Superboy v1 197

Superboy v1 #197 Preboot » Pre-Crisis Story title "Timber Wolf, Dead Hero, Live Executioner Previous story Superboy #195: "The One-Shot Hero" Next story Superboy #198: "The Fatal Five Who Twisted Time" Publication date June 19,1973 Cover date September 1973 Creators Writer(s) Cary Bates Penciller(s) Dave Cockrum Inker(s) Dave Cockrum Letterer(s) Ben Oda Colourist(s) Unknown Editor(s) Murray Boltinoff Cover artist(s) Nick Cardy

Timber Wolf, Dead Hero, Live Executioner

Clark Kent and Lana Lang are relaxing under a tree when Lana decides to “let” Clark kiss her. Just then, Clark’s Legion belt signal, which only he can hear, goes off. As Lana closes her eyes to prepare for the kiss, Clark uses his heat vision to sever a twig, causing two apples to fall and knock her unconscious. Clark then switches to Superboy and travels into the future to answer the Legion summons.

In the 30th century, Superboy finds Legion Headquarters deserted except for one member – Timber Wolf. Superboy is delighted to see the feral Legionnaire, whom he thought was dead. The other Legionnaires emerge from the places where they hid so Timber Wolf could surprise Superboy. Timber Wolf then recounts that six months earlier, he and Superboy were on a mission when a nearby asteroid exploded. Superboy survived, but there was no sign of Timber Wolf, who now has no idea how he survived nor where he’s been for the last six months.

The next day, the President of Earth presents Timber Wolf with a Valor-Star medal, but as they shake hands, Timber Wolf suddenly announces his intention to kill the president and takes off into the sky, dragging the president along. As Superboy and Mon-El follow, Timber Wolf begins swinging the president in a circle and threatens to release him in any direction. Mon-El pulls Superboy’s cape, which stretches in a wide circle around the whirling Legionnaire; when Timber Wolf releases the president, he lands harmlessly in Superboy’s cape. Mon-El uses his cape to restrain the snarling Timber Wolf.

Part 2: The Sinister Secret of Timber Wolf

At Legion headquarters, Brainiac 5 examines Timber Wolf and pronounces him returned to normal. Timber Wolf remembers a little more of the incident six months earlier: Just before the asteroid exploded, he was teleported into another dimension, where a mist-covered figure told him that he had detonated the asteroid and saved the Legionnaire for his own purposes. But that is all Timber Wolf remembers. Satisfied that the danger has passed, Superboy returns to his own time.

That night, Timber Wolf prowls the hallways of Legion HQ, but is observed by Saturn Girl, whose telepathic powers alerted her to his condition. She watches as he enters the Central Control-Complex and activates the headquarter’s destruct sequence. Before she can intervene, she is shot by a ray from a mysterious intruder, who reveals himself to be Tyr, an alien criminal whose right hand consists of a bizarre energy weapon. Saturn Girl deduces that the assassination attempt on the president was a ruse to keep the Legionnaires from guessing that Tyr had brainwashed Timber Wolf into destroying the Legion, so he could invade their galaxy unimpeded.

However, the ray from Tyr’s gun-hand had bounced off of Saturn Girl and struck Timber Wolf in the head, shocking him back to normal. Timber Wolf defeats the villain and shuts off the self-destruct mechanism with seconds to spare. But as the two Legionnaires turn back to their unconscious enemy, they discover that Tyr’s gun-hand is missing.

In orbit, the automated gun-hand pledges that it will soon return to free its master and help him take over earth.

Roll Call

Legionnaires

Feature roles:

• Mon-El
• Saturn Girl
• Superboy (Honorary)
• Timber Wolf

Supporting role:

• Brainiac 5

Cameos:

• Bouncing Boy
• Chameleon Boy
• Chemical King
• Cosmic Boy
• Duo Damsel
• Element Lad (cover only)
• Karate Kid
• Lightning Lad
• Matter-Eater Lad
• Phantom Girl
• Princess Projectra
• Shadow Lass
• Shrinking Violet
• Sun Boy
• Ultra Boy

Villains

• Tyr and his automated gun-hand.

Supporting Characters

• Lana Lang

Other Characters

• President of Earth (presumably Kandro Boltax, but not named)

Planets and Settings

• Smallville
• Asteroid X52 (destroyed by Tyr)

Technology, Gadgets and Other Neat Stuff

• The self-destruct detonator of Legion Headquarters

Alien Wildlife

• An astral vulture

Notes

First appearances

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

• Timber Wolf’s feral features and brown and orange costume
• Lightning Lad’s blue, white, and orange (later yellow) costume sans cape

Easter eggs

• Two silhouettes of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek are visible on the wall of Timber Wolf’s quarters.

Other

• This issue launches the Legion's third continuous series (following Adventure Comics and Action Comics), as they are promoted to equal billing in Superboy's title.

Other stories in this issue

There is an additional story that does not feature the Legion - "The Slay-Away Plan".

Reprints

Timber Wolf, Dead Hero, Live Executioner has been reprinted in the following: