Adventure #282 - Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Not really the Legion, just Star Boy - and a Star Boy with far more powers than he would eventually have. He's Superboy PLUS electrical vision, which is all it takes for Daddy Lang to allow Lana to run off with Thom to some unknown planet in an unknown future. People just weren't as protective of children as they are today.
This may be the only instance in which a Legionnaire has a secret identity. It's certainly not a very good one - no disguise, no mask, no different personality - just a costume. Still, it apparently has fooled the criminal element on Xanthu.
The story is a charming screwball romantic comedy. Lana concocts a devious plan to make Superboy jealous while he, aware of what she's up to, foils her every move. Poor Star Boy is the innocent chump; even his girlfriend Zynthia is part of the deception.
This was written by Otto Binder, who had this to say about comic book stories: Many stories were problems because they were too crammed with plotting so that the writer had to squeeze and make rapid transitions, etc., to the detriment of the final story. Some scripts required too much wordage, both captions and dialogue, that all panels were crowded and created a problem for the artist to depict anything. All the writer could do was to cram it in and let the editor cut where he could, which sometimes hacked up a story badly. ... None of the scripts were "easy" to write, as most people seem to think, deceived by the story's "simplicity". - from The Legion Companion
He might have been talking about the second story, Prisoner of the Super-Heroes (written by Siegel). This story with Lana does appear simple, but it flows easily and coherently.
Nevertheless, when I read this (and the other early stories), I wonder if the writers were on acid. Flying people, giant flowers, talking Parakats...
Adventure #283 is one of my favorite early Legion stories, and for a variety of reasons. Foremost among them is the lush landscape that is Xanthu: at times, a sprawling metropolis and at others, a wild, savage alien world. Star Boy himself looks futuristic and heroic to the extreme while still human. Zynthia is one of the most beautiful characters ever to grace the pages of a comic book--Doris Day meets Kim Novak. There are definite bits of Forbidden Planet's Altaira in her look, and then like Thom is shown to be just a regular joe, she's revealed to be the futuristic girl next door.
This is a classic Lana Lang plot. So classic, in fact, that its stolen almost verbatim from an earlier Superboy story in 1951. That story features Marsboy--who coincidently, had two earlier appearances. Marsboy was a rare recurring character in the middle era between ages good and silver. I always thought he should come back.
But back to Lana; classic Lana. This plot is strait sitcom material but the characters are all good intentioned and likable so it works.
Star Boy is clearly meant to be Superboy-esque in powers and demeanor. What's crazy is he doesn't appear for like two full years because Mort & company forgot about him! When he does reappear, he's vastly scaled down as by then Mon-El was already another Superboy level Legionnaire. Yet, that first step towards differentiating him would start a long series of such things: first Legionnaire to kill, first to be suspended where it sticks, he becomes a Sub, first to grow a beard.
I notice Lana always wears green. So does Pepper Potts in Iron Man, and Joan in Mad Men. Is that a redhead thing? How have I not known about this? In the first panels, Lana shedding tears over Superboy wins me to her cause. Okay girl--I've got your back. Cause havoc.
Thom's parents, like the Kent's, are loving and supportive. They're also successful middle class people as astronomers. Quite the 50's ideal. I think comics should spend more time showing different valuable occupations to society.
"Star Boy has an extra super-power even I haven't got!" Calm down, Clark. Yeesh, put the measuring stick away.
Papp's illustrations of Xanthu and the backgrounds of Star Boy's lab are fantastic.
By page 10, the bickering between Lana and Superboy is terrific! Otto Binder at his best!
Space canoes look groovy! Parakats not so much. Still, Superboy maybe didn't need to be so rough...after all, he bothered it.
Lana's hissy fit explodes on page 12 and it doesn't let down. She calls Zynthia a hussy!
All in all, a fun story. It's similar to other Superboy stories and Lana drive stories, but since I'm not rereading those, I don't care.
If it wasn't already obvious that the Legion was becoming a thang, the fact that they've started re-writing old Superboy stories to incorporate a Legion connection should be a major clue! I've never read the original "Lana Lang's Romance on Mars!", but this version is pretty much awesome!
It's a variant of fairly standard Superboy tropes... alien hero (this time, from the future!) shows up... Lana Lang tries to use the alien hero to make Superboy jealous. It's the depiction of Xanthu as a future world that makes it really special, however.
We begin with Superboy putting honest, hardworking lawnmowers out of business! Er... I mean, helping the Smallville Hospital save money by mowing their lawn for them!
We see Lana's obsession with Superboy... and she gets an idea by going to a movie!
Where the heck did Star Boy get those giant horseshoes, anyway? And couldn't he have just used the giant skywriting trick to begin with?
Anyway, a brief origin of Star Boy... "...the planet Xanthu, which exists in the future!" is a bit of awkward dialogue.
Anyway... secret identities, and Star Boy learning English when he travels to Earth to join the Legion? Crazy.
X-ray vision that can't penetrate copper? Electrical vision? Subtle changes on the Superboy-type powers are always cool.
Boy, it sure doesn't take much to convince Professor and Mrs. Lang to allow a strange boy to take their daughter to an alien planet in the future!
Cool Xanthu things:
--The entire planet is subject to heavy floods? --Spiders that produce glowing thread! No doubt to attract insects! --Er... where exactly does that Rainbow Bridge go? --Diamonds all over the place! --Jungle Mountains! I'm sure there's got to be a crazy-kewl pseudo-scientific explanation of why there's be jungles on the top of mountains --Talking Parakats!
Xynthia really doesn't do that much... but there's still something oddly fascinating about her as a character. Still think they should've used her as the postboot "Insect Queen".
Anyway, a fun issue overall, even though the Legion connection is pretty minor at the time!
FC, I someone totally glanced over the Star Boy secret identity bit! Haha, worst secret ID ever!
He must have had yet another super power to cloud sentient's minds.
My theory: Star Boy had a secret power to change his skin color! Thus he always the first black Legionnaire, only they couldn't show this in 1960s comics!
That crazy Superboy! Not only is he responsible for Lex Luthor going bald, but he actually saved strands on Lex's hair as a trophy! No wonder Lex hates him!
Lightning Lad showing up as a deus ex machina! The first of many such minor Legion appearances. But, of course, Superboy and Krypto would've been saved anyway, so history wasn't changed.
Either they really needed a deus ex machina bad, or they just really wanted to shoehorn the Legion in. but I heartily approve!
His parents and neighbours have all been subjected to Saturn Girl's telepathic propaganda depicting Superboy as a worthless failure. He is informed that checking on his activities with the Futurescope is a routine procedure.
Fortunately for Superboy, he is allowed by the President to revoke his "security oath" and reveal the cover-up in which he participated
Boy, if Imra had just thought to read Superboy's mind!
"Oh hey Supes, we just want to ask you something... Oh, that explains it then! See you in the future. You'll only have to keep that secret for a bit longer. Bye now!"
The mad queen Lana seated on a golden throne high above all others. All is as it should be.
Star Boy refers to her as "the fairest damsel on all nine worlds". Sort of an odd turn of phrase given that Xanthu isn't, you know, part of our system. Hmm... perhaps the "Nine Planets Ice Cream Shop" wasn't just named after the Solar System. All we really know is that Mars is one of the nine, perhaps Xanthu is another. Ah... too many conspiracies!
Page 1 - Xanthu... I've heard this speculated on before (I think on the Legion of Substitute Podcasters) but, it's possible that the name of this planet was inspired by the recently- at the time - discovered substance, Xanthan Gum. This issue is dated March 1961, and Xanthan Gum was discovered in the late 50's by chemist, Allene Rosalind Jeanes, and first put into production for commercial uses in the early 60's. I don't think it's much of a stretch to think that writer Otto Binder (a huge science buff) had probably read about this.
Page 2 - Poor, crazy Lana. Five framed photos of Superboy (and possibly five more stuck to her mirror) in this tiny cross section of her room. Clearly love lorn (ah... another LL!)
"What a super-convenient son you are!" Convenient? Pa Kent, continuing to be just a regular fount of love.
Page 3 - The briefly lived "Black and Yellow" movies.
"Hey... where are those huge horseshoes coming from?" That's the question? Not "Why are these horseshoes huge to be begin with?"
Page 4 - "I used my super-strength for the horseshoes". That brings up something I've always wondered about (more specifically regarding Superman). As someone who personally always struggles over details when I make something, I always wonder why the writers in these stories equate super-strength with "super-craftsmanship". Like... just because you can bend metal with your hands, doesn't mean that you can bend it well... making whatever you can envision on the first try. Maybe they actually do have to do these things over and over again until they look right but their "super-speed" makes the process look easier. Whatever... I'm just jealous.
Page 5 - And thus begins the fan speculation about the chronology of the Legion versus the publication order... who are those two with their backs turned to us. It sure looks like Kara and Dirk to me.
Huh! I just looked it up and apparently, x-rays are slowed down by copper, just not as efficiently as by lead. Nice work, Otto Binder.
Page 6 - Heh... Look at Clark's face in that last panel... he is just in awe of Lana's madness.
Page 7 - "Gracious... a trip to a strange world in the future might be dangerous." Yeah... and a freaking mind-boggling concept to any normal person. I suppose in a world where a "Superboy" exists, a lot of things suddenly become a lot more reasonable.
He's not "better" than Superboy, Ma Lang... he's just "different".
Page 8 - That is some Dr. Seussian architecture they've got going on Xanthu. And those do not look like the inside of copper drain pipes... the outside maybe, but - unless they're polishing non-stop - those things would be really green. "Super-green," even.
Page 9 - Lana is adorable in her Xanthuan garb... nuff said.
"equal in value to a thousand earthly diamonds". Would that be the 20th century value... or the 30th century... and... wait... are these thousand of any particular size... and... more to the point... how exactly are you familiar with Terran diamond values?
Page 10 - I agree with Cobie and Eryk here... it's hard to account for Zynthia's popularity, but I like her, too... and it's far from the first time I've heard it mentioned. Odd for such a bit player. Might be the name. "Zynthia". It just sounds retro-future-cool. Like a space-age "Cynthia".
Page 11 - I've always felt bad for the Parakat. He's clearly not just a mimic, as he clearly has some understanding of what he's saying. You're just a species-ist, Clark.
Page 12 - The many moods of Lana! Watch as she goes from indignation... to jealous rage... to feigned weakness... to befuddled surprise... to barely stifled frustration... to weeping acceptance... all in six panels!
I really adore her little balled-up fists in panel 5... so fussbudget-y!
Page 13 - And all is well... Lana lives to fight another day.
So... a fun story, if - as others have mentioned - a remake of the earlier "Mars Boy" story.
A lot of firsts...The first real "spotlight on a Legionnaire" story, the first visit to a Legion planet, first Legionnaire's "real name", first protracted origin story for a Legionnaire apart from just a line or two.
It's a little odd, all things considered, that it would be over two years before Star Boy appeared again, and - when he did - he had a completely different powerset.
Page 1 - Xanthu... I've heard this speculated on before (I think on the Legion of Substitute Podcasters) but, it's possible that the name of this planet was inspired by the recently- at the time - discovered substance, Xanthan Gum. This issue is dated March 1961, and Xanthan Gum was discovered in the late 50's by chemist, Allene Rosalind Jeanes, and first put into production for commercial uses in the early 60's. I don't think it's much of a stretch to think that writer Otto Binder (a huge science buff) had probably read about this.
Oh... another quick thing. The lettercol for this issue is all about a story in Adventure #279 called "Superboy Visits the 50th Century" by Otto Binder.
Wait... Superboy travels twice as far into the future beyond the Legion's time as the Legion traveled back to visit him? And it's written by the same guy that intro-ed the Legion?
Fun story! The gist is that far in the future, Superboy is considered a myth like Peter Pan. Cool premise from a historians point of view. And it's got all the usual Otto Binder awesomeness.
They are so accepting and not at all caught off guard by their son crashing a (must be expensive) space ship, developing crazy (some superstitious parents might call demonic) super powers ... and they suit him up to fight injustice. No hiding his powers from them!
Interesting, Star Boy joining is pre-universal translator. He had to learn the LSH language. Is interlac not required for UP membership? Is this pre UP membership for Xanthu? So many questions!
"By sheer chance, Lana Lang has come this way to pick flowers!"
Yeah right, that creepy stalker does nothing by sheer chance!
btw, I can tell her plan to ensnare Ordinary Boy by pretending not to be interested in him is going to go bust.
You don't want the kind of guys who would be interested in you if you showed no interest in them LANA!
She's got issues. And I hate her new dress.
wait ... what .. she dosn't need her flowers anymore? She just tossed them out!
Why does Star Boy care if his name gets out 1000 years in the past and on a different planet? conspiracies??? Crazy cross time adventures??
I wonder if Ordinary Boy likes bossy extortionists? yeah Lana ... dosn't everyone.
Lana's parents are so checked out. They let her go to another planet with a strange uber powerful boy?
Villains are old tubby and bald. Heroes are young and cute. This is better than Waid's!!!
Meanwhile, Lana wants Superboy to give her a *tumble*. Classy bossy extortionist!
Then she calls supes a super-idiot! hahaha!
On page 64/10 I thought she was lighting up a cigarette! haha.
That poor Parakat looks really sick, almost as cute as a dying Krypto.
OOOOOO On page 12 Lana finally loses it!!!!
"... you hussy"
She is totally mentally unstable. I actually feel bad for Ordinary Boy.
This was a good one, I like Star Boy's electrical vision ... and taste in women ... Zynthia is a total babe! and a good sport for helping Superboy ... not like crazy demanding shouty cookoo for cocoa puffs Lana!
Those super guys can really just travel through time like it is nothing!
These early stories are getting to me. I heard something on the news about the U.S. sending a missile defense shield to Guam, in response to North Korea's threats, and had a vision of Superboy flying with a gigantic clear dome to place over the island.
Action 267 - I always wondered how Supergirl's tunneling through the Earth didn't cause massive planetary upheaval. I mean, we saw her digging but not reinforcing the tunnel or anything like that!
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yeah Lana ... dosn't everyone. 
