{"id":28381,"date":"2023-08-01T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T09:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=28381"},"modified":"2023-07-31T17:01:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T17:01:38","slug":"showcase-presents-legion-of-super-heroes-volume-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2023\/08\/01\/showcase-presents-legion-of-super-heroes-volume-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes volume 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Edmond Hamilton, Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, John Forte<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1- 4012-1724-2 (TPB)<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, in the far future, a band of super-powered kids from a multitude of worlds took inspiration from the greatest legend of all time and formed a club of heroes. One day those Children of Tomorrow came back in time and invited their inspiration to join them\u2026<\/p>\n

And thus began the vast and epic saga of the Legion of Super-Heroes<\/strong>, as first envisioned by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino in early 1958, just as the revived comicbook genre of superheroes was gathering an inexorable head of steam. Since that time the fortunes and popularity of the Legion have perpetually waxed and waned, with their future history tweaked and rebooted, retconned and overwritten over and again to comply with editorial diktat and popular whim. Happy 65th<\/sup> Anniversary, teams!<\/p>\n

This splendid, charm-soaked, action packed second monochrome collection continues to re-present those early tales from assorted Superman Family titles in chronological order: the sagas from their own feature spanning Adventure Comics<\/strong> #316, 322-348, and 365 with guest-shots from Superboy <\/strong>#117, 124-125 and pertinent portions of\u00a0Superman Annual<\/strong>\u00a0#4, covering July 1964 to September 1966.<\/p>\n

From Adventure<\/strong> #322 the fun-filled futurism opens with \u2018The Super-Tests of the Super-Pets!\u2019 <\/em>by Edmond Hamilton, John Forte & Sheldon Moldoff, wherein the Legion\u2019s mighty animal companions – Krypto<\/strong>, Streaky the Super Cat<\/em>, Beppo<\/em>, the monkey from Krypton and magical Super-horse<\/em> Comet<\/em> – are left to guard Earth as the humanoid players continue to pursue the elusive Time Trapper<\/em>. When Chameleon Boy\u2019s pet Proty II<\/em> applies to join the bestial bunch, they give him a series of extremely difficult qualification tasks\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018The Eight Impossible Missions!\u2019<\/em> (#323 by Jerry Siegel, Forte & George Klein) see the incomprehensibly smart Proty setting the human Legionnaires a set of challenges to determine their next leader, after which the tone switches to deadly danger for \u2018The Legion of Super-Outlaws!\u2019<\/em> (Hamilton & Forte), as a grudge-bearing mad scientist manipulates a super-team from far distant Lallor into attacking the United Planets champions\u2026<\/p>\n

Issue #325 reveals how \u2018Lex Luthor Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes!\u2019<\/em> (Siegel & Forte) in a cunning tale of deadly deception whilst a \u2018Revolt of the Girl Legionnaires!\u2019 <\/em>(Siegel, Forte & Klein) finds the female heroes attempting to eradicate their male comrades. Of course, they don\u2019t mean it and a sinister mastermind is behind it all\u2026<\/p>\n

Superboy<\/strong> #117 (cover-dated December 1964) offers a classy thriller wherein Chameleon Boy<\/em>, Invisible Kid<\/em>, Ultra Boy<\/em>, Element Lad<\/em> and Brainiac 5<\/em> seemingly travel back 1000 years to attack the Boy of Steel in Siegel, Curt Swan & Klein\u2019s \u2018Superboy and the Five Legion Traitors!\u2019<\/em> whilst over in Adventure<\/strong> #327 \u2018The Lone Wolf Legionnaire!\u2019 <\/em>introduces bad boy Brin Londo<\/em> in a clever thriller from Hamilton, Forte, Klein & Moldoff. This troubled teen is framed for appalling crimes but will one day become a valued member of the team\u2026<\/p>\n

Siegel & Jim Mooney began an engaging run of tales in #328, opening with \u2018The Lad who Wrecked the Legion!\u2019 <\/em>as insidious Command Kid<\/em> joins the superhero squad to dismantle it from within.<\/p>\n

Narrowly escaping that fate, the heroes confront the topsy-turvy threat of their own imperfect doppelgangers in #329\u2019s \u2018The Bizarro Legion!\u2019 <\/em>after which another evil juvenile infiltrates the organisation, intent on destroying them all in \u2018Secret of the Mystery Legionnaire!\u2019<\/em>. The dastardly plan proceeds without a hitch until victorious Dynamo-Boy<\/em> recruited malevolent Lightning Lord<\/strong>, Cosmic King<\/em> and Saturn Queen<\/em> and falls victim to \u2018The Triumph of the Legion of Super-Villains!\u2019 <\/em>in #331.<\/p>\n

Rescued and restored, the good kids are back in Adventure<\/strong> #332, facing \u2018The Super-Moby Dick of Space!\u2019 <\/em>(Hamilton & Forte) as recently resurrected Lightning Lad suffers crippling injuries and an imminent nervous breakdown\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018The War Between Krypton and Earth!\u2019<\/em> (#333, by Hamilton, Forte & Klein), has the time travelling wonders flung back into Earth\u2019s antediluvian past and split into internecine factions on opposite sides of a conflict forgotten by history, after which Hamilton, Forte & Moldoff\u2019s \u2018The Unknown Legionnaire!\u2019 <\/em>poses a perilous puzzle with an oppressed race\u2019s future at stake.<\/p>\n

The same creative team introduce sinister super-villain \u2018Starfinger!\u2019 <\/em>in #335, framing one luckless Legionnaire for incredible crimes before \u2018The True Identity of Starfinger!\u2019 <\/em>(inked by Klein) reveals the real culprit.<\/p>\n

