In Drawing Crazy Patterns, I spotlight at least five scenes/moments from within comic book stories that fit under a specific theme (basically, stuff that happens frequently in comics). Today, we look at how much the Legion of Super-Heroes choke in their original stint as an ongoing comic book feature.
The Legion of Super-Heroes got their own regular feature for the first time in 1962’s Adventure Comics #300 (by Jerry Siegel and John Forte), roughly four years after the Legion made their first comic book appearance in Adventure Comics #247.
Jerry Siegel and John Forte was the creative team on the first five issues. Reader Andy N. wrote in to note that the Legion sure did seem to choke a lot in those early issues. So here, we’ll take a look at all of the choking that the Legion did in those six issues, a whopping FOURTEEN examples in those mere six issues!
We open up with Adventure Comics #300, where Sun Boy chokes when he (and other Legionnaires) find themselves unable to control their superpowers…
Later in the issue, after bringing in the help of Mon-El from the Phantom Zone, Superboy feels bad about exposing Mon-El to his lead poisoning weakness…
In the next issue, we see the incompetent origin of the Legionnaire known as Bouncing Boy and we also see, via a flashback detailing his origins, how sad he was that he didn’t make it into the Legion of Super-Heroes at first…
In Adventure Comics #302, Sun Boy chokes up at having a statute in his honor…
However, he then discovers that his powers no longer work! He tried different methods and they all fail, which makes him choke up…
He then chokes up again when even MORE attempts fail and it looks like he’ll have to quit the Legion…
He then chokes up again when he actually is dismissed from the team…
He chokes up when he watches the Legion go into action without him (although it inspires him of a way to get his powers back)…
The following issue, the Legion believes that one of their own has betrayed the team…
New member Matter-Eater Lad thinks that they are referring to him and it chokes him up…
Later, they remain convinced that there is a traitor in the midst of the group, and that draws some sympathy chokes…
After Matter-Eater Lad escapes from the base, everyone fells stupid and even chokes up a bit (he didn’t really turn evil. It was all a plot designed by Brainiac Five).
In the next issue, Lightning Lad sacrificed himself in place of Saturn Girl and it makes her choke up…
Finally, in Adventure Comics #305, we get a re-telling of the first meeting of Superboy and Mon-El.
Edmond Hamilton took over with the next issue and that was pretty much it for the “chokes.” It was funny while it lasted!
That’s it for this installment! Thanks to Andy N. for the suggestion! Everyone else, feel free to write me at brianc@cbr.com with suggestions for future Drawing Crazy Patterns!