Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #264

Legion of Super-Heroes (v2) #264 (June, 1980)
title: "Dagon's Cavern of Doom!"

writer: Gerry Conway

penciller: Jimmy Janes
inker: Dave Hunt

letterer: Milt Snapinn
colorist: Gene D'Angelo

editor: Jack C. Harris
cover: Dick Giordano (signed) 

reviewer: Russell "Bilingual Boy" Burbage

Mission Monitor Board:  
Wildfire, Dawnstar, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Tyroc

Opponents: 
Dagon


Synopsis: 
On Earth, six Legionnaires are flying through Metropolis when Wildfire, upset about his parents being kidnapped, nearly causes an air-car collision. Light Lass moves a tower out of the way of the car, then asks Wildfire to calm down and to focus on the job.

Dawnstar leads the others to an abandoned tidal energy power plant, but feels ill after she does it. A turbo laser shoots at them, then mutant bats attack. Wildfire surrounds them in an energy sphere, and they disappear. When the Legion gets inside the power plant, Saturn Girl tells them that she has searched telepathically and that the factory is empty. Wildfire erupts again out of frustration. Elsewhere, Dagon is watching, enjoying the show.

Light Lass reminds them of their three suspects, so they consider them. Saturn Girl suggests going to ask Tyroc to come back to help, as his sonic power once found a bomb hidden in Metropolis. Dawnstar and Shadow Lass offer to go to Marzal to bring him back.

The others go back to R.J. Brande's factory where the Legion's head-quarter's security system and weapons were built. They use the factory's computers to narrow down the suspects from the three fired engineers. They find that tech master Wezil Yondor has had the most recent access to the security storage chamber, so they believe that he is their man. They try to open the storage chamber to check to see what weapons might be missing, but cannot get in because the security codes have been changed. Lighting Lad breaks in, and rocket weapons attack. Wildfire's suit is destroyed before Lighting Lad can destroy the rocket launcher. They suddenly realize where Dagon is hiding, and rush off.

Wildfire is the first one to arrive, but Dagon stops him with a negative ionic energy net. Lightning Lad then blasts Dagon unconscious. The Legionnaires escort the parents to the surface. Dagon was using a cancelled "emergency security bunker" under Legion head-quarters itself as his hide-out.

On Marzal, Tyroc is not happy to see Dawnstar and Shadow Lass, and tells them that they are trapped on his island----for atleast 200 years!

Commentary: 
This is a competent conclusion to the story begun last issue, but re-reading it today I notice little things that bother me. For one thing, as mentioned last issue no other Legionnaires are mentioned. The last we heard, there were only two other "away teams" out on missions, so where is, say, Element Lad? I guess it makes sense to try to keep the focus on a small group of Legionnaires, but with a group this big, that is difficult. As someone who has worked in large offices, I know people are supposed to attend meetings or be "on call." It seems odd for half a dozen members to be "off."

I liked how Light Lass is shown as the calm, cool, and collected Legionnaire here, especially compared to Wildfire. Granted, her parents are not among those kidnapped, as she herself admits (they died in a spaceship accident several years ago). This is not a characterization I am used to seeing from Ayla Ranzz; I would have liked to have seen more of it.

Jimmy Janes continues to get used to the characters and settings here. Dave Hunt adds a very "stoic" line to his work, making it somewhat cartoony but never ineffective. They can't make Dagon look formidable, but other than that the work is competent. I do think they need to reference their style guides, though, as Shadow Lass is drawn with gloves throughout the issue. Jack C. Harris should have been paying more attention for some of the group shots, as Legionnaires come and go with no rhyme or reason here.  

Science Police Notes:  

• Shadow Lass is drawn without her cape on the cover. 
• Tyroc's yell on the cover, "Eeoooooo" is not his previous teleportation scream. That is either "Oyuuuuu!" or "Eyuuuu!" or "Aayaaa!" (the latter is what he actually used last issue to return to Marzal.) 
• Although Sun Boy and Shrinking Violet are drawn on the cover, they do not appear in the story. 
• Shadow Lass is drawn with black gloves throughout this adventure. 
• The Brande factory is called "B.D. Brande" on page twelve. 
• Shadow Lass is drawn at the Brande factory on page thirteen, even though she just moments ago headed to Marzal with Dawnstar. 
• Light Lass is not shown flying away from the Brande factory with the others on page fourteen. 
• Shadow Lass is shown escorting the parents to the surface next to Lightning Lad on page sixteen. 
• Tyroc found a bomb hidden in Metropolis in Superboy/Legion #222.  

Status: 
This issue has not yet been reprinted.

Status: 
This issue has not yet been reprinted.