Credits | Characters | Plot Summary | Comments | Reprinted In Superboy Chronology | Legion Chronology Editor: Mort Weisinger Writer: Jerry Siegel Artist: George Papp Feature Character: Superboy Supporting Characters: Jonathan Kent, Lana Lang, Krypto Guest Legionnaires: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl Villain: Lex Luthor "The Army of Living Kryptonite Men" (8 pages)
The Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad statuettes shown in Superboy's display case are the first three of many Legion figurines that Superboy receives as gifts from the Legion. According to Clark, these figurines were given to him by the Legion after their adventure on the Superboy Planet (as detailed in Adventure Comics No. 267). The fact that the figurines are wearing newer versions of their costumes and that one is labelled Lightning Lad (and not Lightning Boy) shows that the Legionnaires changed their costumes and Garth adopted a new monicker shortly after the events depicted in Adventure Comics No. 267, probably while repairs were being made to Superboy Planet. According to Clark Kent: Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad are "some members of the Legion of Super-Heroes", indicating that the other people seen in Adventure Comics No. 247 were members that haven't been introduced yet in the lore. The defective futurescope used in the Legion's previous adventure (Adventure Comics No. 267) has since been replaced by a time-viewer which has been incorporated into the television trouble finder and will eventually become known as the cosmos-monitor (Adventure Comics No. 325).
Also, Superman's existence is still unknown at this point, indicating that this story - from the Legion's point of view - actually takes place immediately after Adventure Comics No. 267 but before the events in Action Comics No. 267. In Action Comics No. 267, the Legionnaires know of the existence of Supergirl (from further time-viewing) so therefore must also know about Superman.
In their next adventure the Legionnaires go back to induct Supergirl into the team, not as an honorary member but as a regular, active member. While they do not yet know the entire story of Superman and Supergirl's lives, they know now that any interactions they have with them will not adversely affect the course of history. By Adventure Comics No. 304, Superboy is also made a full member. Although weakened by kryptonite while on the asteroid, Superboy would not have been killed by the explosion resulting from the collision had Lightning Lad not already saved him. Only kryptonite can kill Superboy and, though his strength is robbed by green k radiation, he remains invulnerable to other forces that may act upon him. Luthor's theory of a Legion of Super-Villains is proven to be true years later when, as an adult, he builds a radio to communicate with them through time and is sprung from prison by the adult Legion of Super-Villains (Superman No. 147). In Adventure Comics No. 358 (page 8, panel 6), a green kryptonite-beast is shown which is perhaps a semi-sentient "left-over" of the ones Luthor created a thousand years earlier in this story. 80 Page Giant No. 11 (June 1965) Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 1 Showcase Presents: The Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1 |
As Clark Kent shows his
foster-father some of his trophies, including statuettes
of the three charter Legionnaires - Cosmic Boy, Saturn
Girl, and Lightning Lad - given to him after his
adventure on the Superboy Planet. Lex Luthor is working
on his mind-helmet invention with hopes of destroying the
Boy of Steel. Luring Superboy to an asteroid trap, Luthor
then uses the telekinetic power of his device to make
kryptonite "men" attack him. Having watched
Superboy's plight from the future on the Legion's
time-viewer, Lightning Lad goes back in time to help his
friend by destroying the kryptonite. Moments afterward,
the two asteroids collided and would have hurled Superboy
and Krypto free anyway. In this way, Lightning Lad's
actions were not contrary to fate. Lightning Lad then
destroys Luthor's machine and returns to the 30th
century. In his lab, Luthor theorizes that if a Legion of
Super-Heroes exists in the future, then a Legion of
Super-Villains probably does too. He vows to one day
contact them and get their help in destroying Superboy.
At this point in time,
the Legionnaires still believe that history can be
altered by their activities in the past. In the previous
adventure on Superboy Planet, the Legionnaires
deliberately tried to keep Superboy locked up and thereby
prevent him from becoming a super-outlaw. This time out,
they acted just as emotionally but in a positive way,
wanting to influence the Boy of Steel's life for the
better (and perhaps exonerate their previous actions).
When Lightning Lad rushes to Superboy's rescue, he
actually believes he is truly saving the Boy of Steel's
life. 
Seeing the asteroid
explode moments after saving Superboy must have given
Lightning Lad a clue that history is unalterable and fate
will play a hand in preserving what must be. Still, he
did spare his friend several moments of pain, so his
journey was worthwhile, and a meaningful one to Superboy.