Adventure Comics 282

Adventure Comics #282 Preboot » Pre-Crisis Cover by Curt Swan, Stan Kaye and Ira Schnapp Story title Lana LAng Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes Previous story Action Comics #267:The Three Super-Heroes Next story Action Comics #276:Supergirl's Three Super Girl-Friends Cover date March 1961 Creators Writer(s) Otto Binder 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

"Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes!"

(13 pages/73 panels)

Plot Synopsis

While pining over Superboy, Lana Lang attends an afternoon matinee and hits upon an idea based on the plot of the picture she sees -- she could try and make Superboy so jealous. But how, she wonders, when "no other boy on Earth" can compare to him?

Meanwhile, Superboy is beset by a series of odd occurrences. Giant-sized horseshoes make ringers around him while he walks down the street in his Clark Kent guise, Smallville dam nearly overflows when a logjam blocks a drainage grill, he suddenly finds himself encased in ice when he emerges from a lake, and huge letter made of baked clay fly across he sky and explode against a cliff.

Those letters form words instructing Superboy to go to Calvin's Cave, where he meets Star Boy, who explains that he took to time to arrange these elaborate stunts, "to lure you here quickly."

Star Boy recounts his origin story, including that he is from the 30th century planet, Xanthu, and how he gained powers like Superboy's when took a "spin in the family spacemobile" through the "strangely glowing" tail of a passing comet.

Crash landing on Xanthu, Star Boy discovered his powers, adopted a secret identity, and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes, prompting Superboy to recall that he, too, is a Legion member.

Star Boy then tells how two Xanthu criminals escaped jail and one fled to 20th century Earth in a time-ship. Star Boy has captured that crook, he says, but he needs Superboy's help to find the other, who is hiding in an underground maze of copper sewer pipes. Star Boy's x-ray vision, it seems, cannot penetrate copper, just as Superboy cannot see through lead.

Superboy flies off to tell his foster parents that he's leaving for the future just as Lana happens upon the scene. Having heard just enough to hatch upon a scheme, Lana tells Star Boy that she will reveal his secret identity to the captured crook if he does not comply with her wishes. Star Boy does not know that Lana only heard enough to know he had a secret identity, but otherwise is bluffing because she did not hear his real name. Still, unable to think of any way out of Lana's web of deceit, he agrees to tow the line.

Unfortunately for Lana's plans, Superboy arrives just in time to overhear that she wants Star Boy to feign undying lover for her in order to make Superboy jealous.

Star Boy then flies Lana to home so she can ask her parents for permission to accompany Star Boy into the future. Star Boy puts the concerns of Lana's parents to rest by displaying his super-powers, including one even Superboy does not have -- electrical vision. Lana's parents decide she'll be safe with Star Boy and agree to let her go.

Once everyone has arrived on Xanthu, Star Boy rushes his prisoner back to jail while Superboy quickly apprehends the second escapee. When Superboy rejoins his companions, Lana has Star Boy perform a series of feats to prove his love for her, such as spinning her a dress made of glowing silk spider-threads and altering the atomic structure of rocks with his electric vision to create for her a "super-jewel."

But Superboy does not fall for the ruse, and instead turns the tables on Lana by appearing to fall madly in love with a Xanthu girl named Zynthina, who we later learn is actually Star Boy's girlfriend. He then performs stunts of his own to show off, such as capturing a wild parakat and training it to say how beautiful Zynthia is.

Finally, Lana gives up, reveals her trickery, and asks to be taken home. She and Superboy agree to remain friends, but he declines to take her to the teen-time dance because he's too busy with all the super-jobs that have piled up with away in the future, leaving Lana right back where she started.

Key Quotes and Catchphrases

• "Oh, he's so powerful . . . so handsome . . . so clever . . . and so indifferent to me!" (Lana Lang, summing up her relationship with Superboy)

• "What a super-convenient son you are!" (Pa Kent)

• "Holy cow!" (Superboy)

• ". . . while taking a spin in the family spacemobile . . ." (Star Boy, apparently ignorant of the irony that this is how all Legion origin stories start)

• "Y-you'll give away me secret identity, eh? I-I'm trapped!" (Star Boy)

• "Hmm . . . So that's her little scheme, is it?" (Superboy, apparently ignorant of the fact that he's had to say this of every love interest he's ever had)

• "Gracious, Lana! A trip to a strange world in the future might be dangerous!" (Lana's mom)

• "Wow! Star Boy has an extra super-power even I haven't got!" (Just like all Legionnaires, Superboy)

• "Blast the luck! You're invulnerable to me atomic gun, too!" (An unnamed Xanthusian criminal)

• "Superboy still isn't giving me a tumble, but I'll make him jealous yet!" (Lana)

• "Too bad you haven't got electrical vision, Superboy!" (Lana)

• "Oh, how can you be so blind, Superboy? Can't you see Star Boy simply adores me?" (Lana)

• "Oh, how disgusting! Superboy is obeying her every whim!" (Lana)

• "Holy Cow!" (Superboy, again)

• "Let Superboy go . . . You hussy!" (Lana)

Roll Call

Legionnaires

• Superboy (cover, 61 panels)
• Star Boy (cover, 41 panels; 1st appearances, origin)
• Chameleon Boy (1 panel; 2nd appearance)
• Lightning "Boy" (1 panel; 5th appearance)
• Saturn Girl (1 panel; 5th appearance)
• Cosmic Boy (1 panel; 5th appearance)
• Plus, two others, seen from behind

Villains

• Two unnamed Xanthu criminals (4 panels)

Supporting Characters

• Lana Lang (cover, 43 panels)
• Jonathan "Pa" Kent (1 panel)
• Zynthia (cover, 10 panels; only appearance)

Other Characters

• Five unnamed patients at Smallville Hospital (1 panel)
• Seven unnamed patrons of a Smallville theater (1 panel)
• Two unnamed movie stars (1 panel)
• Star Boy's father, Fryd Kallor (3 panels)
• Star Boy's mother, Mira Kallor (2 panels)
• Professor Lang (3 panels)
• Mrs. Lang (3 panels)
• Giant Xanthu spiders (refrenced only)
• a Parakat (4 panels)

Planets and Settings

• 20th century Earth, including:
  • Smallville, including:
    • Smallville Hospital
    • Lana Lang's home and bedroom
    • the Kent home
    • a Smallville movie theater
    • Smallville Dam
    • Calvin's Cave (only mention in any Superboy story)
• Xanthu, including:
  • the Kallor home
  • Star Boy's Laboratory (only appearance)
  • the copper sewer pipes of Xanthu
  • Rainbow Bridge
  • the Jungle Mountains

Technolgy, Gadgets and Other Neat Stuff

• Star Boy's time-ship (5 panels)
• Legion nameplates (1 panel; 1st depiction)
• an Atomic Gun (1 panel)
• a Xanthu "super-loom" (3 panels; used to weave "Xanthu style clothing out of giant, glowing, silk spider-threads)
• a Xanthu sky canoe (3 panels)

First appearances

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

• Star Boy
• Legion nameplates
• Xanthu

Other stories in this issue

There is an additional story that does not feature the Legion. "One Hour to Doom"

Reprints

This Legion story has been reprinted in the following:

• 

  Adventure Comics #356

• 

  Adventure Comics #493

• 

  Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1