Superboy #202
Superboy #202
Cover Credits
Artist: Nicholas Peter Cardy

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Title: "The Legionnaire Who Killed"
Pages: 16

Feature(s):
Legion of Super-Heroes (of Earth-1)

Writer: Edmond Hamilton
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: George Klein

Reprinted From:
Adventure Comics #342 (1966)

Feature Character(s)

Supporting Character(s)

Villain(s)

  • Kenz Nuhor (dies in this story; no further appearances)
  • An unnamed alien savage, a Saturnian Stone-Dragon, a band of space-pirates, a band of alien savages, a Jovian mastodon, an unnamed alien humanoid, and a robot assassin (all appear in flashback; no further appearances)

Guest Appearance(s)

Other Character(s)

  • Calamity King (a rejected Legion applicant; first appearance; last appearance in Adventure Comics #343; no further appearances)
  • Jan Barth (an explorer; dies in this story; no further appearances)
  • A Saturnian Scorpion Beast and two unnamed zookeepers (no further appearances)

Comments:
Part 2: "The Verdict of the Legion"

Synopsis:
Star Boy travels to the lonely, primitive world of Karak to see his astronomer parents off to their homeworld safely. Upon his arrival, he learns that his parents have already left, letting an explorer, Jan Barth, use their abandoned observatory.

Another ship arrives, and its pilot fires a ray gun at Jan Barth, killing him. Star Boy uses his power on the man, but his shield reflects it back on Star Boy, making him super-heavy. His assailant then identifies himself as Kenz Nuhor of Naltor, Dream Girl's home planet. He loves Dream Girl, but she won't marry him because she loves Star Boy, so Nuhor vowed to track down Star Boy and kill him. As Dream Girl herself arrives, distracting Nuhor, Star Boy manages to grab Jan Barth's gun and kills Nuhor in self-defense. Dream Girl sees it all, and her testimony later clears Star Boy with the Science Police.

When he arrives back at the Legion Clubhouse, however, he finds that his comrades have decided to put him on trial because he has broken the Legion code against killing. As leader, Brainiac 5 acts as prosecutor, and appoints Saturn Girl judge, while Superboy volunteers to be Star Boy's defense attorney because he feels the others, who are not invulnerable like himself, should have the right to kill in self-defense.

As the trial begins, Brainiac 5 demonstrates that Star Boy could have saved himself by using his power to cause a tree branch above Nuhor to fall, pinning his enemy to the ground without killing him. Eager to find a defense, Superboy tries one strategem after another, but to no avail. After final arguments are made, the Legion votes, and the tally is ten to nine for conviction.

Star Boy is expelled, but as he leaves the Clubhouse he is greeted by Dream Girl and her new comrades in the Legion of Substitute Heroes. They invite him to join their team and he accepts.

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They are used here for educational purposes within the "fair use" provision of US Code: Title 17, Sec. 107.
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