only)
  
 +
====Technology, Gadgets and Other Neat Stuff====
 +
*The Legion’s vote-o-matic machine
 +
*The spectrium “rainbow” bar (worth $200,000)
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
  
 
===Errors and Oddities===
 
===Errors and Oddities===
 +
*Even though Saturn Girl steals the powers of every Legionnaire, except Superboy and Supergirl, who are away, and Mon-El, who is in the Phantom Zone, no mention is made of [[Star Boy/Preboot#Pre-Crisis|Star Boy]] (see Retcon Alert, below).
 +
*No explanation is given for why Saturn Girl shows up at the Legion Clubhouse wearing a ray gun (which she uses to destroy the message) and holster in the first place.
  
 
===First appearances===
 
===First appearances===
Line 56: Line 91:
  
 
===Reboot Reference Kit===
 
===Reboot Reference Kit===
−
 
−
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3"
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#8080ff" width="80"|'''Post-Crisis'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#cc99ff" width="80"|'''Glorithverse'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#5be85b" width="80"|'''Post-Zero Hour'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#96a02c" width="80"|'''Post-Infinite Crisis'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#ffe25f" width="80"|'''Timmverse'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|-
 
−
| bgcolor="#ffb84f" width="80"|'''LSH cartoon'''
 
−
| xxx
 
−
|}
 
  
 
===Retcon Alert===
 
===Retcon Alert===
 +
*Star Boy's absence from this story is finally explained almost twenty years later in [[Legion of Super-Heroes v2 306|''Legion of Super-Heroes'' v2 #306]]: he was recuperating from injuries sustained while stopping a prison riot on [[Takron-Galtos]].
 +
* Zaryan the Conqueror was later revealed to be a [[Khund]].
 +
* The World-Wide Police was another name for the [[Science Police]]. The worldwide law-enforcement group went through several names in the early comics before the writers settled on "Science Police".
  
 
===Other===
 
===Other===
Line 89: Line 106:
  
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
Image:Adventure403.jpg|[[Adventure Comics 403|''Adventure Comics'' #403]] (1971)
+
File:Adventure403.jpg|[[Adventure Comics 403|''Adventure Comics'' #403]] (1971)
−
Image:Adventure499.jpg|[[Adventure Comics 499|''Adventure Comics'' #499]] (1983)
+
File:Adventure499.jpg|[[Adventure Comics 499|''Adventure Comics'' #499]] (1983)
−
Image:LSHArchives01.jpg|[[Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1|''Legion of Super-Heroes Archives'' Vol. 1]] (1991)
+
File:LSHArchives01.jpg|[[Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1|''Legion of Super-Heroes Archives'' Vol. 1]] (1991)
 +
File:ShowcasePresentsLSH1.jpg|[[Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1|''Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes'' Vol. 1]] (2007)
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
Line 97: Line 115:
 
*[[Legion Publication History/1950-1964|Legion Publication History - Other issues published 1950-1964]]
 
*[[Legion Publication History/1950-1964|Legion Publication History - Other issues published 1950-1964]]
 
*[[Legion Publication History/Series/Adventure Comics|Legion Publication History - Other issues of ''Adventure Comics'']]
 
*[[Legion Publication History/Series/Adventure Comics|Legion Publication History - Other issues of ''Adventure Comics'']]
−
*[[Chronology/Pre-Crisis|Pre-Crisis Chronology]]
+
*[[Chronology/Preboot/Pre-Crisis|Pre-Crisis Chronology]]
 
*[[Legion Publication History/Index/Series#Adventure Comics|Quick index of links to other ''Adventure Comics'' issues]]
 
*[[Legion Publication History/Index/Series#Adventure Comics|Quick index of links to other ''Adventure Comics'' issues]]
  
−
[[Category:Pre-Crisis issues]]
+
 
 +
{{Prevnext
 +
|era=precrisis
 +
|series=Adventure Comics
 +
|issue_no=304
 +
|prev_continuity=[[Adventure Comics 303|''Adventure Comics'' #303]]
 +
|next_continuity=[[Adventure Comics 305|''Adventure Comics'' #305]]
 +
|prev_series=[[Adventure Comics 303|''Adventure Comics'' #303]]
 +
|next_series=[[Adventure Comics 305|''Adventure Comics'' #305]]
 +
|prev_publication=[[Adventure Comics 303|''Adventure Comics'' #303]]
 +
|next_publication=[[Adventure Comics 305|''Adventure Comics'' #305]]
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:Adventure Comics (Pre-Crisis) issues]]

Latest revision as of 12:25, 26 October 2012

Adventure Comics #304
Preboot » Pre-Crisis
Adventure304.jpg
Cover by Curt Swan, George Klein and Ira Schnapp
Story title The Stolen Super-Powers!
Previous story Adventure Comics #303: The Fantastic Spy!
Next story Adventure Comics #305: The Secret of the Mystery Legionnaire!
Publication date November 29, 1962
Cover date January 1963
Creators
Writer Jerry Siegel
Penciller John Forte
Inker John Forte
Letterer Joe Letterese
Colourist(s) ???
Editor Mort Weisinger
Cover artist(s) Curt Swan, George Klein, Ira Schnapp

The Stolen Super-Powers!

