Adventure Comics 267

Adventure Comics #267 Preboot » Pre-Crisis Cover by Curt Swan, Stan Kaye and Ira Schnapp Story title Prisoner of the Super-Heroes Previous story Adventure Comics #247:The Legion of Super-Heroes Next story Superboy v1 #86:The Army of Living Kryptonite Men Cover date December 1959 Creators Writer(s) Jerry Siegel and Mort Weisinger Penciller(s) George Papp Inker(s) George Papp Letterer(s) Joe Letterese Colourist(s) Unknown Editor(s) Mort Weisinger Cover artist(s) Curt Swan, Stan Kaye, Ira Schnapp

Prisoner of the Super-Heroes

(11 pages/59 panels) To his surprise, Superboy discovers that Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad have returned to the 20th century - not as friends, as in their last trip, but for the sole purpose of making him look bad. Every time he begins to save the day with a super-feat, they coldly brush him aside, take care of the problem and steal the glory. It's not long before the citizens of Smallville decide they prefer the three super teens from the future, making no attempt to hide their displeasure with him. Even Krypto, Ma and Pa Kent seem to have turned against him. Crushed, Superboy decides to leave his home and venture out into space.

Before too long, he encounters a crowd of super-beings, all flying through space in the same direction. In curiosity, Superboy follows, the crowd's ranks swelling as they approach what he discovers is a brand new world called Superboy Planet. He is immediately greeted by the local law enforcement and told that the ruling council is expecting him. The council turn out to be none other than the three Legionnaires who had troubled him earlier in Smallville. He is immediately sentenced to life imprisonment and thrown into a kryptonite cage.

Weakened by the kryptonite and helpless to escape, Superboy watches as the Legionnaires contruct an entire kryptonite prison. As they are about to move him to the completed structure, Cosmic Boy relates the reasons for their actions. The artificial planet on which they stand was originally contructed in Superboy's honor by super-heroes from many worlds. Before dedicating it to him in a surprise ceremony, they checked their futurescope, which allows them to see five years in the future (records of the period had been lost in a fire). To their horror, the futurescope revealed scenes of Superboy destroying a ship, an airstrip and a factory. They concluded that he was destined to become a super-criminal five years hence.

Feeling it their duty to imprison him, they deliberately humiliated him in Smallville so that he would want to leave Earth in shame. A mental prompt from Saturn Girl caused the citizens, Krypto and the Kents to turn against him. Their explanation at an end, they ask Superboy if he has anything to say in his defense, but he remains silent. They take his lack of rersponse as an indication of guilt, and he is placed into life imprisonment.

Days later, an atomic chain reaction on the planet collapses the kryptonite prison and frees Superboy. Unleashed by the explosions, radiation from the deadly Element Sigellian begins to kill the Legionnaires. With a super-shout, Superboy changes the molecular structure of the Element Sigellian, rendering it harmless. Grateful now that they have been saved, the heroes swarm around him with cheers of praise, stating that it's unthinkable that Superboy could ever become a criminal.

Just then, Saturn Girl mentally picks up a radio message from Earth. The President of the United States is releasing Superboy from an oath of security. Free to speak, Superboy explains that the scenes they saw in their futurescope were actually from the present, and that he was destroying all traces of a deadly poison gas at the request of the President. Sure enough, a flaw is discovered in the futurescope, and Superboy's name is cleared.

Rushing to bring Ma, Pa and Krypto to Superboy Planet, the heroes and all involved shout three cheers in Superboy's honor.

Roll Call

Legionnaires

Superboy (cover/50 panels), Cosmic Boy (c/27), Saturn Girl (c/22), Lightning Lad (c/20).

Supporting Characters

Jonathan "Pa" Kent (4 panels), Martha "Ma" Kent (4), Krypto (2).

Other Characters

Unnamed citizens of smallville (12 panels), an unnamed Smallville Detective and his unnamed prisioner (3 ea.), the Mayor of Smallville (1), unnamed heroes from unnamed planets "across the galaxy" (15), a subterranean dinosaur (3), a giant robot (2).

Planets & Settings

20th century Earth, Superboy Planet, 20th century Smallville

Technology, Gadgets & Assorted Stuff

Legion Jet Packs(12 panels), green kryptonite(9), a Futurescope (5), the element Sigellian (0).

Notes

First appearances

This issue marks the first appearance of the classic Silver Age costumes worn by Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. The unnamed Mayor of Smallville depicted in this story appears here for the first and only time. With this story, Lightning Boy is rechristened without explanation with the more aliterative codename, Lightning Lad. Except for flashback tales published in the 1980s and 1990s, he would appear only once more, in what was probably an uncorrected typo, as Lightning Boy. Superboy Planet is created in the 20th century, never to be seen again. The element Siegellian is mentioned for the first time, never to be seen again.

Oddities

Both on the cover and in the story, Saturn Girl is shown emitting rayes from her eyes that carve brick out of rocks, a power never seen before, or since. Also, in the original printing of this story, Saturn Girl's costume is colored purple & white as opposed to red & white and she is incorrectly portrayed as a brunette.

Timeline

Fans have determined that this story takes place after Action Comics 267 and 276, but prior to 287.

Easter Eggs

The element Siegellian is named for the writer of this story, Jerry Siegel.

Other stories in this issue

There are two additional stories that do not feature the Legion. "The Manhunt On Land" & "The Underwater Archers"

Reprints

This Legion story has been reprinted in the following:

• Adventure Comics #491 (September, 1982)
• Superman Annual #8 (1963)
• Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1 (1991)