Superboy<\/strong> #124 (October 1965, Otto Binder & George Papp) features Lana Lang<\/em> as \u2018The Insect Queen of Smallville!\u2019<\/em>: rewarded with a shape-changing ring after rescuing a trapped alien. Naturally, she uses her new abilities to ferret out Clark Kent<\/em>\u2019s secrets\u2026<\/p>\n

Adventure<\/strong> #337 highlights \u2018The Weddings that Wrecked the Legion!\u2019 <\/em>(Hamilton, Forte & Moldoff) as two couples resign to marry. However, there\u2019s serious method in the seeming marital madness\u2026<\/p>\n

Long absent B\u00eate Noir Time Trapper<\/em> at last returns in #338, as Siegel & Forte expose \u2018The Menace of the Sinister Super-Babies!\u2019<\/em>, <\/em>with sultry siren Glorith of Baaldur<\/em> using the Chronal Conqueror\u2019s devices to turn everybody but Superboy and Brainiac 5 into mewling infants. When they turn the tables on the villains a new era dawns for the valiant Tomorrow Teens\u2026<\/p>\n

Cover-dated November 1965 and by Binder & Papp, Superboy<\/strong> #125 signals darker days ahead by introducing a legion reservist with a tragic secret in \u2018The Sacrifice of Kid Psycho!\u2019<\/em>, after which Hamilton, Forte & Moldoff tell a bittersweet tale of disaffected, tormented Lallorian hero Beast Boy<\/em> who turns against humanity in Adventure Comics<\/strong> #339\u2019s \u2018Hunters of the Super-Beasts!\u2019<\/em>\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

The slow death of whimsy and light-hearted escapades culminates in #340 when Brainiac 5\u2019s latest invention goes berserk, with \u2018Computo the Conqueror!\u2019 <\/em>(Siegel, Swan & Klein): attacking humanity and killing one of the superheroes before \u2018The Weirdo Legionnaire!\u2019 <\/em>(inked by Moldoff) begins the team\u2019s fight-back and eventual triumph.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Legionnaire who Killed!\u2019 <\/em>(#342, Hamilton, Swan, Moldoff & Klein) sees Star Boy<\/em> forced to take a life and facing the harshest of consequences, whilst \u2018The Evil Hand of the Luck Lords!\u2019<\/em> (Hamilton, Swan & Klein) finds the bold band of heroes assaulting the stronghold of a sinister cult claiming to control chance and destiny.<\/p>\n

The same creative team ramps up tensions in Adventure<\/strong> #344 in \u2018The Super-Stalag of Space!\u2019<\/em>,<\/em> wherein the Legion – and many other planetary champions – are incarcerated by malicious alien overlord Nardo<\/em>; an epic thriller completed in #345 with \u2018The Execution of Matter-Eater Lad!\u2019<\/em>\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

With Adventure<\/strong> #346 (July 1966) the dramatic revolution culminated in \u2018One of Us is a Traitor!\u2019 <\/em>as Jim Shooter – barely a teenager – sold script and layouts (finished and inked by veteran Sheldon Moldoff) for a spectacular Earth invasion yarn. Here the sinister Khunds<\/em> attack the UP, and the depleted Legion inducts four new members to bolster their strength. Sadly, although Princess Projectra<\/em>, Nemesis Kid<\/em>, Ferro Lad<\/em> and Karate Kid<\/strong> are all capable fighters, it is soon apparent that one is an enemy agent\u2026<\/p>\n

With Earth all but fallen, \u2018The Traitor\u2019s Triumph!\u2019 <\/em>(Shooter, Swan & Klein) seems assured, but there\u2019s one last surprise to come in a spectacular debut yarn from one of the industry\u2019s most innovative creators\u2026<\/p>\n

This superb second compendium concludes with a tense thriller by Shooter & Papp from Adventure<\/strong> #348, as the secret origin of Sun Boy<\/em> is revealed when radioactive rogue Dr. Regulus<\/em> attempts unjustified vengeance in \u2018Target-21 Legionnaires!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

But wait! There\u2019s more!<\/p>\n

Before the end, an expanded illustrated pictorial check-list and informational guide to the entire team by Swan, Klein & Al Plastino, culled from Superman Annual<\/strong> #4 (1961), Adventure Comics<\/strong> #316 and #365 (January 1964 & February 1968, respectively) reveals all you need to know about the youthful champions.<\/p>\n

The Legion is one of the most beloved and bewildering creations in comic book history and largely responsible for the growth of the groundswell movement that became American Comics Fandom. Moreover, these sparkling, simplistic and devastatingly addictive stories as much as the legendary Julie Schwartz\u2019s Justice League<\/strong> fired up the interest and imaginations of a generation of young readers and built the industry we all know today.<\/p>\n

These naive, silly, joyous, stirring and utterly compelling yarns are precious and fun beyond any ability to explain – even if we old lags gently mock them to ourselves and one another. If you love comics and haven\u2019t read this stuff, you are the poorer for it and need to enrich your future life as soon as possible.
\n\u00a9 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 2008 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Otto Binder, Jerry Siegel, Edmond Hamilton, Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, John Forte & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1- 4012-1724-2 (TPB) Once upon a time, in the far future, a band of super-powered kids from a multitude of worlds took inspiration from the greatest legend of all time and formed a club of heroes. One … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes volume 2”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[76,154,127,107,310,121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dc-superhero","category-legion-of-super-heroes","category-nostalgia","category-science-fiction","category-superboy","category-supergirl-graphic-novels"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7nL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28381"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28385,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28381\/revisions\/28385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}