Synopsis

Arriving at the Legion Clubhouse for their annual leadership election, Saturn Girl finds a message, but destroys it before anyone else can see it. Shortly after, the Legionnaires hold the election and Saturn Girl wins by unanimous vote. Secretly, she had used her mental powers to force everyone to vote for her. She then forces her teammates to wear medallions with her picture engraved on them and made from a spectrium “rainbow bar” given to the Legion as a gift. As her tyrannical behavior appears to grow, Saturn Girl next tests her teammates – except for Superboy and Supergirl, who are away – by making them use their powers. When each Legionnaire fails to meet her exacting standards, she suspends them from using their powers. Unknown to the other Legionnaires, the tests have served a secret purpose: each time a Legionnaire has used his or her power, the medallions have temporarily transferred their powers to Saturn Girl.

With the entire Legion suspended, Saturn Girl alone flies into space to face an invading villain called Zaryan the Conqueror. However, Lightning Lad has learned of her scheme and follows her into space. There, he destroys Zaryan’s ship, but the ship’s freeze ray strikes Lightning Lad, fatally injuring him.

As he lays dying, Lightning Lad tells Saturn Girl that he learned of her plan from Mon-El, who observed her every move from the Phantom Zone. Mon-El saw that the message Saturn Girl destroyed was from the Trylop Council on the planet Mernl, whose “computer-machine” predicted that a Legionnaire would die using his or her powers fighting Zaryan. Mon-El watched Saturn Girl rig the election and then force the Legionnaires to wear medallions that transferred their powers to her so that she could sacrifice herself, rather than putting her teammates at risk. Mon-El was initially unable to inform the other Legionnaires of her plan due to “sun-spot disturbances,” but was finally able to telepathically alert Lightning Lad. As soon as he finishes recounting this, Lightning Lad dies.

The Legionnaires gather for their teammate’s funeral and place his body in a special, transparent coffin with electric bolts perpetually crashing above it. Other worlds also mourn Lightning Lad’s passing. A statue is erected in his honor at the clubhouse.

Key Quotes and Catchphrases

Critique

Roll Call

In order of appearance:

Legionnaires

Featured roles:

  • Lightning Lad (dies in this story)
  • Mon-El (leaves the Phantom Zone briefly)
  • Saturn Girl (becomes Legion leader in this story)

Supporting roles:

Cameos

Villains

  • Zaryan the Conqueror (of the planet Brok) and his gang

Supporting characters

  • Lori Lemaris (accompanies Supergirl to Lightning Lad’s funeral)

Other characters

  • Commander Loring of the World-Wide Police
  • The Trylop Council of the planet Mernl (no appearance; message capsule only seen)

Planets and Other Places

  • Brok (Zaryan's homeworld; mentioned only)
  • Mernl (homeworld of the Trylop Council, friendly aliens; mentioned only)

Technology, Gadgets and Other Neat Stuff

  • The Legion’s vote-o-matic machine
  • The spectrium “rainbow” bar (worth $200,000)

Notes

Errors and Oddities

  • Even though Saturn Girl steals the powers of every Legionnaire, except Superboy and Supergirl, who are away, and Mon-El, who is in the Phantom Zone, no mention is made of Star Boy (see Retcon Alert, below).
  • No explanation is given for why Saturn Girl shows up at the Legion Clubhouse wearing a ray gun (which she uses to destroy the message) and holster in the first place.

First appearances

This issue marks the first appearance of the following characters and recurring key Legion story elements:

Powers and abilities

Reboot Reference Kit

Retcon Alert

  • Star Boy's absence from this story is finally explained almost twenty years later in Legion of Super-Heroes v2 #306: he was recuperating from injuries sustained while stopping a prison riot on Takron-Galtos.
  • Zaryan the Conqueror was later revealed to be a Khund.
  • The World-Wide Police was another name for the Science Police. The worldwide law-enforcement group went through several names in the early comics before the writers settled on "Science Police".

Other

Other stories in this issue

There is an additional story that does not feature the Legion - "The War Between Superboy and Superman"

Reprints

This Legion story has been reprinted in the following:

See also


« Previous    Next »Adventure Comics #304
Adventure Comics #303 
By continuity
Adventure Comics #305

Adventure Comics #303 
By series
Adventure Comics #305

Adventure Comics #303 
By publication
Adventure Comics #305
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